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The Integrated Farmers Association of Nigeria (IFAN) has said that security measures adopted by Governor Monday Okpebholo have enabled farmers to return to their farms across the state.

It said farmlands abandoned as a result of kidnapping were cultivated this year.

President of IFAN, Alhaji Bako Dogwo, disclosed this when farmers under the aegis of IFAN, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and State Federated FADAMA Farmers installed Edo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Jarrett Tenebe, as Patron of Edo farmers.

Alhaji Dogwo thanked Governor Okpebholo for improving security across the state, saying the development had boosted farmers’ confidence to return to their farms.

According to him, ‘Farmers who could not go to their farms before are now happy because they can access their farms and continue their farming activities.

‘The improved security will help boost food production and strengthen food security in the state.’

Representative of the State Federated FADAMA Farmers, Hon. Prince Henry Ebole, pledged support for farmers to Governor Okpebholo.

‘As of today, our records show that registered FADAMA farmers under the Federated Farmers Community Association are about 2,000 members.

‘These are farmers captured in the old FADAMA register. We will move from ward to ward to register and sensitise farmers and increase our numbers,’ he said.

Ebole also said the association would mobilise farmers to support the APC, adding that farmers constituted an important constituency in the state.

The Edo APC Chairman pledged to support farmers’ activities in the state.

He said both he and Okpebholo were farmers and understood the importance of agriculture to the economy and food security.

‘I am a farmer, the governor is a farmer as well, and he remembers where he is coming from.

‘That was why when he came into office, he tackled security and ensured that the state was safe for farmers to return to their farms,’ Tenebe said.

He said improved security was essential to enabling farmers to operate freely and increase food production.

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, stating that they have boosted Nigeria’s economic recovery and created optimal conditions for deeper cooperation.

Yu made this statement on Wednesday in Abuja during an event celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which shares its October 1st National Day with Nigeria.

Speaking at the evening reception, Ambassador Yu said, ‘We highly commend President Tinubu’s structural reforms, macroeconomic stabilisation, and business environment enhancements, which have boosted Nigeria’s economic recovery and created optimal conditions for deeper cooperation.’

Addressing Nigeria-China bilateral relations, Ambassador Yu noted that recent agreements on economic partnerships and aquatic exports have provided strong institutional support for trade expansion.

He revealed, ‘In the first half of this year, our bilateral trade reached $18 billion-up by 35%-with Chinese imports from Nigeria surging by 81%.’

Highlighting future prospects, Ambassador Yu emphasised that China is ready to align its 15th Five-Year Plan with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda across industrialisation, digital, green, and blue economies.

‘Our future cooperation holds boundless potential,’ he added. ‘We also invite Nigeria to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation to share in global tech development. Those who walk the same path go far. Let us empower development through innovation, openness, and sincere cooperation to continuously enrich China-Nigeria friendship and write a new chapter in China-Africa relations.’

Reflecting on his two years in the country, the envoy commended the Nigerian spirit: ‘Over these two years, I have travelled across Nigeria’s bustling cities and rural heartlands, meeting many new friends. I’ve come to appreciate even more deeply the Nigerian people’s resilient, optimistic, and self-reliant ‘Naija spirit.’ Their determined drive to seize new opportunities amid change and open new horizons through hard work fills me with heartfelt admiration.’

Celebrating 55 years of diplomatic ties, Yu noted that both nations have grown closer through mutual respect and shared success. ‘Under the strategic leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our relationship has entered the fast lane,’ he said.

On China’s ongoing growth, Yu stated, ‘To embrace China is to embrace the future, and to walk with China is to walk with opportunities. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The CPC Central Committee introduced Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, systematically answering how to build a long-term governing Marxist party. This offers invaluable insights for Global South nations exploring their own development paths.’

Despite global economic challenges, Yu affirmed that China’s GDP grew by 4.7% in the first half of the year, driven by emerging tech sectors like AI, robotics, and innovative pharmaceuticals. He further highlighted global initiatives led by Beijing, such as the World Data Organisation and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, as well as the implementation of zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries, which boosted Chinese imports from Africa by 24% in May and June.

