National News
FG May Modify Policy On Charcoal Export

FG May Modify Policy On Charcoal Export
By: Michael Mike
The federal government has expressed its readiness to modify the present policy on export of processed wood and charcoal.
It said should the desired results not be achieved concerning export of processed wood and charcoal, then there would be no hesitation in reversing the embargo on the two.
Speaking at the consultative workshop on the Implementation of Policy Guideline on Export of Processed Wood and Charcoal and the Nigeria Timber Legality standards in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mr Ibrahim Yusufu said the government will continue to play its part by providing the enabling policy and guidance as well as oversight to ensure achievement of the desired results.
He said: “You will agree with me that the recent conditional lifting of embargo on processed wood and charcoal export, will not yield the desired results without setting in motion the necessary machinery such as this workshop designed to provide the impetus for process and procedure refining for sustainable utilisation and management of forest resources. We are all aware that the embargo was lifted conditionally.”
He noted that the workshop is aimed at discussing strategies for sustainable utilisation and management of the nation’s forest resources for investors, individuals, companies, exporters in the processed wood and charcoal business.
“As you are aware, series of events have taken place in recent times in the build-up to the take-off of the new policy on processed wood and charcoal export, the workshop is yet another step towards achieving responsible trade in the forest industry without compromising the integrity of the forests and in fulfillment of our commitment to national development agenda as well as Global Goals.”
He urged all the participants to take advantage of the workshop in understanding what the Timber Legality Standards are all about and be familiar with the roles and responsibilities, while stressing government efforts to ensure that processed wood and charcoal export activities do not impact negatively on the forests but rather contribute to job creation and national economic development.
He said: “At this juncture, I will like to urge as many of the Exporter Groups that are yet to establish their plantations to as a matter of urgency, do so and identify with us on this noble cause as the Ministry will not consider applications of Exporter Groups without verifiable evidence of owning forest plantations.
“Already, a number of applications have been received and are undergoing processing. Inspection visits have been made to some facilities and plantations of some applicants while Letters of Support will be issued only to the companies that meet the stipulated requirements.”
The Permanent Secretary, also added that the government would not relent in the ongoing efforts at increasing the nation’s forest cover and contributing to global emission reduction and climate change mitigation.
The Director of Forestry, Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Hajara Umar Sani, said that it is necessary that stakeholders meet to discuss implementation strategies of the Policy Guidelines on Processed Wood and Charcoal and domestication of the Nigeria Timber Legality Standards for efficient utilization and effective forest management before the commencement of export of these products.
She added that the workshop will ensure the sustainability of the wood, charcoal, and other allied products business in Nigeria.
She explained that: “This workshop would have come earlier but it is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Environment to ensure that processes that will guarantee the protection of our dwindling forest resources are followed. The primary reason was making sure all the measures that will aid SFM are in place in addition to making sure these are communicated to key stakeholders for smooth take-off of operation.”
It is appropriate to emphasize that all critical stakeholders in the wood, charcoal, and other allied products business endeavor to have a full understanding of the modus operandi of the export in the forestry sector because it is no longer business as usual, this is a new paradigm where actions taken in ignorance by anybody will not be condoned.
FG May Modify Policy On Charcoal Export
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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