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FG Targets 500 Hectares Of Land For Ranching, Dairy Production In Benue Says Minister

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Shettima Hails Tinubu

FG Targets 500 Hectares Of Land For Ranching, Dairy Production In Benue Says Minister

FG targets 500 hectares of land for ranching, dairy production in Benue says Minister. The minister stated that the centre would collaborate with Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, for research purposes.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, has said the Federal Government will clear 500 hectares of land in Benue State to promote ranching and dairy production.

Mr Maiha disclosed this on Saturday during his visit to the Benue Livestock Investigation and Breeding Centre, Raav, Gwer East Local Government Area of the state.

He said that the 2,400 hectares allocated to the centre was sufficient for ranching and dairy, adding that the FG would begin with clearing 500 hectares.
He regretted that the centre, with over 2,400 hectares, currently has only 37 animals, and its facilities dilapidated and needing full rehabilitation.

Mr Naiha stated, “We will form a small committee to suggest ways of moving this place forward. We aim to establish two enterprises here: one for dairy, the other for ranching. 2,400 hectares is sufficient, so we will initially clear 500 hectares to receive pasture before the rains this year.’’

The minister added that the committee would propose facilities such as pens, isolation centres, maternity pens, dips and other support structures including housing and chalets.

He explained that the centre would collaborate with Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, for research purposes.

Speaking during the visit, Director-General, Benue Bureau for Livestock Development, Dr Aondoakaa Asambe, said the initiative aligned with the state government’s vision for the bureau’s creation.

Shettima Hails Tinubu

Tinubu and Shettima

Mr Asambe noted the state government believed that ranches would address security challenges and allow farmers to return to their ancestral lands.

He said the state government took a pragmatic step to build a reliable livestock industry that brings economic benefits to the people.

He commended the state Governor Hyacinth Alia for supporting the bureau in achieving its livestock development mandate.

The minister earlier visited the Benue Swine and Crop Improvement Project, Yadev, Gboko LGA, and the International Cattle Market, Makurdi.

Economy

Goodluck Jonathan Wins 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize

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Goodluck Jonathan Wins 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize

Goodluck Jonathan wins 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize. According to him, Mr Jonathan becomes the third person and the first African leader to win this category of the award.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been nominated as the winner of the 2025 Founders Sunhak Peace Award.

Ikechukwu Eze, special adviser to Mr Jonathan disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Mr Eze said that the award would be presented to the former president by Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation in Seoul, South Korea on April 11.

According to him, Mr Jonathan becomes the third person and the first African leader to win this category of the award, after former United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon and Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen.
Mr Eze said that this year’s award ceremony, the sixth in the series, would take place in Seoul on April 11, where Mr Jonathan and other laureates would be decorated.

He quoted the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee as stating that the honour was in recognition of Jonathan’s consistent mediations and pro-democracy activities to bring peace to the African continent.

This, according to him, is especially through the instrumentality of the various associations he chairs, including Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), West African Elders’ Forum (WAEF) and International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP).

The Sunhak Peace Award and the Sunhak Peace Prize are two categories of awards presented biennially by the committee to individuals and organisations acknowledged as worthy contributors to world peace and human development.

Prominent past winners of the second category, which is the Sunhak Peace Prize, included former Senegalese President Macky Sall and President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina.

Others were Dame Sarah Gilbert, Co-developer of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine as well as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.

Mr Eze said that Mr Jonathan would be receiving his award alongside three individuals who were recently announced by José Barroso, the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee Chair and former President of the European Commission, as winners in the other category.

Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan

They include Patrick Awuah Jr., founder and president of Ashesi University in Ghana, Hugh Evans, co-founder and chief executive officer of Global Citizen and Wanjira Mathai, Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute.

Mr Eze also quoted the founder of the prize, Dr Hak Ja Han Moon, as stating in her pre-event address that the lives of the laureates had been an inspiring testament to how peace could be realised through concrete actions and cultural transformation.

“Over the past decade, the Sunhak Peace Prize has identified and honoured individuals.

“Individuals who have dedicated themselves to addressing urgent global challenges based on its three core values: respect for human rights, reconciliation of conflicts and ecological conservation,’’ Ms Moon said.