Speaking at the event, Joseph Tegbe, Director-General of the Nigeria-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and Minister of Power, said the anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on the deep ties between the two nations.

Tegbe said, ‘Across successive administrations in both countries, we have sustained this friendship. Nigeria appreciates China’s contribution through investment, financing, and engineering to landmark projects such as the Lekki Deep Sea Port, railway modernisation, and the Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station, among many others. We equally value our cooperation in healthcare, people-to-people exchanges, and technical trade.’

He further commended China’s zero-tariff program for Nigerian producers and reaffirmed Nigeria’s steadfast commitment to the One-China policy, recognising the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal representative of all China.

Also speaking at the event, Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), urged Nigerians to emulate the Chinese commitment to national development.

Dantalle noted, ‘What Nigeria can take away from China, first and foremost, is sacrifice. You don’t just reap immediately after planting. China did not reach its current position by chance-they sacrificed, took pain, defeated corruption, maintained political stability, and did not allow personal interests to suppress the public good. It is about community, nationalism, and believing that we can build a better future together.’

He concluded by praising China’s contribution to the global economy and supporting sustained diplomatic and economic ties.

The Southeast Development Commission (SEDC), in partnership with the Enugu State Government, has flagged off its Southeast Agro-Development Programme (SEADP) with a 200-hectare integrated agricultural development project at Nomeh Unateze in Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state.

The project is the first of the commission’s planned agro-development interventions across the 15 senatorial zones of the Southeast.

It is designed to transform agriculture and the rural economy through mechanisation, investment, processing, logistics, market access and export-oriented value chains.

The initiative is also expected to support food production, create jobs, develop agricultural skills and provide a model that can be replicated in other parts of the zone.

Governor Peter Mbah, who was represented at the event by his Deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, said the project demonstrates the possibilities that could be achieved through collaboration between state governments and the SEDC.

Ossai said food security goes beyond providing food, noting that investment in agriculture can also address poverty, unemployment and insecurity while helping to expand the middle class.

‘When we attack agriculture by way of investing in it, it is because we believe it is the lowest-hanging fruit,’ he said, adding that agriculture can help move people from poverty to sufficiency and create sustainable economic opportunities.

The deputy governor said the state government was deliberately creating the infrastructure and security environment necessary to attract investments. He added that roads, healthcare, transport and security were critical components of the agricultural development ecosystem.

He urged the SEDC to develop a framework that would allow the Nomeh project to extend beyond its immediate location through partnerships with private-sector operators and farmers across the Enugu East Senatorial District.

According to him, such decentralisation would enable farmers in communities farther from Nomeh to participate in production, processing, logistics and transportation, thereby spreading the economic benefits of the investment.

Ossai also charged the commission to institutionalise the project in a manner that would ensure its sustainability beyond the tenure of its current leadership.

The Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, commended the SEDC and the Northcentral Development Commission for what he described as demonstrated capacity and vision among the newly established regional development commissions.

Momoh said the Nomeh project is in conformity with the policies of the Federal Government and aligns with the priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, particularly the emphasis on food security.

‘What you are doing here is the Federal Government’s policy. We are transforming the policy into implementation now,’ the minister said.

He commended Governor Mbah for providing the land for the project, describing the 200 hectares earmarked for the initiative as a significant contribution to the development of agriculture and the rural economy.

Momoh said the project represented more than land development, as its integration of production and processing could help revive the commodity value-chain tradition for which the former Eastern Region was known.

He also praised the cooperation between the Enugu State Government, the SEDC and communities in the state, saying such collaboration would be critical to the success of regional development initiatives.

The minister urged the people of the host community and the wider region to support the project, while expressing hope that its impact would extend beyond Nomeh to other parts of the South East and Nigeria.

Earlier, SEDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mark Okoye described the flag-off as the beginning of the commission’s transition from planning and consultations to visible implementation.

