President Tinubu Inaugurates 6 Projects At UNICAL

President Tinubu inaugurates 6 projects at UNICAL. President Bola Tinubu on Saturday inaugurated six projects at the University of Calabar (UniCal), marking the institution’s 37th convocation and 50th anniversary celebrations.

Represented by Abdullahi Ribadu, the executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, Mr Tinubu urged prudent fund management to develop additional infrastructure in Nigerian universities.

“Six projects have been inaugurated today; some were abandoned for over ten years, while others were completed within seven months,” the president said at the event, which began on Monday, March 17.

The projects include Prof Emmanuel Ayandele Hall of Fame, Florence Obi Complex for Education, Engineering Workshops, and the Faculty of Pharmacy Administrative Block.

Tinubu Inaugurates 6 Projects At UNICAL

Also inaugurated were the Pharmaceutical and Medical Chemistry Department Block and a campus Fire Station equipped with a fire truck.

Commending the vice-chancellor, Mr Tinubu praised her team’s efforts, stating Tetfund grants would be available in 2025 and expressing hope for more infrastructure at UNICAL.

The vice-chancellor, Florence Obi, explained that her administration completed some abandoned projects, detailing the challenges faced and solutions employed during their execution.

She stated the Hall of Fame Building cost approximately ₦826 million, funded through the merged 2023/2024 Tetfund intervention alongside the faculty.

NDDC Supports Rice Farmers With N60m To Boost Production

NDDC supports rice farmers with N60m to boost production. Wale Oretan, the deputy director of agriculture and fisheries in NDDC, said 300 farmers from Abia and other states in the region participated in the training.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has provided financial support to 300 rice farmers in the Niger Delta, with each receiving starter packs worth N200,000 to enhance rice production.

The managing director, Samuel Ogbuku, said this in a statement on Saturday in Port Harcourt. The commission’s spokesperson, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, issued the statement.

The starter pack was presented to the beneficiaries during the closing ceremony of the second batch for the NDDC-sponsored training programme for rice farmers.

Mr Ogbuku, represented by the NDDC’s Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Winifred Madume, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to transforming the agricultural sector in the region.

He said the programme aimed to expose farmers to essential skills in modern rice farming techniques, processing, and agribusiness strategies.

“The scheme is designed to enable farmers to enhance rice production, establish cooperatives, and explore further partnerships with relevant agencies and financial institutions,” he stated.

Mr Ogbuku also highlighted the NDDC’s ongoing collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to provide apprenticeship training for farmers in the Niger Delta.

“We remain committed to implementing impactful agricultural empowerment initiatives to enhance food security, create jobs, and alleviate poverty in the region,” he added.

NDDC Supports Rice Farmers

Wale Oretan, the deputy director of agriculture and fisheries in NDDC, said 300 farmers from Abia and other states in the region participated in the training.
He explained that the training covered theoretical and practical aspects of rice production, processing, and entrepreneurship.

“Each participant received a starter pack worth N200,000 along with a certificate of completion,” Mr Oretan stated.

He urged the beneficiaries to apply the knowledge gained from the training to improve their businesses and boost rice production across the nine Niger Delta states.

The Abia Rice Farmers Association president, Uzoma Ochulo, expressed gratitude to NDDC on behalf of the beneficiaries.

NULGE Urges Council Workers To Resume Duty: Osun LG Crisis

NULGE urges council workers to resume duty. The group’s coordinator, described the protracted withdrawal of services at the local governments as the height of irresponsibility.

Afaction of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Osun on Saturday appealed to local government workers in the state to resume work in the interest of the public.

The faction, under the aegis of the Association of Concerned Local Government Staff, noted that the shutting of the council secretariats was subjecting the public to unnecessary hardship and denying them basic services.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo, Adebayo Adekunle, the group’s coordinator, described the protracted withdrawal of services at the local governments as the height of irresponsibility.

“We call on all patriotic local government workers to resume back to work without further delay,” he said.
Mr Adekunle noted that with the shutting of the local government secretariats, pregnant women and children at the grassroots have been denied access to maternity and clinic services as well as drug stores for medical care.

He appealed to the leadership of NULGE in the state to ensure the immediate reopening of the council secretariats.

Mr Adekunle said the local government employees should not continue to be denied their monetary and career privileges following the withdrawal of services.
He lamented that for over a month, residents who need important documents from the councils have been unable to get them and access other services due to the withdrawal of services by workers.

”On our path, we are to serve all government legally in power. If it is All Progressives Congress(APC) today or the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) tomorrow, our business is public service delivery and not any political party in power.

”It is our duty, and we are ready to work with those who are already lawfully at the local government secretariats through a Court of Appeal judgment.

“And if tomorrow, the Supreme Court says otherwise or their tenure expires, we are still going to work with those who would be occupying the political offices in our local governments; that is our covenant,” he said.

NULGE Urges Council Workers

Mr Adekunle said the group would liaise with security agencies to ensure workers were protected upon resumption.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and NULGE had, on February 16, directed local government workers in the state to withdraw their services, effective February 17.

In separate statements, the chairs of the two unions, Christopher Arapasopo and Nathaniel Ogungbangbe, said the directive was in response to the political tension following a Court of Appeal judgment.

While the PDP claimed that the February 10 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Akure, did not reinstate the sacked APC chairs and councillors elected in 2022, the APC insisted on their return to offices.

Crisis, however, erupted on February 17, when both parties were laying claim to local government secretariats across the state, with the police confirming six deaths.