Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fund farming in Borno state.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Donates $1m To Borno State,as a post conflict intervention that is meant to support victims who are returning to their communities. The governor launched at the support with the distribution of 25 kilogram bag of rice and 10 kilogram bag of beans to each of 1,100 households at Mainok village in Kaga local government area, 45 kilometers away from Maiduguri. The Governor announced that officials of the State Government working with the Gates Foundation used the $1m to procure the food items and commenced funding of 100 hectares of farm where beans is being cultivated. He explained that 200 farm-families will be allocated tilled and fertile land measuring half hectare each along with improved seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and technical supervision so that they can start growing food crops. The Governor also announced the release of two trucks of maize grid to add to the food procured with Gates donation. The intervention from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is being used for food supplies and to fund farming activities for households. As a preliminary stage, beans is being cultivated in one hundred hectares of land. Half hectare is being allocated to a farm-family with a target of reaching 200 households. Each household may have from 2 to 10 family members. Already, farms have been established in Konduga and Damboa. Each household is to be allocated not only tilled and fertile land but also improved variety of seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and most importantly, technical field supervision by extension workers. The intervention aims at reaching 40,000 victims of the insurgency through households on both food aide and farming activity. We are particularly interested in ensuring that citizens begin to produce food crops in safe locations because direct food aide in post conflict situations is never sustainable over a long period of time.

Lagos shuts down ‘ponmo’ processing section of Oko-Oba abattoir .

The Lagos State Government on Sunday shut down and dislodged the cow skin (popularly known as ponmo) processing section of the Oko-Oba abattoir and Lairage Complex in Agege. Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Toyin Suarau, led a team from the ministry in the company of men from the Lagos State Task Force to shut down the cow skin section of the abattoir. Suarau said “closure of the ponmo section and dislodgment of the processors became necessary because of the health hazards inherent in the unhealthy processing of ponmo. Suarau said “closure of the ponmo section and dislodgment of the processors became necessary because of the health hazards inherent in the unhealthy processing of ponmo. “The ponmo processors use heaps of burning tyres, thereby, emitting thick toxic smoke into the air endangering residents of the adjoining neighborhood. “This bonfire emits a thick toxic smoke which spreads from within the complex to adjoining neighborhoods, endangering the lives including those of the processors themselves.’’ According to the commissioner, burning tyres release a toxic soup with hundreds of the different toxic pollutants and small particles. He said such pollutants settle deep in the lungs while airborne emissions from open tire fires presented serious impact to health and the environment.

Agriculture and inmates

A prison, as commonly known, is a correctional facility and detention centre where inmates are confined and denied many privileges under state authority. Narok GK Prison on the outskirts of Narok town turns inmates into agri-business savvy people, majoring in horticulture and agro-forestry to keep them away from idleness that led to them committing crimes. The prison officers make the inmates work on the farms as a form of punishment but the inmates see it as an opportunity to master new skills which they will employ for a better life. The farm was established 12 years ago to supplement government income, the six-acre farm has fruit trees such as avocado, oranges, mangoes, bananas and paw paws. It also has tree nurseries, apiary and livestock such as dairy cows and goats. At the farm, the inmates get to learn about grafting fruits such as avocado and mangoes to get superior and more productive varieties, as well as maintenance of the fruit trees to maturity.The inmates have acquired the required knowledge in agriculture, and have determined to venture into agri-business after serving their term. This is the case of David Lagat, 23, who is serving an eight-month sentence for being in possession of narcotic drugs, says he wished he had learnt alternative sources of getting income such as agriculture, which he is now passionate about. “When I came here months ago, I had no idea of anything to do with farming. I had never imagined horticulture is this lucrative. I have seen fruits being maintained, harvested and sold and there is a lot of money

Kick polio out of Nigeria.

