Headline

Corps Member Executes N120,000 CDS Project In Bauchi Schools

Published

4 years ago

January 26, 2022

Mr Ugbo Kparetamisi, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member posted to the department of Human Anatomy, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Gubi, Bauchi, has completed a Community Development Service (CDS) Project worth N120,000 in two Schools.

The project embarked on by the Corp member with batch number BA/21A/0384 included; renovation of toilets in both Gubi Primary and Junior Secondary School as well as Ruda Yausa Primary and Junior secondary.

Other things done in the two schools by the batch A corps member were; donation of waste bins, hand parkers, brooms and hand washing rubbers with taps.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony of the projects in Bauchi on Wednesday, the state Coordinator of NYSC, Alhaji Namadi Abubakar, said that CDS project is one of the cardinal programmes of NYSC.

According to him, the corps member had his reasons for initiating and executing the personal project, adding that as far as NYSC is concerned, it expected corps members to touch lives positively wherever they are serving their fatherland.

He said that all the pupils and the staff in the two benefiting schools would feel the impact of the Corps member and his project would leave a footprint in their hearts just as his name had already been written in the good book of NYSC.

“I want to sincerely appreciate the schools for equally supporting the Corps member to carry out these projects.

“No corps member would live under the umbrella of NYSC without carrying out either group or personal Community Development Service projects.

“I sincerely commend Corps member Ugbo. His name is already in our good record book,” he said.

The state Coordinator however, called on other corps members to emulate the initiator of the project and called on the beneficiaries to make good use of the facilities.

Abubakar further explained that renovating a toilet is one of the things that bring cleanliness to schools, which he said, would help in preventing diseases.

Earlier Speaking, corps member Kparetamisi said he discovered that open defecation was rampant in his host community and decided to help in his lattle capacity by renovating the two school toilets.

The corps member, who explained that the project was centred on cleanliness, added that if the pupils of the schools could be taught the clean habit of using the toilets, sweeping and hand washing, they could as well take the habits to their various homes, thereby positively affecting the whole community.

According to him, the project would also help to eradicate or reduce to the nearest minimum health related diseases like Coronavirus, cholera, among others.

“I realised that the good government had provided water for the students of the community and it’s not proper if they still litter the surroundings with faeces.

“So, I decided to renovate the toilets and donate hand washing rubbers with taps, so that when they finish using the toilet, they can wash their hands and they can also learn good habits of sweeping, hence the donation of brooms, waste bins and parkers,” he said.

In their separate vote of thanks, the headmasters of the two schools, Mr Khalid Hassan and Malam Nasiru Yunusa, appreciated NYSC for providing them with the facilities through the corps member and promised to take good care of them.

Headline

Why Europe Is Blocking More Nigerian Goods At Its Borders

Published

24 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s exports continue to face repeated rejection in European Union markets, a challenge caused by consistent quality failures, weak regulatory enforcement, and heavy dependence on raw commodities.

New trade figures further show that while export values expressed in naira have risen sharply, dollar earnings have continued to decline, undermining Nigeria’s competitiveness abroad.

Meanwhile, South Africa remains one of the African countries with the highest rate of export acceptance in Nigeria and the EU, highlighting the gaps between both economies’ standards and certification systems.

According to data from International Trade Centre (ITC) , Nigeria’s export earnings fell for a second consecutive year in 2024, dropping by 8.5% to $57.9 billion.

The figure had already declined from $63.3 billion in 2022 to $60.65 billion in 2023. In naira terms, however, total exports rose from ₦26.8 trillion in 2022 to ₦36 trillion in 2023 and surged to ₦77.4 trillion in 2024.

These increases reflect the naira’s steep depreciation, not an improvement in the volume or acceptance of Nigerian goods overseas.

Intelpoint data show that the naira weakened from ₦645.2 to the dollar at the end of 2023 to ₦1,478.9 in 2024, marking the sharpest yearly decline in a decade.

EU border agencies have repeatedly rejected Nigerian agricultural and manufactured goods for failing to meet essential sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.

Frequent violations include excessive pesticide residue, poor traceability, contamination detected during inspection, and inconsistencies in certification documentation issued in Nigeria.

These failures stem largely from fragmented supply chains, weak monitoring capacity and a lack of internationally accredited laboratories.

