Nigerian seeks ban reversal from EU for beans export

Plans are in top gear by the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to get the European Union EU lift its ban on exportation of beans from Nigeria to its member countries.

The Coordinating Director of the agency, Dr. Vincent Isegbe, who disclosed this at the opening of a two- day training workshop on Plant Health Inspection and Certification of Vegetables for exporters and farmers, said all hands are on deck to ensure that the EU lifts the ban before 2019.

Noting that the EU ban on Nigerian beans has severely affected the economy, Isegbe said there was a need to avoid future rejection of Nigeria’s agricultural commodities even as he pointed out that the agency is doing its best to revert the situation.

According to him, the EU has promised to reverse the ban if necessary measures were put in place before 2019.

“We have had issues in the past concerning beans where the European

Union suspended Nigeria for three years from beans export. That is not good for us because it means that all the farmers who are producing beans can no longer export the quantity that they used to export.

“All the traders in between, the warehouse people, the transporters and we, who are involved in the inspection and certification, that aspect has been broken down because they cannot generate any revenue along the value chain anymore.

“The good news is that the EU said if we can put the process in place earlier than 2019, they will reverse their decision. So that is where we are,” he said.

Isegbe, said NAQS is fully committed to ensuring that the country agriculture produce meets international standards and export quality.

He said the training is centered on vegetables because it is one of Nigeria’s most exported commodity.

According to him, because of the sensitive processes involved in the handling of vegetables, there is a need to put in place stringent inspection and certification procedures that will sustain its export especially at a time the government is placing emphasis on non-oil exports.

“Vegetables are a delicate product and because it is almost ready to eat, it needs more stringent inspection and certification procedures since most times we eat it fresh as salad. So, such ready to eat commodity will need special attention.

“Now that the revenue from oil is falling, we need to go back to our first love which is agriculture. We were doing well in that area in the 1960,s and early 70’s but in the 80’s, upward, there has been a reduction in agricultural produce for export. That is why we are emphasising that the process that will enable our commodities to be accepted internationally, we have to put it in place,” he said.

Also speaking, Zonal Coordinator, South West Zone S. A. Ikani S.A said in recent times, vegetables from Nigeria are been intercepted by the importing countries especially United States of America due to the menace of White Flies (Bemisia Tabacci).

He said the constant interception is fast becoming an embarrassment to the agency and the nation as a whole hence, the need to organise the training for farmers and exporters to be more experienced in the process involved in the production and handling of vegetables from the farm down to the port of exit.

Guardian

Video - Nigerian soldiers caught on camera beating up disabled man

Two Nigerian soldiers have been arrested and charged with assault after they were filmed beating a disabled man with sticks in a busy street.

The army said the reason for the assault, in Onitsha in Anambra state on Tuesday, appeared to be because the man was wearing a camouflage shirt.

It said the soldiers had been charged "in line with our zero tolerance for acts of indiscipline".

Many Nigerians complain that soldiers are rarely punished for excesses.

Human rights groups have persistently accused Nigeria's military of abuses against civilians, especially in north-east Nigeria, where it has been fighting a long-running insurgency by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Wearing camouflage clothing is a sensitive issue in Nigeria because militants and criminals have often worn camouflage clothing either to carry out attacks or impersonate soldiers for other criminal purposes.

Section 110 of the Nigerian criminal code says it is an offence to unlawfully wear uniform of the armed forces or dress "having the appearance... of such uniforms".

Footage of the assault on the disabled man in Onitsha, in southern Nigeria, had been circulating on social media before the army commented.

It said the "ugly incident" was "an isolated case which is not [a] true reflection of the Nigerian army".

News of the soldiers being charged came a week after another soldier was jailed for seven years for shooting dead a civilian at a market in the city of Maiduguri, in the north-east, last year.

The soldier, who was not identified, was found guilty of manslaughter.

In court, he argued that he acted in self-defence after the man he killed, named as Umar Alkali, tried to wrestle his rifle from him. The military court rejected this argument, deciding that he had used disproportionate force.

BBC

800% over-subscription recorded by Nigerian's $1bn Eurobond

The Federal Government, yesterday, said that it had issued the $1 billion Eurobond with 800 per cent over-subscription, as foreign investors demanded for $7.8 billion, reflecting investors‘confidence in the nation’s economy.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Finance said that the 15-year bond was priced at 7.875 per cent and will mature on February 16, 2032. According to the statement by Director of Information, Ministry of Finance, Salisu Dambatta:  “The notes will bear interest at a rate of 7.875 percent and will mature on February 16, 2032 with a bullet repayment of the principal. 

