Africa’s richest man and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has noticed low fertilizer usage as the major reason for low productivity in the agricultural sector in Nigeria. Dangote revealed that the non-availability of fertilizer in quantity and quality rather than affordability is the primary constraint in the use of fertilizer in the country today. This was made known by Dangote while delivering his speech at the commissioning of the $2.5 billion Dangote fertilizer plant at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. Dangote said that the major objective of the fertilizer plant is to make…
Author: Temitope Nlewemchi
Bolt and Uber drivers, ride-hailing firms in Abuja has increased their rates by 50% from the rate charged by the apps due to persistent fuel scarcity in the Federal Capital City (FCT). This was based on interviews conducted with some of the drivers in the FCT. According to them, they had to increase the fares because the fuel is still scarce in the FCT and they may down tool if the situation persists beyond next week. John, who is one of the drivers, told us that it has been very difficult buying fuel in Abuja. He said, “We have to unofficially…
Nigerian startup, Simplifyd, has raised US$500,000 in pre-seed funding to solve the challenges associated with accessing affordable data. The new funding came from Future Africa and Y Combinator – after Simplifyd was selected for the W22 batch of the Silicon Valley-based accelerator. The startup was founded by Tomi Amao, Mayowa Amao, Sam Keiru and Abiola Fajimi in 2020 to avail affordable data to mobile and web app users in emerging markets across Africa. it is part of its drive to become the platform of choice for data-free access to the internet across Africa, the startup has also launched ZeroData, a toll-free internet…
The American multinational technology, Microsoft Corporation, which produces computer software, personal computers and related services, will today, open its first African Development Centre (ADC) in Lagos. The centre which is a $100 million investment by the multi-billion dollar firm is where software engineering solutions is expected to be provided to Africa. This report was made known in a tweet post by the Personal Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, Bashir Ahmed, on his official Twitter account on March 21, 2022. The hub, which was created alongside the one in Nairobi, Kenya, will be the first to be…
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has instructed MultiChoice Nigeria (MCN), to introduce an additional feature that allows subscribers to maintain the same subscription fee for a minimum period of one year. The additional features will also allow subscribers to have better value for money proposition for annual prepayment of subscription with the ability to suspend subscription at least once every quarter of the year. This disclosure is contained in a final order and notice of the FCCPC and signed by its Director, Legal Service, Mr Tam Tamumokonbia, on Saturday, March 19, 2022, and can be seen on…
Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been elected President of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA). According to a statement on the EFCC’s official Facebook handle, Bawa was elected on Monday at the ongoing Annual General Assembly of the institutions. Mr Bawa succeeds Francis Ben Kaifala of the African Union Advisory Board and Head of Sierra-Leone Anti-Corruption Agency whose three year-year term ends on March 31, 2022. About Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa Mr Bawa assured members of the network that he will do everything within his powers to take…
The Nigerian Police Force Headquarters (NPF) has stopped its officers from demanding customs papers and tinted glass permits from motorists at checkpoints in any part of the country. This follows the suspension of the issuance of tinted glass permits and as such, the police personnel are not expected to disturb Nigerians on this. This was confirmed in a series of tweet posts by the Acting Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who asked members of the public to report police officers who delay motorists to ask for these. Adejobi said that the police can stop any vehicle with…
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has established that it had so far registered only 1, 512, 739 candidates as of Saturday, March 19, for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) examination. This is as the board has maintained that the registration exercise for the examination will still close on Saturday, March 26, 2022, as earlier scheduled despite the poor turnout of candidates. This was made known by the examination body in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar on Monday, in Abuja. AMB said that the sale of e-PINs for its…
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has said that concerted efforts should be made to persuade and further incentivise the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to remain in the country to benefit from the newly passed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). However, should they decide to exit after all efforts to ask them to remain failed, the union urged the Federal Government that a good investment that has relevant technical experience, good financial standing, and reputation for managing employees must be sorted after. PENGASSAN, in a statement yesterday, said it has been following with keen interest, the…
The Federal Government said it has established plans to conduct more exploration activities in the nation’s mining sector from the sale of its National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project (NIMEP). According to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, at the Nigeria Mining Summit organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), NIMEP would be sold through auction to have a revolving fund to carry out more exploration activities in the country. He added that under the scheme, about $50 million has been spent to explore four solid minerals out of the 44 minerals discovered. He added:…
