peggywebbs: I won't describe the earth as flat and I won't accept that the rotates. Why? Because time and time again science has always proven to contradict itself. First of all I remember reading an article, and even NASA does not have the full view of the earth, all the videos that show the earth as being spherical are just some graphical scientific analysis. According to one article I read, NASA claims they would need about four robotic space crafts to get a full view of the earth.
I also read an interview of some astronauts, none talk in detail about the earth instead they were complaining they had a lot to do and their cameras had to work at a fast shutter speed because they space lander was also on orbit. Excuses have also been given about the lack of stars in space photos. According to one of the astronauts filming was done during day and some others said some funny reason why the stars could not be captured with the camera.
All I hear is excuses and reasons. Someone gave an example that when a tiny ant is placed on a ball and the ball is spun, the ant doesn't feel the rotation and will not fall ,even though that expression is very flawed because I know very well that when there is a slight shift of the ball, the ant will immediately retreat. Astronauts then gave another excuse that from space they can't see the actual rotation of the earth because it moves like 1000 miles in twelve hours.
I see the clouds moving, then they give us reason that the clouds move with the earth's rotation. I believe the the clouds are basically affected by the humidity, temperature and seas as well as some probably earthly factors. Again, I may be wrong because you know what I don't know anything about the earth ,I just live in it.
Another reason I won't take the false calculations of scientists is because of their insistence on the idea of the big bang theory. I don't believe the earth exploded in other to expand. I don't believe the universe or space is expanding. You know why? Because all these are based on calculations, scientific analysis without any true origin of fact.
Now these same scientists or researchers are looking for UFOs, its ok. They talk about gravity, there is nothing like gravity. Gravity is a legend that started with Isaac Newton, it is not fact but just a thinking.
So im definitely sure that I don't live in a circle that spins around. I definitely don't believe the earth is flat. All I know is I'm living in the earth and so far I'm not falling its fine. It can be circle, round, tabular, a tree I don't give a hoot. I am verh sure that these so called researchers will come up again in the next couple of years and tell us something else. Yesterday we were hearing two asteroids are on their way to the earth. Day before yesterday I was watching a video of these same crazy researchers about a giant asteroid that can obliterate our planet.
Anyway good luck.
Shut up. The Earth is shaped like a donut. I have proof. There's a magnet in the Earth that's why it pulls everything to it. The sun are pulled across the sky in a chariot by fire horses. The moon by bats. The stars are fireflies stuck to the firmament.
In a world bursting with information ignorance is a choice.
The advent of the smartphone as the personal computing device of choice is still relatively recent — only in the last half-decade or so have people begun to consider smartphones to be their primary computer. That being said, smartphones actually have a long and illustrious history — if they were human beings, some would be old enough to vote and nearly old enough to legally drink. To remind us of this, popular data-visualization YouTube channel 'Data is Beautiful' charted the rise and fall of popular smartphone OSes in the last two decades into a nail-biting video.
What stood out most to me in the video was the utter dominance of Android and iOS in the past few years, with the competition dropping out like flies. It also surprised me how insignificant Windows Phone ended up being, despite all the mind-space it occupied in the media. While market share isn't the end-all metric (Apple still eats up the lion's share of profit despite a ~20% market share), a real competitor to Android looks unlikely given how dominant it has become.
That being said, it was interesting to see KaiOS gaining some serious volume in the ultra-low-end range of the spectrum. It should be noted that the source data is Gartner's quarterly reports on smartphone shipments, so it's not an exact representation of smartphone OS market share.
Watching the video took me down memory lane, thinking of the smartphones I used to own before the rise of the green robot — like Symbian, which ruled the roost in the mid-2000s. In those days, hardware innovation was commonplace, with smartphones that twisted (like the Nokia 3250), slid about (N95), and come with components today's smartphones could never pull off — like Xenon flash (N82), a built-in tripod mount (N93), and physical QWERTY keyboards that were actually usable (E75). Sadly, Symbian started showing its age right about the time iOS and Android changed the paradigm and established monolithic blocks of glass as the only viable form factor.
What smartphones did you use before Android? Did you rock an N-Series by Nokia or a Palm Pilot, or were you a BlackBerry fan?
Barely a week after a-week-old baby was recovered from an illegal trade syndicate in Isheri-Osun, a Lagos community, the police have rescued 19 pregnant women at another baby factory.
You're a product of terrible education. Even Buhari will do better than this.
unohbethel: How are u sure that this is the real buhari we all know post election 2015?
