Tchad Tribune

The WaterAid Nigeria on Tuesday inaugurated a rural water project at Rigar - Jeji, Hardawa Community in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The project was being implemented by the WaterAid Nigeria with support of the Global Supply Chains and the DP World under its Sustainable Climate Resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme. Evelyn Mere, Country Director of the WaterAid Nigeria, said the project aimed at enhancing access to safe drinking water and sanitation services to improve public health. She said that, 'millions of women and girls are faced each day with the burden of traveling miles to collect water. Sadly, with the increasing impact of climate change on water, they are faced with a greater workload'. Represented by Nanpet Chuktu, Head of WASH in the organisation, Mere said the project also focused at promoting women economic empowerment and encourage them to be part of the WASH decision-making processes in their communities. According to Mere, the organisation is targetin g 15,000 people with access to basic water supply services; 4,000 with hygiene behavior change interventions and 1,000 others with basic sanitation services in the state. Also, Andre Bresler, the Managing Director, Logistics of the DP World, said the organisation in partnership with WaterAid Nigeria would address critical challenges militating against enhancing access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services. On his part, Garba Iliyasu, the District Head of Hardawa, lauded the project over the construction of the solar powered borehole in the community. He said that the Rugar - Jeji community with an estimated 1,000 population, relied on three open walls for water supply.. Iliyasu said the solar-powered borehole and sanitation facilities provided in the community would address water scarcity and poor sanitation as well as improve the livelihoods of the people. Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nollywood actor, Femi Adebayo, has expressed worry over increasing cases of film piracy in the country. Adebayo took to his instagram page, @femiadebayosalami, on Tuesday, to narrate his ordeal and how he recently came out victorious in his fight against piracy on one of his movies. He noted that dividend of the business of filmmaking had not been maximised due to the illegal activities of movie pirates. Adebayo said: 'The Nigerian film industry has experienced exponential growth over the years, but we haven't been able to maximise the true dividends of this business because of dare devil pirates who benefit where they didn't sow. 'This is a major reason why investors find it hard to commit their funds to filmmakers. However, through persistence and the use of the legal framework covering intellectual property, we can bring their activities to a gradual halt. 'Several times, I have been a victim of movie pirates and I never spared them. I recently concluded a legal battle with a notable media company tha t owns a big radio station and also engages in Youtube content distribution. 'During the cinema run of 'Survival of Jelili' in 2019, my movie was gathering good numbers at that time. They decided to use my movie poster and title to promote a movie on their platform, thereby deceiving fans and diverting revenue accrued to me. 'It took 3 years, but my trust in the legal and justice system remained unwavering. With the dedication of our legal team, Bola Adebowale and Co Legal Practitioners, who are seasoned professionals with wealth of experience in handling such cases. 'They presented undeniable evidence, put up a strong argument, and took the case to trial. Their promptness, efficiency, and attention to detail played a huge part in the direction of the case. We won and were awarded a total of Twenty Five Million Naira. 'This isn't just my win as a filmmaker and content producer but a win for all of Nollywood.' According to him, filmmakers must be ready to fight intellectual property theft and piracy at al l levels. 'Every win brings us closer to protecting and getting the true economic value of our works,' he said. Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, on Monday emphasised the need to continue to properly harness information to address and improve the current situation in the country. The Emir, while receiving the Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali during a courtesy visit to his palace, noted that information was very important. He added however, that reporting activities was not an easy task and should therefore not be taken with levity. 'Our prayer is that Almighty Allah should continue to guide us, have mercy on us and make Nigeria continue to live in unity,' Sulu-Gambari said. He noted that NAN has shown the capacity to help the country in the area of utilising information to further develop the nation. 'NAN has been doing well in this regard, and I am sure that is due to the pedigree of you the Managing Director, especially with what you have done in the media industry so far. 'I am sure the agency will go a long way in helping the country get better,' the Emi r said, praying for more success and breakthrough for the agency. Speaking on the country Nigeria, Sulu-Gambari noted that a lot of the situation in the country in recent times have been improving. 