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Dangote refinery, fertilizer plant will ensure energy, food security – Minister

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Nasiru Yusuf

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the coming on stream of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as well as the Dangote Fertilizer Plant will help to ensure energy and food security in the country.

KANO FOCUS reports that the Minister made the remarks in Lagos on Sunday while touring the sprawling complexes of the refinery and the fertilizer plant in Ibeju-Lekki, according to a statement issued by Segun Adeyemi Special Assistant to the President (Media) office of the Minister of Information and Culture.

“We must not fail to appreciate the fact that it’s not just that we will be self-sufficient in terms of food security and energy security, but the quality of our refined products and fertilizer will be world-class,’’ he said.

Alhaji Mohammed, who was accompanied by 25 journalists, said while the refinery will ensure the availability of the highest quality Euro V Grade petroleum products, the fertilizer plant is producing granulated urea, which is of the highest quality and which does not become sticky and cause loss of value to the farmers.

He said the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, which is expected to be commissioned this year, will be a game changer in terms of employment generation, contribution to the GDP and conservation of foreign exchange.

“Gentlemen, based on what we have heard here today with regards to the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery, it would be a game changer once it comes on stream in terms of employment generation. The refinery as of today employs 35,000 people everyday.

“There will be huge value addition that will contribute to the increase in GDP, conservation of foreign exchange as there will be no more importation of petroleum products, generation of foreign exchange through export of finished product, availability of petroleum products thus ending petrol queues, and attraction of foreign capital investments,” the Minister said.

He said the Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari last month, has made Nigeria the leading producer of urea in Africa.

“With the coming on stream of the Dangote Fertilizer Plant, Nigeria is now self-sufficient in the production of urea. In fact, Nigeria is now the leading producer of urea in Africa. The Dangote Fertilizer plant is already exporting to the US, India, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.

We were fortunate to witness a ship being loaded with urea for export to Argentina during our visit today,” Alhaji Mohammed said..

He said currently the fertilizer plant provides 1,500 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs.

The Minister, who commended the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for boosting investor confidence in Nigeria, said the

Federal Government will continue to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

“Under this Administration, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has implemented over 150 reforms, moving Nigeria up 39 places on the World Bank Doing Business index since 2016. Mr. President also signed the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 (CAMA 2020) – Nigeria’s most significant business legislation in three decades.

“The result of this favourable business environment is the birth of new businesses such as the $2.5 billion Dangote Fertilizer Plant that will produce 3 million metric tonnes of urea every year; the 650,000 barrels per day oil refinery due to open later this year; Lekki Deep Sea Port, one of the most modern sea ports in West Africa; BUA’s 3 million metric tonnes cement plant; the 5,000 barrels per day Modular Refinery in Ibigwe, Imo State, and three more modular refineries to be commissioned before May 2023 in Edo and Bayelsa states, just to mention a few,” he said.

The Executive Director, Strategy Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Group, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, who conducted the Minister round the two complexes, said 75% hydraulic testing of the refinery as well as 70% of electrical cable fitting have been completed preparatory to the completion of the refinery in the fourth quarter of this year.

He said the refinery, which boasts of 4.742 billion litres storage capacity, will serve as a strategic reserve for the country.

Mr. Edwin said 75% of the products of the refinery (petrol, kerosene, aviation fuel and diesel) will be dispatched through the sea, by which products could be transported to Calabar, Warri, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

The refinery is being built at a cost of $19 billion while the fertilizer plant costs $2.5 Billion.

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Hajj 2024: Gov Yusuf approves N1.4bn subsidy for 2,900 intending pilgrims

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Hajj

Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

The Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has paid N500,000 for each Kano intending pilgrim who will perform this year’s Hajj under the umbrella of the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board.

KANO FOCUS reports that the Director General of the Board, Alhaji Lamin Rabiu Dan Baffa, disclose this while briefing journalists on Wednesday.

He said the Kano State Government took the decision with regards to the recent increase of the Hajj fares by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria which was attributed to the instability of the forex exchange rate.

“We consider the current economic hardship people are facing and the increase of Hajj fares is a great challenge to many intending pilgrims, that’s why we came up with the subsidy initiative to alleviate the sufferings of intending pilgrims,” he said.

Dan Baffa urged all intending pilgrims to ensure that they pay the balance before March 28, 2024, as directed by NAHCON.

The Director General maintained that those to benefit from the Hajj subsidy are those who have already paid part-payment to the board, saying over 2,900 intending pilgrims have already made their part payment with the board.

Recall that early this week, NAHCON announced the increase of Hajj fares with N1,918,032.91, which makes the total Hajj fares N6,617,032.91.

