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Food Crisis May Grow Worse In Nigeria As Russia Pulls Out Of Grain Export Deal

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Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, has pulled out of a deal to allow the supply of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

This is coming three months after both the Ukrainian and Russian military delegations signed an agreement to allow Russia to export its grain and fertilisers.

The deal, which also involved the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, was to restart grain exports from Black Sea ports that have been blocked since Russia’s invasion, in a bid to ease the ravaging global food crisis; as it would enable Ukraine to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products stuck in the ports due to the war.

However, on Saturday, the Russian government said it was suspending its participation in the Black Sea deal, according to Reuters.

This development is likely to affect third-world countries yet to receive shipments of grains.

Commenting on the suspension, Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea fleet near Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with 16 drones early on Saturday, adding that British navy “specialists” had helped coordinate the “terrorist” attack.

PROGRESS ON GRAIN SHIPMENT

Since the shipment of grain began in July, over 630,000 tonnes of grain and other types of food have been shipped from Ukraine’s ports according to the United Nations.

Other food types include corn, wheat, and sunflower oil.

The first African shipment conveying over 23,000 metric tonnes of wheat from the Ukrainian port left for Ethiopia in August, 2022.

Also, the Ukrainian government said more than 40 ships have been listed, so far, to load foodstuffs at its ports.

HOW IT MAY AFFECT NIGERIA

Nigeria is projected to import 6 million tonnes of wheat in the 2022-23 marketing year, a 3 perent decrease over the previous season, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 2021, Nigeria imported 51 percent of its wheat from Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, and other Baltic countries.

Wheat from Russia, Ukraine, and other Black Sea countries remains the cheapest option for many milling companies in Nigeria.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, with Nigerian spending $491.90 million on imports from the country.

Meanwhile, when shipments began under the Black Sea deal, food prices fell by nearly 9 percent in July, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) food price index.

But inflation in Nigeria has maintained an upward trend, surging to 20.77 percent in September 2022, up from 20.52 percent in the previous month.

The food inflation rose to 23.34 percent in the review month, an uptick compared to the 23.12 percent recorded in the preceding month.

The inflationary surge was linked to soaring food prices, disruption in the supply of food products, rise in import cost due to the persistent currency depreciation and general increase in the cost of production.

With Russia now pulling out of the Black Sea grain export deal, the prices of food may further increase — worsening the existing food crisis in the country.

The Nigerian government had said it would look for alternative suppliers of grains amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

“There are countries that produce other grains or the grains that we need, we’re still in the process. Like, I said, we’re also looking inward to see what we can do to cushion the effect,” Mohammed Abubakar, minister of agriculture and rural development, had said.

He added that the country intends to look for areas where fertilisers can be produced because it has the mineral deposits that are precursors to fertiliser production and also other places where it can import, apart from Ukraine.

BIG STORY

“My NGO Account Has Been Hacked, N160Million Diverted” — VeryDarkMan

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Popular activist and social critic, VeryDarkMan, has raised concerns about the hacking of his NGO account, which led to the diversion of N160 million.

In a video shared on his verified Instagram account on Friday, he revealed that the incident had left him feeling distressed in recent days.

He explained that the funds were stolen after hackers allegedly gained access to the NGO’s website. The compromised account, which initially contained N180 million, now holds only N20 million.

He mentioned that law enforcement agencies had tracked one of the suspects, resulting in an arrest.

To address the situation, he stated that the NGO’s app had been temporarily taken offline for maintenance to prevent further vulnerabilities.

He said, “For the past few days, I’ve not been myself. I am here with Officer Joe, and we are going to Jos. NGO money—somebody stole the money. Somebody hacked into the NGO website, and I don’t know how they did it. N180 million is missing, but thank God we have tracked the person, and we are on our way to Jos.

“They have arrested one person, and that is why I’m even saying it now. I’m excited, and the account has been put on PND. The account now has N20 million, while N160 million has been diverted to another account. We are currently going there to see how we can get the money back. I just want to update you people.

“I even had to shut down the app and put it on maintenance so that people will not really see what is going on, but let me just come out plain and tell everyone what is going on. Hopefully, we will get the money back.”

The NGO, which launched in October, gained significant attention after raising over N21 million within 24 hours of its inception.

The initiative, aimed at transforming Nigeria’s public education system, attracted support from prominent figures, including music producer Don Jazzy.

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Christmas Celebrations: Police Arrest 23 Suspected Armed Robbers, Hoodlums, Kidnapper, Recover Dangerous Weapons [PHOTOS]

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  • As IGP Commends Officers For Vigilance, Commitment To Safety

 

In furtherance of the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., to commands and formations to emplace unalloyed anti crime strategies towards ensuring adequate safety and security during this festive period, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force across several states in the country have successfully apprehended multiple groups of armed robbers, cultists and hoodlums targeting fun seekers and engaging in gangsterism during Christmas celebrations.

On the 25th of December 2024, at about 1am, the police operatives attached to Lagos State Command, received a distress call that a group of hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons was operating around the Safejo area of Amukoko, Lagos State. The swift response by the police operatives to the scene led to the arrest of 3 of the suspected hoodlums identified as Emmanuel Okoli ‘m’, 20 years, Ogunde Tejiri ‘m’, 20 years, and Emmanuel Orji ‘m’, 18 years, and also the recovery of the weapons they had used in carrying out robbery attacks on innocent funseekers in the area. The police have emplaced intensified searches to apprehend the fleeing members of the gang.

In a similar development, Police Operatives attached to Saminaka Division of the Kaduna State Command on 25th December 2024, at about 8pm, successfully apprehended one Sule Muhammad ‘m’, 25 years, who has been actively involved in multiple kidnapping incidents within the Saminaka area. Further investigation led to the recovery of a fabricated AK-47 rifle from the suspect. The suspect confessed to being a member of a notorious kidnapping gang who had been evading arrest since the arrest of other gang members on August 16, 2024, until his recent arrest on 25th December 2024. Following cooperation received from Muhammad, efforts are in top gear to apprehend other members of his gang and recover more arms and ammunition in their identified camp. Commendable efforts of the Nigeria Police Operatives have also been witnessed in states including Delta, Ogun Katsina, Benue, FCT and Imo, leading to the arrests of several suspects in various locations during the Christmas celebration period.

The IGP has commended the officers involved in these operations for their vigilance and commitment to public safety, highlighting their display of exemplary dedication in safeguarding our communities, especially during this joyful season. The IGP urges the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.

The IGP further assures citizens that the Force is fully committed to creating a safe environment for everyone as they partake in the joy and cheer of the holiday season. As the celebrations continue, the Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to protect all citizens and ensure that the spirit of festivities during this period remains unmarred by criminal activities.

 

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS,

ABUJA.

27TH DECEMBER 2024.

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Road To 2027: We’ll Ensure APC Gets Less Than 15k Votes — Kwankwaso

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano state, stated that the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) will reduce the influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with party stakeholders in Tsanyawa LGA of the state, Kwankwaso mentioned that the NNPP aims to ensure the APC receives fewer than 15,000 votes in the 2027 elections.

In the 2023 governorship election, the NNPP garnered 1,019,602 votes, the APC secured 890,705 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came third with 15,957 votes.

Kwankwaso emphasized that the NNPP achieved the “remarkable feat” of over one million votes despite being a new political platform and starting its campaign late.

“Now, it’s our turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano come 2027,” Kwankwaso stated.

Kwankwaso, who was the NNPP’s presidential candidate in 2023, urged his supporters to stay united and focused to ensure the party’s success in future elections.

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