Military helicopters on Friday rushed polio vaccines to dangerous parts of the northeast, where Boko Haram operates and two paralyzed toddlers were recently discovered, a Nigerian health official said. The World Health Organization said the new cases indicate the wild polio virus has circulated undetected for five years in Borno state — a major setback after Nigeria was declared polio-free in October. Recent attacks by the Islamic extremists prevented the emergency operation from getting health workers to two parts of Borno state where the children were found, Borno state health commissioner Ibrahim Miringa told The Associated Press. Massive challenges face Nigerian health workers supported by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to urgently vaccinate millions of endangered children in an area where the U.N. suspended aid after a military-escorted humanitarian convoy was attacked last month. "Not all the areas that have been liberated by the military could be accessed by our health officials because of recent attacks in Jere and Gwoza local government areas carried out by Boko Haram," Miringa said. Jere and Gwoza are the areas where the first two cases of polio were found in Nigeria in more than two years, the WHO announced Thursday night. Nigeria's removal from WHO's list of polio-endemic countries had meant all of Africa was free from the crippling disease. Only two other countries remain on the list — Afghanistan and Pakistan. Miringa said the two children, aged under 2, were among refugees arrived from areas newly freed from Boko Haram. He said health workers have been vaccinating refugees as they arrive in major camps. "But recent liberation of internally displaced persons from the hinterlands and their being camped in satellite camps have made the immunization exercise difficult." International organizations plan to support Nigerian health workers in using "a hit-and-run kind of strategy," the WHO director for polio eradication, Dr. Michel Zaffran, told reporters in a conference call. A massive vaccination drive was starting in Borno and within weeks would be carried to nearby Benin, Chad, Central African Republic, Chad and Cameroon.more

Man City on virtual reality train.

Clubs across the world are attempting to attract a different audience; an online fanbase that expects much more than just 90 minutes a week, and riding the digital crest of this wave is Manchester City. In the past year, the club has unveiled a new website, launched a Facebook Messenger bot, joined Giphy, moved into esports, and hosted a hackathon – all under the umbrella of a new club crest. The new crest design is reminiscent of its founding badge and the design that followed the club’s glory days in the late 1960s. It symbolizes exactly what City is trying to achieve – merging the club’s legacy with the super-connected digital world it now finds itself in. One of the indisputable driving forces behind this digital push is Diego Gigliani. Gigliani joined City as the club was trying to defend its 2012 championship title, in January 2013. As senior vice president of media and innovation, Gigliani and his team have placed a significant focus on closing the gap between the club and its fans using tech. In addition to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat channels that have become standard for brands – which ultimately is what a football club is – City has taken it a step further. In May the club took a foray into virtual reality. Man City teamed up with Sky Sports and LiveLike to launch a VR experience with fans in London, New York and Melbourne. Each of the fans watched City play Arsenal on May 8 through virtual reality headsets as the game was taking place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. It built on previous schemes including iON cameras being worn by players during training, a 360-degree camera being placed on the roof of the players’ tunnel on matchdays, and the launch of a Google Cardboard-enabled CityVR app.continue

4-eared cat.

This a rarely seen genetic mutation which was first documented in 1938 in Ashtabula, Ohio, with a four-eared cat named Toots. The mutation has been studied, and is argued to be a recessive gene mutation needed from both parents in order to produce four ears.This condition does not affect the health or the temperament of the cat in any way, cat with this condition is not restricted physically as well as all locomotory apparatus are functional. The cat with this rare status,like any other can succumb to any infection if appropriate care is not taken. This is case of 'Batman', who is three years old who was being treated for an upper respiratory infection before he could be put up for adoption.

Buy Nigeria Campaign!!!

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the ministry will soon embark on “Buy Nigeria Campaign’’ to raise awareness on local contents. The minister made the disclosure when the management of Omatek Ventures Plc demonstrated its locally made Light-Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs and fluorescent in his office. The company also demonstrated its locally assembled computers, solar panels and components for generating power into homes and offices. Mohammed said that the campaign would help to sensitise the public to the benefits of patronizing Nigerian products. The minister underscored the need for Nigerians to develop the habit of conserving power, stressing that “when you reduce power consumption, you create energy.’’The minister said the country might have to legislate and enforce the use of LED lighting products which use less energy and last longer than other types of lighting systems. The Chief Executive Officer of Omatek, Mrs Florence Seriki, explained that LED bulbs and fluorescent tubes save energy, were brighter than other products, do not get hot and last for minimum of five years. According to her, while a conventional bulb consumes 66.9W, an LED bulb with brighter light consumes just 7.3W. Mrs Seriki explained that the company had a local manufacturing plant for LED products and assembly plants for computers and solar power panel and accessories. She said the solar power panels and accessories were of different capacity for generating electricity for homes, offices and factories. Seriki said the company had a consumer scheme, particularly for civil servants and workers in private offices, for seamless payments through their monthly salaries. continue