South Africa, Morocco and Kenya maintain far stronger conformity systems, and South Africa in particular consistently delivers some of the highest acceptance rates across EU ports.

The ITC figures show that oil remains the backbone of Nigeria’s exports, contributing nearly 90 per cent of total earnings between 2022 and 2024. Over that period, the country earned $163.2 billion from crude oil out of total export revenues of $181.8 billion.

Despite this dominance, oil earnings have continued to fall, declining from $57.4 billion in 2022 to $55.6 billion in 2023 and then to $50.3 billion in 2024.

Because crude prices are determined externally and the product is exported with limited value addition, Nigeria gains little competitive advantage from currency depreciation.

Non-oil exports recorded mixed fortunes. Cocoa earnings rose from $679 million in 2022 to $759 million in 2023 and climbed sharply to $2.6 billion in 2024.

Fertiliser exports fell from $1.9 billion in 2022 to $935.4 million in 2024. Ores and residues, however, increased from $158.6 million in 2023 to $824.4 million in 2024.

Despite positive growth in some sectors, quality problems have continued to undermine acceptance in Europe, particularly for foods such as beans, palm oil and processed crops.

Nigeria recorded stronger performance in African markets in 2024 due to the relative strength of the West African CFA franc.

Companies such as Unilever Nigeria, Cadbury Nigeria and Guinness Nigeria reported export sales of ₦22.8 billion in 2024, up from ₦9.92 billion in the preceding year. EU markets, however, maintain stricter inspection standards, and Nigeria’s structural weaknesses continue to limit penetration.

The country’s export structure remains heavily constrained by outdated processing technology, weak inspection capacity, irregular regulatory monitoring, and an overreliance on raw commodities.

Also, pipeline vandalism and crude theft also prevent Nigeria from meeting its production benchmark of 1.7 million barrels per day, despite a rise to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2024.

In December 2023, the Federal Government introduced the Trade Policy of Nigeria (2023–2027), aimed at aligning export regulations with World Trade Organisation rules and boosting global competitiveness.

The policy forms part of a wider reform agenda tied to the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2021–2025) and Agenda 2050.

Despite these initiatives, limited investment in quality assurance, industrial processing and standards enforcement continues to weaken Nigeria’s acceptance in high-value markets such as the EU.

Headline

US Imposes Visa Restrictions On Nigerians Linked To Religious Freedom Violations

Published

1 day ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The United States government on Wednesday announced visa restrictions targeting individuals involved in violations of religious freedom in Nigeria. The measures may also extend to immediate family members of the affected persons.

In a statement titled “Combating Egregious Anti-Christian Violence in Nigeria and Globally”, the Department of State said the restrictions were being implemented in response to mass killings and attacks on Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and elsewhere.

The statement explained that under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the State Department would now have the authority to deny visas to those who have “directed, authorised, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom,” with the policy potentially extending to their immediate family members.

It further cited former President Donald Trump’s remarks, noting that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries.” The policy will apply to Nigeria and other governments or individuals implicated in violations of religious freedom.

The announcement follows growing international concern over attacks on religious communities in Nigeria, including targeted killings, abductions, and destruction of property attributed to armed groups.

Headline

Putin Says Russia Ready For War, Blames Europe For Sabotaging Peace

Published

2 days ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia was “ready” for war if Europe seeks one, accusing the continent’s leaders of trying to sabotage a deal on the Ukraine conflict before he met with US envoys.

The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war, which were preceded by days of intense diplomacy.

“We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters in Moscow.

“They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war,” he added, repeating his claim that European leaders were hindering US attempts to broker peace in Ukraine.

He added that European changes to Trump’s latest plan to end the war “aimed solely at one thing — to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia”.

Washington has presented a 28-point draft to end the conflict, later amended after criticism from Kyiv and Europe, which viewed it as heeding to many of Russia’s maximalist demands.

The plan to end the war is championed by Trump, but European countries fear it risks forcing Kyiv to cave in to Russian demands, notably on territory.

Fearing further Russian aggression, Europe has repeatedly said an unfair peace should not be imposed on Ukraine.

The Trump envoys are now seeking to finalise the plan with the approval of Moscow and Kyiv.
AFP