Category Nigeria News

Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has completed the renovation of the historic Gidan Kuli groundnut oil mill in Kankia Local Government Area of the State.

The revived Gidan Kuli groundnut oil mill, expected to begin full operations soon, will create over 500 direct and indirect jobs while boosting the local economy.

The Katsina Youth Craft Village (KYCV), executed the complete overhaul, which included refurbishing existing machinery, procuring modern equipment, and constructing administrative blocks, shops, and perimeter fencing.

Speaking on this development, Governor Radda asserted that the facility is more than economic infrastructure as it symbolises the commitment to revitalising the state’s agricultural heritage.

The Governor in a statement signed on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, noted that the revival aligns perfectly with his administration’s economic diversification agenda.

He said the Governor’s approval for the massive renovation has transformed the 1992-established facility into a state-of-the-art Groundnut Processing Centre under the supervision of the Ministry of Women Affairs.

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Addressing the facility’s potential impact on women’s economic empowerment, the Governor maintained that he strategically placed this project under the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in recognition of the crucial role women play in agricultural processing.

“Groundnut production once defined Northern Nigeria’s prosperity, and we are determined to reclaim that legacy for our farmers and entrepreneurs.

“By restoring this processing centre, we are creating a guaranteed market for our groundnut farmers, generating employment opportunities, and establishing a foundation for value-added agricultural products that can compete nationally and internationally.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has presented the first prosecution witness, William Abimbola, in the ongoing trial of a former deputy director of Highways of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Augustine Olowoniyan, alongside a surveyor, Sulaiman Muhammed, of the Department of Highways and Planning.

On Thursday, they stood before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja.

A Friday statement by the Commission said they are being prosecuted on a three-count charge bordering on alleged diversion and misappropriation of public funds amounting to about ₦1.9 billion, contrary to Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The sum is reportedly earmarked for acquiring titles for federal roads nationwide between March 4, 2019, and July 17, 2020, which they allegedly converted to personal use.

At the Thursday proceedings, EFCC said the witness, a compliance officer with the United Bank of Africa, UBA, while being led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Abba Mohammed (SAN), stated that the bank received a request letter from EFCC concerning an investigation into the accounts of some of its customers.

According to the statement, the first defendant, Olowoniyan, has three accounts with the bank, while Mohammed, the second defendant, also has an account with the bank.

He was said to have disclosed that he received yet another letter from the Commission regarding another customer, Ogueri Paschal, who had two accounts with the bank.

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“The EFCC requested statements of accounts and account opening packages. The statement was extracted from the bank’s server system and compared with what we have on the computer to ensure that it is the same. Our information is stored in the computer.

“We retrieve soft copies, which were then sent to printers to generate hard copies. After generating the hard copies, we printed the documents, that is, the statement of accounts opening packages.

“I compared the printout with what was on the system to ensure that it was accurate. The details were the same. This was then dispatched to the EFCC with a cover letter and certificate of identification. I signed the certificate on behalf of my supervisor, Edward Balande, because he was on leave at that time in Lagos,” he said.

The court then admitted the EFCC Letter of Investigation Activities to UBA, dated October 30, 2023, and UBA replied to the EFCC letter, dated October 31, 2023, with a certificate of compliance as Exhibit PW1 A.

The court also admitted in evidence a reply from UBA to EFCC letter dated October 31, 2023, with a certificate of compliance for Paschal Ogueri, marked as Exhibit PW1B.

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has said it will commence expansion of its loan scheme to cover vocational and skills acquisition centres across Nigeria, starting with Enugu State.

According to a statement released on Friday during a strategic engagement and sensitisation campaign in Enugu State, attended by key officials from NELFUND and the Enugu State Government, the scheme will begin within the next six to eight weeks.

Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr, emphasised the Fund’s intent to support technical education in skills centres nationwide, including fashion design and other vocations. He said Enugu has been selected as a starting point for the programme’s rollout.

“The Managing Director/Chief Executive of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, alongside the Executive Director of Operations, Mr. Mustapha Iyal, led a NELFUND delegation to Enugu State for a strategic engagement session with key stakeholders.

“The visit, held in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry of Education, included interactive sessions with representatives of tertiary institutions and traditional rulers, aimed at deepening awareness and strengthening partnerships for the successful implementation of NELFUND’s initiatives.

“We are working on it now, and we’re going to have some discussions with the executive governor and his team, because we want to start it here.

“The president has also instructed that we focus on areas where the governments or the institutions of state and instruments are ready to work with us, so that we can have a quick takeoff. I think that within the next six to eight weeks, you will see us kick something off,” he said.

During a tour of the Enugu Garments and Fashion Hub, NELFUND’s Executive Director of Operations, Iyal Mustapha, highlighted Enugu’s preparedness and existing infrastructure, stating that the state had one of the best vocational and skills training facilities seen so far.

“Presently, we have other states, almost more than 10 states that we have seen such, but then, Enugu is one of the best.

“Enugu is going to be one of the first states or one of the first locations we are looking at to start. With what I see, there is a lot of positivity.

“We have seen different skill centres from the technical colleges to the vocational skill centres, like the fashion design, and they are all very positive for us at NELFUND. I would not say that Enugu will be the only state, but one of the first states to start with,” he said.

Explaining how the loan scheme will be implemented, Mustapha said beneficiaries will be able to apply through an online portal once it opens.

READ ALSO: ‘Patronising Made-In-Nigeria Goods Is An Act Of National Pride’, Akume Tells Nigerians

The scheme would cater to training costs, offer upkeep stipends, and provide tools upon training completion.

“We are going to have these centres in place to say if you apply from Enugu, this is where to go in Enugu. We are going to pay for their training costs, we are going to be giving them upkeep, and at the end of the day, they will have some working tools when they finish their training.”

“We are still trying to complete that into our guidelines. The training costs are based on what the centre is proposing, that’s what we are paying, but the institutional charges are going to be part of the loan because it’s to support them with the transport coming to these skill centres.

“It’s a work in progress, and the country is always evolving. The government is seeing the value in skills and vocation just to support the community.”

Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital Economy and MSMEs and Director General of the Enugu SME Centre, Arinze Chilo-Offiah, said the state government is committed to youth empowerment through skills development.

“We just wanted to show them the world-class facilities we have here to let NELFUND know that we are ready to key into the skills acquisition component of the fund.

“One component is to take care of school fees and upkeep of tertiary institution students, the other aspect is vocational skills. We just came from the Government Technical College (GTC) revamped world-class facilities there, we are also showing them our fashion hub.

“As you can see, Enugu is ready to absorb all the support from NELFUND. They will be able to provide us with zero-interest loans for training in fashion.”