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RIVERS FIRST LADY PRESENTS N10M CHEQUES TO 20 WOMEN FARMERS
Wife of Rivers State Governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, has presented cheques of N10million to 20 women farmers in the State who are the first batch of beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Agricultural Support Programme.
Lady Fubara handed over the dummy cheques at an event organised at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday where the beneficiaries were told to commit the money to boosting their agricultural yields.
Wife of the State Governor explained that the exercise was to flag-off another critical phase of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in Rivers State, which is a pet project of Her Excellency, First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
She said, “I, therefore, bring you the felicitations of the Founder of this initiative, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is working assiduously to bring smiles to the faces of families in our dear nation.
“In the recent past, the Renewed Hope Initiative, through its Rivers State Office, has flagged-off its support for the elderly; presented exercise books to school children, through the Ministry of Education and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB); and some measures of support to ease the burden of families.
“A son of the State has also benefited from the Belarus RHI International Scholarship. This gesture, no matter how little, has been greatly appreciated by the recipients, and I cannot thank Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, enough for her foresight and commitment to this vision.”
Lady Fubara, noted that aside the cheques presented to the first batch of 20 beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Initiative Women in Agriculture Support Programme, 80 more beneficiaries will be accommodated in subsequent phases of the programme as directed by the board.
She reminded the beneficiaries that the money given to them now may not represent all they needed to boost their investments in the sector but added that it represented the efforts of a genuinely caring mother who did not want to sit back and allow her children suffer.
She said, “It is a seed investment in your agricultural businesses that is backed by the prayers of the founder for you to succeed. So, I urge you to make the best use of it”.
Lady Fubara further said: “You owe it as a sacred duty to ensure that these investments lead to increased and improved harvests from our farms in the next few months.
“I urge you to be frugal in the use of this seed money, and see it as a call from the Wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to assist in building a strong support base for the agricultural revolution in Nigeria.”
Lady Fubara said the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara has commenced the review of agricultural policies to mitigate the challenges experienced in the sector.
She emphasised that the State Government is also committed to reviving State-owned agricultural intervention schemes such as the Songhai Integrated Farms, with encouragement to private investors to participate in the ongoing transformation in the sector.
The First Lady added, “I, therefore, urge you to also be agents of this transformative process in your little way. I am aware that you are facing challenging times but I urge you not to yield to any pressure that will make you invest this seed money into other ventures.
“As a believer, I am convinced that this money is only a sign of better things to come your way in 2024, and the years ahead.
“Do the women proud by making this seed investment to have multiplier effects in the government agro-economic transformation,” she emphasised.
In her goodwill speech, Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof Ngozi Odu, said Rivers women are blessed to have Lady Fubara, who has continued to champion causes that are geared towards improving the living condition and economic status of women in the State on an all-inclusive basis.
She noted that if the beneficiaries commit the money into their agro- businesses, they will eventually impact the State positively while their personal lives, families and communities will greatly benefit also.
Also speaking, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council of the Rivers State University, retired Justice Mary Odili (JSC), commended the wife of the Rivers State Governor for linking up and working cordially with the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who has vast experience, to attract diverse benefits to women and youths in the State.
Justice Odili also advised the beneficiaries to ensure that they deployed the grant given to them in agricultural ventures in order to improve their stakes, while also ensuring that when evaluations are made, Rivers State will not be scored as having misused the privileged support that it got for women farmers.
Delivering her welcome address, Rivers State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative, Mrs Tonye Briggs Oniyide, said the presentation of the cheques marked another milestone in the actualisation of the vision of the initiative.
Mrs Oniyide stated that the financial grant is targeted to the not-too-privileged persons in the society, adding that 20 women have been lucky for the first phase to mitigate the challenges that they faced in growing their agricultural yields for lack of funds.
She charged Rivers women to continue to support the First Lady of the State and the Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, to propel thd State to greater heights in prosperity and progress for the benefit of the people of the State.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”