Established in 2015, the biennial Sunhak Peace Prize honours individuals and organisations that have shown extraordinary services to global peace and well-being in any of the three areas.

The areas are sustainable human development, conflict resolution or ecological conservation.

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Economy

Government To Train, Empower Youths For Agricultural Revolution In Kwara

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AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

Government To Train, Empower Youths For Agricultural Revolution In Kwara

Government to train, empower youths for agricultural revolution In Kwara. He also said that the collaboration would help to create employment opportunities for the youths.

The Kwara ministry of youth development has said that it will train the youths and also empower them financially to drive the planned revolution in agriculture.

The commissioner, Shehu Ndanusa, said this on Monday when he paid a courtesy visit to the management of the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) in Ilorin.

Mr Ndanusa said that the ministry needed to build the capacity of the youths in agribusiness, rural development, and entrepreneurship to create more job opportunities for young people in the state.
He further said that the state needs the support of the institute for agripreneurs through skill acquisition and business management training.

According to him, ARMTI is known for expertise in agricultural training and rural development, hence collaborating with the state government will help equip youths with practical skills for self-reliance.

Responding, the executive director of ARMTI, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, said that the youths remain the major focus of ARMTI.

Mr Oladunni also said that the agency trains youths, gives them starter packs and follows them up to ascertain participants are well established.

Empower Youths

Empower Youths

He said that the institute was prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the ministry, in order to formalise the collaboration.

He emphasised that the partnership would aim at providing young Nigerians with essential training, technical support, and entrepreneurship opportunities in the agricultural sector.

He also said that the collaboration would help to create employment opportunities for the youths, boost food security and drive rural economic growth.

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Crime

NAFDAC Seals 4 Water Factories Over Poor Manufacturing Practices

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NAFDAC

NAFDAC Seals 4 Water Factories Over Poor Manufacturing Practices

NAFDAC seals 4 water factories over poor manufacturing practices. She warned producers in the area to be cautious of producing substandard products.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)  has invited the operation managers of four table water production factories for failing to meet good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards.

The factories in question include Oral Water and Logistics Limited, producers of Yireh Yaweh Table Water in Jikwoyi, and Le-Starlight Table Water in Jikwoyi, Abuja.

Others include Daraja Table Water and Iris Table Water and Beverages, producers of Siris Table Water, both located in the Karshi, Nasarawa axis of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

During its enforcement operations in Abuja on Monday, NAFDAC also sealed and locked the four factories in question.

Wilberforce-Glory Albert, the subunit head of NAFDAC’s Mararaba Office, also known as Greater FCT, explained that the agency initiated the raid due to concerns over the quality of water produced by these factories.

She stated that all the facilities sealed had poor GMP practices, necessitating immediate action to rectify the situation.

Mrs Albert pointed out that several of these factories lacked pallets for stacking their finished products, and some did not have a production manager to ensure GMP compliance.

She also highlighted that some facilities were operating without licenses, lacked proper packaging materials, had no building lights, and had staff that were not properly kitted, all of which contributed to the poor GMP.

“These are the reasons we sealed the facilities and invited them for further investigation at NAFDAC’s office,” Mrs Albert said.

She further disclosed that the raid in this area marked the beginning of broader enforcement actions, as NAFDAC had established a new office to oversee Mararaba, Keffi, Nyanya, Jikwoyi, and Kurudu.

NAFDAC

NAFDAC

“This new office falls under the FCT Directorate and is known as “Greater FCT.”
Mrs Albert warned producers in the area to be cautious of producing substandard products, emphasising that the law would catch up with those who continued to operate improperly.

“This raid will continue. We’ve just started, and we won’t stop until these factories comply with GMP standards.

“There is no hiding place for producers of substandard products, everyone must do the right thing, obtain the necessary licenses, and produce under proper conditions,” she stated.

Mrs Albert also revealed that some of the sealed facilities claimed to be registered with NAFDAC but were unable to provide the required documentation, which was another reason for their invitation to the agency.
She urged them to bring all relevant documents to NAFDAC’s office.

The NAFDAC team leader added that the factories would be required to pay for any sanctions imposed by the agency.

“If their licenses had expired, they would also need to pay for renewals and investigation charges.”

NAFDAC emphasised its commitment to investigating and taking action against any other illegal activities being carried out by these factories.

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