National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has highlighted a seven-point agenda, which he said would bring back the country’s troubled economy and drastically reduce its dependence on petro-dollars. The APC presidential aspirant said his desire to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari is to further improve the nation’s economy to the benefit of all Nigerians, including generations unborn. The former governor of Lagos noted that lack of electricity was perhaps the single greatest impediment to the country’s economic advancement, adding that the lack of power inflates costs, undercuts productivity, causing havoc to overall economic activity and…
Airline operators have advised that another spike may await domestic airfares in the face of current realities in the fuel supply chain. The carriers, under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), said they might be constrained to sell at N120, 000 per one-way economy class with the aviation fuel selling at N500/litre and without the government’s intervention. The airlines that recently bargained N500/litre benchmark with the stakeholders, said another rise in price became imperative to cover the cost of operations. Apparently in agreement with the operators, a former commandant of the Lagos Airport in the 90s, Group Capt.…
Bendall Innovations, collaborates with Fuller Yield Ventures, has partnered with Zenith Bank to make cooking in homes convenient through the invention of the machine, ‘OmniSmart Yampounder plus’. At the unveiling of the machine, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Fuller Yield Ventures, Steve Olayinka, said the invention of the machine was to revolutionalise African cooking experience. He stated that the machine would solve marital issues by restoring peace between spouses. “OmniSmart Yampounder plus has come to make peace between husband and wife, because when a wife arrived late from work, she might be tired and the husband or family might demand for…
Bolt which is the leading mobility platform has brought back Drive for Women in Tech (#Drive4WITech) initiative, to mark the International Women’s Day month. The aim is to provide equal opportunities for women in technology and improve overall gender equality in the mobility sector. The initiative includes an internship programme for young women who choose to start a career in technology regardless of their existing educational background. The Bolt #Drive4WITech internship offers opportunities in operations, public relations, marketing, and engineering with access to excellent learning from top Bolt executives to young women across Africa. The programme first launched in 2021, recorded…
Flourish Africa, a female empowerment Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) created by Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist, Apostle Folorunso Alakija has unveiled a N1 billion women entrepreneurship scheme to empower the gender for the next five years. Disclosing this at a press conference in Lagos, Alakija announced Eloh Consulting Limited, Google, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its training partners for the N1 billion business and life skills training scheme. She said the programme was to support the entrepreneurial activities of female-owned businesses in Africa and helping them achieve their full potentials. Alakija explained that a minimum of 500 female micro-entrepreneurs would be trained yearly…
National Wheat Farmers Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (NWFPMAN), has flagged off the harvest 2021/2022 dry season wheat farming programme sponsored by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme. The Federal Government had in 2021 released over N5billion worth of input for about 10,000 wheat farmers in Bauchi and some selected states to boost production. The CBN provided input such as foreign seeds from Mexico, water pump, fertilizer and others for farmers to cultivate a hectare of wheat. While flagging off the harvest in Alkaleri local council of Bauchi yesterday, the National Vice President of the Association, Ahmed…
A recent news by the UNCTAD has estimated that Africa loses $88.6 billion annually due to Illicit Financial Flow (IFF) with Nigeria contributing 30%. This, according to Mboho Eno, Deputy Director, Accountability, Centre for Journalism Innovations and Development (CJID), is a major concern and needs to be addressed by all stakeholders, especially the media. To curb the menace, the experts highlighted several ways and methods that can be used at a one-day training organised by CJID and Torch Light Group for investigative journalists. Illicit financial flows involve money laundering, bribery by international companies, tax evasion, falsification of business transactions, corruption among…
The Nigerian Government has disclosed that it has plans to attract 1.3 million Chinese tourists annually to Nigeria through the signing of two MoUs. This was disclosed in a statement by the Ministry of Information and Culture after the minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Chui Jian Chun, who was on a courtesy visit to the minister’s office. He stated that the FG seeks the activation of the MoUs to tap into the Chinese tourism markets. He also urged China to facilitate a $500 million loan for the digitization of NTA. The statement said Lai Mohammed called…
The Lagos State Government has mandatory issued a stop-work order on a petrol station being constructed illegally at No.1 Robinson Gbagi/Benson Anoruo Street, Ajao Estate, Isolo. This is part of the ongoing enforcement exercise being carried out by the government to rid the state of illegal and non-conforming structures. This was made known by the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who said the move to stop further construction on the site was important to forestall a disaster. Salako said, ‘’The facility is being erected without any approval or stage-by-stage inspection by the Lagos State…
The newly sworn-in governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has disclosed the suspension of all revenue collections in the state for a period of one month. Soludo, who was a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), also banned the payment of cash to Anambra State Government in motor parks, roads and any other place across the state. This was made known by Soludo, while making his address after he was sworn in with his Deputy, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, by the Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Onochie Anyachebelu, on Thursday, March 17, 2022. The governor during the…