Abuja Carnival 2008 Opens

It is no doubt Culture Tourism is gaining prominence like all other forms of tourism ( eco, health sex etc). Culture tourism helps to showcase the vast and different cultural heritage of a people. Nigeria with its diversity of people and culture qualifies as a melting pot of culture and thus boasts of very high potential for culture tourism.

In a bid to harness this potential and its attendant capacity to generate revenue for the country as well as to re-position and re-brand Nigeria; the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation in collaboration with Nigeria - the Heart of Africa project initiated the Abuja Carnival. The maiden edition of the Carnival was held in 2005 and has been held annually. Read more

There is no food crisis in Nigeria

The apt description of the situation on the diner tables of Nigerians is the absence of rice and not food crisis.

According to the Abuja Socialist Collective, (ASC) Nigerian’s basic nutritional needs should be the concern of the federal government and how these essential nutrients are met and provided to the teeming young Nigerians who are facing malnutrition. The ASC further condemned the attempt by the Yar’Adua administration to spend $80bn to import rice, when the basic agricultural infrastructures are not in place to guarantee food sufficiency in the country. The sudden turn around by the government shows the shallow thinking of the government before parroting any policy. This has been a recurring characteristic of the rudderless Yar’Adua’s administration.

In a similar vein, the National Vice Chairman of Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chief Tunde Badmus said that Nigeria has the capacity to be self-reliant in food production, with her 2.5million arable hectares of land.

A trader in Kubwa market Abuja wants the government to use the right nomenclature “rice crisis” to address the situation rather than “food crisis”, as this may lead to hoarding of other food items and panic buying which way usher in the real crisis. She wants the government to improve and create more feeder roads that lead to the farms where these food stuffs are gotten.

Rate this:

2.5

NLC Commences Protest

By Ashimole Felix/Abuja.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for a peaceful march to protest the endless House Committee Probes into all the facets of the Nigerian skeleton. The procession will commence from Berger Roundabout in Abuja and snake through the busy routes of Abuja to wake up the Nigerian people into action and a demand that all indicted by any probe panel be prosecuted and the full weight of the law applied.

This move according to watchers of the Nigerian labour movement this call by Comrade Omar led NLC, is a revival of is a of NLC. The NLC that just celebrated May Day, have bared her fangs. At this year’s May Daycelebration, NLC/TUC vowed to make Nigeria work for Nigerians.

Since the change of baton from Adams Oshiomhole last year to Comrade Omar, all have been cold at the trenches, despite the hardships Nigerian workers are facing. NLC under Oshiomhole became the barometer to gauge the thinking within what is left of the Nigerian Left.

Comrade Omar, a teacher is believed to be a student of diplomatic and non combative approach to issues but the magnitude of the rot unearth by these probes have pushed him to the trenches. According to one of his aids, NLC is drawn into the battle field because there is no credible opposition party left at the National Assembly to compel the enforcement of the report of these probes.

On Wednesday May 8^th the strength of the new leadership of NLC will be tested.

Rate this:

2.5

El-Ruffai Spent N660m on Demolition Exercise.

By Ashimole Felix/Abuja. 

Mallam Yahaya Yusuf, Acting Director in the department of Development Control Federal Capital Territory Administration testifying at the Senate Committee investigating the past activities at the Federal Capital Territory Administration, said that FCTA under el-Ruffia  destroyed 73,956 houses at the cost of N660m.

Meanwhile an organisation under the aegis of Abuja Forum is accusing the Senate Committee of going on a witch hunt to nail el-Ruffai.

el-Ruffai the past minister, is yet to testify at the ongoing public hearing. When el-Ruffai was minister FCT, he went on a dare devil demolition of structures considered illegal and not in conformity with the Abuja master plan, lands were revoked despite the owners tendering a Certificate of Occupancy, given by el-Ruffai’s  predecessor. Confessions by FCT authorities at the hearing have exposed el-Ruffai as a fraud, who paid lip service to the restoration of Abuja master plan.

It was gathered that el-Ruffai,  using AGIS (Abuja Geographical Information Service) recertified and allocated choice plots revoked from the legitimate owners to the cronies of the ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo.     

Rate this:

2.5