The Aliko Dangote Foundation has already commenced the identification of eligible beneficiaries, towards the implementation of the programme across these states and will be actively targeting and empowering 23,000 women in Sokoto, 34,000 women in Katsina, 21,000 women in Kebbi and 28,000 women in Zamfara.

The Dangote Micro-Grant scheme which was launched in 2011 in Kano State is a N10 Billion project, targeting indigenous and vulnerable women nationwide and is being systematically rolled out nationwide to cover 774 Local Government areas in the country.

So far, 334,500 women and youths have benefitted from the programme across Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Lagos, Nasarawa and Niger States.

The scheme provides recipients with a one-time, un-conditional N10,000.00 cash grant to meet immediate household consumption and economic needs. As far as possible, participants also receive training tailored to bolster their income-generating activities which are critical for the welfare of millions of Nigerians.

Beneficiaries of this programme are evenly selected from the target communities with primary consideration for vulnerable women, food distressed household with infant or children under-five year old, disabled, divorcee, widow with multiple dependents, extremely poor residents in these communities.

It would be recalled that the Programme is implemented in partnership with States Government to complement their economic empowerment and poverty reduction drive across the country.  The Executive Governor of a benefitting state set up a committee to oversee the implementation of the programme alongside Aliko Dangote Foundation in the state.

From 2016, the Foundation automated the beneficiary enrolment and payment processes. Also, in addition to the cash grants, beneficiaries were also given mobile phones and SIM cards by the Foundation. In the last two states, the scheme was implemented, the Foundation partnered with a leading commercial bank to open bank accounts and provide ATM card for each beneficiary.

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The participating states are Lagos, Edo, Osun, Kano, AkwaIbom, Nasarawa, Kwara amongst others.

Also, the tournament which is a collaboration between the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria, (YSFON), Southwest and Ilaji Stadium and Resort Centre would hold from Sunday, July 1st- Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Ilaji Stadium and Resort Center, Akanran, in Ona Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Addressing journalists during a press conference held at Ilaji Stadium and Resort Centre on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, the National Secretary, Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON), Mr Patrick Okpavuerhe lamented that the female football has suddenly taken the back seat in Nigeria because less attention is given to its grassroots development, adding that ” we cannot expect to be doing things the same way and expect different results”.

He recalled that YSFON was the First Youth Sports Organization to introduce female football in Nigeria, the historic event which he said was declared opened by late first Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mrs. Mariam Babangida in Kano in 1986.

Okpavuerhe further noted that the current approach which encourages recycling of players over a long time even when they ‘be passed their prime is worrisome. “We must have a deliberate policy of replacing our aging players at all times to give way for fresh legs. The occasion of today therefore is one step to discovering new talents to replace the aging legs in our National team”, he said.

While appealing to the football authority in Nigeria, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to take greater look at what YSFON is doing by giving the necessary support to produce the talents that can be invited into the Female National Team, Okpavuerhe, however commended the efforts of the Chairman, Ilaji Stadium and Resort Centre, Engr Dotun Sanusi in taking the initiative by organizing this competition.

Also in her remarks, the General Manager, Ilaji Stadium and Resort Center, Mrs Nike Olarinde informed that the level of preparation is in top gear as they are fully prepared for the tournament in terms of facilities, security, and hostel accommodations for the players amongst others.

The press conference also had in attendance, Chairman, Oyo State YSFON, Mr. Rafiu Alabi, Alhaji Ganiyu Sanusi, Coach Babatunde Odukola, Moses Obioma, YSFON member from Kano State.

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The mill with a capacity to process 16 metric tons of paddy rice per hour, when completed, will in a year process paddy rice worth N14 billion bought directly from the famers in Jigawa at market rate.

Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony in Hadin, Kaugama local government area, Dangote said the commencement of the construction of the integrated rice processing plant was the culmination of series of events which began with the signing of a $1billion agreement with the federal government for the integrated rice production in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Niger and Jigawa.

“We have continued to pioneer new approaches to empowering our primary stakeholders and our farmers, through the Dangote outgrowers programme thereby creating thousands of jobs, increasing incomes, poverty reduction in rural communities by providing high quality agro-inputs, technical support and secured market for farmers. Also, creating access to finance, mechanization and irrigation services so as to enhance agricultural productivity.”, he stated.

Recalling that the Dangote Rice limited started the outgrowers scheme in 2016 with thousands of hectares of land  in Hadejia, Jigawa state, creating over 10,000 jobs (direct and indirect) to farmers, the business mogul said with the new ultra modern mill enough paddy rice will be grown and harvested for processing.

According to him, the mill which will take only months for installation and commissioning is the first in the series of five other mills coming up in Kano, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Niger States in the first phase, while in the second phase, other mills will be built in Nasarawa, Kogi, and other states.

Said he: “When these planned six mills come fully on stream, we will achieve a capacity of seven hundred thousand metric tons per annum of Parboiled rice, which will make Dangote Rice the largest rice producer in Africa and will make a bold step in making Nigeria self-sufficient in Rice production, stop importation Nduka save the nation foreign exchange.”

Dangote stated further that towards co-creating value for all stakeholders, the company has engaged about 20,000 out growers who are expected to produce an average of 180,000 tons of paddy rice on about 30,000 hectares of land. “We are focused on engaging in the region of 300,000 farmers in the next 12 months when our rice mills are all functional and we achieve steady state.”

