When It Mattered Most: The Game Changer (1)

For those who hoped that between now and the presidential election it would be high time, what is looming on the horizon is a huge disappointment.

The first salvo was fired by the “Sunday Telegraph” newspaper on the front page on July 2, 2022.

Title: “Abacha did not steal, he hid the money in a private account” – Al-Mustapha

“The former security chief of the late military head of state, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza al-Mustapha has absolved his boss of having enriched himself through corruption during his tenure. According to him, a large part of the recovered funds repatriated to the country come from private accounts not linked to the former leader who used anonymous Nigerians to store the country’s funds when many Western countries imposed economic sanctions on the country. Speaking as a guest on a Channels Television show Politics Today on Friday, al-Mustapha is the Action Alliance’s presidential candidate also said his late boss made some decisions that brought him so much love. enmity.

“There was a time when I gave an interview about General Abacha. When sanctions were imposed in Nigeria, stakeholders in that country were called out and deals were made, money was credited to their accounts, but to my surprise many of those who received the money did not return them,” al-Mustapha said. He went further by asking, “Was Abacha in one of those countries where the funds were transferred?” Do they (foreign banks) have his thumbprint? Is there any evidence that he deposited money? Where’s a single piece of paper to show he took the money?

“Today, a snap (the funds) are returned, but the question was, did Abacha sign any of these accounts?” Al-Mustapha said his late boss offended many people by adopting certain policies to support Nigeria, adding, “I saw an interview given by one of his ministers as I was walking to the studio disowning him. ” According to him, “I have no regrets (of having worked with the late General Sani Abacha). Once you join the army, you must be open-minded to work anywhere. You can be assigned to the worst part of the world or the worst part of the country.

He said his personal destiny had taken him to all the places he had served as a military officer during his career. During his bid for the presidency, he said the country was in a precarious situation which should prompt engaged Nigerians at present to recognize the enormity of the problems facing the country.

In order to make sense of the rage and turmoil that engulfed our nation, we must report to science and remember (a review course) by Sir Isaac Newton (1643 to 1727).

(i) First Law of Motion:

“Any object in a state of rest or uniform motion will remain in that state unless acted upon by a force.”

(ii) Second Law of Motion:

“The rate of change of an object’s speed is proportional to the force applied to it.”

(iii) Third Law of Motion:

“Every action causes an equal and opposite reaction.”

Perhaps we should make room for Vince Lombardi (1913 to 1970): “The quality of a person’s life is directly proportional to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. »

It was the “Saturday Independent” newspaper of July 2, 2022 which published a shocking front page: Headline: “Nigeria spends 16 billion naira a year to import beans”

“Dr. Rose Gidado, National Coordinator of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, Nigeria Chapter, said that Nigeria spends about 16 billion naira a year on importing beans or cowpeas.

Also read: Nigeria saves $5m daily on rice imports – Presidency

Gidado who said this in Abuja during the Science Hang Out organized by Alliance for Science Nigeria in collaboration with Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology.

She pointed out that despite Nigeria being the world’s largest producer of cowpea, there is a consumption gap of 500,000 tonnes, prompting imports from neighboring countries.

She however expressed her optimism that the cowpea import gap is expected to narrow, following the release and commercialization of pod borer resistant (PBR) cowpea in Nigeria.

Recall that the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) had approved its first genetically modified crop: pod borer resistant cowpea.

This decision was made after cowpeas or beans were genetically modified to resist the pest – Maruca Vitrata, an insect that has the ability to damage over 80% of bean pods.

The Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, with support from the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), developed cowpea PBR.

According to Gidado, “With PBR cowpea, the production gap will be closed and Nigeria will save N48 billion a year on its import bill.”

The new bean variety, she said, would allow farmers to spray less pesticides but get a bumper harvest that would help them overcome poverty and transform the Nigerian economy.

She noted that Nigerian bean farmers face many challenges such as spraying their farms about eight to ten times with pesticides every planting season in a bid to ward off the pod-destroying insect, known as the name of Maruca Vitrata.

Commenting on the safety concerns raised by some people regarding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or foods, the national coordinator, OFAB, allayed the fear, describing agricultural biotechnology as the most regulated sector.

About Alma Ackerman

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