News
Nearly 55 Million People Will Struggle to Feed in West and Central Africa in June-August 2024- Report

Nearly 55 Million People Will Struggle to Feed in West and Central Africa in June-August 2024- Report
By: Michael Mike
Nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will struggle to feed themselves in the June-August 2024 lean season, according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis released by the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).
According to a statement on Friday jointly released by United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), this figure represents a four-million increase in the number of people who are food-insecure compared to the November 2023 forecast and highlights a fourfold increase over the last five years.
The statement lamented that the situation is particularly worrying in conflict-affected northern Mali, where an estimated 2,600 people are likely to experience catastrophic hunger (IPC/CH phase 5). The latest data also reveals a significant shift in the factors driving food insecurity in the region, beyond recurring conflicts.
It stated that economic challenges such as currency devaluations, soaring inflation, stagnating production, and trade barriers have worsened the food crisis, affecting ordinary people across the region with Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Mali being among the worst affected.
The statement decried that prices of major staple grains continue to rise across the region from 10 percent to more than 100 percent compared to the five-year average, driven by currency inflation, fuel and transport costs, ECOWAS sanctions, and restrictions on agropastoral product flows, noting that currency inflation is a major driver of price volatility in Ghana (23%), Nigeria (30%), Sierra Leone (54%), Liberia (10%), and The Gambia (16%).
It explained that West and Central Africa remain heavily dependent on imports to meet the population’s food needs, with import bills continue to rise due to currency depreciation and high inflation, even as countries struggle with major fiscal constraints and macroeconomic challenges.
According to the statement. cereal production for the 2023-2024 agricultural season shows a deficit of 12 million tons, while the per capita availability of cereals is down by two percent compared to the last agricultural season.
Speaking on the situation, WFP’s Acting Regional Director for Western Africa, Margot Vandervelden, said: “The time to act is now. We need all partners to step up, engage, adopt and implement innovative programs to prevent the situation from getting out of control, while ensuring no one is left behind,” adding that: “We need to invest more in resilience-building and longer-term solutions for the future of West Africa.”
The statement lamented that malnutrition in West and Central Africa is alarmingly high, with 16.7 million children under five acutely malnourished and more than 2 out of 3 households unable to afford healthy diets, in addition, 8 out of 10 children aged 6-23 months do not consume the minimum number of foods required for optimal growth and development.
High food prices, limited healthcare access, and inadequate diets primarily drive acute malnutrition in children under 5, adolescents, and pregnant women. In parts of northern Nigeria, the prevalence of acute malnutrition in women aged 15-49 years is as high as 31 percent.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director Gilles Fagninou, said: “For children in the region to reach their full potential, we need to ensure that each girl and boy receives good nutrition and care, lives in a healthy and safe environment, and is given the right learning opportunities.
“Good nutrition in early life and childhood is the promise for a productive and educated workforce for tomorrow’s society. To make a lasting difference in children’s lives, we need to consider the situation of the child as a whole and strengthen education, health, water and sanitation, food, and social protection systems.”
In response to increasingly growing needs, FAO, UNICEF, and WFP called on national governments, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to implement sustainable solutions that bolster food security, enhance agricultural productivity, and mitigate the adverse effects of economic volatility.
They said governments and the private sector need to collaborate to ensure that the fundamental human right to food is upheld for all.
The statement revealed that in Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Niger, millions of people now benefit from national social protection programmes supported by UNICEF and WFP. Both agencies are expanding their support to the Chad and Burkina Faso governments. Similarly, FAO, IFAD, and WFP have joined forces across the Sahel to increase productivity, availability, and access to nutritious food through resilience-building programmes.
FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr. Robert Guei, said: “To respond to the unprecedented food and nutrition insecurity, it is important to mobilize for the promotion and support of policies that can encourage the diversification of plant, animal, and aquatic production and the processing of local foods (through the provision of agricultural inputs, access to productive resources for all to stimulate increased production and improve product availability).