“We will continue to launch massive agricultural projects across the country in rice and dairy farming. Our push for backward integration in providing our own raw materials on a massive scale has led to the planned investment of $4.6 billion over the next three years in sugar, rice and dairy production alone. That will eliminate the country’s reliance on imported materials, and the foreign exchange headaches that comes with it.”

In his opening remarks, the Dangote Group Executive Director, Devakumar Edwin explained that the Dangote Rice team has been involved in scaling up the outgrower operations to a least 5,000 hectares this season and this will very soon increase and grow to over 15,000 hectares cultivated per cycle or season to fully optimise operations.

He said the establishment of a Multi-billion Naira state-of-the-art integrated rice processing facility to process at least 260 metric tons of rice paddy per day grown which is produced from thousands of local rice out growers within Jigawa state is a giant step forward and expresses his company’s confidence and faith in local farmers to continuously stand with Dangote to make this project a success.

Located on 25 hectares site in Hadin, Edwin noted that the mill is earmarked to begin operations in the last quarter of 2018. “During the construction phase and when it becomes fully operational, hundreds of employment opportunities will be created, knowledge transference and skills developed among our teeming youthful population thereby boosting local economy.”

According to him, “the Jigawa famers are in for a good times as the 125,000 metric tons of paddy rice that this plant requires for processing will be brought from the farmers of Jigawa for an estimated purchase price of N14 billion per annum. This is a huge benefit for the farmers in Jigawa. This mill will be producing high quality parboiled rice that competes with the best in the world this is in-line with our continuous aim to touch the lives of millions who believe in the Dangote brand.”

“Jigawa State is endowed and blessed with vast fertile land, water resources, climate and progressive people, as well as one of the fastest growing agricultural destinations in Nigeria, was identified as an ideal location for us to set up our first facility in Nigeria. This obviously reinforces our commitment to supporting the efforts of the present administration in developing a robust agro-industry in Nigeria.”

“We made commitment to Nigerians that we will produce 1 million metric ton of quality parboiled rice. Since then we have embarked on several initiatives towards achieving this objective with support and collaboration from state and federal government agencies, ministries and departments, non-governmental organisations, community based organisations, traditional and financial institutions, etc., we continue to pioneer new approaches to empowering our primary stakeholders and our farmers, through the Dangote outgrower program thereby creating thousands of jobs, increasing incomes, poverty reduction in rural communities by providing high quality agro-inputs, technical support and secured market for farmers.”

Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru expressed delight at the stage of the Dangote Rice project in the state saying it was in line with the vision of the Invest Jigawa, an organ set up to accelerate investments in the state.

He said Jigawa is one of the States reputed to be on top on ease of doing business in Nigeria saying the Dangote Rice presence in the state is a pointer to the fact. He added that the state is also in the forefront of the diversification efforts of the federal government from oil to non-oil ventures especially agriculture.

He promised that the state will be willing to do whatever it will take to ensure the Dangote rice operate smoothly to the satisfaction of all parties in the state.

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Speaking at the opening ceremony of a conference to review the minimum standards of the National Certificate of Education (NCE), held at Akwanga, Al-makura informed that government had carried out some research and revealed that most primary and secondary school teachers should not be in the classes.

The Governor, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Education, Aliyu Tijjani Ahmed however allayed fears that government would not conduct a test on the teachers.

He said, “we are not planning a test for the teachers; we only intend to train and retrain them so as to build their capacities for better service delivery”.

He further tasked the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), and other stakeholders to step-up supervision in order to save the sector from total collapse.

The governor urged the reviewers to pay special attention to technical education and entrepreneurship to make NCE graduates more attractive to employers of labour.

Prof. Bappah Aliyu, Executive Secretary of NCCE, while addressing the assembly, explained that the conference would review the current curriculum and inject new ideas so as to boost the quality of the graduates.

He said that such review was last carried out in 2012, urging stakeholders to offer suggestions that would shore up the quality of Colleges of Education to enable them produce qualified teachers.

Earlier in her remarks, Mrs. Rebecca Umaru, Provost, College of Education, Akwanga, commended the NCCE for selecting the institution to host the conference.

She, also expressed optimism that the outcome of the conference would keep lecturers and the management of the respective colleges on their toes in the efforts to produce teachers that would be assets to the society.

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Idirisu said that the suspect was arrested from Yelwan-Bassa village in Kokona Local Government Area following a report of the incident.

He said the suspect had confessed to the crime and expressed remorse over her action.

He said investigation revealed that Aisha, who is the second wife of Alhaji Isah, was always at loggerhead with the first wife, Maimuna, and that all efforts by their husband to settle their differences were unsuccessful.

The spokesperson said Aisha claimed that the first wife was always instigating her children not to run errands for her, a development that infuriated her since she had no child of her own.

That she had given birth to a baby girl in 2016, but the baby died after six months.

He said Aisha had thrown baby Baaba into the well in April but since no one saw her, the family believed the baby accidently fell into the well and died.

On August 26, the police spokesperson said, Aisha raised alarm that another child, Zainab, had fallen into the well and the husband dashed into the well to rescue the baby.

He said the husband brought out the baby dead with her hands tied, which drew suspicion from the family and villagers leading to the arrest of Aisha.

According to him, Aisha later confessed to the crime and also accepted responsibility for the death of baby Baaba in April.

He said the suspect would be prosecuted as soon as investigation into matter was concluded.

(NAN)

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