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KACRAN Appeals to Tinubu to End Exclusion of Pastoralists from Policies and Programmes

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KACRAN Appeals to Tinubu to End Exclusion of Pastoralists from Policies and Programmes

By: Michael Mike

Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to end the exclusion of pastoralists in government’s policies and programmes

The association in a statement on Tuesday by its National President, Hon. Khalil Mohd Bello said: “It is extremely sad and highly pitiable to note that, if there is any group of people who are doing their best day and night in contributing tremendously towards the provision of nutritional food to our beloved Nigerians and in the country’s domestic income through payments of multiple taxes but are almost forgotten or totally side lined in terms of adequate inclusion in nearly all government’s policies and programmes, it is the nation’s pastoralists.”

Bello claimed that the above statement was strongly affirmed by the former Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan, stressing that “he even promised to lead a struggle that will provide justice and fairness to Nigeria’s herders whom he admitted had been totally ignored by the previous governments.”

He recalled that apart from the immediate past Senate President’s support, “we could recall that even Mr Audu Ogbe the former Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development severally stated that, the Nigeria’s pastoralists and their pastoral occupation was for over fifty years neglected by our past administrations.

“In addition to this, even the immediate past Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Muhammad Muhamood Abubakar boldly and courageously disclosed during the last year’s Regional Agricultural Summit organized in Abuja by his Ministry under the colourful/successful coordination of the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Ernest Umakhihe and Director Animal Husbandry Services, Dr Winnie Lai-Solarin that, the Nigeria’s pastoralists and pastoralism in general are not receiving much desired governments’ attention, which he described as very unfortunate but must be addressed.

“The Hon Minister, out of passion and humility added that, he observed painfully that, government’s attention is always tilted towards promoting arable farming to the detriment of livestock and fisheries sectors.”

He added that: “While delivering his speech at the conference where delegates from Niger, Tchad, Cameroon, Benin Republics, Hajiya Umma Abubakar, Director Animal Husbandry Services Agricultural and Rural Services of the FCT, KACRAN, GAFDAN and representatives of other Pastoralists Associations were in attendance, he emphasized the need for the plight of the pastoralists to be looked into while executing government policies and programmes.”

Bello said KACRAN noticed sorrowfully that, the major reason for the exclusion of pastoralists in government’s policies and programmes was due to the fact that government’s attention is always on the execution of elephant projects such as constructions of roads, bridges, offices, houses, solar energy, development of arable farming etc which has nothing to do with genuine livestock development which is the bedrock for the provision of nutritional food and additional income to the country.

He added that: “The most painful of all is till now, even though both the federal executive and the legislative arms of government agreed on the marginalization of livestock sector as evidently heard from the former Senate President and former Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development but yet no concrete stand or measure is being taken to address the anomaly.

“At this juncture, we want to express our deepest concern that, even though pastoralists are the most affected by the negative impact of total oil subsidy removal which resulted in the formation of various committees by Mr President to come up with recommendations/suggestions on how government would intervene to ameliorating the negative effects of the hardship brought by the removal, we are quite sure that members of the committees under reference have nothing like herders inclusiveness in their expected suggestions to Mr President.

“What KACRAN is expecting at the end of their two week assignment is coming up with elitists plans on how government will introduce palliative to Nigerians mainly residing in the cities and urban areas or what the new minimum wage supposed to be, but as we stated earlier, nothing at all will be included for herders immediate benefit as if we are not Nigerians.

He therefore appealed to President Bala Tinubu to kindly end the exclusion of pastoralists in government’s policies and programmes, by making adequate budgetary provision in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Directorate of Animal Husbandry Services and Rural Development, FCT aimed at developing livestock in Nigeria.

He added that: “We also want to remind the members of the said committees to note that pastoralists are the most negatively affected by the hardship/difficulties faced by Nigerians due to the total removal of oil subsidy because, our people are mostly residing in the bushes and remote areas who on daily basis have to go to various markets to buy their daily needs which rendered them to be the most vulnerable as per paying high cost of transportation is concern to please wholistically capture herders in their expected novel submission to our beloved/action President.

“Finally, we ardently and respectfully call on our beloved and highly respected President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please make strong provision/arrangement through the Directorate of Animal Husbandry Services of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be distributed monthly or quarterly by the said Directorate as palliative to Nigeria’s herders. Because, this is the only way the nation’s pastoralists will be amongst the beneficiaries of President Tinubu’s good administration’s gestures.”

KACRAN Appeals to Tinubu to End Exclusion of Pastoralists from Policies and Programmes

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

  • Tasks Nigerians on constructive criticism of government actions, policies

By: Our Reporter

Wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, has scored the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu very high, saying the President is building a better Nigeria for Nigerians through his laudable economic policies, various empowerment initiatives and investments in key sectors of the economy.

And to help the President secure a better future for all Nigerians, the VP’s wife also encouraged the citizens not to relent in giving very useful advice to the government, urging them to be more constructive in their criticism of the administration instead of just attacking for political reasons.

Hajiya Nana Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, during the annual Ramadan feast, which had in attendance women groups and students

Emphasizing the determination of the Tinubu administration to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come, she said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is baking a new cake for us that are alive today, and for the Nigerian children and grandchildren that are coming behind us. It is who he is ably supported by our lovely First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.”

Hajiya Nana Shettima noted that the President means well for the people of Borno State as well as Nigerians in all parts of the country, even as she urged the citizens to always pray for President Tinubu and members of his cabinet.

“I can tell you that he (the President) means well, not only for Borno people but for the entire nation. We should not forget him and his subordinates in our prayers,” she added.

She further commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her contributions towards actualizing the agenda of the administration, especially through the Renewed Hope Initiative which she said has impacted many lives, including women, children and people with disabilities.

Also speaking at the event, the Director General of Maryam Babangida Centre for Women Development, Abuja, Dr Asabe Bashir, admonished women and the people of Borno State to imbibe the teachings of the just concluded Ramadan.

She also sought the people’s support and prayers for President Tinubu, thanking the President for picking his deputy from Borno State.

She said, “I always reiterate the importance of prayer because without prayers we can do nothing in life. We have just come out of Ramadan; let us imbibe that culture and lessons we received during the 29-day fast. We need to continue with the spiritual reflection.

“We should thank God and President Bola Tinubu for remembering the people of Borno State again by bringing the seat of the Vice President, not just to the North-East region but to Borno State after Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was elected along with the late Chief MKO Abiola so many years ago.

“We must continue to pray for the administration of President Bola Tinubu because if it succeeds, we succeed,” Dr Bashir added.

On his part, the Speaker, Youth Assembly of Nigeria, Tijjani Abubakar, thanked President Tinubu for his support to Nigerian youths through various youth empowerment initiatives.

Also, Dr Martins Ekunke, who spoke on behalf the South-South, Yoruba and Igbo communities residing in Borno State, commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for galvanizing support for people living with HIV/AIDS through her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Among those that attended the annual Sallah feast hosted by Hajiya Shettima, were the wife of the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Maryam Lawan; wife of the Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Laure Musa-Askira; female Commissioners and political appointees.

Also in attendance were women groups, members of the Borno State chapter of the Nationals Association of Nigerian Students, as well as the leaders of South-South, Igbo and Yoruba communities residing in Borno State, among others.

President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

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UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

By: Michael Mike

The National Headquarters of University of Ilorin Alumni Association has lauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing three of its members into various leadership positions in the country.

Those appointed were Comptroller General of Immigration, Mrs Kemi Nandap,, whose tenure was elongated till December 2026, Non Executive Director of NNPC, representing North Central, Mr Babs Omotowa- and the Pioneer Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti, Prof. James A. Aribisala.

In a congratulatory message to the trio, the National President, Prof. AbdulRasaq Kilani, and the National Secretary, Dr Barakat Raji, said the Association received the news of the appointments with excitement.

The Alumni, who commended President Tinubu for selecting the best for their various positions, assured him that the three alumni would not disappoint him in attaining the goals set for them to achieve.

While felicitating with the appointed members on their well-deserved appointment, the Association charged them to always show the excellence in them in surpassing the targets set for them by Mr President.

The Association who extolled the pedigrees of the appointed members in their various fields, implored them to live up to the expectations of the slogan of the institutions “better by far” in all ramifications.

The Alumni then prayed for their successful tenure and tasked them not to hesitate to reach out to them whenever their services are needed in any capacity towards national development.

UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the group chief executive officer, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments are effective today, April 2.

President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.

Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.

The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris

He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.

Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.

Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.

Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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