FAO raises alarm over looming food shortage in Nigeria

The Food and Agriculture Organisation ( FAO) has raised an alarm and serious warning over impending danger of food shortage in the country.

The organisation, in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja attributed the likely famine to army worm pest invasion on maize and other crops.

According to the FAO National Communications Officer, David Karl, the pest crop destruction has extended to other crops such as millet, sorghum, cowpea, vegetables, thus could pose threat to the Federal Government food sufficiency drive.

However, he noted that FAO in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) organised 3-day training for over 100 farmers in the country in order to curtail and manage the noxious pest and its effect on crops.

He said the training was carried out in Kaduna state with participants drawn from other parts of the region while similar training was held for farmers in the North central (Abuja) and southwest (Akure) regions among others.

It reads in part: “As the rainy season dawn in all parts of the country, planting of maize has begun in earnest, especially in the Northern part of the country where majority of the produce is cultivated. However, the presence of the invasive trans-boundary pest the Fall Army-worm (FAW) noticed for the first time in Nigeria in 2016 continues to be a great threat to the nation’s food security.

“The looming danger of the possibility of the pest extending its host range to other important crops such as millet, sorghum, cowpea, vegetables is very high and therefore calls for urgent attention.”

According to the statement, the training of trainers programme was put together such that the trained farmers are expected to further take down the training to farmers in their respective communities.

“As part of the immediate intervention to prevent farmers from sustaining drastic yield losses during this 2018 cropping season, and to restore productive capacity, FAO has provided to farmers, early maturing maize seed variety, herbicides, fertilizer, PPE materials, knapsack sprayer and Goldmax Total Crop Solution

“Furthermore, as part of FAO’s effort, 120 extension workers and 50 researchers from the project target states (Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Abia, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and FCT) were trained on FAW biology, identification, damage symptoms, integrated pest management techniques, which includes, cultural practices, biological and chemical control, other topics covered include pesticide and pesticide risk reduction. Good Agricultural Practice (GAP).”

The FAO Country Representative Suffyan Koroma described the inputs given to the farmers as short term measures to enable them meet up with the 2018 planting season.

“FAO has also initiated the process of establishing a National Task Force to advice Government of Nigeria on FAW infestation. Engage partners, communicate with relevant stakeholders on the menace of the pest and promote cooperation, coordination, consistency and synergies across the country on its infestation and intervention. Membership of the Task Force will include amongst others, Research Institutions, private sector, relevant MDAs, NGOs, and Development Partners etc.”

Koroma restated FAO’s commitment not to relent in the fight against army worm to achieve the aim of achieving zero hunger and improving the livelihood of local farmers. - The Nation

“This crime should not exist” – UN condemns human trafficking

The United Nations (UN) has strongly condemned human trafficking, describing it as a vile crime that feeds on inequalities, instability and conflict.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, in a statement made available to DAILY POST, lamented that traffickers profit from peoples’ hopes and despair.

Noting that the culprits prey on people’s vulnerable and rob them of their fundamental rights, Guterres expressed sadness that young people, migrants, refugees are especially susceptible, while women and girls are targeted again and again.

“We see brutal sexual exploitation, including involuntary prostitution, forced marriage and sexual slavery. We see the appalling trade in human organs”, the statement noted.

“Human trafficking takes many forms and knows no borders. Human traffickers too often operate with impunity, with their crimes receiving not nearly enough attention. This must change.

“The United Nations is committed to advancing action to bring traffickers to justice while protecting and supporting their victims. The rights of victims must come first – be they the victims of traffickers, smugglers, or of modern forms of slavery or exploitation.

“In their proposed Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to be adopted in December, Member States have also demonstrated resolve to prevent, combat and eradicate trafficking in persons in the context of international migration.

“On this World Day against Trafficking in Persons, let us come together around the key issues of prevention, protection and prosecution to build a future where this crime cannot exist.”

Early in July, the Lagos State Police Command rescued three young women and arrested two suspected human traffickers who allegedly lured them from the South-East region with job promises.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has announced plans to introduce Trafficking in Persons, TIP, into the curricula of basic and secondary schools across the country. - Daily Post

PL news : Willian fails to show for Chelsea training amid transfer talk

Real Madrid and Manchester United target Willian has reportedly failed to show up for training after returning from his post-World Cup holiday.

The Times reports that the Willian has been struggling with passport issues, but his absence has raised some eyebrows back at Stamford Bridge.
Those behind the scenes at the club are said to be concerned that Willian’s situation could mirror that of Diego Costa last summer.
The report does specify that the player has contacted the club to make them aware of his situation.

The striker failed to return to training as he pushed for a move back to Atletico Madrid after falling out of favour under Antonio Conte.

Real Madrid have been heavily linked with a move for the winger throughout the summer.

Chelsea officials now fear that the winger could be looking to push for a move away from the club.

