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May 22
70% of Nigerian foods rejected abroad as NAFDAC initiates strategy to end challenge The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye Sunday affirmed that 70 per cent of food exports from Nigeria are rejected abroad, blaming it on the deplorable state of export trade facilitation for regulated products leaving the country. Adeyeye who spoke during the commissioning of a New NAFDAC Office complex at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport/NAHCO in Lagos said the incidence has become a cause for concern for the Agency with huge financial losses to the exporters and the country at large. She however added that the incidence of rejection of food exports from Nigeria in some European countries and the United States of America will soon become a thing of the past if collaboration between the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC and other government agencies at the ports is strengthened. Adeyeye added that a visit to NAFDAC Export warehouses within the international airport would explain the major reason for the continuous rejection of Nigerian exports abroad. She noted that the Agency was responding to the challenge by initiating a collaborative adventure with the government agencies at the Ports towards ensuring that goods are of requisite quality and meet the regulatory requirements of the importing countries and destinations before such are even packaged and hauled to the ports for shipment. “This raises the need for more enhanced export regulation – packaging, pre-shipment testing and certification to provide some quality assurance and minimise rejects. To save our national reputation in international commerce, all stakeholders in the export trade should see this as a call to duty and collaborate with NAFDAC for the sake of the country and our collective future. ‘’The mandate to safeguard the health of the populace through ensuring that food, medicines, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water are safe, efficacious and of the right quality in an economy that is overwhelmingly dependent on the importation of the bulk of its finished products and raw materials could never have been actualized without the effective presence of NAFDAC at the ports and land borders,’ she said. Adeyeye said: ‘’Our push through the resilience of the past Director, Prof Samson Adebayo on assumption of duties, for the immediate return of NAFDAC to the ports that eventually happened in May 2018’’, stressing that ‘’with gratitude for the approval of the President and the various arms of the Government, the results of our presence at the ports are available for everyone to see’’. She commended the Nigeria Customs Service for the symbiotic relationship that exists between its management and the Agency, saying ‘’without customs, they will not be able to do a lot of what they have been able to do. “NAFDAC collaborates with Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, to ensure that due diligence is done because over 70 per cent of the products that leave our ports get rejected. Considering the money spent on getting those products out of the country, it is a double loss for both the exporter and the country)’’. ‘’Without the police, we cannot do much in terms of investigation and enforcement. We have over 80 policemen with us in NAFDAC. They help us a lot when we are doing raids or investigations as the case may be’’. She further explained that the Agency has embarked on the optimisation and customisation of its processes, stating that the Ports Inspection Data-Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS) is presently deployed in all of the nation’s ports and land borders to automatically capture and process data for imported regulated products from the Nigeria Customs Information System (NICIS).
May 21
Sudan Conflit: Warring Factions Agree on temporary ceasefire A temporary ceasefire in Sudan has been agreed upon as fight between two warring factions entered its sixth week. Previous truce attempts between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have tended to collapse within minutes of beginning. But the new deal will be enforced by a “ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” according to a US-Saudi statement. As part of the seven-day humanitarian ceasefire, Sudanese officials have agreed to restore essential services. Fighting between the two sides has plunged the country into chaos since it began last month, with more than a million people thought to have been displaced. Stocks of food, money and essentials have fast declined and aid groups repeatedly complained of being unable to provide sufficient assistance in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, where much of the violence has taken place. Both the regular army and the RSF have been urged to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid, restore essential services and withdraw forces from hospitals. The United States and Saudi Arabia, who sponsored the peace talks in Jeddah, said the ceasefire would come into effect on Monday evening. In a statement, the US State Department acknowledged previous failed attempts at brokering peace in Sudan but said there was a key difference this time. “Unlike previous ceasefires, the agreement reached in Jeddah was signed by the parties and will be supported by a US-Saudi and international-supported ceasefire monitoring mechanism,” it said, without giving more detail. Taking to Twitter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added, “It is past time to silence the guns and allow unhindered humanitarian access. “I implore both sides to uphold this agreement – the eyes of the world are watching.” The war broke out in Khartoum on 15 April following days of tension as members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat. There was also a power struggle between Sudan’s regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the RSF. Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting and the UN has warned of a worsening situation in Africa’s third-largest country, where a huge number of people already relied on aid before the conflict. It has been two weeks since representatives of the warring factions first gathered in the Saudi capital for peace talks. On 11 May, both sides signed a commitment intended to lay the groundwork for humanitarian assistance in Sudan. But earlier this week, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told the AFP news agency there had been “important and egregious” violations of that agreement, which he added fell short of a ceasefire. Reports of violence across the country remain rife, with strikes reported on Saturday by eyewitnesses in southern Omdurman and northern Bahri, the two cities that lie across the Nile from Khartoum. An Omdurman resident recalled her house “shaking” early on Saturday as a result of “heavy artillery fire”. “It was terrifying, everyone was lying under their beds,” Sanaa Hassan, a 33-year-old living in the al-Salha neighbourhood, told Reuters by phone. “What’s happening is a nightmare.”