Okoye said the Nomeh facility would incorporate agricultural production, mechanisation, processing and practical training, while an out-grower programme would enable farmers in surrounding communities to participate in the value chain.

The Federal Government has set 2030 as its target for Nigeria to secure an investment-grade sovereign credit rating, as it moves to strengthen the country’s economic and financial standing in the eyes of investors.

The government is expected to present its strategy at the 6th International Rating Webinar organised by DataPro, with the Minister of State for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, scheduled to deliver the keynote address.

Uzoka-Anite will speak on: ‘Achieving Investment Grade Rating by 2030: The Roadmap for Nigeria,’ where she is expected to outline the measures the government plans to adopt to improve Nigeria’s sovereign credit profile.

An investment-grade rating is generally associated with a country’s ability to meet its debt obligations and maintain economic policies that give investors greater confidence.

For Nigeria, achieving such a rating could strengthen its position when seeking international financing and improve the perception of the country’s investment environment.

The government’s roadmap will focus on reforms covering public finances, economic policy and institutions, with particular attention to how these areas affect the assessment of Nigeria’s sovereign risk.

A key part of the discussion will be the need for the government to produce more credible budgets and improve transparency in the management of public finances.

Uzoka-Anite is expected to explain how more reliable fiscal planning and clearer information on government finances can strengthen confidence among investors and other participants in the financial markets.

The minister is also expected to address the relationship between fiscal policy, which is largely driven by government spending and taxation, and monetary policy managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

According to the government, closer coordination between the two sides is necessary to create a more predictable economic environment and reduce uncertainty around policy decisions.

The planned reforms will also extend to public institutions and regulatory bodies. The government believes that stronger institutions and better implementation of policies are necessary to improve investor confidence and strengthen Nigeria’s assessment by credit rating agencies.

The webinar is expected to provide an opportunity to examine the institutional weaknesses and governance challenges that can affect the way countries are assessed by rating agencies.

Beyond Nigeria, the event will also examine the experience of other African countries seeking to improve their sovereign credit ratings.

Experts from the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and international academic institutions are expected to participate in the discussions.

The participants will examine how different countries have approached economic and institutional reforms, including the order in which reforms were introduced and the factors that influenced their credit ratings.

They are also expected to discuss the technical indicators used by rating agencies when assessing sovereign risk, providing policymakers with examples of measures that can support stronger credit profiles.

For Nigeria, the 2030 target places greater attention on the quality and consistency of economic reforms as the government seeks to improve its standing in international financial markets.

The discussions at the DataPro webinar are therefore expected to focus not only on the desired rating but also on the economic and institutional changes required to create the conditions for achieving it.

The government’s position is that stronger public financial management, credible economic policies and effective institutions will be important to building the level of confidence required for Nigeria to attain investment-grade status by 2030.

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) on Thursday unveiled a new tagline, ‘Inspiring Trust, Sustaining Growth,’ as part of its ongoing transformation from a tax-focused agency into a broader revenue administration institution.

The new tagline is expected to shape how the NRS relates to taxpayers while supporting the Federal Government’s drive to increase revenue without relying solely on higher tax rates.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Abuja, Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman of the NRS, Tayo Koleosho, said the new identity was designed to build confidence in the country’s revenue administration system.

He said taxpayers must be confident that their data will be protected, their tax assessments will be fair, and their dealings with the revenue authority will be handled professionally.

‘The new tagline is ‘Inspiring Trust and Sustaining Growth’. And that encapsulates what the new NRS serves to deliver to Nigerians,’ Koleosho said.

According to him, trust is essential to improving voluntary compliance and increasing revenue collection.

‘If we don’t start from inside, where our staff understands that the job of revenue collection involves people trusting each other, then we cannot achieve the objective,’ he said.

Koleosho said the NRS also wanted taxpayers to understand that the Service was interested in the growth of their businesses because a larger and stronger economy would ultimately provide a wider revenue base for government.

He referred to the philosophy of NRS Executive Chairman, Dr Zacch Adedeji, that the Service wants to ‘tax the fruit, not the seed.’

