IGP Receives State-Of-The-Art Mobile Barracks Donated By UNDP, GS-Foundation, Porto.

IGP Receives State-Of-The-Art Mobile Barracks Donated By UNDP, GS-Foundation, Porto.

In alignment with the commitment of the Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Kayode Egbetokun to enhance the operational effectiveness of the Nigeria Police Force, particularly with regards to the establishment of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS), the Global Security-Sector-Reform Foundation (GS-Foundation) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Police Reform and Transformation Office (PORTO), officially handed over state-of-the-art equipment designed for a 2,000-bed capacity mobile barracks to the Nigeria Police Force. This significant initiative, aimed at enhancing the welfare and deployment capabilities of the Nigeria Police Force, was unveiled during a handover ceremony at the Police College Ikeja on Friday 15th September, 2023. 

The facility which includes modular components such as military-grade tents, fully equipped field kitchens, medical clinics, and modern toilet and washroom facilities is part of the Supporting Police Reform Processes in Nigeria Project funded by the Federal Foreign Office of the Government of Germany and implemented by UNDP and GS-Foundation in collaboration with PORTO and the NPF. The mobile nature of these barracks enables rapid field deployments to various locations across the Federation.

The Chief Executive Officer of PORTO, Tunji Lardner, emphasized the alignment of this initiative with their comprehensive reform strategy and commended the Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for his exceptional leadership in this strategic partnership. He expressed gratitude to the German Federal Foreign Office (FFO), GS-Foundation, and UNDP for their unwavering support in this critical national endeavor.

In his remarks, Ag. IGP Kayode Egbetokun acknowledged the significant contribution of the German Government to the Nigeria Police Force and expressed gratitude to the collaborative efforts of UNDP, GS-Foundation, PORTO, and the Federal Foreign Office of the Government of Germany. He emphasized that this initiative underscores the dedication of the Nigeria Police Force to modernizing law enforcement and will undoubtedly enhance the safety and security of communities across the nation.

Aribasoye Elected Speakers' Conference Vice Chair.

Aribasoye Elected Speakers' Conference Vice Chair.

In Pic: Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly.

The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, has been elected as the Vice Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of Houses of Assembly in Nigeria.

Rt. Hon. Aribasoye was elected as the Vice Chairman of the heads of state legislatures at the ongoing elective Congress of the Conference ongoing in Abuja, the nation's capital.

His emergence as the Vice Chair of the Body of Speakers bears eloquent testimony to his resourcefulness, man management, requisite legislative experience, quintessential diplomacy and inclusive leadership.

Additionally, the Ekiti Speaker also emerged as the Southwest Zonal Chairman saddling him with an additional role within the Conference.

The highpoint of the meeting was the election of the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin as the Conference Chairman cementing his position as a prominent leader within the Nigerian legislative circles.

The election of Rt. Hon. Aribasoye and Rt. Hon. Ogundoyin to the prestigious positions among their colleagues marked a significant milestone in their political trajectories underscoring their exceptional leadership skills and dedication to the service of their respective states and the nation at large.

The Nigerian Speakers' Conference extends its heartfelt congratulations to Rt. Hon. Aribasoye and Rt. Hon. Ogundoyin on their well-deserved appointments wishing them success in their new roles.

The Nigerian Conference of Speakers extends its heartfelt congratulations to Rt. Hon. Adeoye Stephen Aribasoye and Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin on their well-deserved appointments and wishes them success in their new roles.

Further updates on the Nigerian Conference of Speakers will follow as the conference progresses.

Ondo to take lead in cashew, oil palm production, says Akeredolu.

Ondo to take lead in cashew, oil palm production, says Akeredolu.

Akeredolu said his administration’s invested on cash crops would help reduce the country’s dependent on oil.

Akeredolu spoke when he visited the Chocolate factory at Idanre which was recently acquired by Johnvents limited.

Represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Agric and Agribuisness, Pastor Akin Olotu, Governor Akeredolu said he was delighted at the transformation of the factory by its new owners.

He said the people would soon begin to feel the impact of the state’s investment in oil palm and cashew.

According to him: “We are doing perfectly well in Oil palm. In the next three years, Ondo State would be number one in oil palm in Nigeria. We have done that and we are not relenting in our efforts.