Cloning is the process of producing genetically identical individuals of an organism either naturally or artificially. In nature, many organisms produce clones through asexual reproduction. Cloning in biotechnology refers to the process of creating clones of organisms or copies of cells or DNA fragments (molecular cloning). Identical twins are basically clones.
For Buhari clone to look so old like the real bubu they must have cloned home from the day of his birth to make his twin so he can look aged like what he is today and somebody told you he died and what we have as president now is his clone and you believe it without question.
Your intelligence must be less than that of a worm if you believe that.
Shepherd00: Inter-faithing with other religions is fornication and adultery. [b]Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.[/b]Exd 34:15
Committing fornication refers to contaminating the good things taught by the Word and falsifying its truths. Like Budaatum is doing.
khanzazz: Igbos and Yorubas are not the same people...they don't look alike, don't reason the same way, one shows love, the other shows evil, envy and wickedness for no reason. Lets stop this propaganda. The earlier we separate like Pakistanis and Indians the better for us all. US scientists have studied and made it clear that Igbos are a rare breed of black people, different from Africans. Their brain structure as seen below is different from that of Africans; so trying to compete with them, is a waste of time because you are two different sets of human beings. Go and read the book by Dr. Sowell to learn more
princemillla: When I stumbled on this I thought it worthless, but read to some point and I want to believe the long epistle. I need someone who knows deep history to prove this.
I wonder why history was taken away from our acada calender sef. It a shame how people far away from us knows what we we don't know about ourselves. Nija which way
One time someone wanted me to help him setup a used phone from Europe, Germany to be precise.
The previous owner of that phone is an obsessed racist. All the pictures, memes were either ridiculing or insulting or happy inflicting harm to Africans.
I'm so sure he doesn't mind tying up an African and cut up their parts alive.
I'm never going to Germany unless it's a national assignment.
Omojudy: One day I spoke to the petty trader in front of my house and asked her what she will add to her shop if she had someone borrow her 10k without interest to be pay N500 back every few days till she paid finish and if no issues it could be raised monthly. Well she names a few more food stuffs. I then offered her that loan. You need to see how happy she was. And she never failed payments willingly. I increased the amount monthly till I left that neighborhood. The sad thing is that the money never even made her stabilize. She was still back to her empty shop the last time I was in her neighborhood.
I was robbed and I applied to retrieve my sim. For a month the line was not activated. I called and email but they told me to go back to where I retrieved it. That same oba akran Airtel. I didn't have chance to go back as I was on a project.
I got there after a month and I ranted. I was attended to. At least I was happy my sim was back. I'm the next morning I called my staff I would normal call. I kept hearing who is this. I was mad at them like, don't your have my number?
So I used my phone to call my other line I saw another number.
blueAgent: The trinity doctrine teaches that God the Father, the Son and the Holyspirit are equal and one and the same God. Although a very popular and widely accepted doctrine among christains the trinity doctrine is unbiblical and not in accordance with the word of God. The word Trinity does not appear in the Bible neither was such doctrine taught by the Apostles or known to the early Christains. The trinity doctrine was instituted by men at the Council of Nicaea in AD325 and at Council of Constantinople in AD381. The trinity doctrine has it's origin in pagan Sun god worship that was started by Nimrod and his wife.
