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FG, World Bank to Build Watersheds in 2,800 Communities in Northern Nigeria and FCT

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FG, World Bank to Build Watersheds in 2,800 Communities in Northern Nigeria and FCT

FG, World Bank to Build Watersheds in 2,800 Communities in Northern Nigeria and FCT

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has assured of its willingness to support the World Bank supported projects to build watersheds in 2,800 communities of the 19 North states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu gave this promise during a high-level discussion with the World Bank and the AGRO-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) Federal Project Management Team in his office in Abuja.

The team was in the office of the Minister on Tuesday to brief him on ACReSAL Project implementation status. ACReSAL is a 6-year World Bank Assisted Project in 19 Northern states and FCT, the project will partner with approximately 2,800 communities in the targeted watersheds. 

The project was approved by the World Bank Board of Directors in December 2021 and became effective on the 9th of June 2022, with its Project Development Objective (PDO) to increase the adoption of sustainable landscapes management and enhance livelihood in the targeted watersheds in Nigeria, it has three key components mainly Dryland Management, Community Climate Resilience and Institutional Strengthening and Project Management.

Speaking earlier, Dr. Joy Agene, Senior Environment Specialist, World Bank and Task Team Leader 1 ACReSAL briefed the minister that part of the requirement for project implementation take-off is the approval of the workplan by the lead ministries, (Ministries of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development) and appeal to the minister for his participation in the forthcoming ACReSAL workshop where the workplan from all the participating states would be looked into by steering committee of ACReSAL which the minister is a co-Chairman. 

She also informed the minister that Federal Ministry of Water Resources will be playing a key role in the project; under the project component A, Ministry of Water Resources would be responsible for the development of 20 strategic watershed plan.

Also Read: 2023: Kashim Shettima’s BIG steps in mending fences, saves…

Dr. Salisu Dahiru, the National Project Coordinator, ACReSAL informed the minister that ACReSAL is the first of its kind among other project in Nigeria that is complex and domicile in three ministries to achieve great mile stones within five months, this he said is as a result of the harmony and cooperation the project has received from the three ministries. 

He noted that the workshop/clinic will serve as a training ground for especially 10 new states that were not part of NEWMAP and also an avenue to consolidate on the workplan for effective project implementation. 

Minister of Water Resources while welcoming the team, noted that World Bank is an institution the Federal Government of Nigeria partners with and the Ministry of Water Resources is carrying out its mandate, and the actual focus is on Nigeria. 

The minister said that he understands the importance of having a workshop especially at this effective stage of the project. He expressed his joy that Ministry of Water Resources will be very much involved in the project implementation and assured the team of all the necessary support as well as collaborations with Ministries of Environment and Agriculture and Rural development towards successful implementation of ACReSAL project

FG, World Bank to Build Watersheds in 2,800 Communities in Northern Nigeria and FCT

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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