Advertisement

Manchester United are also known admirers of the player and should Jose Mourinho look to raid his former side, Chelsea could move for Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic. - Read Sport

Woman called 999 to complain about mushrooms on pizza

A woman dialled 999 to tell police she had been “mugged off” by a takeaway company that delivered her a mushroom pizza instead of a meat feast.

A recording of the exchange was released by Essex Police as part of a campaign against hoax and inappropriate calls.

The call handler asks the woman if everything is OK, and she replies: “Yeah, no, I’ve been mugged off by a f****** takeaway would you believe it.

“I rung up for an 18, a number 18 meat feast and she’s trying to tell me nah, nah you ordered a number eight.

“I’m allergic to mushrooms so I know for a fact I didn’t order a number eight right, and I’ve got a pizza sat here with f****** mushrooms on it that I can’t eat, £11.99 later she doesn’t want to help me out or nothing.”

When advised to call the takeaway to ask for a refund, the woman said: “Well I tried to do that but she reckons she’s the manager.”

The force said it receives around 400 hoax or inappropriate 999 calls each month, including one lady who complained that her Nando’s chicken was undercooked, and that the figure increases in summer.

In further released recordings, a man asks why the police helicopter is “hovering over my house and disturbing the peace” and a separate caller inquires about a “bull in the field” sign.

The man says he wants to know “who I can contact to find out if there really is a bull in the field or it’s just a farmer messing around”.

Superintendent Kevin Baldwin, who heads the force’s control room, said: “There’s nothing that frustrates my team more than picking up the phone on a 999 call only for it to be a call which plainly isn’t an emergency and is sometimes a deliberate hoax.

“This is a very busy time of the year where we are working flat out, so answering a 999 call made by someone who should have a bit more common sense isn’t just infuriating, it could risk the life of someone who really needs us but can't get through. -PA 

MPs accuse aid groups of 'abject failure' in tackling sexual abuse

Charities have shown “complacency verging on complicity” in responding to sexual abuse that is endemic across the sector, according to a damning report by MPs.

In the report, the international development committee (IDC) said the aid sector had a record of “abject failure” in dealing with longstanding concerns about exploitation by its own personnel and appeared more concerned for their reputations than for victims. The response to abuse claims has been reactionary and superficial, it added.

MPs called for the establishment of an independent aid ombudsman to support survivors and for a global register of aid workers to prevent abusers moving through the system.

Stephen Twigg, the committee chairman, said the sector’s failure to deal with the issue had left victims at the mercy of those who sought to use power to abuse others.

The report, published on Tuesday, also criticised the UN, which it said had failed to display sustained leadership in tackling abuse, and said the historical response of the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) was disappointing.

The committee launched its inquiry into sexual exploitation and abuse after revelations that Oxfam covered up claims that its staff had used sex workers while working in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The sector has faced intense scrutiny, with further allegations of sexual misconduct emerging at Save the Children.

Twigg said the aid sector was first made aware of concerns in 2002, when a report by the UN agency for refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children documented cases of abuse. Despite this, and a series of other warnings, little action was taken. “There are so many reports that go back over this period of 16 years and the system has failed to respond anything close to adequately over the period,” the Labour MP said. “This is 16 years of failure by the entire international system of governments, the UN and the aid sector.”

He added: “I find it hard to escape the conclusion that organisations have put their reputations first.”

The report said experts believed the documented cases were the tip of the iceberg. The globalised and often chaotic nature of aid work made it “an attractive sector for people wishing to exploit others”, it said.

The inquiry examined the sexual exploitation and abuse of the intended beneficiaries of aid, as well as sexual harassment and abuse of aid workers. A failure to robustly investigate and respond to allegations was apparent in charities’ UK offices, and across the UN, the report said.

MPs concluded that self-regulation within the sector had failed and there had not been enough money to implement safeguarding policies and procedures.

The report called for a culture change, with greater representation of women at senior levels in charities, and victims and survivors put at the centre of the sector’s response to abuse claims. It warned of “a strong tendency for victims and whistleblowers, rather than perpetrators, to end up feeling penalised”.

MPs said charities must proactively seek reports of sexual exploitation and abuse, and respond robustly with feedback to survivors. They called on DfID and other donors to provide funding to improve reporting systems, and to support broader programmes to increase beneficiaries’ rights.

Pauline Latham, a Conservative member of the committee, said the abuse had affected some of the most vulnerable girls and women in the world when they were at their lowest.

She said the committee heard evidence of “rape, sex for food, calling people prostitutes when they’re actually desperate women who need to feed their families, or young girls who are trafficked and been abused by these men. It’s absolutely shocking because they [perpetrators] don’t treat them as human beings.”

In response to the Oxfam scandal, DfID has established a safeguarding unit, and will host an international conference in October where organisations are expected to make commitments on tackling abuse. It has also enhanced due diligence standards for its partners and met with the National Crime Agency to discuss prevention and prosecution.

Twigg said DfID’s forthcoming conference was a step forward, but cannot be a stopgap. The committee will continue to monitor the sector’s efforts to tackle abuse.

