Featured

Rescue Leah Sharibu, Others The Way You Rescued Kankara Boys CAN, Tell FG

Published

4 years ago

December 22, 2020

Some Christian leaders, yesterday, asked the Federal Government to rescue Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl still held in Boko Haram captivity on account of her faith in Christ.

They renewed the call for her freedom sequel to the quick release of about 344 schoolboys kidnapped from Government Secondary School Kankara, in Katsina, owing to the swift response by the authorities.

Speaking in an interview, CAN President, Revd. Samson Ayokunle welcomed the release of the schoolboys but maintained that there was still a moral burden on the government to secure Leah Sharibu’s freedom as well.

He said: “While we congratulate the Federal Government for working hard to secure the release of these boys, and the parents for the joy of having their children back, more needs to be done.

“There is still the moral burden on the government to get Leah Sharibu and the rest Chibok girls released from captivity.” Ayokunle urged President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to place a high value on all lives and reexamine the security infrastructure, given that Boko Haram abductions seemed to have spread from the epicenter in the North East region.

“We, at CAN, are after a secured Nigeria from North to South. FG should be humble enough to rejig our security architecture and change those in charge for more effective delivery. “We are praying for President Buhari and for a better future and a more secure nation,” he said.

In a similar vein, a Christian leader and peace advocate for the release of Leah Sharibu, Revd. Gideon Para-Mallam said he received news of the release of the schoolboys with a cocktail of joy and sadness. In a separate interview, he said: “They are young innocent children, and everything is needed to be done to secure their freedom. I am happy this was done in the shortest time possible. Yet, this news brought sadness to my heart as I thought about many Christians who are still in captivity.

“Is Nigeria truly one country? Are the citizens having the same value in the eyes of our government? Are Muslim captives and victims more favourably treated by the government than their Christian counterparts?

“Think about the Chibok girls, about 103 of whom have been missing for over six years now. Leah Sharibu and Alice Ngaddah, both held for almost three years; Grace Tuka for one and a half years; Lilian Gyang for one year by January 9. Yet, there is no sign of freedom for these innocent lives.”

Vanguard.

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Agriculture

Group calls for improved agriculture innovations to boost food security

Published

6 hours ago

April 30, 2025

The Gleamer

Mariam Sanni

A Non Governmental Organization, NGO in the agricultural sector, Self Help Africa, SHA has called for improved agricultural innovations to enhance food security and support farmers.

The Country Director, Joy Aderele made this call during in a media chat at the National Mid-term review for the abatement of short-lived climate pollutants in Nigerian Agricultural sector project held in Abuja .

According to her, a recent learning visit revealed that many innovative solutions exist in institutes but are not reaching farmers.

She added that there is a need for policies that would enable researchers in the agricultural sector to disseminate their innovations more effectively.

She emphasized the need for a protocol that allows researchers to share their work without fear of it being taken over is emphasized.

“So we just returned from a learning visit last week, where we had gone to some institutes, great institutes across the country, and I was surprised and amazed to see that we have a lot of innovation sitting in this institute, professors that have done a lot of things that will even make us not to have any issue a young guy in Nigeria. But this learning or innovation is not trickling down. People don’t know about it. The average farmer in my village does not know about the innovation.

“ So I would say that one thing that the ministry should do is to bring up this protocol that enable researchers in the agri space to disseminate their their data, their innovation freely so that farmers and our food security can improve,” she stated.

Aderele highlighted the major achievement of reducing bush burning among farmers, which improves soil and environmental health.

She explained that the promotion of climate-smart agriculture has led to higher crop yields, benefiting farmers and the community.

According to her, Post-harvest losses have been reduced, with rice residue now used to make briquettes, providing an additional income source for farmers.

The country Director said awareness of climate change has increased among farmers, leading to a shift away from traditional, harmful practices like bush burning.

Aderele revealed that the current pilot project in Benue state is aimed to be replicated across all 36 states and the FCT in Nigeria.

She noted that the organization has worked with over 500,000 small farmers globally, with a focus on making farming attractive to young people.

She added that the organization plans to share the lessons learned from the pilot project to improve farming practices nationwide.

The Director, department of agriculture land and climate change management device, Federal Ministry off Agriculture, Muhammed Bello emphasized the importance of sustainable land management for food security and the government’s goal of ensuring healthy soil for farmers.

He surged that the project on abatement of short-lived climate change pollutants is highlighted as a key initiative to clean up and fertilize the land.

He explained that the collaboration is aimed to replicate the project’s achievements and expand its reach across Nigeria, ensuring that more farmers benefit from healthy soil.

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