News

GMOs: HOMEF Trains Gelegele Farmers, Urges Them To Embrace Agroecology

Published

3 weeks ago

April 30, 2024

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has advised farmers in Gelegele and Nigeria at large to embrace agroecology in their farming activities, saying it is the viable solution to Nigeria’s food crisis.

This is just as the ecological think thank and advocacy organisation urged government at levels to support farmers to embrace agroecology rather than GMOs – Genetically Modified Organisms.

INFO DAILY reports that agroecology is a system of farming that focuses on restoring soil health, improving nutritional diversity and ensuring food sovereignty, while GMO are plants, animals or microorganisms that have had their gentic material manipulated either by introducing genes from a related or unrelated species or by editing the organism within itself.

Speaking at a one-training on agroecology for farmers at Gelegele community in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Programmes Director, HOMEF, Joyce Brown, emphasised the need for the farmers to embrace agroecology, saying the use of GMOs poses threat to the environment and human health.

She said: “The use of chemical pesticides poses risks to the environment, human health, and the economy. More than 50 per cent of registered pesticides in Nigeria are Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPS). Over 40% of the registered active pesticides in Nigeria are already banned in the EU and other countries of the World.

Practical session if the training at Gelegele community on April, 29,2024.

“Many of these HHPs registered and used in Nigeria have been proven to be linked to chronic health diseases such as cancer, kidney diseases, reproductive complications, endocrine disruption – hormonal challenges, skin diseases, organ failures, etc., as well as biodiversity and environmental destruction.”

According to her, most farmers, consumers, extension workers are not aware of the various hazards associated with the pesticide-active ingredients in the products they use, adding that this is the more reason HOMEF decided to take the responsibility of training and enlightening farmers.

Mrs Brown, while noting that agroecology will help Nigeria achieve food sovereignty if embraced, added: “Food sovereignty refers to a situation where all people at all times have access to healthy and nutritious food. Food sovereignty ensures that beyond food security – food is safe, food producers have the right to what they produce and how.”

On his part, one of the trainers of the farmers and farm manager, Be The Help Foundation, Abuja, Chukwu Agozirim, said agroecology is a modern system farming which, according to him, help to eradicate poverty by increase in food production and making the environment safe for humans

He said Gelegele was selected due to the fact that the soil is contaminated as an oil producing community, adding “so the main purpose is to train and enlighten them on how they can go about their normal food production in spite of the contamination of their soil.”

He added: “We are bringing farming back to the olden days how our great-grandfathers were farming.”

Responding on behalf of other farmers, Mr Emmanuel Obi, while describing the training as an eye opener, promised to adapt the new method of farming.

The programme climaxed with a practical session of the training where the farmers were showed how they can use locally sourced materials to grow their farm produce.

News

INEC Warns Against Incumbency Power Abuse In Edo, Ondo

Published

21 mins ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

Ahead of the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has cautioned against the abuse of incumbency power.

Yakubu noted that a situation where a ruling party denied the opposition access to campaign spaces often resulted in a breach of peace.

He appealed for security protection for both the personnel and materials that INEC would be deploying for the upcoming elections.

The Edo State governorship election is scheduled for September 21, 2024, while the Ondo State election will be held on November 16, 2024.

The Continuous Voter Registration in both states will run simultaneously from Monday, May 27, to Wednesday, June 5, from 9 am to 3 pm daily, including weekends.

Campaigns by political parties in Edo State began on April 24, 2024, and would conclude at midnight on September 19, 2024.

Speaking on Thursday at a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Abuja, Yakubu underscored the responsibility of security agencies to ensure the enforcement of the law throughout the election period, stressing the importance of a peaceful and orderly process.

He also called on the security agencies to maintain vigilance over the electioneering process, to prevent violent attacks and negative mobilisation by political parties, candidates, and their supporters during campaigns.

He said, “We need security protection for the registrants, registration personnel, equipment, observers, and journalists that will cover the CVR exercise.

“I urge you to keep your eyes on the electioneering process to prevent violent attacks or negative mobilisation by political parties, candidates, and their supporters during their campaigns.

“Similarly, the use of the power of incumbency to deny opposition parties and candidates access to public facilities, such as radio and television stations, public buildings for campaigns and rallies, or even outdoor advertising through the imposition of excessive fees and levies often results in the breach of the peace.

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“These actions, including the mutual destruction of campaign materials and facilities, violate the provisions of Sections 91 to 97 of the Electoral Act 2022. The security agencies must ensure the enforcement of the law,” he said.

The National Security Adviser and co-chair of ICCES, Nuhu Ribadu, stressed the need for the same level of dedication and effort in the forthcoming elections as was demonstrated in previous ones.

Ribadu highlighted the importance of strategic deployment, cautioning against overwhelming the system with excessive numbers.

Represented by the Director of Internal Security in the ONSA, Hassan Abdullahi, the NSA said, “The same efforts for the previous elections would be extended to the forthcoming elections.

“However, we need to be careful in our deployment in terms of numbers so that we will not overburden the system.”

News

JUST IN: Court Denies Binance Executive, Gambaryan Bail

Published

1 hour ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

A Federal High Court Abuja, on Friday denied the bail application of a crypto currency firm executive, Tigran Gambaryan.

Justice Emeka Nwite, while delivering the ruling held that the bail application is refused as he has carefully gone through the application submitted before him and resolved that the defendant will jump bail if granted.

Gambaryan, his company, Binance Holdings Limited and a fellow top executive currently on the run, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with money laundering and terrorism financing .

Details shortly….

News

Malnutrition: UNICEF Introduces Liquid Supplement To Enhance Child Nutrient

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Editor

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has introduced a liquid base supplement to enhance a child’s nutrient diet in order to wage war against malnutrition in Nigeria.

Mrs Philomena Irene, UNICEF’s Nutrition Specialist, Bauchi Field Office, stated this in Gombe on Thursday during a two-day media dialogue on Age-Appropriate Complementary Feeding for Children Aged 6-23 months.

According to her, the intervention was being carried out by the Progressive Action on Resilient System Through Innovation and Partnership (PARSNIP) project of UNICEF.

She however, explained that the project was being implemented in Dukku, Kaltungo and Kwame Local Government Areas of Gombe state.

She said the project basically focused on enhancing young children’s nutrient diet with the liquid base supplements, adding that the commodity is nutrient rich and has both protein, energy, 15 minerals and vitamins.

“It’s for children under the age of 6 to 23 months by adding it to their food. It was formulated for children living in severe food poverty.

“It has shown that these children living in severe food poverty can’t even have a meal in a day that is rich with five food groups which is the minimum.

“The idea is, if you give them one of the sachets of this commodity, they have taken one meal a day that is nutrient dense which contains 100 to 120 calories a day.

“It has protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins,” she said.

The UNICEF Nutrition Specialist also explained that under the project, UNICEF also helps the states to create an enabling environment, health system strengthening and improving diet and practices.