“We call on DfID to report annually on the safeguarding performance of the sector, including the number and distribution of cases, the resources committee and the department’s own actions and contributions to improvement. Transparency will not be penalised but DfID must send a clear signal that improper handling of cases will be. Crucially, the voices of victims and survivors must be heard,” he said.

The government must also ensure the Charity Commission is sufficiently funded to deal with abuse and harassment reports, the committee said. The number of serious incidents reported to the commission has tripled since the Oxfam scandal.

The international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, said she welcomed the report, adding: “Until the sector is fully prepared to address the power imbalance, cultures and behaviours that allow sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment to happen, we will never stamp it out.

“Ensuring that survivors’ voices are heard and taken seriously is paramount. As we look ahead to October’s international summit on this issue, we expect to see the sector demonstrate the progress they have made to put victims, survivors and the people we are there to help first.”

Judith Brodie, the interim chief executive of Bond, the UK’s network of international development NGOs, said the sector was taking action to tackle abuse.

“We need to see increased resourcing in safeguarding, particularly for smaller NGOs, more collaboration across organisations, donors and governments, better transparency, unwavering leadership and measures to ensure whistleblowers and survivors are at the heart of any solutions,” she said. “This sadly cannot undo previous shortcomings but it will result in a safer and more secure environment for both beneficiaries and staff.” - The Guardian

Ghetto !!! Nigerian businesses ‘spend N5trn’ annually on generators

Sanusi Ohiare, executive director of rural electrification fund, Rural Electrification Agency (REA), says an estimated N5trn is expended yearly on importing, fuelling and maintaining generators by businesses in the country.

He said this at the presentation of off-grid and mini-grid goals of the REA at the fourth national council on power (NACOP) in Edo state.

Ohiare said the agency seeks to channel the $14 billion (N5trn) investment on generator into renewable energy.

This, he said, would provide access to cheaper electricity.

He said: “We thought that if we wanted to replace these technologies which is not efficient in terms of cost; if we wanted to go for cleaner and sustainable energy from renewable sources, we have potentially an investment of about $9.2bn annually (about N3.2trn).

“We want to channel that generator investment into renewables. There is a high potential for scaling up mini grids which is creating independent generation and distribution in different places especially in rural areas.”

According to Nigeria mini-grid investment brief on REA’s website, millions of commercially-viable businesses in the country are powered with expensive and unreliable power supply, hence getting off-grid solutions to scale and commercial viability in Nigeria will unlock an enormous market opportunity. - TheCable

EFCC probes Ortom over ‘N22bn fraud’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is investigating Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, over the alleged diversion of N22 billion.

According to PUNCH, the allegation is contained in the report of an investigation which began in May 2016.
Ortom was said to have ordered the withdrawal of N21.3bn from four Benue government’s accounts in three banks between June 30, 2015, and March 2018.
The EFCC said N19bn out of the money was purportedly meant for the payment of six security agencies deployed to Benue over the farmers-herdsmen clashes.

According to the anti-graft agency, less than N3bn of the money was paid to the security agencies.
“We investigated four bank accounts belonging to two Benue State government’s agencies. The first agency is the Benue state government house which has an account in UBA with number 1017348051 and another account in GTB with number 0027952907. These accounts received N1, 916, 635, 206 from the state’s allocation between June 30, 2015 and March 2018,” the report read.

“The second government agency is the Bureau of Internal Affairs and Special Services. The agency has an account with UBA with number 1007540119 and a First Bank account with number 2023788057. Between the same period, the accounts were credited with N19, 468, 951, 590 from the Benue state allocation.

“Investigations revealed that N19 billion was withdrawn by one Oliver Ntom, a cashier. Sometimes, in a day, he would withdraw as high as N500 million by cashing several cheques worth N10 million each. The permanent secretary upon interrogation said anytime security agencies requested funds, he would approach Governor Ortom who would ask him to write a memo to that effect. The permanent secretary would write and the governor would approve the money.

“The permanent secretary said the funds are usually given to six security agencies. He said the highest that any security agency gets is N10m a month while the least any of the agencies gets is N5 million a month.
“He said after the money has been released, the governor usually orders that the memo be torn to pieces. It is important to note that if a total of N60 million is given to all the security agencies collectively every month as claimed by the permanent secretary, it cannot amount to half of N19 billion in three years.”

The EFCC said it has also invited one John Bako, a member of one of the security outfits in Benue who withdrew N28 million, and one Andooi Festus, a cashier from the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who withdrew N1.3 billion.
The anti-graft agency also said 21 lawmakers of the Benue house of assembly are under probe.
“About 21 of the lawmakers are under probe. However, 25 of the lawmakers have returned all the money they received which adds up to N245m. Four others have failed to return the remaining sum of N31m,” the EFCC report read.

The EFCC investigation is coming in the wake of the Benue governor’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Monday, eight lawmakers of the state house of assembly served an impeachment notice on the governor. - TheCable