Day: September 17, 2023

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation has announced a surprising discovery of a spotless Angolan giraffe accompanying her mother in the wild at a private game reserve in Namibia.

The spotless giraffe was sighted barely a few weeks after a similar one christened Kipekee was delivered at a Tennessee zoo. There are only two such spotless giraffes.

The spotless giraffe was spotted by tour guide Eckart Demasius, who photographed the brown calf while leading a game drive on the 90,000-acre reserve, according to National Geographic.

Initially, conservationists assumed Kipeke was the only living spotless giraffe in the world until the recent one was spotted at the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge. Only two completely spotless Angolan giraffes had ever been documented, both in Japanese zoos, as reported by the foundation.

Julian Fennessy, co-founder of the wildlife organization, explained that the lack of spots arises from “genetic mutations or recessive genotype in one or more genes related to the pattern, but without detailed genetic analysis, these are mere speculations.”

Fennessy was however worried that the spotless giraffes are facing a gradual extinction, and appealed to the public to raise awareness and funds to protect their declining population. Currently, there are an estimated 117,000 giraffes across the continent

Source: Nam News Network

Credible Elections Project, a non-governmental group has called on all political parties and their candidates in the Bayelsa governorship election to be decorous in their acts and adhere to the provisions of the electoral laws.

The group, with strong interest in a free and fair elections in Nigeria, made the called in statement by its National Coordinator, Dr Fred Adams and the Public Relations Officer, Amina Musa, made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

The group called for a violence-free election in Bayelsa, saying that the state in the Niger Delta can not afford to be engrossed in crisis due to interest of individuals.

It said there was no need to stoke crisis not originally contemplated by the people of Bayelsa.

The group condemned a statement of “brimstone and fire threat” attributed to candidate of one of the opposition parties, saying such does not arise for any reason.

“We have watched with utmost concerns the security risk utterances of some candidates of political parties contesting the governorship election in Bayelsa which are not in line with the spirit of democracy that require issue based campaigns.

“We take exception to threat of fire and brimstone and other unwarranted threat under any guise by the governorship candidate of the opposition.

“The PDP and the APC have their strong presence in Bayelsa.

“It rests on the candidates including other smaller parties to vigorously embark on issue-based campaigns in a bid to convince electorate rather than contemplating violence which would not serve the people of Bayelsa any good,“ the group said

In particular, it urged the candidate of APC, Timipreye Sylva and others to maintain peace and refrain from any comment capable of causing electoral violence.

The group warned that it would petition President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Service and other security agencies with clips of utterances by any of the candidates should they refuse to refrain from attempting to stoke crisis before and during the election.(NAN)(www.nanews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Agboola Dabiri, a former Commissioner for Youth and Social Development in Lagos State, has urged residents of the state to embrace urban farming.

Dabiri said this at an agriculture empowerment programme organised by members of Ajowa Community Development Association in Surulere area of Lagos state, in collaboration with Africanfarmer Mogaji, on Sunday in Lagos.

According to him, embracing urban farming will increase and better their livelihood.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the empowerment programme is titled: “Farm and Profit”.

In his lecture titled, “Global Farming without Boundaries”, Dabiri said that residents must begin to create space for farming in homes, balconies, compounds and garages.

The ex-commissioner noted that he started agribusiness as a young boy in the university because of his passion for food production and business.

He added that agriculture was a huge value chain that included production, processing, marketing, distribution, packaging and many more.

Dabiri urged the residents to develop a passion in any of the value chains to better their lots.

According to him, agriculture has so many areas that they can explore, adding that they can grow vegetables, tubers and also rear animals.

”I don’t know the last time I bought lemon in Abuja. What I did was, I planted seeds in an old sack and that is what I have been using in my home.

“In Masha, here in Surulere, we have the biggest fruit farmers in Lagos. They are very organised and you can also join them by simply identifying where you belong.

“Also, in Surulere, we have one of the largest ram market and I am a member, because I also rear animals.

“You have to look at where you belong and explore all the potential in agriculture. During the last Ileya festival, I sold rams and I made profits, you too can do that. Agric is very profitable.

“I buy my ram myself; rear it my self and give it to my boys to sell during festival. I have already started rearing ram against next festival.

“Residents of Surulere must come together and see how they can promote urban farming and contribute to the food self-sufficiency of the state,” he said.

Dabiri advised the community development association and the local government council to start a Sunday market in Surulere, for residents to purchase farm produce at cheaper and affordable prices, as well as create a market platform for farmers.