May 20
EFCC vows to not bandy words with suspect The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC has said that it will not bandy words with a suspect. The commission stated this while reacting to the allegation made by Zamfara state governor, Bello Matawalle, that its boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, demanded $2 million as bribe from him. Matawalle in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday, May 19, alleged that Bawa had in the past demanded the money from him as bribe. Matawalle has been in a running battle with the EFCC boss after the commission began an investigation into alleged corrupt practices against him. In a statement posted on its Twitter handle last night, the EFCC asked the governor to provide concrete evidence to back up his claims.
May 20
Moscow Bans Obama, 499 Other Americans From Entering Russia Russia on Friday said it banned entry to 500 Americans, including former president Barack Obama, in response to sanctions imposed by Washington. “In response to the anti-Russian sanctions regularly imposed by the Biden administration… entry into the Russian Federation is closed for 500 Americans,” the foreign ministry said, adding that Obama was among those on the list. On Friday, the United States added hundreds more companies and individuals to its sanctions blacklist as it broadened efforts to choke off Russia’s economy over the Ukraine offensive. “Washington should have learned a long time ago that not a single hostile step against Russia will be left unanswered,” the foreign ministry said. Among those listed were television hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers. CNN anchor Erin Burnett and MSNBC presenters Rachel Maddow and Joe Scarborough were also included. Russia said it blacklisted senators, congressmen and members of think tanks “involved in the spread of Russophobic attitudes and fakes” and the heads of companies that “supply weapons to Ukraine.” In the same statement Russia said it had denied consular visit to detained US journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested in March on claims of spying. The refusal was triggered by a refusal from Washington to issue visas to journalists travelling to the United Nations with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in April. CTV
May 20
Sawane heads Senegal to U17 AFCON title Mamadou Sawane headed home the winning goal seven minutes from time as Senegal scored twice in four minutes to come from a goal down and beat Morocco 2-1 to clinch their first-ever U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in a dramatic finale at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers. Skipper Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal had given Morocco a 14th-minute lead, one they kept until the 79th minute when Serigne Falou Diouf scored a VAR-awarded penalty. Sawane towered the entire defense to head home four minutes later, completing the hard-earned turnaround for the Teranga Cubs. Senegal has now won a third consecutive continental title within four months, their team of local based players having won the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) title in February at the same venue of their conquest on Friday, while they also won the U20 AFCON title in Egypt in March. Their senior national team began the continental dominance last February when they clinched the AFCON 2021 crown then continuing with an AFCON Beach Soccer title later in the year. Heading into the Friday night’s duel, both teams were in unfamiliar territory, playing their first-ever final, but it was Morocco who would go ahead first. Skipper Ait Boudlal peeled away from his markers before beating the keeper to the ball to head home from an Abdel Hamid Maali corner. It was a nerve-calming goal for Said Chiba’s boys, as just 10 minutes before, the Senegalese had come close with skipper Amara Diouf having a freekick fly inches wide off target. The game went into a full contest, with both sides battling for possession, but clear-cut chances at goal diminishing. In the second half, Senegal started faster off the blocks, Mamadou Sadio shooting just over with only 45 seconds gone on the clock. On the other end, Morocco had a chance when Maali struck a shot from the edge of the box, but it flew wide. Senegal’s turnaround came in the 76th minute when Moroccan skipper Ait Boudlal was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box. After visiting the pitch-side monitor, the referee awarded the penalty and Serigne tucked it home. The goal inspired the Senegalese and they piled pressure on Morocco in the final 10 minutes of the game. Just four minutes later they had their reward when substitute Sawane stormed in to the edge of the six yard box to head home what would be the winner from a corner. The goal punctured the entire Moroccan side, and even senior national team coach Walid Regragui who had flown in for the final, was dismayed, standing in anguish at his sitting spot in the VIP dias. Senegal managed to see off the remaining minutes, plus six of added time, to win the title for the first time ever. CAFOnline
May 20
Be Kind To People
May 20
