News

Bauchi Begins Production Of Exercise Books, Chalks For Schools

Published

4 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi state government says it has begun the production of exercise books and chalks for onward distribution to schools to enhance academic excellence in the state.

Dr Muhammed Lawal, the state’s Commissioner for Education, stated this in Bauchi on Friday while inspecting the production site of the materials at the state’s Education Resource Centre (ERC).

According to him, the state was not only locally producing exercise books and chalks, it was also rebranding all forms of textbooks to make them look new.

“You can see that exercise books are being locally made in Bauchi state under the supervision of the Ministry of Education with the support of Gov. Bala Mohammed. The government has not sunk in resources wastefully. This has paid off.

“The fact that we can produce exercise books in Bauchi state is a great achievement in this administration and we are getting enough support from the governor by making this happen.

“There is no point going to China and by this development, it will phase out the number of undue, unqualified contractors that supply substandard materials.

“I’m so impressed and overwhelmed seeing what is going on here and as you can see, we are producing not only exercise books, we are rebranding textbooks to make them new.

“If we can have our textbooks made and rebranded in the state, our chalks are being made in the state, what else do we need?” He queried.

The commissioner, who expressed happiness over the development, said that the centre was a clear indication that education was working in the state through the commitment of governor Mohammed.

He explained that the primary aim of setting up the production site was to ensure that the government supplied the schools with ‘home made products’ such as textbooks, exercise books and chalks.

“When we are well fed, then we can think of exporting these chalks for revenue generation to the state and to the ministry as well.

“The chalks are made in millions. We make them, we know how to source the materials and the producers are all our staff who are being paid,” said Lawal.

Also speaking, Kabiru Ahmed, Director, Education Resource Centre, who was supervising the production commended the workers for the pace at which they work and their show of commitment and zeal to deliver.

This, he said, has helped in the production of many exercise books and chalks as well as rebranding of textbooks in the state

News

BREAKING: Gov Fubara Dissolves Rivers Pension Board

Published

57 minutes ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has dissolved the State Pensions Board with immediate effect.

Rivers State Head of Service Mrs Inyingi Brown made this announcement on Friday in Port Harcourt.

According to the governor, the office of the State Accountant General will handle the functions of the board until a new one is constituted.

News

FAAN Launches Cashless Payment System Across Airports

Published

2 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has launched the cashless system of payment across all airports.

“FAAN in partnership with Paystack, is proud to announce the roll out of OPERATION GO CASHLESS, a cashless contactless payment solution across all airports beginning with Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja,” the agency said in a communique on Thursday.

Effective September 29, 2025, all payments at FAAN’s revenue points, including airport Access Gates, Car Parks, FAAN VIP and Protocol Lounges will go cashless which means the agency will be phasing out the collection of cash at these points.

FAAN added that travelers and airport users will now enjoy fast and seamless services by using a secure contactless payment option.

This initiative, it stated, is a response to the growing demand for safe, modern, and transparent payment systems while ensuring Nigeria’s airports remain aligned with global digital trends.

By reducing reliance on cash, FAAN said it aims to enhance efficiency, improve revenue assurance, and deliver a better customer experience at our airports.

To ease the transition, trained brand ambassadors have been deployed at access gates and around the terminals to guide users, assist with onboarding, provide demonstrations, and answer questions they may have.

In addition, passengers have been directed to obtain a FAAN Go Cashless Card at any airport access gate in Lagos and Abuja.

After collection, users are encouraged to activate and fund their cards immediately by visiting www.gocashless. faan.gov.ng.

FAAN added that it remains committed to continuous improvement and will expand this cashless policy to other airports nationwide in phases.

For inquiries, airport users have also been advised to contact FAAN’s support line at 0700 CBS FAAN (0700 227 3226) or email the agency at gocashlesssupport@faan.gov.ng.

News

Full List: Top 10 Manufacturing Nations

Published

2 hours ago

September 26, 2025

Editor

Industrial production remains a cornerstone of the global economy and it serves as a key indicator of a nation’s economic capacity and technological advancement.

The following list presents the top ten manufacturing nations ranked by the latest available data for Manufacturing Value Added (MVA), a metric that reflects the net output of the sector after accounting for intermediate inputs.

1. China

According to the World Bank, China tops the list when it comes to manufacturing.

The country makes up about 18% of the total global manufacturing output, which adds a total value of nearly $4.66 trillion to the world economy.

The main exports from China comprise consumer goods like textiles, electronics, and garments.

2. United States

The U.S. used to have the world’s largest manufacturing sector until it was overtaken by China in 2010.

Today, the U.S. is still significantly behind China, which leads the world by a wide margin.

The country accounts for roughly 9.5% of global manufacturing, and its output is valued at almost $2.5 trillion.

American production includes automobiles, chemical products, food products, military equipment, and aircraft.

3. Japan

Japan comes in third and provides approximately 4.0% of the world’s total manufacturing output.

Japan produced a little over $1.05 trillion from manufacturing in 2023.

The country is famous for manufactured exports, including vehicles, computer parts, electronics, and chemicals.

4. Germany

Germany is among the leading European manufacturing nations, with about $839 billion coming from this sector.

Well known for motor vehicle exports, electrical machinery, and manufactured metals, the country accounts for approximately 3.2% of global manufacturing.

5. India

Although it may be better known for the I.T. workforce or customer service centers, India also has a major share of manufacturing output, accounting for around 1.8% of global manufacturing output.

The country gives an output value of roughly $461 billion. It’s mostly known for agricultural products, textiles, engineering goods, leather products, and chemicals.

6. South Korea

South Korea accounts for about 1.6% of global manufacturing, and its output value is around $416 billion.

Manufacturing represents approximately 24% of the entire country’s national output. Significant exports from South Korea include technological products, automobiles, petroleum, and machinery.

7. Mexico

Mexico accounts for around 1.4% of global manufacturing output, enough to generate a value of $359 billion. Mexican exports are mineral fuels, lubricants, food, transport equipment, and machinery.

8. Italy

Italy ranks 8th on the list of manufacturing countries, and its economic structure relies heavily on manufacturing and industrialization.

The output value of Italy’s manufacturing industry amounts to approximately $354 billion, and the country’s primary exports include metal products, clothing and footwear, vehicles, and chemicals.

9. France

France contributes approximately $297 billion in manufacturing output to the global economy, accounting for 1.1% of the total global manufacturing output.

Its leading exports include agricultural products, machinery, aircraft, and hydrocarbon products.

10. Brazil

Brazil ranks 10th among the world’s top manufacturing countries, contributing approximately $290 billion to global manufacturing.

This accounts for about 1.1% of the global total. Brazil’s manufacturing sector is diverse, with major exports including food products, automobiles, aircraft, machinery, and petroleum-based goods.

Meanwhile the highest-ranked African nations by manufacturing output, such as Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco and South Africa, are positioned outside the global top 25.

According to UNIDO, Africa’s combined Manufacturing Value Added (MVA) constitutes a small single-digit percentage of the world total, with recent figures showing it at 2% of global MVA