News

LIFE-ND Decries Women Farmers’ Lack Of Access To Funds, Land, Inputs

Published

1 month ago

August 21, 2026

Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise-Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), has decried the inability of women farmers to access funds, land, improved inputs and other resources needed to enhance agricultural production.

Edo State Coordinator of the Project, Mr John Omoruyi, spoke at the 2026 edition of the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF).

The programme themed, “Empowered Women, Transforming Agribusiness Systems,” was organised by LIFE-ND for women farmers with support from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and other partners.

Omoruyi, while applauding the efforts of women in agribusiness, regretted the barriers confronting women farmers, saying the challenges limit their ability to maximise their productive potential.

He said: “In many cases, women are responsible for making sure that food moves from the farm to the household table. Yet, despite this enormous contribution, women farmers continue to face significant barriers. These include limited access to land, affordable finance, improved inputs, extension services, technology, markets, storage facilities and decision-making opportunities.

“Many women also carry a disproportionate burden of unpaid domestic and care work, which reduces the time and resources available for farming and enterprise development.

“The International Year for Women Farmers therefore calls for more than celebration. It calls for action. It requires governments, development partners, financial institutions, traditional institutions, private-sector actors and communities to create an enabling environment in which women can own assets, access productive resources, participate in leadership and benefit fairly from the value they create.”

Commending the efforts of LIFE-ND, Omoruyi said the project was designed to improve livelihoods, promote family enterprises and strengthen value chains in the Niger Delta.

He said, “This is the spirit that guides the LIFE-ND project. The project is designed to improve livelihoods, promote family enterprises and strengthen value chains in the Niger Delta.
“Its focus on rural households, youth and women reflects an important understanding: sustainable agricultural development must be inclusive, locally driven and commercially oriented.

“In Edo State, LIFE-ND is working across 10 Local Government Areas and 100 communities. This wide coverage demonstrates the project’s commitment to reaching people where they live and work. It also reflects the understanding that lasting development is built within communities, through the participation and ownership of the people who will sustain the results.”

On her part, the Permanent Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs
Osedebame Bamaye
said women were not merely participants in agrifood business but producers, processors, marketers, entrepreneurs and employers who were also custodians of food and nutrition.

She said the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo recognised the important role women play in transforming agriculture from subsistence activity into a profitable and sustainable business.

“Today is more than a celebration. It is a recognition of the indispensable contribution of women to agriculture, food security, household nutrition, rural livelihoods and economic development.

“Women are not merely participants in our agrifood systems. They are producers, processors, marketers, entrepreneurs, employers, innovators and custodians of food and nutrition security,” she said.

She maintained that, “From the farm to the market, from food processing to household consumption, women remain central to the functioning of our agricultural economy.”

“In Edo State, the administration of His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Executive Governor of Edo State, recognizes the important role women play in transforming agriculture from subsistence activity into a profitable and sustainable business.”

Speaking after receiving the award, Nwaozuzu said she was grateful to God, the Edo State Government and IFAD for the recognition.
“I thank God, the Edo State government and IFAD, for the honour. ADP really encouraged me, they did not reject me as a physically challenged person. Through the project, I have become somebody, before now people look down on me. Today, people want to learn from me. I thank the media for their support. They taught me to diversify into other areas of agriculture,” she said.

News

Six Corps Members Receive N10m Grants To Boost Agribusiness

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Six members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have received a total of N10 million in grants to expand their agribusiness ventures under the Farmers for the Future Programme.

The programme was organised on Monday by the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage young Nigerians to embrace agriculture and develop sustainable businesses.

Presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries in Abuja, the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, urged Corps members to maximise the opportunities provided by the service year by venturing into commodity marketing and other viable businesses.

Nafiu said agribusiness remained a viable avenue for young people to build sustainable enterprises, create employment and generate wealth.

He also stressed the importance of value addition to the success and sustainability of business ventures, while commending BATNF for placing Nigerian youths at the centre of its entrepreneurship initiatives through value-chain development, employment creation and its partnership with the NYSC.

“I charge you to spread the news around. We have seen the outcome, and it is a good idea,” he said.

