Japan to invest N18bn in Nigerias agribusiness

The President of Toshoku Company Limited of Japan, Mr. Zentaro Iwamoto, has expressed the readiness of his company to establish its presence in Nigeria by growing large farm of soya beans and sorghum and processing them into flour for export around the world.
Mr. Iwamoto, who displayed some bread, biscuits and doughnuts that his company produced from sorghum in Japan, explained that the factory was expected to produce high quality soya beans flour - 15,000 tons per year and sorghum of 84,000 tons per year - each.
The investment, worth N17.91 billion ($90 million) from the company, requires about five million hectares of land to grow both soya beans and sorghum before processing same into flour for export.
The acting executive secretary of the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Hajiya Ladi Katagum, while receiving the president of the company, in her office recently, said the coming of the company into the Nigerian economy to invest in the agricultural sector is very timely as it was in line with the diversification policy of the federal government.

Military kills seven terrorists, apprehends eleven others

Troops of 22, 28 and 114 Task Forces Brigade and Battalion of Nigerian Army on Sunday killed seven Boko Haram terrorists and arrested of 11 others during clearance operations in the Bitta-Damboa and Dikwa-Marte axis of Borno state.

The troops also along the Bitta-Damboa road safely detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Madube village.

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman disclosed this Monday in a statement issued to newsmen in Maiduguri.
Usman in the statement said: “During the operations, the troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists at Bulajani village and successfully
cleared and pursued the fleeing terrorists in the area.

“Unfortunately, the troops run into an ambush which was eventually cleared, while returning from the patrol fight. Unfortunately, five
soldiers were wounded in the process and their Buffalo vehicle was badly damaged.

“The troops killed four Boko Haram terrorists, while an unconfirmed number of escaped with gunshot wounds.”

He said the soldiers also recovered six bicycles and identified food storage facility stocked with food items.

On apprehend of 11 terrorists, Usman said: “The troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists at Sinabaya village which is left of Marte-Kaje
the road in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno state. During the encounter, they killed three and apprehended 11 suspects,” adding that the arrested suspects have been moved to the Brigade Headquarters for preliminary investigation and subsequent handing over to the Joint Interrogation Committee.

He further disclosed that arms and ammunition were also recovered in the clearance operations along the Marte-Kaje road.

The recovered ammunition, according to him, includes an AK-47 rifle with registration number N37113 and five AK-47 rifle magazines. Others include a 36 hand grenade, three rounds of 7,62mm (Special)ammunition, four motorcycles, three bicycles, a magazine pouch and a
mobile telephone handset.

On safety of liberated communities, Usman said: “Another patrol team from the same unit in conjunction with some elements of Nigerian
Security and Civil Defence Corps picketed Dikwa-Mafa-Maiduguri road in order to keep it open and safe against Boko Haram terrorists’
activities.

“The same team also escorted International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) humanitarian materials from Maiduguri to Dikwa and
Gambouru/Ngala Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in collaboration with troops of 7 Division Garrison.

“At this point, it is important to state that as at today, there are 68, 653 IDPs at Dikwa camp, comprising 31, 296 males and 37, 356
females.”

Avengers, MEND bicker over truce talks with government

Avoid opportunists, ex-militant cautions

The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is in a war of attrition with the rival Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) over who gets what in the ongoing peace negotiation with state and federal governments.

The NDA, at the weekend, condemned the purported efforts of some former militants operating under MEND for allegedly acting the script of some elements in government bent at causing confusion with a view to scuttling the ongoing truce talks.

The Avengers, in a statement on their website, alleged that Ebikabowei Ben (Boyloaf), Ayiri Emami, Timipre Sylva and Adams Oshiomhole conspired and promoted the creation of a “political MEND” which purportedly named a team to negotiate with the Federal Government.

