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The Federal Government has empowered farmers in Edo with 18,000 bags of fertilisers to enhance their production for the 2024 farming seasons, as part of its efforts to boost food production.

The State chairman of the All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria, Mr Bako Dogwo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin during a meeting with members of the association.

Dogwo said that the 18,000 bags, equivalent to 30 trucks, were out of the 1,652 million bags meant for farmers across the country.

The Federal Government, the AFAN chairman said, had paid over 80 per cent of its counterpart fund, while the farmers would pay at least 10 per cent of the cost of the fertiliser.

“The Federal Government is bringing so many inputs to Edo State. They are bringing fertilisers and it has paid 80 per cent of the cost of the fertilizer.

“It is supposed to be counterpart funding, but our state government, I can’t say why it has not paid its share of the fund.

“But it is now left for us, farmers, to pay at least 10 per cent to get the fertiliser if it comes to the state. For example, if the cost of fertiliser is N20,000 we are going to buy it with N10,000.

“Also, the Central Bank of Nigeria has just approved another fertiliser that will also come to the state, along with chemicals, inputs such as cassava stems, maize and rice for planting,” he said.

Dogwo said the fertiliser was only meant for the actual farmers and not “portfolio farmers”.

“The Federal Government is very serious for every farmer to benefit from its programmes. We are talking about the real farmers and not portfolio farmers.

“Members of AFAN are all genuine farmers and that was why we refused anyone to say that they are profiling farmers in the state. You cannot profile farmers. It is we that know who is a farmer and where such person farms,” he added.

Dogwo, who said the association was made up of more than 40,000 registered farmers, however, encouraged those that were yet to join the association to do so, noting that a time would come when it would cost much to be registered as a member.

He also urged members to encourage women to join any of the association’s affiliates, adding that it would provide them the opportunity to be taught all farming techniques and benefit from inputs and other intervention programmes.

Five corps members who were abducted along Ifon/Owo road in Ose local council area of Ondo state have regained their freedom, after allegedly paying ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

The Corp members were Oluwaseun Adewole, Feranmo Oluwadara, Patience Andrew, Taiwo Oribamise and Lekan Ajayi.

Recall that Corp members were abducted last weekend along the Ifon-Owo highway in Ose local council area, Ondo state.

During the attack, the driver of the vehicle as well as a female passenger were killed when gunmen opened fire on their commercial vehicle.

Confirming their release in a statement on Monday, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Fumilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said, “The victims were abandoned by their assailants after the police mounted pressure on the kidnappers.”

The victims, however, said the sum of N5 million was paid to the kidnappers as ransom, while drinks and cigarettes were also bought for them to secure their release.

Narrating their ordeal to newsmen in Akure, the state capital, one of the corps members, a female, Patient Andrew, said that they were tortured and only fed with dirty water and garri.

Speaking on the ransom paid, the 25-year-old abductee said “At first they asked for N30 million per person but as the negotiations were ongoing they brought it down to N3 million per person.

”But after much negotiation, they now asked us to bring N1 million each.

“We slept inside the bush throughout the day, we heard the bark of a dog and the sound of a cow in the bush and we passed through farmland when we were coming out.

As we walked through the thick forest, we didn’t meet anybody. Our brothers came with what they asked for which is 3 Hollandia yoghurt, 2 loaves of bread, one carton of Peak milk, one pack of malt 5 bottles of Fearless energy drink, one pack of YES cigarettes and 10 packs of rice and chicken and N1 million each.

“We were treated in Owo area command clinic and later wrote our statements.

The secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr Mohammed Shuaibu disclosed on Monday that the Nigerian Government may be paying Fuel Subsidy of N700 billion monthly.

His statement came as a reaction to data from Major Engergies Marketers of Nigeria which revealed the landing cost of Petrol in Nigeria to be N1,117 per litre.

Speaking to the MEMAN’s data, Shuaibu contended that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Nigerian government may not be telling the truth about the country’s fuel subsidy expenditure.

Petrol price is determined by the forces of demand and supply in the international market. When there is a global price increase, we should experience it in Nigeria.

“Therefore the N1,117/litre is not just based on our foreign exchange rate, but also the global PMS cost. The sole importer of this product is NNPC and the company is not telling us the truth.

“But data sourced by our counterparts, the major marketers, showed clearly that the landing cost of petrol is above N1,100/liter. This means that the monthly subsidy has crossed N700bn.

Mr Shuaibu also warned Nigerians to brace themselves for a sudden hike in the price of fuel.

“That also means we should be prepared so that any time the price of petrol jumps, we should not be surprised because they have already told us,” Shuaibu stated.

Further analysis showed that although petrol goes for between N617 per liter and N750 per liter depending on the location, dealers said the ex-depot price of the commodity by NNPC is N585/liter.