The beneficiaries are Dominic Olufemi (FC/25C/1143), who received N3 million; Temitope Adewole (ED/26A/2251), N2 million; Abdulwaheed Bala (ED/25B/1402), N2 million; Olanike Mayungbe (OG/26B/1037), N1 million; Kingsley Udoeyen (KG/26A/1735), N1 million; and Lorember Lorsue (JG/25B/1742), N1 million.

Speaking on the selection process, the Acting Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Winifred Shopeka, said the programme began with an online registration portal through which Corps Members engaged in agribusiness submitted their business plans.

She said nearly 3,000 Corps members applied and underwent a rigorous selection process that produced 20 finalists.

According to her, the finalists participated in a boot camp and a final pitching session, which produced the 10 best presenters before the six ultimate winners were selected.

Shopeka said the beneficiaries had also been mentored and attached to established market operators to assist them in marketing their products.

She added that Corps Members who did not make the final stage of the competition were also trained by BATNF.

The BATNF Team Lead, Mr Oludare Odusanya, congratulated the beneficiaries and urged Corps Members engaged in agribusiness to master the fundamentals and acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.

“We are happy with our collaboration with the NYSC, and it will continue,” he said.

Odusanya explained that BATNF was an independent organisation established to contribute to poverty reduction in Nigeria through sustainable agricultural practices and other interventions.

He said the Farmers for the Future Programme was instituted in collaboration with the NYSC to encourage Corps Members to venture into agribusiness and become job creators.

He added that the beneficiaries would be attached to mentors who would guide them towards achieving success in their respective businesses.

According to him, the programme has, since its inception, continued to enhance the entrepreneurial capacity of Corps Members.

News

CBN Reduces Interest Rate To 23%

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the reduction of the interest rate, also known as Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) to 23 percent.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, said at the 307th MPC meeting held on September 22, 2026 agreed the resetting of the MPR and recaliberation of the monetary policy market.

According to Cardoso, the committe is satisfied with the disinflation progress, adding that members noted stable banking sector following successful recapitalisation.

Meanwhile, according to Nigerian Tribune, reports that that the MPC, at its 306th meeting in July 2026, disclosed its resolution to retain the interets at 26.5 percent.

According to the Governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, “the Committee’s decision to maintain the current policy stance followed a thorough assessment of the balance of risks. Although headline inflation moderated marginally in June 2026, global uncertainties have heightened, due mainly to the renewed hostilities in the Middle East.

“In view of the evolving developments, maintaining a cautious monetary policy stance remains appropriate. In arriving at its decision, the Committee noted the recent resurgence of hostilities in the Middle East, with particular attention to its spillover effects on global energy prices and the potential pass-through to domestic inflation.”

News

NURTW: KWAM1 Settles Long-time Rift Between MC Oluomo, Tafa Sego

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2026

Editor

Nigerian Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM1, has brokered a peace deal between the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) National President, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, and the Lagos State Chairman of the union, Mustapha Adekunle, aka Tafa Sego.

The reconciliation took place at Ojusagbola in Ijebu, Ogun State, where several NURTW chieftains gathered for the meeting.

The development was announced on Tuesday on KWAM1’s digital media page on Instagram, alongside photographs from the meeting.

According to the post, the two union leaders have resolved their differences after years of strained relations.

“After years of an age-long rift, MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego have finally settled their differences. And from what we know now, this is final,” the post said.

The musician was said to have intervened as the Mayegun of Yorubaland, with the aim of bringing an end to the longstanding disagreement between the two NURTW figures.

“K1 acted in his role as the Mayegun of Yorubaland by seeking an end to the long-standing rift, once and for all,” it said.

The post also described the meeting as a significant step beyond previous public displays of reconciliation.

“This time, it was not just another handshake for the cameras. The two old friends and colleagues came together at Ojusagbola, with King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal (K1) playing the peacemaker.”

Both MC Oluomo and Tafa Sego were reported to be pleased with the outcome of the intervention.

“Both parties are delighted about the new development,” the post said.

The two men had previously been allies and prominent figures within the Lagos NURTW before their relationship became strained amid disagreements linked to leadership of the union in the state.