“We are making the last appeal and warning to this so-called MEND to excuse the NDA from their criminal ways and gang-ups. Nobody can ambush the struggle, the world knows that Boyloaf and his group have been settled since 2009 of which he is still collecting stipends for ghost names in the presidential amnesty programme (PAP),” the group claimed.

MEND had recently alleged that “the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is the vehicle currently being used by Niger Delta political elite and associates of former President Goodluck Jonathan to destabilise President Buhari’s government. It was these political juggernauts who are loathe to see President Buhari gain a foothold in the region.”

An accusation which the NDA roundly denied.

Meanwhile, an erstwhile militant and leader of the Ifalibabou Revolutionary Movement, General Keithy Sese, has cautioned government to be wary of
the people or group it is negotiating with in the current effort to douse tension in the Niger Delta.

Sese, also known as Nomukeme within the fold of ex-agitators, gave the warning in a statement at the weekend.

The former militant, who was controlling Foropa-Middleton and territories in Southern Ijaw, Local Council of Bayelsa State, urged government not to dialogue with those he described as “political jobbers and opportunists.”

He continued: “My advice to the Federal Government is whatever ought to be done in Niger Delta should be done with the utmost sagacity and exigency. The
consciousness of the people has risen to a point where even if a devil takes up the struggle for our liberation, we will certainly queue behind him with requisite support and effort.”

Naira depreciates in free float

The naira plunged against the US dollar on Monday after Nigeria’s government scrapped its fixed exchange rate and allowed market forces to determine the currency’s value.

“Trading started at 9:00 am this morning. All the 24 commercial banks are participating. The offer is 249 to 265 naira to the dollar,” one forex trader told AFP.

At 11:00 am, the naira was quoted at 262.50 against the dollar but the trader, who asked to remain anonymous, said supply and demand were still in the process of being matched.

“All the bids will be put on the table and the rate will based on the offers,” the trader said.

Analysts say the naira may settle in at around 250, compared with 350 to the greenback on the black market.

Nigeria had pegged the naira to the dollar at 197-199 since March 2015, even as other oil exporters have let their currencies devalue in the wake of plunging global crude prices.

President Muhammadu Buhari has previously said he would not “kill the naira” by letting it devalue.

But central bank governor Godwin Emefiele said last week the currency market would now be “purely market driven” as the country grapples with spiralling inflation, slowing growth, the weakening naira and foreign exchange shortages.

Senate confirms 47 new diplomats

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday sent a list of forty-seven ambassadorial nominees to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation.

Senate President Bukola Saraki made the announcement during a Senate plenary session on Thursday.

The names were contained in a letter which was sent to the senate and read on the floor of the upper legislative chamber by Senator Bukola Saraki.

The Senate, however, has confirmed the 47 Ambassadors nominated by Buhari to head Nigeria’s missions abroad.

Some of the new diplomats are Obinna Chukwuemeka, Okeke Vivian, Ngozi Okeje, Bello Kazaure, Garba Baba, Umar Salisu, Kadiri Ayinla Audu, Ibrahim Isa, Bankole Adeoye, Ibrahim Hamza, KC Nwachukwu, Olufemi Abekoye, Adekunbi Abibat, Salisu Umoru, Liman Munir, Mohammed Hassan Hassan, Olatunde Adesesan, Usman Bakure, Balogun Akeem and Kabiru Bala.

Ambode swears-in LG sole administrators, warns against corruption

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode this morning swore in the new Sole Administrators for the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas, LCDAs, of the state and warned that he will not hesitate to sack administrators who engage in corrupt practices.

The ceremony was performed at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode with the newly sworn-in LG/LCDA Sole Administrators

Thousands of well wishers were not allowed into the State House by security personnel in order to avoid congestion and many party faithful were seen loitering outside the premises of the State House.

Speaking at the event, Ambode charged the appointees to see their appointment as Sole Administrators as a call to service.

“You are relay runners on a journey of reform that will ultimately culminate in the election of accountable people that will carry on the baton of good governance for our people. For the duration of your race, I urge you to run the race efficiently with diligence so that you do not betray the trust that has been placed in you.”

The governor added: “Your job is to go to the local governments you have been posted and make a difference in the lives of the people. You must touch lives and be prepared to have your lives touched by our people. You must interact with the people, share their joys and pains and reside among them. It is only through this symbiotic relationship that we can truly say we have begun to understand and serve our people”

He, however, warned that he would not tolerate any form of corruption as such administrators would be sacked immediately.

“Let me seize this opportunity to warn that we will not hesitate to remove and replace any Administrator who fails to serve the people diligently or abuses his/her office. A strict monitoring, control and feedback process will be put in place to ensure that there are no excesses or excuses. Strict accountability must be your watchword. Lagosians will be watching you and we will be watching you too,” he stated.

However, Ambode said the swearing-in was another step by his administration to give governance back to the people of the state by making the Local Governments and LCDAs a vibrant, responsive and viable part of the Lagos State Government.

He recollected that the Lagos State House of Assembly recently passed a resolution that the previous local government committees be dissolved and Sole Administrators appointed in their place, saying that it was in line with this, that administrators were being sworn in to manage the affairs of the LGs and LCDAs.

According to Ambode, “the hallmark of any good government is to provide basic services to the communities at the grassroots. This is the only way the real dividends of good governance can spread downwards and touch the hearts and minds of its people.

“Our State is growing so fast that the concept of the rural area will not be applicable to any part of Lagos very soon. Our government is working hard to meet the yearnings of our people who live in what I term semi-urban areas by providing them with services like water, good roads, street lights, efficient refuse collection, cleaning of drainage and roads, primary healthcare, recreational parks and sports facilities to make those areas liveable and economically viable. We are dedicated to this and will deliver on our promise of a Government of inclusion where no one is left behind.

“This government is committed to Local Government reforms and in August last year during our meeting with Community Development Associations, we promised to embark on reforms with the aim of making the 57 Local Government and Development Areas more responsive to the needs of the people. In furtherance of this, early this year we assented to three Bills on Local Government reform and elections passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“The message behind these new laws is that our administration is set to restore standards, create opportunities,instill pride honour, service, accountability and responsiveness to the Local Government system in Lagos State. It will no longer be business as usual. Rather, it will be a tough journey requiring character, leadership, commitment and resilience of those at the helm of affairs to actualize our dreams,” he said.

Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello said the appointment of the sole administrators was to ensure that no vacuum was left behind by the exit of the Executive Secretaries, charging them to key into Ambode’s vision of delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.

Guardian sacks: Izeze, the company’s Executive Consultant, Lade Bonuola and two other consultants.

The Management of The Guardian has sacked the newspaper’s Managing Director, Emeka Izeze, the company’s Executive Consultant, Lade Bonuola and two other consultants.

Our correspondent also learnt that 100 other workers of the company are to be sacked.

The retrenchment of the workers, it was learnt, was as a result of the economic hardship in the country and the need to reposition the newspaper.

Izeze had been The Guardian’s Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief until the position was split about two years ago, which made him the Managing Director while Debo Adeshina was named Editor-in-Chief. He held the position for over a decade. Prior to that, he was the Editor of The Guardian.

Also, Bonuola was a founding member of The Guardian newspaper and contributed immensely to the growth of the newspaper.

A source told PMNews that Izeze, Bonuola and two other top consultants were sacked on Friday by the management of the company.

Our source said 100 other workers have been penciled down for sack and that in the next few days, they would be issued sack letters.

The Guardian was established in 1983 by Alex Ibru, an entrepreneur, and Stanley Macebuh, a top journalist with the Daily Times newspapers. The Guardian was a pioneer in introducing high-quality journalism to Nigeria with thoughtful editorial contents.

The paper was first published on 22 February 1983 as a weekly, appearing on Sundays. It started daily publication on 4 July, 1983.