By Toheeb Omotayo At least 64 million Nigerians are at stake of emergency food and nutritional assistance due to the attendant effects of rising inflation, climate change, among others. There are currently 24.8 million Nigerians who suffer from abject hunger, according to the United Nations World Food Programme, indicating worsening food insecurity and a widespread system of privation. This was revealed in the bank’s latest food security update, titled, ‘Food security update: World Bank Response to Rising Food Insecurity’, obtained by our correspondent. According to the report, about 107.5 million people living in West Africa and Central Africa region are in a stressed zone and could fall into a food crisis if additional shocks in the current farming season occur. This new figure is almost double that of the 27 million people predicted by Oxfam, ALIMA, and Save the Children who warned that food crises in West Africa could affect people in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria. The report also stated that the number of people experiencing crisis and worse acute food insecurity was the highest on record since the Global Report on Food Crises started in 2017. The bank added that persistent trade barriers, high transport costs, repercussions of the war in Ukraine, and currency depreciation in coastal countries caused food price inflation that limits the household’s ability to access sufficient nutritious food. On average, prices of major staple grains across West Africa are 25 per cent to 40 per cent higher than in the last five years on average. Moreover, accelerating climate change is decreasing the productive capacity of the region’s food systems, it said. Reports had shown a steady increase in food prices. The Food Crisis Prevention Network identifies civil insecurity, high inflation, and climate change as key factors aggravating the current food and nutrition security crisis.
May 20
Four Ekiti Kidnappers eating corn in police custody By Toheeb Omotayo The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Dare Ogundare, on Friday, paraded 16 suspects arrested for various criminal activities. Four of them were nabbed over alleged kidnapping in the Oke Ako area of the state and parts of Kwara State. Ogundare, who assured that the command would continue to fight crime, said the suspects would be charged at the completion of investigations. The CP said the police in Ekiti, in conjunction with the Kogi State Police Command, arrested one Abu Hassan, popularly known as Danger, and Abubakar Sodiq, who were notorious kidnappers that had been terrorising residents around Iyemero/Oke-Ako/Irele/Ipao-Ekiti areas of Ekiti. The police boss said the kidnap victims in the Oke Aki axis identified Danger. “One locally-made single-barrelled gun and two live cartridges were recovered from the suspects. An effort is ongoing for the possible arrest of other fleeing suspects,” he added. The commissioner noted that men of the command also arrested one Umar Hassan and Yusuf Lawal for allegedly invading the Ayenco area, Eda-Ile Ekiti, and kidnapping one Mary Olajumoke, who was released after a ransom was paid. He said, “Upon the arrest of the suspects, two cutlasses and a cash sum of N82,200, which was part of the ransom collected, were recovered from them.” According to him, other suspects included those arrested over alleged membership of a cult and armed robbery, among others.
May 19
Keyamo Says US aware of Peter Obi’s Failure in 2023 Presidential election By Toheeb Omotayo Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, says the US is aware that Peter Obi, standard bearer of the Labour Party (LP), lost the presidential election. Keyamo spoke in response to Obi’s comments about the telephone conversation between Antony Blinken, US secretary of state and Bola Tinubu, the president-elect. The former governor of Anambra said the basis on which Blinken called Tinubu to pledge to strengthen the ties between Nigeria and the US was “unclear”. Obi asked Blinken not to legitimise the victory of Tinubu until the presidential election petition tribunal gives a verdict. In a tweet on Friday, the minister said Obi overrated his “tantrums” and that of his supporters as having any effect internationally. “It’s obvious that you and your supporters have overrated your noise and tantrums after the election as having any real effect internationally. No, they have not had any such massive effect as you would wish,” he said. “Unfortunately for you, the US has dealt with so many opposition figures around the world and they know exactly how to separate facts from fiction. They know you lost, fair and square. They know that in a complex society like Nigeria, you could not have won with your message of ‘religious war’. “They know you’re just a splinter of the main opposition, the PDP, so it amounts to delusions of grandeur to think that you won when you actually came third. “They also know the declaration of a winner already announced by INEC has the force of law and is the only acceptable legal framework upon which to proceed than your Petition in court that is yet to be decided upon. You really want this country to stand still because you have a case in court? Is that what we have practised in this country for decades? The minister added that Obi’s “pontifications” about the presidential election were worrisome.
May 19
REASONS FOR STUDENTS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL
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