He commended the Chairman of Ajowa CDA, Mr Tunji Adebayo, for organising empowerment programmes for members of his association.

According to him, empowering the community is a lasting legacy that will outlive anybody.

“For you as individual in the CDA or community, you have to think outside the box on how you can improve your life by leveraging agriculture.

“There is little that government can do, you must look at how to balance it. We all must try and start farming in bags or plastic containers. You can plant yams, vegetables, tomatoes, pepper and plantain.

“As great as America is, a lot of its citizens own private farms and gardens. They do that so that they can also contribute to food production and we can do that here too,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Africanfarmer Mogaji urged the people at the local government level to embrace agriculture in order to feed the nation.

Mogaji, in his presentation titled ‘Farm and Profit’, urged people in the urban area to embrace agriculture by way of processing, marketing, distribution, packaging, haulaging and production.

He said that majority of people in the South-West zone were consumers of agricultural produce and not generating enough income from agriculture, because of lack of understanding.

“There are a lot of opportunities in agriculture that remain untapped and people need to look beyond farming,” he said.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of food emergency is an opportunity for many agribusiness to thrive because a lot of policies will be introduced that will be beneficial to farmers.

“Partnerships and collaborations is the new agribusiness that farmers must embrace.

“Enough of criticising the government. It is time to collaborate with government to achieve great things and improve food production.

“Opportunities are enormous but farmers must know how to get it, people need to know how to tap into every government policy,” he said.

Mogaji explained that the whole essence was to embrace grassroots farming as the new norm.

“It is almost 10 years that I have been reaching out to the CDA and this is a new executive and we are continuing.

“We need to begin to groom people from grassroots into agriculture. If local government embraces agriculture, we will feed the nation.

“They own lands; they have the people; what we need is resources. Surulere is a major area that we can leverage to distribute farm produce.

“The people farm in their rural and suburbs and we have the local government to expose these to their people,” he explained.

He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to allocate land to local governments for farming, to make them fully committed to food sustainability and self-sufficiency.

In his remarks, Mr Suleimon Bamidele, Chairman, Surulere Local Government Area, lauded the CDA and the council’s support for continuation of the programme.

Bamidele, who was represented by Mr Abayomi Ambali, Senior Special Adviser to the Chairman on Agriculture, noted that the council would continue to promote and support agricultural policies.

Adebayo, Chairman, Ajuwo CDA, said that the objective of the programme was to impact on the lives of members of the association who required employability and soft skills.

“This is the first of its kind and there are many more programmes to come, to help our people become self-reliant.

“We decided to go into agric because people need to eat and also make money and we saw the need to help our members.

“I urge the local and state government to do more for the people by empowering them, and keep the youth away from crime and drugs,” Adebayo said. (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Sokoto State Government has begun the distribution of fertilisers, inputs and agric processing equipment to 1,180 farmers under the NG-CARES scheme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Sama’ila Mera, on Saturday, inaugurated the distribution exercise as part of activities lined up to celebrate Gov. Ahmad Aliyu’s 100 days in office.

Mera lauded the state government’s commitment, and urged the beneficiaries to utilise the items on increased investments to improve their wellbeing.

The governor said the state government had paid N2.4 billion counterpart contribution to the programme, and commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for the initiative designed to improve the wellbeing of the people.

He said the beneficiaries comprised all categories of farmers selected from the 23 local government areas of the state, including youths and women groups.

Aliyu listed the items to include milling and grinding machines, fertilisers, improved variety seeds, pesticides, goats, sheep, chicks, among others.

The scheme, he said, was in line with his administration Nine-point Agenda, and encouraged small-scale traders in the state to do their businesses in a manner that would be productive.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Alhaji Muhammad Wamakko, said the farmers were exposed to financial literacy, saving techniques and cooperatives.

”The training is also about skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development, micro enterprise and management,” he said.

NAN reports that NG-CARES programme is a $750-million state-driven initiative supported by the World Bank.

The programme, which is being implemented under the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES), seeks to elevate businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and expand access to livelihood support.

It also seeks to provide improved access to food security services and financial grants to poor and vulnerable households. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is set to recover loans it granted some categories of Nigerians to ameliorate harsh socio-economic realities.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the loan initiative involved is the Targeted Credit Facilities (TCF), granted to some Nigerians in 2020 to cushion the economic effect of COVID-19.

Some beneficiaries of the facility, however, expressed concern about the manner of recovery.