Who is God and Jesus? The Bible is clear on the identity of God and his Son, Jesus they are 2 different beings or persons Although one in unity and purpose, their relationship is that of father and Son. The Apostles always identified God as the father who has neither beginning or end ,who alone has immortality,all power and authority they also identified and distinguished Jesus as the only begotten Son of God and not God the Father himself here is an example. 2John1:3 Grace be with you, mercy and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. The identity of Jesus was well known to the discples of Jesus Peter in Matt 16:16,Martha the sister of Lazarus, the Centurion man,the high priest and many others including the Demons all identified Jesus as the son of God (remember Demons are fallen Angels)matthew8:29. It is important that we understand who Jesus is, as Jesus himself was interested in knowing whom people said he was. Luke 9:18
All through the Bible the personality of God and Jesus has been established and clearly stated. It will be illogical for Jesus while he was on Earth to teach that he was sent by his father if he himself was the father. The question is who sent Jesus? who did Jesus pray to when he was on the cross or when he raised Lazarus from the grave?Who was Jesus pleading to to take away the cup? John 12:27 Whose will was Jesus referring to when he said father not my will but yours, mark 14:36 The evidence shows that Jesus was not the Father acting as the Son here on Earth but was the Son of God sent by God to the Earth to die as a ransom for man,John 6:38
Jesus, Son of God
The trinity doctrine teaches a 3in 1 god, that there are 3 but equal gods. It denies the word of God that says Jesus is the BEGOTTEN Son of God. the same way a biological father proceeds his son so also God the Father proceeds his son, Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to Jesus as the first born of all creations Colossians 1:15,proverbs 8:22-end,Rev 3:14. Jesus was brought into existence at a certain time by his father before the World was created. Acts 13:33, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
John5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; so it was God that gave Jesus life and not Jesus having his own life independently as claimed by trinitarians. here are Jesus own words on his origin and existence. Proverbs 8:22. Unlike the Angels and other created beings who were made by the hand of God, Jesus proceeded or came out from his father John 8:42,16:27&28,17:8 He had the very nature , image and substance of his father, God. which no other created being has. Hebrews 1:4 Being MADE so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Note: Angels are sons of God by creation,born again Christains are sons of God by adoption (Romans 8:14-15) but Jesus Christ is the Son of God by inheritance Heb 1:4,
Are they Equal?
The trinity teaches that Jesus and the Holyspirit are co-equal with God but the Bible is abundantly clear that the son is not Co-equal with God. No where in the Bible did Jesus ever call himself God or equate himself to the father rather he reiterated the fact that he was sent by the father to do the will of the father and that the one who sends another is greater than the one sent.John13:16-20. John 17:13, Matthew 10:40,John 10:18. Rather than claim equality with God as fasely taught by the trinity doctrine Jesus declares that his father is greater than him in John 14:28,he also calls his father his God Matt 27:46,John 20:17, here are some other verses to clearify this point 1Corinthains11:3,Colossians 1:14-19,John 5:19-47,John 5:19 & 5:20,John 5:27, Isaiah 53:11,Isaiah 42:1,Isaiah 49:7 Luke 24:19, Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 2:6 Who, being in the form of God(nature of God, of cos he was born by God so he will bear God's nature), thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men :2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
God Honours his Son.
After the ressurection and Ascension of Jesus to Heaven God exalted Jesus and gave him a name above every other name Philippians 2:9. It will be illogical for God to exalts and give power and authority to Jesus if he was co- equal with God and already had those privileges.Ephesians 1:20-23, Mark 12:36. The Bible also teaches that at the end of the great controversy between good and evil when all power and principalities have been subdued for the sake of Jesus. Than Jesus will subject all things including himself to God 1Corinthians 15:28.
Who is the Holyspirit.
The Holyspirit is not a person or being as taught by the trinitarians but the the Holyspirit is the spirit of God and his Son Jesus, Ephesians 4:30, 1Thessalonians 4:8,God is a spirit who has a spirit which is his mind,will,purpose,power, and presence Genesis 1:2, Zachariah 4:6, 1peter 1:1. It is this spirit that God sends to us that dwells in us and enables us to do his will,Romans 8:9&11, 1john4:13, Isaiah 63:11, 1Corinthains 3:16, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11,John 7:39,14:17, Ezeikel 36:27. Just as we showed earlier that Jesus did nothing of his own will or desire but that of his father so also the Holy spirit can only speak and show what it is instructed to say . This is evidence that it is not a being Co-equal with God that has it's own power and will. There are few verses that have been taken out of context and are used by the trinitarians to promote their false doctrines E.g is that the Bible refers to the Holy spirit as HE this does not prove anything because there are examples in the Bible where non- living things are personified or expressed with words like he or his examples are in proverbs 1:20,7:4,8:1,9:1where wisdom and knowledge are reffered to as he,his,she this also applies to the Holy spirit. The Holy Spirit is likened to a gift In Luke 11:13,God pours out his Holy spirit Acts 2:18. The identity and function of the Holy Spirit will be treated in subsequent articles.
Implications of the Trinity doctrine.
This doctrine has severe implications and consequences as it teaches that Jesus is not the literal Son of God,that Jesus is the same age as the father and has always existed along side him but this will make them twins and not a real Father and Son it also teaches that the holyspirit is a being Co-equal and co-eternal making them triplets.
Thus the trinity doctrine denies that both the father and son are two different persons thus it denies their personality or persons.