'We now have many of our sons and daughters around the country, already married to those of other tribes, while some have settled for the sake of business and job transfers. 'Nigeria is our father's land that has come to stay and will not be divided by the special grace of Almighty Allah,' he said. The NAN Managing Director, while speaking earlier, had said the ongoing upgrading of the agency's services would boost their operations and enhance productivity. He said his major reason for visiting Kwara was to further assess the agency's facilities. 'We need to know the challenges and how to provide the necessary equipment to boost production. 'We will then see how to cover the activities of the state and the Emirate. 'I am from Kano and we share the same way of life with Ilorin. That is why I have come to fir st pay my respect to the traditional leader. 'You are closer to the people and as a great leader and Chairman of traditional rulers in the state, you know more about the activities in the state,' Ali said. He then solicited the support of the Emir and assured that the agency would continue to work assiduously in order to supply reliable and current information to the public. Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dr Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, on Sunday said trade relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom (UK) currently stands at about seven billion pounds sterling. Montgomery told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that Nigeria and the UK signed a new agreement on enhanced trade and investment partnership and agreed to work on a range of sectors. He identified the sectors as agriculture, the creative industry, legal, financial services, and education. Montgomery stated that trade between the UK and Nigeria is balanced. 'Trading by both countries is relatively balanced because the UK exports about four billion pounds sterling worth of goods and services to Nigeria while Nigeria exports to the UK about three billion pounds worth of goods . 'We need to do more because if you look at last year's figure compared to the penultimate, there was not much of an increase in trade volume. 'It was an increase of about two per cent. So trade in the last few years has changed. 'And the aim of our enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership is to boost trade and investment between both countries and also to raise these numbers. 'Nigeria can benefit and take advantage of a new post-Brexit trading agreement that the UK has put in place that is called the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). 'This scheme called the DCTS is one of the most generous schemes in the world in the sense that it removes tariffs on thousands of products from across the world to make free trade easier,' he said. The envoy said that having visited many parts of Nigeria, the UK realised that Nigeria had at least 3,000, tariff-free products that it could export to the UK. According to him, the enhanced trade investment partnership signed between the two countries in February is aimed at attracting more investment to the agric sector. He said Nigeria could boost trade with UK by exporting more of its agric products. 'In agricultural exports, Nigeria can export cashew, cotton, or cocoa from the middle bel t. 'There are lots of commercial farmers involved in vegetables, which can be processed, and there is also timber. 'And we think that there's a big potential for commercial agriculture in the future in Nigeria. You have the land you have the people. 'The new trading scheme should be an opportunity for Nigeria. We can do more in financial and legal services,' he said. He said that there were new technologies coming into the financial services sector which will greatly enhance the sector. He added that Nigeria has a huge creative industry which the UK recognises and is interested in. 'London is a good place for partnerships in the creative industry. So we are hoping to promote those areas through partnership,' he said. He said that two challenges of doing business in the UK that foreigners needed to take cognizance of were lack of knowledge on how to do business and also the standards (non tariff barriers to trade). He stated that a facility called the growth gateway run by the Department of Business an d Trade was provided as a source of advice for anyone that intends to export to the UK. 'When you go onto the internet and search for UK Department for Business and Trade, you will access the growth gateway page where you will get information on trade, depending on what sector you are in. There's even a page for Nigeria. 'In the area of standards , if you want to sell some products in the UK, there are safety standards you have to meet, and you will have a certification. Nigeria has its own certification. 'And Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is working with UK standards organisation to reconcile standards or enable them to certify for the UK market to help ease trade,' he said . Montgomery added that he was optimistic that the UK would do more trade in Nigeria because of the bold reforms by the Nigerian government. He applauded the removal of the 'crippling fuel subsidy', tackling oil theft, getting oil revenues that manage the budget better, and also the foreign exchange reforms. He said that t hose were critical in encouraging UK investors and banks to come back into the Nigerian market and do more trade, noting that the foreign exchange reforms were absolutely critical in this sense. 