The republic intends to use the proceeds of the notes to fund capital expenditures in the 2016 budget. The notes represent the republic’s third Eurobond issuance, following issuances in 2011 and 2013. “The notes were approximately eight times over-subscribed with orders in excess of $7.8 billion compared to a pre-issuance target of $1 billion demonstrating strong market appetite for Nigeria. 

This is despite continued volatility in emerging and frontier markets and shows confidence by the international investment community in Nigeria’s economic reform agenda. “The offering attracted significant interest from leading global institutional investors.  

The notes will be admitted to the official list of the UK Listing Authority and available to trade on the London Stock Exchange’s regulated market. The republic will apply for the notes to be eligible for trading and listed on the Nigerian FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. “The pricing was determined following a roadshow led by Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr Godwin Emefiele, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Abraham Nwankwo, Director-General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, and Mr Ben Akabueze, Director -General of the Budget Office, to key global financial centres.”

Vanguard

Video - Nigerian designer creates cool sneakers for big feet

With a love for shoes and the goal to create a manufacturing sector for quality footwear in Nigeria, entrepreneur Babajide Ipaye created Keexs - an Africa-inspired brand with a social brief. Take a look.

Boko Haram is broke according to United Nations

The destructive Boko Haram group is currently plagued by financial difficulties, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, has said.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Feltman stated this Tuesday while briefing the Security Council on the UN Secretary-General’s Fourth Report on the threat the group poses to international peace and security efforts to “check and roll it back”.

The UN envoy also revealed that Boko Haram was under intense military pressure, but warned against undermining its capacity to launch fatal attacks.

“ISIL-affiliate Boko Haram is attempting to spread its influence and commit terrorist acts beyond Nigeria.

“And Boko Haram remains a serious threat, with several thousand fighters at its disposal.

“It is, however, plagued by financial difficulties and an internal power struggle, and has split in two factions,” Feltman said.

While the previous reports on the subject had focused on South East Asia, Yemen and East Africa, Libya and Afghanistan, the fourth report focused on Europe, North Africa and West Africa.

It said ISIL had conducted a range of attacks in Europe since declaring in 2014 its intent to target the region.

Some of these attacks were directed and facilitated by ISIL personnel, while others were enabled by ISIL providing guidance or assistance or were inspired through its propaganda, it said.

The report stated that while the military offensive in Libya has dislodged ISIL from its stronghold Sirte, the group’s threat to Libya and neighbouring countries persists.

“Its fighters, estimated to range from several hundred to 3,000, have moved to other parts of the country.

“ISIL has increased its presence in West Africa and the Maghreb, though the group does not control significant amounts of territory in the region.

“The reported pledge of loyalty to ISIL by a splinter faction of Al-Mourabitoun led by Lehbib Ould Ali may elevate the level of the threat.”

Following the increased military pressure, Feltman said ISIL was now on the defensive militarily in several regions, but was also adapting to military pressure by resorting to covert communications such as the ‘dark web’.

“Although its income and the territory under its control are shrinking, ISIL still appears to have sufficient funds to continue fighting,” he warned.

Feltman noted that ISIL relies mainly on income from extortion and hydrocarbon exploitation, even though resources from the latter are on the decline.

According to him, UN member states are concerned that ISIL will try to expand other sources of income, such as kidnapping for ransom, and increase its reliance on donations.

“ISIL is adapting in several ways to military pressure, resorting to increasingly covert communication and recruitment methods, including by using the ‘dark web,’ encryption and messengers,” he warned.

The report also focused on some some of the measures taken by member states and the UN, stressing the need to develop sustained and coordinated responses to the grave threat posed by ISIL and associated groups and entities.

Feltman said that there were 19 universal counter-terrorism conventions and protocols, as well as related regional instruments on international terrorism, and relevant UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

“But we need to do more, as member states continue to face significant challenges to ensure effective international cooperation,” he said.

He warned that foreign terrorist fighters leaving the conflict could pose a grave risk to their homeland or to the countries they are travelling to or transiting through, such as Iraq and Syria’s neighbours, as well as countries in the Maghreb.

“Ultimately, it is the spread and consolidation of peace, security, development and human rights that will most effectively deprive terrorism of the oxygen it needs to survive,” he concluded.

This Day