Apostle Paul taught Christains that the Antichrist is anyone or teaching that denies Jesus is the son of God and thus denies the father and son 1John2:22-23,1john 4:3 It distorts who God says he is. The doctrine of trinity also lends credance or promotes the Catholic teaching that Mary is the mother of God since it claims Jesus is God and Co-equal to God. It is not surprising that this trinity doctrine was instituted by the usual suspects the Catholic Church and they claim it is the foundation on which all other of there teachings is based on.
Note:The angel that delivered the message to Virgin Mary told her that the child will be called( the Son of God) and not God. Nothing stops God from describing Jesus as God or his twin or avatar, rather he used the adjective SON of God to distinguish him from the Father.
Conclusion. The trinity doctrine cannot be proved in the Bible neither does it have any divine origin or inspiration. It is one of those man made doctrines that have crept into Christaintity. it is unacceptable to God and contracdicts God's word about himself. A lot of lies have been sold to us as Bible doctrines which are not Biblical, I urge the readers to do more research on this topic and to diligently search the word of God 2 Timothy 2:15, just like Paul said that we should prove all things through the scripture, rightfully dividing the word of God and not depending on men or some few Bible verses that have been lifted out of context inorder to suit a preconcieved belief or idea.1Thessalonians 5:21
God the Father and Jesus are two separate beings. They are of the Godkind. Jesus has everything that makes God God.
The funny thing is that no one has interfaced with God the Father. Jesus is God in the old testament. From Jesus' interaction with Abraham, Moses to the Israelites and taking Jesus' word when he said "no one has seen the Father" only solidify this point. Holy Spirit is the power(action) of God and Jesus and is not a person at all.
When we tell people these things they call us atheist or Antichrist
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See me laughing at the bar and people looking at me. You are not alright I swear.
Calls to diversify Nigeria’s economy has become a mantra over the years. In 2016, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigeria Mining Industry to position the sector as an alternative to oil revenue. How has this policy document impacted the economy since it came into effect?
Experts have, for years, cautioned against Nigeria’s overreliance on oil and drew attention to its rich solid mineral deposits as an alternative.
The huge deposits have been largely ignored only to be exploited by illegal miners, often at great risk to their health and well-being, while shortchanging the country of precious revenues and employment opportunities.
The Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigeria Mining Industry, approved by the FEC in November 2016, is an intervention meant to grow the industry and diversify the economy using solid minerals as one of the strategic pillars.
The document is also designed to enable the sector emerge as one of the best global solid minerals destinations in a few years, according to the then Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
However, since he resigned to contest elections in Ekiti, which he won, the Minister of State, Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari has championed the policy.
In the last four years, the ministry has made efforts to change the narrative as regards ease of doing business in order to encourage foreign investment in the sector. With improved funding, including a N30 billion intervention fund out of which N15 billion was for exploration projects to generate geosciences data to entice investors, the mining sector’s GDP contribution has risen from 0.33 per cent in 2015 to 0.6 per cent in 2018, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, NMGS, Prof Silas Dada said the improved funding has strengthened the exploration potential of the country in line with the roadmap.
“This fund is very significant for the growth of the sector because without geological data, it is difficult to grow the sector,” he said. “I am sure that when the exploration is complete, Nigeria will boast of accurate data in terms of solid mineral reserves. We will also be able to discuss the grade of ores and analyse the component of ores more scientifically.
“Within the past three years, the sector has made significant progress. Before then, there was no accountability in terms of record keeping. In the past, there were too many artisanal miners working without guidance and direction, but this administration came on board and changed the narrative. To this extent, Nigeria has made enviable progress.”
Part of the fund was to scale up exploration on mineral resources to ensure the generation and dissemination of critical geoscience data in order to increase investor confidence and help reduce risk in the sector. There is already the Integrated Exploration Programme (NIMEP) with the award of N15 billion contract to five exploration companies for the purpose of exploring priority minerals like gold, lead, zinc, iron ore and earth metals.
One area where this progress has been recorded is in terms of royalties and fees revenues generated by the ministry, which has risen from N2.08 billion in 2015 to N3.92 billion in 2017.
As at November 2018, over 50 companies exported minerals to Malaysia, China, UAE, India, Switzerland, Thailand, Portugal, Russia, Cameroun, United Kingdom and USA with royalties to government amounting to over N270 billion.
For years, the right of royalty valuation had been an issue. Hon. Bawa Bwari, while speaking to stakeholders recently, emphasized the ministry’s commitment to drive this growth by encouraging more investors to go into the mining sector while taking into cognizance the environmental impact, hence royalties for mineral trading exporters are pegged at 5 per cent to 8 per cent, with the extra 2 per cent to be deployed for environmental remediation.