A beneficiary, Fatimah Alli, said that the sudden move to recover her N500,000 COVID-19 loan had worsened her financial challenges.

“I got a loan of N500,000 in 2020 to cushion the economic effect of COVID-19. But at that time we were assured that we will not be required to repay the money.

“But recently, all the money in my bank account were removed by the CBN as part of the loan recovery drive,” she said.

Another beneficiary of the TCF, Abbas Sule, also complained about arbitrary loan deductions from his bank account.

“When I was granted the loan facility in 2020, the bank official that processed the release through NIRSAL Microfinance Bank (NMFB) got a commission of N50, 000, and I was paid N450,000.

“Now they want me to repay N500,000, that is not fair,” he said.

NAN reports that NMFB recently called for the repayment of COVID-19 loans given to households and business operators across the country.

The CBN had in March 2020 introduced the N50 billion TCF to support households and Micro, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) that have been particularly hit hard by COVID-19.

The loans were disbursed to beneficiaries by NIRSAL, an entity owned by CBN, at an interest rate of five per cent with a moratorium period that lasts till February 28, 2021.

At the expiration of the moratorium, the interest rate of the facility reverts to nine per cent from March 1, 2021.

According to NMFB in Its official twitter handle, we have played our part. It is now your turn.

The MFB revealed that it had given out loans worth N503 billion to more than 881,081 Nigerians and business operators to cushion the effects of the pandemic.

It urged beneficiaries to take steps to repay the loans, as they were not given as grants.

“You are expected to visit the nearest NIRSAL branch to obtain a loan repayment schedule.

You must ensure that your loan account is always funded,” it said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Police Command in Kaduna State has confirmed that two persons were killed and three others kidnapped by suspected bandits on Sept. 15, in a community in the state.

The command’s Acting Public Relations Officer, Mr Mansir Hassan, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Kaduna.

Hassan said that the incident took place in Dogon Noma-Unguwan Gamu community in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

He said that the bandits invaded the community at about 6:30 a.m., killing and abducting the victims.

The spokesman assured that the bandits would eventually be arrested to face the wrath of the law. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), has urged Nigerians to endeavour to pay their taxes to boost government revenue and improve service delivery.

The Chairman of RMAFC, Alhaji Muhammad Shehu, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

According to Shehu, less than 40 million Nigerians are presently captured in the tax net and paying taxes.

“That is too low for a country that has more than 200 million population,” he said.

He commended the idea of a Tax Reform Committee recently set up by President Bola Tinubu.

He said that the committee would do a lot to include economic players from the informal sector into the tax net.

“There is all these debate about the informal economy.

“What this tax reform committee that we have set up will do is bring a lot of agencies together, including RMAFC. We are a member of that committee.

“We have articulated our position and we will communicate what we believe that can add value to the discussion.

“At the end of it all, we will have a better society where more people are paying taxes and the money will be utilised for better services and infrastructure so that every Nigerian can benefit, ‘” he said.

He urged the Federal Inland Revenue Service.(FIRS) to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to identify certain categories of Nigerians who evade taxes.

“There are some taxes that the government is not getting from Nigerians.

“Somebody will declare an income of N600,000 in a year but that same person will import a vehicle of N40 million into Nigeria.

“I believe the FIRS will look at all those things, aand then collaborate with the NCS for better efficiency.

” If you import a brand new car, your name, your date of birth, your address, your NIN number should all be required.

“They should place a search and see what it is that you filed last year, how much taxes you paid to the government. Thereby, they will get a lot more people to pay taxes,” he said.

He urged all Nigerians to embrace the idea of willingly paying their taxes so as to boost government’s revenue drive.

“I think it is very important for every Nigerian to try and pay their taxes because it is from those monies you get services.

“All the things that people like to tell you about clean environment, good roads, functional infrastructure in other countries, it is the taxes that citizens pay that are utilised for those services.

“People should learn to pay electricity bills, they should pay their water bills they should pay just like you pay for telephone recharge cards.

“The more you pay your taxes, the more money government has to put into road, rail construction, better hospitals, pension, social securities, and better plan to help the needy,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Telomeres, basic proteins that shield the body’s chromosomes can be lengthened by lifestyle changes and eating proper diets, Dr Rasheed Abassi, a medical expert says.

Abassi, who is the Chief Medical Director of Heritage Men’s Clinic, said this on Saturday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

According to him, telomeres are like shields at the end of each chromosome and chromosomes are basic biological markers that form in Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

DNA is the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.

“We are made of cells, and each cell has a chromosome, the telomeres are the shields at the tail of the chromosomes.

