To guarantee a long-term food security across the African continent, Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, a professor of agriculture, has called on African leaders to transit from rain-fed agriculture to climate-smart and irrigation-based farming systems. Zulum was speaking while addressing participants at the 6th Edition of African Regional Conference of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), held in Abuja yesterday.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum has lamented the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in Borno State, saying it signals that the state is losing ground to the terrorists. He decried the resurgence of the terrorist on Tuesday at a Special Expanded Security Meeting (ESM) at the Government House, in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno. He stated this at a Special Expanded Security Meeting (ESM) attended by the General Officer Commanding the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Haruna, Sector Commanders, Commissioner of Police, heads of other security agencies, Shehu of Borno, Alh. Dr. Abubakar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, Shehu of Bama, Emirs of Biu, Uba, Askira, and Gwoza, while Shehu of Dikwa- and Emir of Shani were represented.  

Following the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, implementation seemed to have hit a brick wall with some state governors explicitly warning their council chairmen against opening an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN, for the direct payment of their allocations from the Federation Account.

The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria has distanced itself from the planned nationwide protest tagged ‘Take-It-Back’, caution that similar protest in the past had inflamed tensions in the country. President of the group, Isah Abubakar, in a statement issued yesterday in Kaduna, saying while the council acknowledges the current hardship and frustrations young Nigerians are passing through, the group believes that the current atmosphere calls for restraint, dialogue, and national unity, not street protests.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said it had deployed its personnel to strategic locations ahead of a nationwide protest slated for Monday (today) by the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society groups, citing several issues such as alleged worsening hardship in the country, the crisis in Rivers state amongst other issues.

Not less than ten persons have been killed in a fresh attack on five communities in the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. The attack occurred six days after a similar attack on Ruwi community, where more than 10 persons were shot dead and three others injured during a Christian wake ceremony. A statement released by the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) and signed by its chairman, Farmasum Fuddang, condemned the persistent attacks.