Industry watchers have credited the leap in revenue generation in the last four years to the ministry’s focus on doing the right thing.
According to a Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) report, between 2007 and 2016, the mining sector had made a paltry contribution of $1.78 billion to the $476.8 billion the sector recorded in the extractive industry, with over $475 billion contributed by the oil and gas sector within the last 10 years. This amounts to a meager 0.41 per cent from the solid minerals sector.
A National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report in the fourth quarter of 2017 showed that coal mining has grown by 2.86 per cent in the fourth quarter (4Q) of 2017, from 38.49 per cent in 3Q of 2017 and 0.44 per cent in the 4Q of 2016, while metal ores grew by 31.86 per cent in 4Q 2017 from 10.70 per cent in 3Q of 2017 and 7.03 per cent in 4Q of 2016.
With the revenue profile of the mining sector in 2017 alone improving by 500 per cent over the preceding years, experts credit the changes to a clear policy document and the minister’s commitment to strict adherence.
This is the view of the Sole Administrator, Ajaokuta Steel Company, Engr. Sumaila Aka’aba. “Having a committed minister like Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari and the total implementation of the roadmap has helped to yield desired results. The vigour with which he continues to implement the roadmap is already unlocking significant values,” he said, adding that the sector needs consistency and continuity so as to meet its potential of becoming a labour guzzling, revenue generating sector.
“A remarkable difference between the solid minerals sector and the oil industry is that the oil industry has the capacity to employ few people while creating wealth, but the mining sector is able to increasingly employ several people as well as create great wealth,” he said.
It is in the spirit of consistency that the appointments of industry insiders like Simon Nkom, an experienced mining engineer, as the Director General of the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) responsible for the issuance of all mineral titles and licenses and Dr Abdulrazaq Garba as Director General of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency have been lauded.
The MCO, alone, has within the last three years, realized over N5 billion as revenue generated through processing and other licensing fees.
“There is a paradigm shift achieved in the area of licensing due to the significant improvement in the mode of operation of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, which is a major impetus that will speedily develop the sector,” Mr Ayedun Fasina, Chief Executive, Multiverse Mining and Exploration Plc, said.
But despite the gains, the sector still must overcome certain challenges, analysts say.
For instance, the Ajaokuta Steel Company, generally adjudged the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialization, is yet to take off fully, something the minister must pursue vigorously to fully help diversify the economy.
A major setback has been the need to construct external infrastructure, such as railways needed for transportation of bulk materials from the National Iron Ore Mining Company to Ajaokuta Steel Company, and finished products from the steel company for local use and export.
With this administration’s drive to construct various rail lines, analysts think that hinderance will soon be a thing of the past.
This will be timely with a new export guideline soon to come into operation to address issues of mineral exportation without due permits.
While drastic shortfalls in concise geosciences data constituted the biggest impediment to attracting major investors, the Mining Cadastre System is being upgraded with the introduction of online mineral title administration aimed at making the operations of the MCO more transparent, efficient and accessible. This, experts say, will cut mineral title processing from 45 to 15 days.
With the gains made and the right kind of consistency, analysts believe the solid mineral sector could be a major revenue earner for the country in the not too distant future. That future cannot come soon enough.
The Central Bank of Nigeria on Monday unveiled fresh plans to revive the palm oil value chain to enable the sector to generate foreign exchange and reduce the level of unemployment in the country.
The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, unveiled the strategies while speaking during a meeting with stakeholders in the Palm Oil Value Chain.
The meeting, which was held at the headquarters of the CBN, was attended by Governors of Akwa Ibom, Edo and Abia states and chief executives of companies operating in that sector of the economy.
Emefiele said as part of the apex bank’s Anchor Borrowers Programme and its Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, the CBN would work with large corporate stakeholders and smallholder farmers to ensure availability of quality seeds for this year’s planting season and agro-chemicals in order to enable improved cultivation of palm oil.
In addition, he said the bank would also work to encourage viable off-taker agreements between farmers and large-scale palm producing companies.
He noted that loans would be granted through the ABP and CACS programmes at no more than nine per cent per annum to identified core borrowers.
With an estimated three million hectares of land under cultivation and abundance of suitable arable land, the CBN governor said the bank would need the cooperation of state governments in the oil palm producing zone.
