News

Unity Bank Committed to Make Rice Farmers Achieve Target in Rice Production – Somefun

Published

3 years ago

March 4, 2021

Eric

About 642,860 smallholder farmers across 35 states of the federation have received support from Unity Bank Plc under the CBN’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme, ABP to boost food production and attain self-sufficiency in rice production in Nigeria.Giving the assessment at the flag-off of the 2020 wet season harvest aggregation in Kebbi State on Tuesday, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tomi Somefun reassured the rice farmers of the commitment of the Bank to providing necessary support to rice farmers in Nigeria.While delivering a goodwill message, Somefun went down memory lane stating that the berthing of the Bank is closely linked to the critical role it played in Agric financing, adding that “Unity Bank remains fully committed to its partnership with the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, RIFAN and its programmes”.“This commitment will ensure the attainment of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s target to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production through the association,” she added.Unity Bank in 2019 earned an award of recognition, which was jointly presented by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) for its strong participation in the ABP in 2019.

She recalled that the bank’s participation in the CBN’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme, ABP dates back to 2017 after the official flag off the scheme in Kebbi State by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 17, 2015, noting that the first two-State-led-windows of the ABP was sponsored by the Bank.

“We financed wheat production in Jigawa in 2017 with about 1,600 farmers and in the same year, financed rice production in Sokoto State with a total number of about 6,600 smallholder farmers,” she recalled.

She stated that in 2018, the Bank entered into a strategic partnership with three major associations – Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Maize Association of Nigeria (MAAN) and National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) and explained that the Bank’s participation in 2017 provided the much-needed experience and the learning curves for the APB transactions.According to Somefun, the Bank’s strategic partnership with RIFAN in 2018 witnessed the financing of about 273,000 smallholder farmers to a tune of about N37 billion. This, she said, was the largest single ticket transaction that year, as the financing cut across 33 states of the Federation including the FCT.

She said, “In 2019, the Bank increased the tally by financing another 146,810 smallholder farmers to a tune of N42 billion for the wet and dry season farming. This funding cut across 35 States of the Federation including the FCT.”She said despite the challenges that came with 2020 especially the coronavirus pandemic, the Bank through the apex bank’s intervention supported the farmers by increasing funding in the Agric sector and also re-priced the interest rate from 9 per cent to 5 per cent.She said that so far, the CBN had funded the association to the tune of N49 billion to finance about 221,450 smallholder farmers across 32 states of the Federation including the FCT.

“Our message to the beneficiaries of this season’s Intervention Programme is that we urge them to take the inputs and utilize it judiciously for the farming purpose which is aimed at actualizing the Federal Government’s goal of attaining food sufficiency, diversification of the economy from oil, job creation for the teeming youth and poverty reduction. The income of the smallholder farmer will significantly improve if the inputs are widely used,” she said.

News

National Grid Collapses Again, Nigeria in Total Blackout

Published

20 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Eric

The electricity national grid has collapsed again throwing the entire country into total blackout.

Some electricity distribution companies (DisCos), on Monday, confirmed the fresh collapse of the national grid, resulting in loss of power supply to their customers.

The grid experienced a fresh shutdown, and generation fell to 64.70 megawatts at 2:42 am on Monday, which was confirmed by officials of some of the DisCos.

According to an earlier report, the latest data from the Independent System Operator showed that the grid was generating 266.50mw of electricity from Okpai, Geregu and Ibom power.

Confirming the collapse in a statement, Jos DisCo said: “The current outage being experienced within our franchise States is a result of loss of power supply from the national grid. The loss of power supply from the national grid occurred in the early hours at about 0242 hours today, Monday, 15th April 2024, hence the loss of power supply on all our feeders.”

The company’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, expressed hope that the grid will be restored for normal power supply to its esteemed customers.

The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), also confirmed the collapse in a statement titled “NOTICE OF TOTAL SYSTEM COLLAPSE”.

“The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a total system collapse which occurred at 2:41 am today, 15th April 2024.

“This resulted in the loss of supply to all our interface TCN stations. Consequently, we were unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.

“However, the situation is gradually being resolved as we received the supply at Awada TCN station, Onitsha, at 7:30 am.

“We are in constant communication with the relevant authorities awaiting the full restoration of supply by the National Control Centre, NCC, Oshogbo. Thank you for your usual understanding and cooperation,”

A statement by Head, of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh said.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to confirm the collapse as of press time.

News

Gunmen Abduct Channels TV Reporter in Rivers, Demand N30m

Published

4 days ago

April 12, 2024

Eric

Gunmen have kidnapped a journalist and reporter with Channels Television, Mr Joshua Rogers, at his residence in Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday night.

Rogers, who covers the Rivers State Government House for his organisation, was reportedly trailed after he closed from work to his residence.

The miscreants accosted him before he alighted from his car, pointed a gun at him and whisked him along with his vehicle off to an unknown destination at about 9 pm.

A source who said he doesn’t want his name mentioned said the reporter had earlier covered an event in Ndoni in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state where Governor Siminalayi Fubara, inaugurated a Primary Healthcare Centre.

The facility was built and donated to the state by the PAMO Educational Foundation, founded by former Rivers governor, Dr Peter Odili, on Thursday.

The source said, “Yes, he was kidnapped last night at his residence in Rumuosi and taken away in his car by some unknown gunmen.

“We are appealing to the kidnappers to release him immediately and unhurt. He is just a journalist doing his job and not a moneybags. So I don’t know the purpose of his kidnap.”

It was also gathered that the hoodlums had contacted his wife and demanded N30m as ransom before releasing him.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, for confirmation, were unsuccessful as she did not pick up several calls put across to her by The Punch.

Iringe-Koko has also yet to reply to a text message sent to her as of publication on Friday morning.

The Punch

News

Bobrisky Goes to Jail! Sentenced to Six months Term, with No Fine Option

Published

4 days ago

April 12, 2024

Eric

Cross-dresser, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye popularly known as Bobrisky, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment without any option fine for abusing the Nigeria currency – naira.

Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in her sentence, said the judgment will serve as a deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira.