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FG Launches Ultramodern Fashion Hub In Borno, Targets 48,000 Jobs

FG Launches Ultramodern Fashion Hub In Borno, Targets 48,000 Jobs
** VP Shettima announces N300,000 grants to MSMEs
** Commissions 15MVA substation in Maiduguri, urges citizens to protect power assets
By: Our Reporter
The federal government has launched one of Nigeria’s largest ultramodern fashion manufacturing hubs in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital with a target of generating over 48,000 jobs through the facility in the state.
In continuation of the disbursement of its N75 billion support package for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the government also announced unconditional grants of N300,000 for outstanding MSMEs participating in the 6th Expanded National MSME Clinics programme.
Speaking on Tuesday when he launched the fashion hub and the Expanded MSMEs Clinic in Maiduguri, Vice President Kashim Shettima restated the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to fostering innovation, upskilling the workforce, and ensuring equitable wealth distribution across the nation.
“The strength of any nation lies not in its natural resources but in the hands of its skilled and enterprising citizens. You are the surest means of distributing wealth equitably across the land. You are the crucial link to securing a prosperous future,” he declared.

The N75 billion MSME Intervention Fund is being administered through the Bank of Industry, offering loans up to N1 million at 9% interest to 75,000 businesses nationwide.
Announcing the N300,000 grant for each business owners, VP Shettima said, “I am pleased to announce on behalf of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that an unconditional grant of N300,000 will be awarded to each outstanding MSME exhibiting at today’s clinic”.
According to him, the intervention represents yet another fulfilment of the promise made by President Bola to provide access to capital and expand opportunities for all Nigerians.
“Every business empowered is a step closer to eradicating poverty, and we do not take for granted the critical role you play as the buffer of our economy, particularly at the informal level,” he added.
On the MSME Clinic, Senator Shettima explained that it provides “a unique platform for business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and innovators in Borno State to interact directly with regulatory agencies, financial institutions, and business support organisations.
“It is an avenue to receive practical, on-the-spot solutions to the challenges you face in running your businesses,” he pointed out.
The Vice President also announced the successful completion of the second cohort of the FGN-ALAT Digital Skillnovation Programme in Borno State, a partnership with Wema Bank that has trained over three million Nigerians in digital skills.
“The FGN-ALAT programme has trained over two million Nigerian youths and one million MSMEs in digital skills and resources critical for thriving in today’s technology-driven economy,” the VP noted.
He further stated that the fashion hub is among the largest ever established by the federal government, furnished with state-of-the-art equipment to support the fashion manufacturing cluster in Borno State.

He continued: “It has the capacity to boost production, achieve economies of scale, and align with global standards. We anticipate that this facility will be managed by a competent private sector entity, with federal and state governments providing vigilant oversight.
“Our vision is for this hub to become a reference point for excellence, enterprise, and training—not only for Borno State but for the entire nation.”
Commending the state government for its support, the Vice President expressed gratitude to the government of Borno State, under the stewardship of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, for partnering with the federal government to bring the Expanded MSME Clinic and the fashion hub to the people of the state.
He reiterated the administration’s commitment to grassroots economic development, noting that “without skills, innovation stalls. Without accessible capital, dreams wither.
“This is why we are committed to standing with you, supporting you, and ensuring that your most ambitious ideas are transformed into flourishing enterprises instead of being forgotten in the cupboards of dreams not realised,” he added.
In his remarks, Governor Zulum regretted that MSMEs had suffered “untold hardship in the state due to decade-long insurgency and the prevailing economic situation in the country.”
He expressed optimism that the launch of the MSME Clinic will revive business activities, small and medium enterprises, provide employment opportunities and sources of income for individuals in Borno State.
Assuring that the government is committed to creating more opportunities for the population, Governor Zulum said in recognition of the importance of MSMEs, his administration has made several policies to encourage the citizens to build expanded sources of income.
Also, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated that the launch of the MSME Clinic and the Fashion and Innovation Hub marks another milestone of success in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He said that going around the exhibition with the Vice President, he observed that “everything speaks to the 8-point agenda of Mr. President.”