“Our cells become degraded, while DNA breakdown as we age. So, if my telomeres are doing a job and I’m giving them the tools, as protectors, they will slow down and prevent ageing.

“The quality of life is as a result of your protectors and telomeres protect your DNA, so if your DNA is not protected, it gets exposed to inflammatory radicals and this will hasten DNA damage.”

According to him, the telomeres allow human cells to communicate and the latest discovery on human genome is that the longer ones telomeres, the longer one lives.

“The big news, however, is that we can affect this telomeres by making the appropriate lifestyle changes and eating foods that can actually lengthen or shorten your telomeres.”

He said that the lifestyle changes included having adequate and quality sleep, exercise, reduced salt intake and sufficient water intake.

Abassi said that the longer one lives without paying attention to life style changes, they are exposed to inflammation.

“Inflammation is the basic cause of cardiovascular issues such as heart attack, stroke, myocardial infraction and uncontrolled high blood pressure.

“Insufficient sleep creates internal stressors which lead to inflammation, and that affects your telomeres.

“New born babies have not been exposed to any form of stress, so no inflammation at all because they depend on their parents to provide everything for them.

“However, the older you get and start acquiring these life stressors, your body accumulates a lot of inflammatory processes and those are the ones that affect your telomeres.”

He added that these inflammatory processes shorten the telomeres which equated to loss of quality life.

Speaking about how to sleep, he said that in between naps during the day and good sleep at night at least thrice a week would increase the telomeres.

He likened sleep during the day to a car’s mini service, different from major oil change and transmission repair.

“If you get good day and night sleep, the body does the restorative and cleansing process.

“Glymphatic activity, this is the only time the human brain undergoes its cleaning process and this activity is exponentially boosted during sleep.”

Abassi also said that there was a link between telomeres and cancer.

He said that recent research showed that the consumption of processed foods and carbonated drinks lead to inflammation and that inflammatory processes lead to cancer.

“You need to protect your telomeres from cancer. Beans, lettuce and other good foods rich in fiber and low in fat are what we need to regulate our telomeres.

“Also, exercise is good but not stress induced exercise. Regular 15 minutes brisk walk in the morning and evening after dinner has been proven to reduce all major cardiovascular stressors.

“Our major issue in this part of the universe are the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks.

“All are positively mediated by exercise, such as 15 minutes twice daily, including the likes of prostate, breast, colon and lung cancer reduction.

“We live healthy lives by eating healthy and unprocessed foods, reduce salt intake and engage in non-stress induced exercise. No one can exercise his or her way out of poor diet,” he added.

Abassi also said that water was very important in preserving or nourishing the telomeres.

He added that stress cells in the body needed something to get rid of them and that the kidney craved for as much water as it could get.

He stressed that the clearer the colour of the urine without bubbles, the better the kidney.

“Water clears all these deadly toxins and the more water you drink, the better you feel.

“So drink more water throughout the day, and three hours before bedtime so your bladder can hold the urine for eight hours or more, thus allowing you to get a sound uninterrupted sleep.

“Your urine should have no color and no bubbles,” the doctor added.

He also linked environmental factors to impact on telomeres.

He said that pollution could negatively impact the telomeres as exposure to deadly gases act as inflammatory precursor which then affected the telomeres. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Air Component of Operation Delta Safe has in the last two months, destroyed more than 30 illegal oil refining site in the strikes around Cawthorne Channel and Bille, in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers.

The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Gabkwet said the air strikes ramped up efforts at denying oil thieves and operators of illegal oil refining sites the opportunity to burst pipelines, operate their illegal oil refineries sites while damaging the environment.

He said the air strikes conducted at Cawthorne Channel on Friday, destroyed four active illegal refining sites with dug out reservoirs and surface storage tanks suspected to be containing illegal refined products.

According to him, similar air strikes were also conducted at Bille on Saturday and early hours of Sunday which destroyed three illegal oil refining sites with storage tanks and reservoirs were destroyed.

“In one of the sites, a Cotonou boat suspected to be siphoning crude oil from a flow station was engaged in several passes and destroyed.

“In the last two months, Cawthorne Channel and Bille have accounted for the majority of oil theft and illegal oil refining activities in Rivers State.

“Within this period, over 30 illegal oil refining sites in these two locations have been destroyed by the Land, Maritime and Air Components of Operation Delta Safe.

“These efforts will be sustained in these locations and others until oil thieves and their accomplices desist from their illegal activities,” the statement added. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria