Food

Famine Strikes in Burkina Faso as Farmers Seek Help
Agriculture, Burkina Faso, Economy

Famine Strikes in Burkina Faso as Farmers Seek Help

Burkina Faso has been struck by drought and desertification which has resulted in famine. The landlocked West African nation of Burkina Faso has been hard hit by drought and desertification. The AFP and Africanews report that the landlocked nation has been hit hard by draught which has caused large scale hunger among its citizens.  Just east of capital Ouagadougou, once fertile land is now dry. The country which is famed for food production and fertile earth has turned a shadow of itself. Previously productive lands are now good for gathering pebbles, due to years of drought and the erosion of the top soil. The slow advance of desertification, comes as populations from the north and across the Sahel are being pushed from their homes by violence linked to jihadists. Food inse...
Opinion: Nigerian Values – Food For Thought
Economy, Features, Nigeria

Opinion: Nigerian Values – Food For Thought

14th April 2020 Life seems to be much about FOOD in Nigeria. There is regular talk about how to get food for oneself or for the children. People worry about not getting “three square meals” a day. Nigerians talk about the “national cake”. Young women look for a man to marry who can put food on the table. There is a great sense of satisfaction when food has been obtained or eaten. A good day is a day when food has been eaten.   Taking it further, politicians use food to either bribe people for votes, or to keep aggrieved citizens quiet. “Just give them food and it will all be ok”. Moreover, when a group is agitating for some kind of civil or human rights, we hear things said such as, “They must be hungry”. The rights or issues being addressed are disregarded, sadly, even by th...
Corona Virus: Lagos State Government Mocks Residents with Absurd Palliative Provision
Lagos News, News, Nigeria, Safety

Corona Virus: Lagos State Government Mocks Residents with Absurd Palliative Provision

On the 27th of March, we published a story that the Lagos state government had announcement the commencement of the first phase of its economic stimulus package targeted at about 200, 000 homes. Governor Sanwo-Olu was roundly hailed for his good work but little did we know that what was in store for Lagosions was nothing short of a mockery. Read Also: COVID-19: Sanwo-Olu Rollsout First Phase of Economic Stimulus for Residents, Targets 200,000 Residents Reports coming in from different parts of Lagos State show residents of communities showing off the palliative provisions they had received from the State Government, labeled "Covid-19 Emergency Food Response". In every instance, the people were more than shocked at what they got. In one report caught on video, Alhaji Hamzat, CDA Ch...
Why We Key into FG’s School Feeding Programme — Kwara Gov
Education, Nigeria

Why We Key into FG’s School Feeding Programme — Kwara Gov

.... State to extend meals to primary six   Kwara is joining the national home grown school feeding programme to tackle school age malnutrition, boost school enrolment, and strengthen local economy through wealth redistribution, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said on Thursday.   AbdulRazaq said the statistics of stunted and wasted children in the state — until May 2019 the highest in the north central region — is scary and must be reversed to give every child a head start in life.   "I am very passionate about school feeding for our children. This is because the socioeconomic cost of not urgently acting against malnutrition and dwindling school enrolment far outweighs whatever financial commitments we will be making to the programme," AbdulRazaq said th...
Lagos Continues Sale of Lake Rice Despite End of the Eid Celebrations
Agriculture, Celebration, Lagos News, News, Nigeria

Lagos Continues Sale of Lake Rice Despite End of the Eid Celebrations

The Lagos State Government has said the  sales of its popular brand, Lake Rice, will continue at all designated centres across the State despite the end of the Eid celebrations. While speaking on the reason for the continuous sales of the rice, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya affirmed that the products are available at various centres across the State including the Agricultural Development Authority Complex, Oko-Oba; Lagos State Agriculture Inputs Supply Authority (LAISA), Ojo and the Blue Roof at LTV Complex, Agidingbi, Ikeja. The Permanent Secretary added that the product is also available at the Lake Rice Sales Center at Temu Farm Service Center, Epe; Odogunyan Farm Service Center, Ikorodu; Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere; Ministry of Agricul...
Lagos State Destroys Seized Toxic ‘Ponmo’
News, Nigeria

Lagos State Destroys Seized Toxic ‘Ponmo’

The Lagos State Government on Thursday destroyed a truckload of toxic “ponmo” which was seized a few days ago at Ijegun by the Igando/Ikotun Police Command. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, made this known at the Medical Dumpsite, Ewu Elepe, Ikorodu, where the destruction of the toxic Ponmo took place. Dr. Onasanya, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Veterinary Services, Dr. Adeyemi Michael Olufemi, reiterated that the state government would  continue to apprehend importers of toxic and unwholesome products into the country and will prosecute the perpetrators of such criminal acts. He further explained that the cowhide had been prepared with formalin and slate lime which is carcinogenic (can cause cancer), therefore unfit for human...
Nigeria: 38 Groups On Warpath Over Agricultural Biotechnology
Agriculture, News, Nigeria

Nigeria: 38 Groups On Warpath Over Agricultural Biotechnology

The move by the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch to sway the citizenry to accept agricultural biotechnology has drawn the ire of 38 civic groups in the country. The groups have also denounced the release of Genetically Modified Cotton into the country The GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) and over 35 other groups in a statement wired to this reporter on Tuesday condemned efforts by government and biotech corporations to persuade Nigerians to accept agricultural biotechnology and denounced the registration and release of genetically modified (GM) cotton varieties (Maycho C567 BG II and Maycho C571 BG II) into Nigeria. This is coming as the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Agriculture in con...
As FAO Marks World Antibiotic Awareness Week, Farmers Tasked To Boost Farm Hygiene
Agriculture, News, Nigeria

As FAO Marks World Antibiotic Awareness Week, Farmers Tasked To Boost Farm Hygiene

Boosting farm hygiene is currently an added key task to farmers around the world. As the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), an agency of the United Nations is marking the World Antibiotic Awareness Week, farmers are being reminded that they are frontline defenders against antimicrobial resistance. They are being reminded that they have a vital role to play in stemming the spread of antimicrobial resistance among disease-causing pathogens, and can make a significant contribution simply by adopting good hygiene practices during their day-to-day farm operations. This is the message that the UN agency is stressing this week, as the international community marks World Antibiotic Awareness Week. The responsible use of antimicrobial medicines is not just an issue in the human healt...
Nigeria: Reliance On Imported Foreign Food Fuels Hunger, Says FAO
Africa, Agriculture, Economy, Nigeria

Nigeria: Reliance On Imported Foreign Food Fuels Hunger, Says FAO

Nigeria and all the other developing countries of the world will continue to experience hunger if they fail to shift from depending on imported foreign food. This is the underlying conclusion tumbling out of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) seminar on achieving a world of zero-hunger. Going by what the experts say, making hunger history, will greatly depend on local food systems. Indigenous food systems and indigenous traditional knowledge have survived hundreds and sometimes thousands of years, therefore they may have some of the answers we are looking for, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said on Friday. FAO, an agency of the United Nations, considers indigenous and tribal peoples as fundamental actors in the fight against poverty, hunger and all other form...