“We have cocoa farms. We have a single cocoa estate. Mr Governor has opened a new cocoa farm also for our Farmers for cocoa farming in clusters. It is an opportunity I believe our people would jump at. We will continue to give the support, not just that, we have given over 3 millions seedling of cocoa. That would be impactful.

“Somethings we have done, you might not be feeling the effects immediately, but in two or three years the story would change. Sustainability has come to stay, the structure, the business concept, the management, only a madman would work against what is going on here.”

Managing Director, Johnvents, Mr. Oloyede Olatunji, said chocolates from the factory was of international standard.

He appealed to the state government to create a more friendly environment for local and small businesses to thrive.

“Cashew would be given topmost attention starting From October this year. In Ondo State, we would have million seedlings of Cashew  that would be produced and planted in this state.

We plan to crash cement from N5,500 to N3,500 – BUA cement.

We plan to crash cement from N5,500 to N3,500 – BUA cement.

Chairman of BUA Cement Plc., Abdul Samad Rabiu, has announced plans to reduce the price of cement N5,500 to between N3,000 and N3,500.

Rabiu disclosed this to Journalists after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

He said the price crash is part of his company’s contribution to supporting the efforts of the Federal Government to stabilise the prices of essential commodities.

He however stated that this would kick start after the commissioning of two new lines of 3 million tons each by the end of the year.

Rabiu said: “Let me thank his excellency Mr. President for graciously receiving me today, I came to intimate his excellency on the affairs of our cement business.

“We have two new lines of 3 million tons each that we will be commissioning by the end of the year

“So I explained to him that we want to support the efforts of the government in bringing down the cost of cement, by the time these lines are commissioned BUA Cement will be producing about 17 million tons per annum and with that, we intend to bring down the cost of cement from its current level of N5,000 or N5,500 per bag to maybe N3,000 to N3,500 per bag.

“Eighty per cent of the raw materials that we are using to produce cement in Nigeria are mainly limestone and gypsum and of course, energy is part of it. Of course, we have gas in Nigeria.

“So we want to support the government, we want to support their efforts in ensuring that the prices of these commodities are brought down incidentally.’’

He said the two new plants to be inaugurated by Tinubu later in 2023 would increase production capacity to 17 million metric tons.

Agric group, SFSA partners with EKSG on Youth-Focused Farmer's Hub Project.

Agric group, SFSA partners with EKSG on  Youth-Focused Farmer's Hub Project.

 

The Syngenta Foundation For Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA), led by its Country Program Manager, Mr. Isaiah Gabriel, on Wednesday, held a productive meeting with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security in Ekiti State, Mr Ebenezer Boluwade. 

The meeting marked a significant step towards enhancing the business of horticultural crops and improving access to quality, affordable inputs, market opportunities, and financing for smallholder farmers in the state.

 

SFSA is an implementing foundation that bridges the gap between research for innovations and their delivery for use by smallholders. The Foundation focuses on strengthening small holder farming and food systems, catalyze market development and delivery of innovations while building capacity across the public and private sectors.

The Farmer Hub will facilitate smallholder farmers' access to a range of agricultural services from production to market, including machinery rental options, training on agronomy and compliance with quality standards for access to more lucrative markets, and input and output market access.

 

During the meeting, the Foundation expressed its commitment to partner with the State Government, specifically through the Ministry of Agriculture, to establish a farmer's hub in Erifun, Ado-Ekiti. This new hub will be deployed within the recently established Ekiti Youth in Agribusiness Hub initiative, designed to empower young individuals who have received specialized training in horticulture through Mastercard Foundation Program in Olericulture. 

The hub is situated on a 5-hectare land space at Erifun, Ado Ekiti and will be supported with solar powered irrigation system that will ensure all year-round production activities. The Farmer's Hub to be sponsored by SFSA will complement the Horticultural Hub with a store offering affordable agricultural inputs, an open meeting space for knowledge sharing among farmers and stakeholders, and a greenhouse dedicated to vegetable seedling production.

 

Boluwade, the  State Commissioner for  Agriculture and Food Security, and the Syngenta Foundation mutually agreed to initiate the partnership as a pilot project and set to commence in the coming weeks, with plans for further expansion and the establishment of additional hubs in 2024. 

To demonstrate the readiness and willingness to start implementing the agreement reached, the Syngenta Foundation team, accompanied by ministry staff, visited the 5-hectare farmland at Erifun, Ado Ekiti and expressed their enthusiasm about the site's potential. They are eager to deploy the Farmer's Hub before October 15, 2023.