'You all know that the foreign exchange system in the past chased away investors because it is difficult to get your exchange done and you do not know whether you will be able to move money across borders. ' But the new exchange rates policy under this government and the very impressive Central Bank of Nigeria leadership team is making investors to say they can come back and invest in the country,' he said Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara says the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) must continue in the task of propagating Nigeria well to help attract more investment to the country. AbdulRazaq said this while receiving the agency's Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, on Tuesday in Ilorin. 'NAN has always propagated Nigeria at the sub-national, national and international levels as the voice of Africa, and this is why NAN has never been brought to disrepute. 'You cannot go wrong by listening to NAN. 'Obviously, NAN's mandate then in 1976 when it was set up and up till now is to propagate Nigeria at the sub-national, national and international levels. 'One will recall that moments after 1976, during the apartheid era, Africa did not have a voice. The voice of Africa then was NAN,'' the governor said. He urged NAN to continue to propagate Nigeria so much as to help in propagating Nigeria to enhance investments and attract more investors to Nigeria. 'NAN is an investment tool for Nigeria and we in Kwara in particular are looking forward to working with the agency,'' AbdulRazaq added. He then urged NAN to strengthen its ties and operations across all the levels, assuring that Kwara was ready to collaborate with NAN. The governor commended the agency for planning to open district offices in Omu-Aran and Kosubosu in the Kwara South and Kwara North senatorial zones of the state, respectively. 'Who would have thought of Kosubosu, which is next to Chikanda, and from Chikanda the next place is Benin Republic? So, this tells you that NAN's footprints are all over the place. 'If you go to the remote places, you will get all the right information,'' he said. Earlier, the NAN Managing Director had commended Gov. AbdulRazaq for his giant strides in developing infrastructure, healthcare and workers' welfare, among several other projects in the state. 'Since yesterday (Monday) that we arrived in the state, we have noticed a huge repositioning in the whole state. 'This means your re-elect ion is a testimony of what you did in your first tenure. 'Also, your re-election has helped to lower the political temperature in Kwara,' he said. Ali, while explaining more about NAN to the governor, pointed out that the agency is the only News Agency from Africa that is resident in the United Nations. 'We are present in all the 36 states of the country, and in Kwara we have a 12-man team. 'We hope that with the support of the state government, our plan to re-open our district offices in Kosubosu and Omu-Aran will come to fruition. 'We will take you as a natural ally of NAN, which prides itself on the slogans 'if you talk to NAN, you are talking to all' and 'no one knows Nigeria better'. 'So, with NAN, you can be rest assured that your trumpet which you are reluctant to blow will be blown to a high level,'' the NAN Managing Director said. Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Red Carpet Protocol has said that all is set for the public presentation of three books covering national development, politics, and civil service, authored by Prof. Sylvester Monye. Kunle Adebanjo, the spokesman of Red Carpet Protocol, the company coordinating the presentation of the books, disclosed this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday. 'We are delighted to be coordinating this prestigious event, which promises to be a significant gathering of notable personalities in politics, governance, and the civil service. 'The books to be launched offer valuable insights into national development, politics, and civil service. 'We believe the launch will contribute meaningfully to the ongoing discourse on these critical issues,' he said. The three books to be unveiled are: 'A Compendium of Development Plans, 1999 - 2020', `The Concession Of Asaba International Airport', and `The Ministerial Scorecard'. Adebanjo told NAN that Monye's experience, expertise in governance, and bac kground as a former Special Adviser to the President on Performance, Monitoring, and Evaluation lend credence, credibility, and relevance to the three books to be presented. According to him, the fact that former presidents Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr Goodluck Jonathan as well as former President of the Nigerian Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki are scheduled to be in attendance testifies to the seriousness with which the presentation of the books has been taken. Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha are expected to grace the event, Adebanjo said. The spokesman for the company coordinating the event explained that the three books to be presented can contribute meaningfully to academic research and development of the country. Source: News Agency of Nigeria