He highlighted the agenda to include food security, poverty reduction, job creation, inclusion of women and youths, provision of security, access to capital and rule of law.
On his part, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Sen John Owen Eno, said the MSME Clinic is a transformational programme being led by the Vice President and is responsible for unlocking a lot of economic opportunities, empowering small businesses and encouraging innovation.
He said that coming to commission MSME in Maiduguri underscores the legacy of diversifying the economy, contributing to job growth as well as trying to be competitive.
Giving a recap of the MSME Clinics across the country, especially in Borno State, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MSMEs and Job Creation, Mr. Tola Johnson, expressed appreciation for the commissioning of the Clinic in the state.
While thanking the Governor and his team for a cordial working relationship, he said that the MSME Clinic organizes an award ceremony every June 27, and any state that the Vice President attends for the MSME Clinic prior to the award ceremony is qualified to win either the male or female MSME award.
Energy Infrastructure Vandalism Now A National Emergency – VP Shettima
Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday also commissioned a new 15 megavolt-amperes (MVA) injection substation in Maiduguri, Borno State, saying recent attacks on power infrastructure have reached emergency levels.
To this effect, he said the government is urging all security agencies and citizens as well to take active interest in the protection of the nation’s power infrastructure to forestall the resultant power supply disruptions with its economic toll.
Speaking during the commissioning of the 1x15MVA, 33/11kV injection substation at the College of Agriculture, Maiduguri, Borno State, the Vice President said, “The widespread power outages experienced across Northern Nigeria at the end of last year due to acts of vandalism serve as a stark reminder of the fragility of our electricity infrastructure.
“This invites all of us to treat interventions in our national electricity infrastructure as an emergency.”
He explained that the new facility, constructed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), includes a 0.1km 33kV line, 5km of 11kV lines, 5km of LT distribution networks, and three 500kVA distribution transformers.
“If we are truly concerned about expanding the industrial capacity and productivity of this great nation, we must make electricity a priority. The energy needs of each part of this country are a promise we cannot afford to take for granted,” he said.
VP Shettima who is the Chairman of NDPHC lauded the company’s important role in Nigeria’s power sector development, saying, “NDPHC has earned its status as the nation’s largest generation company by installed capacity.
“Its contributions to Nigeria’s energy infrastructure are unmatched, including building over 40% of the existing transmission infrastructure now operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
“Over the past decades, Nigeria’s power sector has been hampered by insufficient generation capacity, outdated transmission infrastructure, and inadequate distribution networks. These are well-known obstacles and solutions to them have been placed firmly on the front burner by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he maintained.
The VP disclosed that the injection substation and its associated network will have a transformative impact on Maiduguri and its environs.
“By enhancing the quality of electricity supply, reducing losses, and improving voltage levels, this project will stimulate economic activities, fast-track the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises, and support essential services,” he said.
Calling for increased generation capacity near consumption points to improve grid stability, particularly in the North-East, Senator Shettima urged the people of Maiduguri and its environs to take active roles in protecting these facilities from vandalism.
“Our collective responsibility in this regard is critical to sustaining our ambition to transform the power sector,” he said.
FG Launches Ultramodern Fashion Hub In Borno, Targets 48,000 Jobs
News
Shettima Calls for Localization of Global Technologies to Solve Nigerian Problems

Shettima Calls for Localization of Global Technologies to Solve Nigerian Problems
…Laments Poor Maintenance that Leaves Nigeria with Over 26,000 Broken-down Serviceable Heavy-duty Equipment
By: Michael Mike
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for the localization of global technologies in order to create durable Nigerian solutions to Nigerian problems, insisting that relevant agencies must be supported to point Nigeria towards a stabler nation and promising future.
Speaking at the official launch of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Asset Restoration Programme in Maiduguri on Sunday, Shettima decried that data available shows that Nigeria currently holds over 26,000 units of broken-down but serviceable heavy-duty equipment and nearly 500,000 component scraps that can be restored or repurposed.