He said their cooperation would make land available to investors with proven financial and technical capabilities, who will be able to support developments of large scale palm oil plantations in the country.
He announced that all the states in the South-South and South-East regions had agreed to provide at least 100,000 hectares for the initiative.
The programme, he stated, was also expected to accommodate the smallholder farmers.
He said, “This renewed focus by the CBN to support improved growth in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors in Nigeria, is clearly in line with the Federal Government’s determination to diversify the base of Nigeria’s economy away from a reliance on crude oil, so as to insulate our economy from the vagaries and shocks associated with volatility in crude oil prices
“Let me stress that we are not unmindful that our current focus to make life difficult for smugglers of the products being targeted under our intervention will be resisted by unpatriotic and recalcitrant beneficiaries of the status quo.
“We will not be deterred by their criticisms but will appeal to Nigerians to support these initiatives.
“No doubt, there will be initial pain caused by this new focus, but the medium and long run benefits remain unassailable and glorious for our dear country.”
Emefiele said that resuscitating the country’s palm oil sector was vital to the government’s growth objectives as it would assist in creating jobs for Nigerians.
He said the meeting was an important one as it brought together key players across the palm oil value chain, state governments, banks, and officials of the CBN, in order to examine the challenges faced by palm oil operators.
He said the need to meet the stakeholders in the sector was borne out of the conviction that revitalising the sector would enable Nigeria to regain its position as one of the leading global producers of palm oil.
He said currently, Nigeria still expended close to $500m on oil palm importation annually, adding that time had come to change the narrative.
He said the apex bank would support improved production of palm oil to meet not only the domestic needs of the market but to also increase exports in order to improve forex earnings.
He said, “As some of you may recall, in the late ’50s and ’60s, Nigeria was not only the world’s leading producer of palm oil, it was also the largest exporter of palm oil, with close to 40 per cent of the global market share.
“Today, we are a distant fifth among leading producers of palm oil; we barely produce up to three per cent of the global supply of palm oil, with an estimated production of 800,000 metric tonnes of palm oil, while countries like Malaysia and Indonesia produce 25 million and 41 million tonnes of palm oil respectively.”
“We have also become a net importer of palm oil, importing between 400,000 – 600,000 MT of palm oil in order to meet local demand for this commodity.
“Despite the availability of over three million hectares of farmland for palm oil cultivation, production remains low at close to two tonnes per hectare, relative to a global benchmark of 25 tonnes per hectare.
“This is as a result of the maturation of existing palm trees, as some of these trees were planted in the ’50s, as well as low investment in replanting high yielding palm oil seeds. As some of you may know, the usual lifecycle for optimum palm production is 25 years.”
The CBN governor said if Nigeria had kept pace with its peers in supporting improved cultivation of palm oil, at the current global market price of $600 per tonne, and an assumed production level of 16m tonnes, Nigeria could have generated close to $10bn worth of foreign exchange.
This analysis, he noted, did not take into consideration the number of jobs that could have been created in rural communities from large scale smallholder developments.
In due course, the CBN governor said the bank intended to also address challenges in the cocoa, cassava, beef/cattle ranching, dairy and fish sectors.
He said soon, every region of the country would feel the positive impact of the CBN intervention in the agricultural sector.
These efforts, he stated, would not only enable the bank to conserve foreign exchange, but also create jobs on a mass scale.
He expressed optimism that as the measures began to bear fruits, states would become more economically viable, given the massive economic activities that would occur from catalysing activities in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors.
He said, “Today’s meeting was enlarged to include Executive Governors and other top government functionaries from the oil palm producing states to elicit their buy-in and set a partnership model that would, with immediate effect, stimulate investments in the palm oil plantations, such that within the next 3-5 years, the global share of the country’s oil palm production would more than double.
“Our ultimate vision is to overtake Thailand and Columbia to become the third largest producer over the next few years.”
The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, said that there were a lot of factors that were making the country uncompetitive in oil palm production.
He said for the intervention of the CBN to achieve the needed results, there was a need to have a very clear plan that would provide the right infrastructure for the land to be given out by governors.
He also said there was a need to determine where to get the planting materials that would serve as input for oil palm farmers.
He added that the issue of farming practices and training of smallholder farmers must also be considered, noting that to attract any meaningful investment, there must be some form of incentives to attract investors.
Christianity Etc › Re: Why The Earth Surface Looks Flat by Horlufemi(m): 8:16pm On Oct 17, 2019