He explained that businesses should be allowed to grow from emerging companies into medium-sized and eventually large businesses, creating more economic activity and, in turn, more revenue for the government.

‘The more you grow, the more the tax authority collects. So that will then help us to sustain the growth on our side,’ he said.

The NRS leadership also expressed confidence that the Service would meet the revenue target set by the Federal Government for 2026.

Koleosho attributed the revenue authority’s performance to economic growth, increased productivity, and improvements in tax administration.

He said the recent changes in tax administration were not based on increasing tax rates, but on improving the efficiency with which existing taxes are assessed and collected.

‘The new tax bill and everything has stabilised in terms of the rate; there’s no new rate increase. It’s just our ability for the Service to do better in terms of how we are collecting from taxpayers,’ he said.

According to him, the NRS’s digital transformation programme is also making it easier for companies to comply with their tax obligations.

He cited electronic invoicing and the new 360 tax payment system as examples of reforms designed to reduce the time and disruption businesses face when dealing with tax authorities.

‘These have helped companies to have less time in terms of disruption to their business when they are paying their taxes,’ he said.

Koleosho said the combination of economic growth and more efficient tax administration had created a situation where government could collect more revenue without increasing tax rates.

He expressed confidence that the trend would continue and that the NRS would meet the revenue target set by the government before the end of the year.

The new tagline is also expected to support the Federal Government’s ambition of growing the Nigerian economy to $1 trillion by 2030.

Koleosho said the objective could not be achieved without public confidence in government institutions and the systems they operate through.

He said the NRS wanted to use trust as a basis for stronger taxpayer participation and sustained economic growth.

Group Director, Transformation and Strategy of the NRS, Alfred Okoh, said the new tagline reflected the Service’s broader responsibilities under its new legal framework.

According to him, the NRS has moved beyond the traditional focus on taxes to a wider revenue administration role that includes non-tax revenues.

‘We’re now a new revenue administration, and we’re not just talking taxes. So there are non-tax revenues that we are also accounting for with the new tax law, and therefore, the new tagline is reflective of that ambition,’ Okoh said.

He said the transition from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to the Nigeria Revenue Service, together with the new NRS Establishment Act, formed part of the wider transformation of revenue administration in the country.

Okoh said the new tagline differed deliberately from the previous FIRS identity because the NRS mandate had broadened.

‘We’re moving away from the previous tagline that was tax-focused, to the new tagline that is focused on revenue administration: ‘Inspiring Trust, Sustaining Growth’,’ he said.

He added that the Service was focused on expanding revenue coverage, improving its relationship with taxpayers and supporting the country’s economic growth objectives.

The new tagline emerged from an internal competition that attracted 3,308 submissions from NRS employees within six working days after the exercise began on August 10.

Okoh said every directorate participated, with entries received from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the large number of submissions showed how involved employees had become in shaping the identity of the new organisation.

The submissions underwent a three-stage selection process. The initial 3,308 entries were reduced to 112, then 85, before seven finalists were presented to the Tax Controllers Committee of Judges and subsequently to management, which selected the final four.

Okoh said the judges assessed the entries based on strategic alignment, originality, clarity and memorability, as well as their ability to connect with taxpayers and reflect the mission and transformation agenda of the NRS.

He said the exercise was intended to produce more than a catchy phrase.

‘We were not looking for clever phrases; we were looking for words capable of carrying a national institution like ours,’ he said.

He said successful taglines can connect people with an institution or brand through a few memorable words.

Okoh cited familiar commercial phrases such as Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ and LG’s ‘Life’s Good’, as well as the former FIRS tagline, ‘It pays to pay your tax’, as examples of how short phrases can become closely associated with organisations.

He said the NRS wanted the same level of recognition for its new identity.

‘Our ambition should be that, just as ‘Just Do It’ reminds us of Nike, or ‘It pays to pay your tax’ reminds us of FIRS, let this new tagline connect directly with revenue administration,’ he said.

