Lucid's blog

The Managing Director, Dangote Tomato Processing plant in Kadawa , Kano State , Abdulkarim Kaita , has called on the Federal government to put a total ban on the importation of tomato paste into the country. He made the call while flagging off the distribution of tomato seedlings to 5 , 000 farmers under the Anchor Borrowers programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday at Kadawa village in Kura Local Government Area. “ We are appealing to the Federal Government to put a total ban on the importation of tomato like what it did to rice, ” Kaita said . He said the call was necessary to boost local production of the commodity and ensure that Nigeria was self sufficient in tomato production . According to him , the ban on the importation of tomato paste would lead to the establishment of more tomato processing plants , thereby creating job opportunities for many people in the country. He lamented that the importation of tomato paste was still thriving as the commodity was being impor...

Olukotun “ Soldiers and police opening fire on unarmed youths in an upscale neighbourhood shocked the nation , even older citizens who recalled growing up under a series of military dictatorships ” – The New York Times , October 21 , 2020 . Tuesday evening ’ s massacre by security forces of unarmed young protesters operating under the rubric of # EndSARSNow, leading to the death of around a dozen Nigerians , have continued to send shockwaves and ripples around the nation and the entire globe. Suddenly, and in a tragic vein , to borrow Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka ’ s expression, the well - worn reference to a global village takes on immediate and real application. Once again, as in the # OccupyNigeria movement of 2012 and the Chibok girls ’ saga of 2014 , Nigeria has been thrown without preparation to the world stage , not on its own terms , but in a manner that puts it in the darkest and most regrettable circumstance . The world is discussing Nigeria spiritedly , not as a role model ,...

Suspected hoodlums on Thursday broke into a warehouse used for the storage of COVID - 19 palliatives in Mazamaza community , in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State . The group was said to have looted foodstuffs in the warehouse , located on Benster Crescent , aka Monkey Village . Clips of the attack posted on Twitter revealed thousands of residents trooping into the warehouse to carry bags of rice, garri , beans , noodles , among others . A military truck was also seen being loaded with the palliatives . However , the state acting Commissioner for Agriculture , Abisola Olusanya , condemned the looting of the warehouse , saying the foodstuffs were donated to the government by the private sector - led Coalition Against COVID - 19 ( CACOVID ) . She explained that Governor Babajide Sanwo - Olu on September 22 , 2020 , formally took the food palliatives from the CACOVID team for distribution to indigent residents . “ The government notes that the warehouse in question is n...

Hoodlums and smugglers on Thursday chased men of the Nigeria Customs Service away from their patrol bases , checkpoints and outstations in Ihunbo , Ilaro and Imeko in Ogun State . The weapon - bearing hoodlums reportedly invaded all the NCS checkpoints and outstations in the Ipokia , Yewa North and Imeko- Afon local government areas of Ogun State and set ablaze Customs officers ’ tents. They subsequently had a field day smuggling bags of rice on motorcycles from a neighbouring country into the country. An eyewitness said , “ They were many , carrying bags of rice and contraband goods into the country. “ They were armed with cutlasses and guns, but there was no shooting, “ The Customs men fled their duty posts and took cover . As I speak to you , the smuggling has been ongoing for over four hours . ” The eyewitness said the hoodlums went into jubilation after sacking the Customs officials from their checkpoints . “ The atmosphere was just like people celebrating the overthrow of a gover...

The Ebonyi State Government on Thursday announced the proscription of the Academic Staff Union of Universities , the Non - Academic Staff Union and others at the Ebonyi State University , Abakaliki . The only body currently allowed to exist in the university is the Students ’ Union Government. The Ebonyi State Governor , David Umahi, who met with leadership of the unions , said , “ The decision was taken in order to ensure that academic and non - academic unions ’ activities do not negatively affect the resumption of EBSU and commencement of academic / non - academic activities in the state - owned university . ” Meanwhile , the state Commissioner for Education , Dr Onyebuchi Chima , said approval had been given for the release of N 500m for the payment of staff salaries. He added that the institution was also granted a loan of N 300m for the commencement of SMEs towards boosting its Internally Generated Revenue , while the state ’ s mushroom and the citrus farms were also donated to t...

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences commission has arraigned a member of the House of Representatives , Oghuma Egwakhide , for collecting N 1 . 6 m bribe from three contractors . In the four- count filed before Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory , Jabi, the ICPC said the member who represents Etsako East /West /Central Federal Constituency , Edo State , in the National Assembly , allegedly collected the bribe from contractors handling school projects in the state . The charge sheet revealed that Egwakhide , who had sponsored the construction of one block of three classrooms at Fugar Mixed Secondary School , Etsako Central Local Government Area, as part of his constituency project in 2018 , demanded kickbacks of 10 per cent from the N 16 . 5 m contract sum . He was alleged to have collected N 1 . 6 m from Feola Ventures Nigeria Limited , the company handling the project , as bribe after the award of the contract by the F...

•Osundare Poet - laureate , Prof Niyi Osundare , has urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd ) to tell Nigerians the person who ordered soldiers to kill some unarmed protesters in the Lekki Toll Gate area of Lagos State on Tuesday . Some youths across many states in the country have been protesting against police brutality and the excesses of men of the Special Anti - Robbery Squad . After the reported shooting of some of the protesters before the commencement of the 24 - hour curfew imposed on the state by Governor Babajide Sanwo - Olu , several prominent Nigerians have been urging Buhari to address the nation . The President ’ s address which eventually came on Thursday night generated attacks from Nigerians as he kept mum over the Lekki episode . Osundare , who spoke in a statement on Thursday titled , ‘ President Buhari , Say Something, ’ said many saw Buhari ’ s silence on the matter as a sign of contempt while others said it was due to lack of concern. Osundare...