“This is crucial not only to ensure healthy, affordable diets all year round, but also and above all to protect biodiversity, with the potential to mitigate the effects of climate change, and above all to counter high food prices and protect the livelihood of the affected population.”
Nearly 55 Million People Will Struggle to Feed in West and Central Africa in June-August 2024- Report
News
FG disburses N2.25bn to Gombe MSMEs

FG disburses N2.25bn to Gombe MSMEs
The Federal Government, through the Bank of Industry (BoI), has disbursed N2.25 billion to support 16,696 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Gombe.
Dr Olasupo Olusi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BoI, confirmed this during a town hall meeting held in Gombe on Friday.
The meeting aimed to sensitise the Gombe business community about the N200 billion Federal Government Loan Scheme for MSMEs and manufacturing enterprises.
Olusi said the Federal Government, through BoI, had disbursed over N107 billion to nearly 900,000 beneficiaries across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.
“Out of this, over 16,696 beneficiaries, valued at N2.25 billion, are from Gombe State,” he said.
Represented by Mr Mohammed Maina, North East Regional Manager of BoI, Olusi described the fund as a landmark initiative of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He stated that the initiative aims to empower MSMEs and revitalise Nigeria’s manufacturing sector as part of a broader economic growth strategy.
According to him, the scheme represents a strong investment in Nigeria’s future and a commitment to unlocking the business sector’s potential.
“MSMEs bring life to the local economy. They create jobs, provide livelihoods, and drive innovation across sectors,” Olusi noted.
He added that MSMEs account for 96 per cent of Nigerian businesses, 84 per cent of employment, and nearly half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Olusi said President Bola Tinubu envisions an economy where local industries thrive, meet global standards, and every enterprise is empowered to succeed.
BoI, he said, is working to ensure the scheme becomes a catalyst for jobs, innovation, and prosperity, especially among young entrepreneurs.
He commended Gombe State Government’s support and urged MSME owners, community leaders, and youth groups to champion the intervention.
Mr Abdulwahab Sabo, Senior Special Assistant to Gov. Inuwa Yahaya on MSMEs, praised President Tinubu for positively impacting Gombe’s local economy.
Sabo stated that MSMEs remain the backbone of the state’s economy by creating jobs and fostering entrepreneurship, especially among women and youths.
He said the Yahaya-led administration is committed to supporting initiatives that empower women and youths while encouraging business growth.
Abbas Abdul, Chairman of the Tea and Bread Association in Gombe, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the financial support.
Abdul, who received N50,000 six months ago, said his business has grown to N300,000, and he now plans to open a mini restaurant.
Adamu Abubakar from Dukku LGA, who engages in fabrication and welding, said the intervention saved him from high commercial bank interest rates.
Abubakar received a N5 million loan at nine per cent interest per annum and now plans to expand and employ more young people.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the town hall included a question and answer session on accessing loans and challenges faced by MSMEs.
FG disburses N2.25bn to Gombe MSMEs
News
Afenifere Warns Against Profiling Tinubu Administration, Yoruba Government

Afenifere Warns Against Profiling Tinubu Administration, Yoruba Government
… Says Such Act is Tantamount to Playing Russian Roulette with National Destiny
By: Michael Mike
Afenifere, a Pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Organisation has warned those labelling the present administration of President Bola Tinubu as Yoruba government to stop such profiling, stating that such act is tantamount to playing Russian roulette with our national destiny.
Afenifere in a statement signed on Friday by its National Organising Secretary Abagun Kole Omololu, said: “We have taken due note of the recent expose by Dr. Sandra Duru, detailing her conversation with the suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, particularly her shocking admission of a clandestine plot to sabotage the administration of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which the conspirators have stereotyped as a “Yoruba government,” and thereby stir the embers of division to deny him a second term. This is no light accusation. It is a revelation that demands reflection from patriots and repudiation from all who still hold Nigeria dear.”