However, Okoh said the real test of the new tagline would not be its unveiling but how it would be reflected in the daily experience of taxpayers.

He said the words would have to be backed by simpler processes, better use of data, cooperation among NRS employees and more disciplined execution of the Service’s strategy.

‘Transformation is not achieved by technology alone, nor by a new logo, nor by a powerful tagline,’ he said.

‘It is achieved when the words on the wall begin to make sense, when a taxpayer experiences the promise behind the tagline, when our people collaborate across organisational boundaries, when we simplify rather than complicate, when we use data to make better decisions, and when every interaction reinforces the trust and confidence that a modern revenue institution like ours must earn.’

The Chief of Staff also said the NRS was making progress toward its plan to have 80 per cent of its work carried out internally.

He said the 80/20 approach was intended to strengthen NRS employees’ capacity and reduce dependence on external consultants.

Koleosho said the tagline competition was an example of what could be achieved through internal capacity, and that the new tax administration system and electronic invoicing platform were also developed internally.

‘The skills are there, and the enthusiasm is there, and we are ready to inspire trust and sustain growth for the country,’ he said.

He attributed the development to staff training, skills acquisition and the emergence of a younger workforce capable of supporting the Service’s digital transformation programme.

Director of Change Management, Mrs Olanike Adegoke, said the tagline should reflect the NRS’s collective identity rather than merely a phrase produced by management.

She compared the organisation to an octopus with many hands working towards a single vision, saying the exercise demonstrated the Service’s capacity to adapt to change.

Adegoke said technology drove the process and that employees’ contributions showed the NRS identity was being built collectively.

‘This competition reminds us that the identity of the Nigeria Revenue Service is not shaped by top management alone; it is strengthened by the people who make this revenue administration what we are,’ she said.

She said the unveiling was therefore not only about the winning tagline but also about the contributions of employees who participated in the process.

The NRS leadership said the new identity would now become the common message of the organisation as it pursues its transformation agenda and seeks to build stronger confidence among taxpayers.

The Service is expected to measure the success of the new tagline not simply by how quickly Nigerians remember it, but by whether the principles of trust and sustained growth become visible in the way revenue administration is carried out across the country.

Presidential candidates of the Accord Party and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Dr. Gbenga Hashim and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, have agreed on the need to form a Government of National Unity after the 2027 presidential election.

Hashim disclosed this on Thursday after meeting with Makinde in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He said the two leaders agreed that Nigeria needs a peaceful political transition followed by a broad-based government focused on rebuilding the country and restoring national unity.

‘We are working hard to defeat the government of misery and hardship that the government has become,’ Hashim posted on his verified Facebook page.

He said the agreement was not merely about defeating the ruling party at the polls but about ensuring that the political transition produces a stable and united Nigeria.

‘We both agreed on unity, not just to achieve peaceful change, but a stable and united Nigeria through the formation of a post-election Government of National Unity.’

Hashim said a post-APC Nigeria would require the participation of competent and patriotic Nigerians from across political parties and backgrounds.

‘A post-APC-led Nigeria requires the participation of the best and most patriotic hands to bring our nation together after twelve years of the most virulent division in our history.’

The Accord Party candidate said Nigeria’s challenges require a national response and that the country cannot afford a narrow, winner-takes-all approach to governance after the election.

He said the meeting with Makinde represents the continuation of broader consultations among political leaders committed to peaceful political change, stability and national reconciliation.

Hashim said political differences should not prevent cooperation among leaders after the election, where such cooperation is necessary to stabilise and rebuild the country.

He disclosed that he had prior consultations with other presidential candidates on forming a Post-Tinubu Government of National Unity, and the idea is gaining traction.

‘The journey starts now, with clear understanding amongst leaders!’

Hashim said the proposed Government of National Unity would focus on restoring national cohesion, rebuilding public confidence, strengthening institutions and mobilising competent Nigerians to address the country’s economic and security challenges.

He also added, ‘Nigeria belongs to all of us. After the election, we must put Nigeria first.’