Meanwhile, fresh intending pilgrims are required to pay N8,254,464.74 as the full Hajj fare for this year, as required by NAHCON. Lamin Rabiu Dan Baffa, disclose this while briefing journalists on Wednesday.

He said the Kano State Government took the decision with regards to the recent increase of the Hajj fares by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria which was attributed to the instability of the forex exchange rate.

“We consider the current economic hardship people are facing and the increase of Hajj fares is a great challenge to many intending pilgrims, that’s why we came up with the subsidy initiative to alleviate the sufferings of intending pilgrims,” he said.

Dan Baffa urged all intending pilgrims to ensure that they pay the balance before March 28, 2024, as directed by NAHCON.

The Director General maintained that those to benefit from the Hajj subsidy are those who have already paid part-payment to the board, saying over 2,900 intending pilgrims have already made their part payment with the board.

Recall that early this week, NAHCON announced the increase of Hajj fares with N1,918,032.91, which makes the total Hajj fares N6,617,032.91.

Meanwhile, fresh intending pilgrims are required to pay N8,254,464.74 as the full Hajj fare for this year, as required by NAHCON.

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Coalition reviews Kano 2024 budget, captured 557 citizens driven projects in education, health sectors

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Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim

Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, government officials and journalists have identified 557 citizens driven projects in 2024 approved budget.

KANO FOCUS reports that the group shared the findings during a validation session of the 2024 budget analysis held recently in Kano.

Presenting the findings Sulaiman Ismail from Hasken Kano said the state government has approved 426 citizens driven prproject in education sector in 2024 budget with a total value of N61. 01bn representing 13% of the total budget.

He observed that personnel expenditure witnessed a significant increase of 77 % compared to that of 2023 approved budget.

Presenting a paper titled Health Sector Citizens Analysis, Akibu Hamisu of the Kano budget working group pointed out that, the state government had set aside over seventy two billion Naira, representing over 16% of the total budget in health sector.

He said out of the 273 projects designed by the health sector, 131 were identified as citizens driven, 37 projects were allocated to urban communities and 68 were captured under rural communities.

Others who presented findings include Comrade Safiyanu Lawan Bichi and the secretary of the House Standing Committee on Higher Education, Kano State House of Assembly Muhammad Lawal.

In their goodwill messages, Khalid Mustapha from the Kano State Ministry of Planning and Budget (MoPB), described the session as a welcome development.

Umma Muhammad Rakana of PLANE project and Mohammed Jibril from Lafiya commended the collaboration between development partners and Kano State Ministry of Budget and Planning.

Earlier in his welcome address, the state partnership facilitator, PERL FCDO, Yunusa Hamza explained that the session was organized to present and validate findings from the budget analysis conducted by citizens group recently.

KANO FOCUS reports that the sessions ‘ tagged presentation and validation of the citizen’s analysis of the 2024 budget with stakeholders was supported by Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn (PERL) Partnership for Learning for All In Nigeria (PLANE) and Lafiya project.

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Dantiye Advocates for Synergy Between LG Information Officers and Health Personnel

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In a significant step towards bolstering public health communication and response mechanisms, Commissioner of Information Baba Halilu Dantiye held a pivotal meeting today with a delegation from the Ministry of Health.

KANO FOCUS reports that this was contained in a statement issued by Sani Abba Yola Director Special Duties
Kano State Ministry of Information.

In a statement the Commissioner stated that the meeting centered on the imperative need for seamless collaboration between information officers across the 44 local government areas and health personnel from both the local government and the Ministry of Health.

Dantiye emphasized the need for a coordinated approach to swiftly confirm outbreaks, ensuring that only verified information is relayed to the public.

“Ensuring the public’s health and safety requires a unified effort from both the information sector and the health sector,” Dantiye remarked. “By working hand in hand, we can ensure that information regarding disease outbreaks is not only accurate but also serves to empower communities to take appropriate preventive measures,” he added.

Dantiye, who promised the support of the Ministry of Information to achieve desired objectives, explained that the meeting served as a platform to explore strategies for enhancing communication channels between information officers and health personnel at both the local and state levels.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation from Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Gano, Deputy Director Manpower and Training, Team Leader Tuberculosis and Leprosy, expressed their commitment to fostering a culture of collaboration and synergy among stakeholders involved in public health and information dissemination.

Dr. Gano affirmed the Ministry of Health’s dedication to supporting initiatives that promote the seamless integration of information dissemination and public health efforts at the grassroots level.

In a similar development, the State Commissioner of Information also received a delegation from UNICEF led by Ogu S. Enemaku, Social and Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF Kano Field Office.

Enemaku said the visit was to renew the sense of purpose and determination to foster closer collaboration between the Ministry of Information and UNICEF, with a shared commitment to safeguarding public health and promoting accurate and reliable information dissemination.

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