The Vice President however said this contrasts with the stark reality there is only 7,000 to 12,000 functional tractors in a country that needs 2.4 million tractor units to meet its food production goals over the next decade.
He lamented that: “For so long, Nigeria has been profiled as a nation with poor maintenance culture. This dysfunction cuts across both the private and public sectors, and we owe it to ourselves to say enough is enough.
“Enough of investing our scarce resources in ideas and projects that get abandoned halfway through. Enough of allowing our critical assets to lie in waste while we budget, year after year, for the problems they were procured to solve. This is why I’m excited about the purpose of this gathering.
“This initiative, NASENI Asset Restoration Programme, is a response to our cross-generational dilemma about what to do with abandoned and poorly maintained assets of the nation, of the people. It’s a powerful shift in how we think about value, sustainability, and innovation, and I believe that’s what we’ve promised the nation.
“The data at our disposal shows that Nigeria currently holds over 26,000 units of broken-down but serviceable heavy-duty equipment and nearly 500,000 component scraps that can be restored or repurposed. This contrasts with the stark reality that we have only 7,000 to 12,000 functional tractors in a country that needs 2.4 million tractor units to meet our food production goals over the next decade.”
He noted that these figures are a reminder of what must be done, a reason to have a national inventory of value waiting to be unlocked, adding that: “We must commend NASENI, through this Asset Restoration Programme, for stepping forward with this brilliant idea to mitigate a national tragedy.”
He said beyond this promise to refurbish hardware, NASENI has shown a great capacity to serve as a national nerve centre for technology transfer, homegrown engineering, and adaptive innovation,” stating that this is why NASENI must be supported.
He noted that: “We have seen NASENI at work, playing critical roles in our interventions in compressed natural gas (CNG) retrofitting, renewable energy technologies, and agricultural mechanization. We are reminded more than ever that we can’t create durable Nigerian solutions to Nigerian problems unless we localize global technologies, and relevant agencies must be supported to point us towards a stabler nation and promising future.
“The Asset Restoration Programme fits squarely within the broader vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration: to build a productive, self-reliant, and diversified economy. Our goal, therefore, is to ease this transition to expand the potential and productivity of Nigeria’s agricultural, industrial, and creative sectors through smart investments in infrastructure, skills, and innovation.”
He added that: “The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has shown both vision and urgency in our collective quests for solutions. The direction NASENI is headed is one driven by action, impact, innovation, and awareness of what the nation needs. It takes clarity of purpose to embark on a mission such as this:”
Earlier, in his remarks, Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, said the restoration programme by NASENI is the response to a cross generational dilemma about what to do with abandoned and poorly maintained assets of the nation.
He said that NASENI has shown a great capacity to serve as a nation’s nerve centre for technology transfer, home grown engineering, and adaptive innovation.
Zulum said: “This is why we must support them. We are reminded more than ever that we can create durable Nigerian solutions to Nigerian problems unless we localise global technologies, and relevant agencies must be supported. The point is stable nation and promising future.”
The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, on his part, said the reason this programme matters is because the agency’s national survey revealed that Nigeria holds over 47,000 broken-down but serviceable agricultural and law enforcement assets,” adding that the cost to replace them would exceed ₦14 trillion.
He said: “Today is not just the launch of a programme- it is the ignition of a national movement. A movement built on possibility, practicality, and partnership.
“When we set out to design the Asset Restoration Programme at NASENI, we were not just looking for another project to tick off. We were confronting a reality: that all across Nigeria, from farms to security outposts, public assets worth trillions of naira had been written off, locked away, or left to rust- not because they were beyond repair, but because there was no clear system to bring them back to life.”
He added that this programme is one more step in NASENI’s mission to keep innovation at the heart of governance, stating that whether it is through clean energy, mechatronics, or the domestication of advanced technologies, NASENI is showing that Nigerian problems can have Nigerian-engineered solutions.