This brings the difference between the landing cost of N1,117 and an ex-depot price of N585 to N532.

According to the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, petroleum consumption figures of 44.3 million liters in October 2023, multiplied by the estimated N532 subsidy paid on each liter of petrol, give N23.57 billion as the daily subsidy spending.

The figure of the estimated fuel subsidy thereby amounts to over N700 billion in 30 days.

Recall that President Tinubu had on his inauguration announced the immediate removal of fuel Subsidy.

Also, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri on several occasions had insisted that fuel subsidies remain removed in Nigeria.

However, this position might be a lie and an attempt by the Federal government to deceive Nigerians as revealed by Mr Mohammed.

IPMAN is not the only one raising concerns about the possibility of Nigeria still paying Fuel Subsidy.

Recall that the former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, had claimed that the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal government is paying more on fuel subsidies than before.

Similarly, the President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo had also hinted at the government is applying a quasi-fuel subsidy on petrol.

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians to shelve a planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest slated for next month.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris, who briefed selected State House correspondents after a meeting with the President on Tuesday, said Tinubu urged the organisers of the protest to shelve the plan and await the President’s response to their complaints.

“The issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He’s asked them to shelve that plan. He’s asked them to await the government’s response to all their pleas,” the minister said.

The protest against economic hardship, which is gaining traction on social media, has been scheduled to be held across all states of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, in August. The organisers of the protest have been faceless.

Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.

The Federal Government, through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Nigeria Police Force as well as the House of Representatives have warned against the planned demonstration.

The House of Representatives has directed the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs) to immediately reverse the recent electricity tariff hike for Band A customers.

This directive was given on Tuesday after the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Power.

The report recommended a return to the old tariff, citing the inability of Nigerians to afford the new rate.

The NERC had announced a tariff hike, which would have seen Band A customers pay N225 per kilowatt.

However, the House of Representatives has now resolved to probe the tariff hike pending an investigation.

Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee on Power, Victor Nwokolo, stated that the new tariff is unaffordable for Nigerians. The Committee’s recommendations were adopted by the Committee of the Whole and subsequently passed.

Global human rights movement, Amnesty International has berated the Bola Tinubu-led government for threatening protesters.

AI was reacting to comments made by Tinubu’s media aide, Dada Olusegun, who said those planning the nationwide protests in the country will “meet the strongest resistance of your lives.”

In a post on X, the organisation stated:

”Threatening peaceful protesters is unlawful. It is a clear attack on freedom of assembly — which is guaranteed by international law and Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution:

”Nigerians must not be denied the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to peaceful protest; through veiled threats of violence and false insinuations.”

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has commenced a 5-day training to enhance the skills and knowledge of 20 staff drawn from the Headquarters and Institutes for the design and operation of Biogas and Biomethanol plants holding at the headquarters, Abuja.

The agency’s Deputy Director Information, Chima Akwaja disclosed this in a recent press statement stated that the intensive onsite training which will end on Friday, July 26, 2024, is being conducted in collaboration with SRH Berlin, Germany, a reputable organization known for the design and development of commercial-scale biogas and biomethanol plants.

In addition to the onsite training, NASENI and SRH Berlin are offering two online training courses on the design of medium-scale biogas and biomethanol plants. Trainees will be trained on several aspects of the design process, including process control, CAD/CAM, material science for biogas production, methanol synthesis, hydrogen production, and safety principles.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Mr, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, ably represented by the Deputy Director, Nano Science Department, Science Infrastructure, Dr. Chika Ezeanyanaso said, “this training is a very important step in equipping our staff with the necessary knowledge and expertise to design and manage biogas and biomethanol plants effectively.”

“The participants were carefully selected to represent different NASENI institutes, ensuring a comprehensive transfer of knowledge across the organization,” she said, further revealing that the model design for the biogas plant had already been developed and the training would focus on the practical application and hands-on learning.

She urged the 20 participants to approach the training with utmost seriousness and importance, emphasizing the transformative impact it would have on NASENI’s renewable energy initiatives.

The training is being facilitated by a team of seven experts from SRH Berlin, Germany, namely: Ronald Schnell, Gnana Swaroop, Osvaldo Romero, Edward Antwi, Nomu I, Uduak Bassey, and Michael Hartman. The training will also empower the staff with cutting-edge skills and knowledge.

Engr. Anas Yadiz, SA to the EVC on Science and Engineering Commercialisation, who is the coordinator of the training, said NASENI was poised to drive the adoption of biogas and biomethanol technologies, contributing to Nigeria’s broader renewable energy goals and paving the way for a more sustainable future.

He said this collaborative effort showcases the Agency’s commitment to fostering innovation, enhancing the skills of its workforce, and leading the charge towards a greener, more energy-efficient Nigeria.