DAILY TRUST
Wednesday, March 23, 201 1
FG inauguratescommittee on funding of R&0 products By Zakariyya Adaramola
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TH E Federal Government has inaugurated a special com m ittee on funding of more than 100 commercializable Research and Development products made in the co untry. DiscloSing this althe second ministerial scientific briefing in AbuJa yesterday, the Minister of Science and Technology. Prof Mohammed Kaoj e Abubakar. said the comnuttee wo uld work with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fund most of the R &D products in order to make them available in Ihe market. According to Prof Abubakar. the committee would work towards promoting synergy amongst the research institutes and the private sector to enhance utilization of R&D results. He also disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was making arrangements to request foreign embassies to support commercialisation ofiocaUy researched products. The Bank of Industry and the National Economic Reconstruction Fund, the minister said. were also collaborating with Ihe ministry on its vision of taking R&D from the laboratory to the market. He listed products to be commercialized to include processed foods. herbal preparations, diagnostic kits, organic fertilizers and pesticides.
Minister scolds COE over MOGs project By 80(0 Edet MINISTER of slate for education Barr. Kenneth Gbagi has reprimanded the Federal Government CoUege of Education (Technical) Akoka, Lagos for abandoning equipment donated to the school under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) project. Gbagi who addressed staff and students after inspecting MDG's projects in the school. directed the Provost Tirimisiyu. A. Oladimeji to immediately ensure the equipment and facilities are put to functional use. He said the institution could have generated funds to supplement the allocation from federal governmen t if the faciUties were put to proper use. 路 Unless we take governmen t business like our own business things will continue deteriorating in this country:' he stressed. He also directed the school authority to create a proper access road to the students' mail hostel and send report of compliance to his office immediately after completion, saying that the interest of students and welfare should be a priority.
Winners emerge in NFC essay competition By Atika 8alal MS Anuli Agina, Ms Torbunde Vivien Nguseer and Mr Jonathan Eze have won cash prizes ofNlOO, 000, N75, 000 and N50, 000 after emerging first, second and third respectively in the 2010 edition of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) Annual Film Essay Competition. A statement from the Corporation's Head of Public Affairs Brian Etuksaid the winners who emerged after a keenly contested competition. The Managing Di.rectorfChief Executive of the NFC Afolabi Adesanya has commended the winners for excelling in the competition, which he described as indeed meeting the core objectives of the competition. Adesanya described participant's response. participation, constructive and inteUectual contributions to selected lopics of the competition as commendable and encouraging. The competilion, which is in the fifth edition, has witnessed tremendous participation since its debut in 2005. The 10pic for the 20 10 edition was "Film: A Tool for SocioCultural Integration and Tourism Promotion:' The topic soughllo explore the pOlency of the ftlm medium and its relationship in the context of Ihe development of the lourism industry.
A total of 41 essays were received forthe 201 01201 t edition of the competition. A breakdown shows that 8 entries were from female participants. The remaining 33, were male.
Farmers accuse commerce director of sabotage 8yTIna A. Hassan & Usman 8ello FARMERS under the umbrelld of Potato Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN) have accused the Director of Commodity and Products in the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Usman Gwandu of denying it access to a sensitization training for potato farmers in Osogbo. Speaking through its National President, ChiefDan Okafor, PO FAN said the group has written a letter to the Federal Minister of Commerce and Ind ustry fibril Martins Kuye to participate in a sensitization workshop
for potato farmers in Osogbo today but the letter was torn to pieces when it finally got 10 the Directors office. But the spokesperson of the ministry, Bolaji Kaseem, denied the allegation, saying that the director did not tear any letter and that all potato farm ers were invited for the sensitization. Okafor said the d irector chose to form a new association of potato farmers which was launched on Monday to replace POFAN thereby preventing the farmers from taking part in the workshop. According to him, money was given to all farmers that woul d take part in
the workshop that is why the director went to form a another group Potato Grower, Processor and Marketing of Nigeria (POGPMAN) to take the place of the real farmers The group is calling on the Minister of Commerce to make an enquiry on the authenticity of the newly formed group to ascertain if they are truly farmers. Meanwhile, Assistant Director of Press in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Matthew Haruna, said the ministry recognises POFAN as a potato farmers' group and that he is not aware of any other group apart from it.
Nigerian bags British award
Trafficker nabbed with N64m cocaine
8y Romoke W. Ahmad
8yShehu Abubakar
A Nigerian, Dr. Audu Grema, has been awarded with the Fellow Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by her majesty the Queen. Grema was honoured for his delivery result to British government's Department for International Development (DFID) and millions of Nigerians. Speaking during the presentation of the award yesterday at his residence in Abuja, British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Lloyd, said it has been the principle of British governmen t over 650 years ago to award those who have distinguished themselves and gone extra mile in their contributions. Lauding Grema's selfless services to humanity, Lloyd said he raised the level of UK development dialogue with state governors and emirs in northern Nigeria which earn him the most senior staff member, in a general management pOSi tion in DFID worldwide. The recipient while applauding the Qu芦n for the recognition said the honour is for the DFID whole team and a credit to their development work in Nigeria. Dr. Grema was a graduate of Agricultural Sciences from both Universityoftbadan and fosand a lectllrer in crop sciences at University of Maiduguri in Borno state. He joined the British government's department for international development in 1997 as sector co-coordinator for natural resources, later rose to regional coordinator and then head ofDFID's office Kano before leaving the organization but still in development sector.
38-YEAR old Kolawole Sosanya Olayinka who was arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with large quantity of white cocaine valued at N64 million. The suspect who was returning from Brazil was arrested with 6.4 kilograms of white cocaine on arrival at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos. The drug was packed in 16 flat parcels stocked in 8 female hand bags. Each bag had two (2) parcels carefully hidden inside it. The bags had to be cut op~n to recover the drugs. But Ol.yinka said he was under paid by Ihe drug barons that sent him on the errand because he was only paid NI.5 million to convey three bags of drugs only to discover at the airport after his arrest that the bags were 16. O layinka a Single father of a ten year old daughter hails from Ijebu in Ogun State but has lived in Brazil for the past four years. Confirming the arrest, Lagos airport Commander of the Agency, Alhaji Hamza Umar said one Ahmed Folarin that was at the airport to receive the suspect has also been arrested and is being questioned over his alleged involvement in the drug trafficking saga. Hamza said, "The drug was industrially concealed inside female hand bags in the luggage of Olayink., a passenger on Emirate flight. They have both made useful statemenls on their involvement and investigation con tinues ,"