He said: “We are building local capacity, developing talent pipelines, and enabling technology transfer at scale. We are turning NASENI into a true national enabler—quietly but boldly proving that government can deliver, and that transformation is possible.
“No movement thrives in isolation. Let me express my deepest gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to His Excellency, the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, for their endless support, their belief in our mission, and their constant encouragement that we must not only think big- but act fast.
“To the Borno State Government, and especially Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, thank you for being a trailblazing partner. Your support and leadership have helped us bring this vision to life here on Borno soil- turning your state into the first node in this national restoration network.
“To our implementation partner, MECA, thank you for bringing global expertise, systems thinking, and a can-do spirit that perfectly matches our urgency. You have proven that when we bridge public vision with private execution, incredible things happen,” he said.
Shettima Calls for Localization of Global Technologies to Solve Nigerian Problems
News
Naval officer stabbed to death at Kawo bus stop in Kaduna

Naval officer stabbed to death at Kawo bus stop in Kaduna
By: Zagazola Makama
A senior officer of the Nigerian Navy, Lt. Cdr. M. Buba, has been stabbed to death by a suspected robber in the Kawo area of Kaduna.
Zagazola Makama was informed by intelligence sources that the incident occurred at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, near the Kawo flyover bridge while the officer, a student of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, was attempting to fix a flat tyre on his vehicle.
Eyewitnesses said the assailant emerged from a nearby spot and demanded the officer’s mobile phone. When the officer resisted, the assailant reportedly stabbed him in the chest with a sharp object suspected to be a local knife.
A local vigilante, Suleiman Dahiru, who attempted to assist the officer, was also stabbed in the hand during the altercation.
The attacker was subsequently overpowered and lynched by an angry mob at the scene.
The naval officer was rushed to Manaal Hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival. His remains have since been deposited at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, for further action.
Security sources told Zagazola that covert operations have been launched by troops, police, and other civil security agencies to identify and remove criminal elements loitering around strategic locations, including bus stops and other black spots in Kaduna metropolis.
Further updates on the operation are expected in due course.
Naval officer stabbed to death at Kawo bus stop in Kaduna
News
NSCDC Orders Mining Marshal to Withdraw Petition Against Police from Senate

NSCDC Orders Mining Marshal to Withdraw Petition Against Police from Senate
By: Michael Mike
The leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has expressed its displeasure at the petition allegedly filed by the Commander of the Mining Marshal, Attah Onoja before the senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions, over an alleged attack and shooting of its mining marshals by some Police officers including alleged obstruction of its efforts to prosecute illegal miners arrested in Nasarawa state.
A statement by the spokesman of NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale said the Commandant General (CG), Dr Ahmed Audi, has seen the action of the Commander of the Mining Marshal as outside his purview.
Babawale said the CG has reacted that by filing the petition without the authorisation of the management of the NSCDC, the Corps management therefore dissociates itself from the petition while the officer has been directed to immediately withdraw the said petition to allow for a smooth and amicable resolution of issues raised in the spirit of the robust interagency relationship between the Nigeria Police and the Corps as well as the harmonious working relationship between the IGP and the CG.
Babawale said the CG noted that the office of the IGP has been very supportive of the Corps’ operations by enjoining the Police to work closely with the Corps and other Services to enhance national security and the realisation of Mr Presidents RENEWED Hope Agenda
He disclosed that the management is already working out appropriate measures to take on the officer.
Babawale said the Commandant General has reiterated his determination to continue to effectively collaborate and synergize with the Nigeria Police in an avowed commitment to stamping out crime and criminality to make Nigeria safer and more secure.
He noted that the Corps helmsman has requested for a joint investigation with the police with a view to unravelling what actually transpired as we work towards finding a common ground
He appealed to the IGP for the embarrassment that the said petition may have caused.
The CG was quoted to have said: “I have spoken to the IGP on the matter and sincerely apologise for the embarrassment that the petition might have caused.
“I have also directed that the petition be withdrawn immediately with a view to resolving it administratively without any rancour.”
NSCDC Orders Mining Marshal to Withdraw Petition Against Police from Senate
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