The group added that: “Let it be said, plainly and without ambiguity, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is not a Yoruba government. It is a Nigerian government. He did not ascend to the presidency by tribal inheritance but by democratic choice — the result of votes cast in faith by Nigerians of every tongue, creed, and religion.
“To label this administration as “Yoruba” and weaponize that label as grounds for sabotage is not only dishonest, but a vile act of tribal opportunism and sedition. We reject it utterly.
“We remind the nation: When President Muhammadu Buhari held office for eight years, no one branded his leadership as a “Fulani government.” No tribal coalition was formed to deny him a second term on the grounds of ethnicity. He was allowed to serve out his mandate in full — and rightly so. The same principle of equity and continuity must apply now. Let no one demand justice only when it suits them, but deny it when it is owed to others.”
The group adduced that: “President Tinubu shall serve his full term of eight years, by the will of the good people of this country and under the watch of the Constitution. To suggest otherwise is to play Russian roulette with our national destiny.”
Afenifere commended Dr. Duru for her expose, stating that: “Afenifere salutes Dr. Sandra Duru for her uncommon courage — for speaking truth not only to power, but to conspiracy. Her voice is a reminder that integrity still walks among us, and that silence, in the face of wickedness, is not an option for those who love this country.
“Furthermore, we condemn in the strongest terms the campaign of calumny and false allegations against the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio — a man whose only crime, it appears, is that he dares to cooperate and collaborate with the President in the spirit of statesmanship and progress.
“We reject the weaponization of false allegations as political tools — especially when such weapons are aimed at innocent men, families and private lives. Politics has its place, but it must never trespass the boundaries of human decency. To smear a man’s name, fabricate charges, and unleash innuendo on his children, his home, and his honour — that is not politics. That is malice in its rawest form.”
The group further said: “We strongly decry the internationalization of fabricated domestic issues by those who authored the falsehood in the first place. This is akin to setting fire to your own seat in a cinema and running out crying “Fire! Fire!” — not out of alarm, but out of selfish ambition. It is selfishness that seeks to burn down the image of the nation to satisfy the ego of one person who believes that except she has her way, the country should not have peace.”
Afenifere warned that: “Nigeria is not a personal or tribal empire. Our nation will not bow to tribal blackmail. It will not bend to invented narratives. And it will not break under the weight of conspiracy. Let all patriots rally to the defence of truth, justice, and constitutional order. Let us remember that nations fall not only when tanks roll through streets — but also when lies, repeated often enough, begin to sound like truth.”
The group said: “We have come too far to be dragged backward by petty ambition disguised as activism. Let us reject the agents of sabotage — not because they threaten one man, but because they threaten all of us.”
Afenifere Warns Against Profiling Tinubu Administration, Yoruba Government
Crime
Police arrest 95 suspected cultists in Edo raid, recover arms and insignia

Police arrest 95 suspected cultists in Edo raid, recover arms and insignia
By: Zagazola Makama
The Police in Edo state has arrested 95 suspected cultists in a series of coordinated raids across the state targeting known cultist hideouts, the Command said on Friday.
Police sources told Zagazola Makama that the ongoing operation, which began on April 28, was carried out by combined Tactical Teams, who apprehended suspected members of three major cult groups notorious for violent crimes.
According to the police, 33 of the suspects are believed to be members of the Malphites Confraternity, 34 are linked to the Aye (Black Axe) Confraternity, while 28 others are associated with the Eiye Confraternity.
Items recovered during the operation include one single-barrel shotgun with four live cartridges, and two Malphite-branded caps.
The Police said that the suspects are being charged with multiple felonies, including cult-related murders and violent attacks in recent weeks.
The police sources assured the public that the crackdown will continue until all criminal elements are rooted out, warning that there will be no hiding place for cultists and their sponsors in the state.
Police arrest 95 suspected cultists in Edo raid, recover arms and insignia
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