 

This initiative marks a significant milestone in Ekiti State's government's efforts to promote youth involvement in agriculture, fostering economic growth and sustainability in the state. It tallies with the administration shared prosperity agenda that ensures poverty alleviation and job creation.

Ekiti Government Trains 103 Special Schools Teachers And Caregivers.

Ekiti Government Trains 103 Special Schools Teachers And Caregivers.

103 teachers and caregivers of the three special schools for persons living with disabilities in Ekiti State have benefitted from Governor Biodun Oyebanji administration’s capacity development program aimed at ensuring that children with special needs are safe and properly cared for.

Speaking in Ado Ekiti, at the opening ceremony of the 2-day training programme, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Education and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Adetoun Agboola said that the focus is to guarantee that the social and emotional needs of people living with disabilities are met and supported, and that they have the required supports necessary for them to reach their true academic potential.

Mrs. Agboola reiterated the commitment of the present administration to human capital development adding that government’s intervention in the affairs of people with disabilities is to engender inclusiveness in governance.

“We have started empowering teachers and caregivers that work with students living with disabilities in the three special schools in Ekiti. They include students with disabilities in the School for the deaf and Dumb, Ikoro Ekiti, School for the Blind, Ikere Ekiti and the School for the Physically Challenged in Ido Ekiti. Kudos to Governor Oyebanji who has also funded the mission to carry out group therapy sessions for students with disabilities with the goal of making them independent and self-sufficient”, she said.

Agboola highlighted interventions of Governor Oyebanji for Special Schools to include upgrade of physical infrastructures, provision of beddings, instructional materials, alternative formats of textbooks and other instructional materials. 

She added that various additional special educational materials had arrive the State and would soon be distributed to the school as part of the efforts to provide a conducive teaching and learning environment in the schools. 

Stressing that access to education including accommodation and feeding at the Special schools is free of charge, the Governor’s Special Adviser said the State Government has “great vision for the children”.

She therefore advised parents and guardians of children living with disabilities to take advantage of the facilities provided by the State Government that will adequately cater for their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs free of charge.

The training programme was attended by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Peju Babafemi, Commissioner for Education, Dr. Bimpe Aderiye who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi and the Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun amongst other top government functionaries.

Ekiti State Launches Public Secondary School Mass Transit Scheme to Ease Transportation Costs.

Ekiti State Launches Public Secondary School Mass Transit Scheme to Ease Transportation Costs.

In a move aimed at alleviating the financial burden on civil servants and parents of public secondary school students, Ekiti State Governor, His Excellency Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, has given the green light for the implementation of the Public Secondary School Mass Transit Scheme. The best part? It comes at no cost to the students.

The announcement was made by the Permanent Secretary of the General Administration Department (GAD), Mr. James Owolabi, in a recent press release in Ado–Ekiti. Mr. Owolabi emphasized that this initiative was designed to counteract the rising transportation expenses brought about by the removal of petrol subsidies by the Federal Government.

The scheme is set to kick off on Monday, 18th September, and will benefit public secondary school students ranging from JSS1 to SSS3. It's a promise fulfilled by the Governor to ensure students benefit right from the start of the new academic year.

To maximize this opportunity, Mr. Owolabi urged all public secondary school students to wear their school uniforms when using the service. The scheme will operate during specific hours, from 6.30 am to 8.00 am and 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm daily, exclusively within the Ado Ekiti Metropolis.

For the convenience of students, two major routes have been established, ensuring that students from various parts of the city can access this beneficial program:

• Route 1: Starting from Atlas Motel, passing through Mobil, Ajilosun, Ijigbo, Old Garage Okesa, Fajuyi, Adebayo, Housing, Afao Road, Oke Ila, Old Garage, Okesa, and concluding at Fajuyi.
• Route 2: Commencing at Poly Road, the route includes Erifun, Ureje, Odo Ado, Mathew Street, Old Garage, Okesa, Fajuyi, Pavilion, NTA Road, Ilawe Road, Irona, Ijigbo, Old Garage, Okesa, and Fajuyi.

This initiative not only provides much-needed relief for parents and civil servants but also ensures that Ekiti State's students have a safe and efficient means of getting to school. It's a step forward in ensuring that education remains accessible and affordable for all in the state.

Femi Bamisaye, Director Press Office of the HOS. 15th September, 2023