Nigeria Customs Celebrates Two ACGs After Meritorious Years of Service

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has bid farewell to Assistant Comptrollers-General Mohammed Yusuf and Ibrahim Abba-Aji after meritorious years of dedicated service to the Service and the nation.
Eereporter.com

The two senior officers were honoured at a retirement ceremony attended by colleagues and friends, who celebrated their contributions, sacrifices and progression through the ranks during their careers in the NCS.

Deputy Comptroller-General, Finance, Administration, Technical and Support, Kikelomo Adeola, led the tributes, commending the retiring officers for their dedication and commitment. She described retirement as a transition “from pressure to pleasure” and wished them good health and fulfilment in the next phase of their lives.

DCG Trade and Tariff, Caroline Niagwan, also paid tribute to the officers, drawing on her long association with them to appreciate their contributions to the Service. She prayed that their tomorrow would be better than their today and that retirement would bring renewed purpose and satisfaction.

As part of the ceremony, DCG Timi Bomodi presented gifts to the retiring ACGs, while commemorative cards were also presented to the celebrants by colleagues, families and friends.

Speaking at the ceremony, ACG Mohammed Yusuf thanked God and the NCS management for the opportunity to serve. Reflecting on his career, he said, “Life is transient. We never thought we’d leave one day. The good you do stays after you leave; try and discharge your jobs well,” while appreciating the management for improvements in officers’ welfare.

ACG Ibrahim Abba-Aji also expressed appreciation to the Service and the Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi for the opportunity to serve at the highest levels of the institution. He described retirement as a milestone to be embraced, saying, “Retirement isn’t a bad thing. Congratulations to all of us for coming this far. Long live the Nigeria Customs Service.”

Nigeria Customs

The ceremony marked the close of active careers spanning 35 years for ACGs Mohammed Yusuf and Ibrahim Abba-Aji, as colleagues celebrated their service and wished them fulfilment in their retirement and the years ahead.

The event ended with a cake-cutting session to mark the completion of their 35 years of service.
Eereporter.com

39th Anniversary: Akwa Ibom Journalists Forum Congratulates Governor Eno, Citizens

The Akwa Ibom Journalists Forum, Abuja, has congratulated Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, and the people of the state on the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State.
Eereporter.com

In a congratulatory message dated September 23, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of the Forum, Dominic Edem, and Secretary, Nathan Williams, the journalists commended the Eno administration for its development initiatives under the ARISE Agenda.
The Forum specifically highlighted the administration’s efforts in road infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, education and economic empowerment, describing them as areas with direct impact on the people of the state.

The journalists also acknowledged the government’s efforts towards the payment of retirees’ gratuities, the development of Ibom Air and the sustenance of peace and security across Akwa Ibom.
The Forum further congratulated Governor Eno on the commissioning of 39 projects across the state as part of activities marking the 39th anniversary.

It also commended the addition of a new Airbus A220-300 aircraft to the Ibom Air fleet, describing the development as another milestone in the state’s aviation sector.

The Akwa Ibom Journalists Forum, Abuja, reaffirmed its commitment to responsible journalism and constructive engagement in promoting the image, development and interests of Akwa Ibom State.

Akwa Ibom Journalists

The Forum said it would continue to play its role as journalists and stakeholders in the Akwa Ibom project by providing responsible coverage of developments in the state.

The journalists prayed for continued wisdom, strength and divine guidance for Governor Eno as he leads the state, while wishing Akwa Ibom continued prosperity, peace, unity and development.

The statement concluded with prayers for the progress of Akwa Ibom State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Eereporter.com

NADF Sets to Boost Agricultural Funding with Non-interest Finance

The National Agricultural Development Fund has commenced the validation of its proposed Non-Interest Finance Framework and Guidelines to widen access to agricultural financing and support the Federal Government’s food security objectives.
Eereporter.com

This was contained in a statement issued by NADF on Tuesday following a Strategic Roundtable and Validation Session on the proposed framework and guidelines.

According to the statement, the initiative is aimed at ensuring that farmers, agribusinesses and other players across the agricultural value chain have access to diverse and innovative financing options.

The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, said non-interest finance had become an important component of Nigeria’s financial system, providing ethical, asset-backed and risk-sharing financing models that complemented conventional finance.

“Our objective is not simply to introduce another financing framework. It is to broaden the financing ecosystem for agriculture by ensuring that every credible financing option is available to Nigerian farmers, agribusinesses, and other value chain actors,” Ibrahim said.

According to the statement, the proposed framework would provide a structured and transparent basis for delivering agricultural interventions through licensed non-interest financial institutions while institutionalising governance, operational and Shari’ah compliance standards.

Ibrahim said the documents were deliberately presented as drafts to allow stakeholders to scrutinise them and contribute their expertise before finalisation.

“Today’s gathering marks an important milestone in that journey,” he said, urging participants to examine the draft documents critically, challenge assumptions where necessary and share practical experiences.

The statement quoted the Director of the Development Finance Advisory Department of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Paul Oluikpe, as saying that significant work remained to be done to improve access to agricultural finance in Nigeria.

Oluikpe welcomed the proposed non-interest finance framework, describing it as an opportunity to bring an often-overlooked dimension of agricultural financing into the mainstream.

Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of the CBN’s Financial Regulation Advisory Council of Experts, Professor Bashir Aliyu Umar, said the proposed framework was consistent with efforts to promote financial inclusion and expand access to finance.

“What we are witnessing today is also following this trajectory of financial inclusion and easing access to finance and having a level playing field and even developmental perspective for the whole country whereby no segment of society is left out,” he said.

NADF

Providing an overview of the initiative, NADF’s Head of Investment, Olalekan Alabi, said the framework and guidelines were designed to establish a structured mechanism for deploying non-interest financing to eligible agricultural activities and value-chain interventions.

“Together, the Framework and Guidelines are expected to provide clarity on how NADF’s non-interest financing interventions will be structured, assessed, approved, implemented, monitored and reported,” Alabi said.

He added, “We are not here simply to confirm that the documents have been prepared. We are here to test their technical robustness and practical applicability.”

Alabi said stakeholders were expected to identify gaps, inconsistencies, overlaps and provisions requiring further clarification before the documents were finalised.

“Our objective is to have a set of Framework and Guidelines that are clear, technically sound, operationally practical, appropriately governed and capable of supporting NADF’s non-interest agricultural financing interventions,” he said.

The statement said the validation session brought together representatives of government institutions and regulatory agencies, development partners, non-interest finance experts, financial institutions and other stakeholders in the agricultural and financial sectors.
Eereporter.com