Category: Daily Trust

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that only 16 percent of Nigerians have access to basic handwashing facilities in their homes.

Chisom Adimorah, UNICEF Nigeria’s representative, disclosed this on Wednesday at the 2025 Global Handwashing Day celebration organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in collaboration with development partners.

Adimorah stressed the urgent need to close the country’s hygiene gap, saying, ‘This means five out of every six people still lack access. To address this, we must act collectively – government, development partners, private sector, and individuals alike.’

She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in reviewing and updating its national hygiene strategies to align with the new WHO/UNICEF Global Hand Hygiene Guidelines.

In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Engr. Joseph Utsev, underscored the importance of hand hygiene in safeguarding public health, describing it as a life-saving practice that preserves the very life that water gives.

He noted that the ‘Nigerian Roadmap to Hand Hygiene for All’, launched in September 2022, remains a key framework guiding nationwide hygiene promotion efforts.

Utsev emphasised that handwashing education must begin at the elementary level, highlighting the need to instill this life-saving habit in children from an early age through adulthood.

Also speaking, Aghogho Gbetsere, who represented the Minister of Environment, urged Nigerians to adopt consistent handwashing practices, noting that it can reduce diarrheal diseases by 50 percent and respiratory infections by 25 percent.

Farmers, research organizations, entrepreneurs and technology developers across the country are set to showcase their products at the 17th national agricultural show in the coming weeks.

Chairman, National Agricultural Foundation, Architect Kabiru Ibrahim, told journalists in Abuja that this year’s events promises to create lots of value for the stakeholders.

He said this year’s show is expected to bring together all research institutes under the coordinator of Agricultural research council, states and local governments, inputs providers, entrepreneurs, new technologies developers and other actors in the sector.

Arc. Ibrahim appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to attend this year’s edition to boost the morale of farmers, adding that the last time a president attended the agric show was during President Obasanjo’s administration.

‘I am asking Mr. President to spare the time and come. We have not had any president come to that show since Obasanjo. So, if President Tinubu, who is passionate for agriculture and all the windows that he has opened for the food system, finds time to come, even for one day, it will make a whole world of difference,’ he said.

He said what the show was trying to do over the years was to bring to the fore the need for Nigeria’s agriculture to be showcased by smallholder farmers and large-scale producers, and people in processing come into one arena where they showcase what they have been able to do for others to see and to model.

‘As far as we are concerned today in Nigeria, the engine room for production is actually the smallholder. Mechanization is yet to set in to such a level that we have fully commercialized farms or industrialized outfits.

‘So even the theme of this year’s show will be empowering smallholder farmers to restore the value of what they do and to ensure productivity for the attainment of food security in Nigeria. So you can see that working with the smallholder farmers and the small-scale producers, we want to take Nigeria’s agri-food system to a sufficient level to be able to provide food sufficiency for even the envisaged population of Nigeria that will almost double by 2050. We think it is very important and prudent to bring out what we are going to do in about a month or so, because the show will be between 24th and 28th.

‘And we have shifted it from the last two years to November because in October most of our farmers are still harvesting. But in December everybody will have time to come because judging from the last edition, we saw that the quality of participation was a lot higher than in the previous ones. And we hope that this year the quality will be even higher,’ he said.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stated that the FCT Administration under his leadership has effectively silenced critics of the current government by delivering vital infrastructure projects to the people of the FCT.

Wike stated this during the commissioning of internal roads in Sector Centre B, Dakibiyu, Jabi District, stressing that even detractors cannot deny the visible progress in the nation’s capital.

He said, ‘As far as FCT is concerned, no matter how you may hate anybody, can you deceive yourself to the point that you will say nothing is going on in the FCT? Certainly not.’

Wike said the best way to counter such criticism is by delivering on promises and emphasized his commitment to achieving results in the FCT.

He added, ‘We have to be careful when people carry unnecessary propaganda and blackmail. In spite of those things, remain focused, and you will achieve your result.’

The House of Representatives has raised alarm over the widespread use of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) in Nigeria, warning that continued exposure poses grave risks to human health, food safety, and the environment.

This followed a motion on Wednesday by Clement Jimbo (APC, Akwa Ibom).

Jimbo told the House that over half of all pesticides currently registered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) fall within the category of Highly Hazardous Pesticides – many of which have been banned in several countries due to severe health and ecological dangers.

He said the growing circulation of such chemicals, including Dichlorvos (DDVP), commonly known as Sniper, has led to widespread contamination of food, soil, and water, and has been linked to increasing cases of poisoning, cancer and suicide.

The lawmaker cited research showing that seven out of 13 of Nigeria’s most common pesticide ingredients are carcinogenic, recalling a 2020 tragedy in Oyo Obi community of Benue State, where over 270 people reportedly died after their river was contaminated with Endosulfan, a banned pesticide.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Health, and Environment – alongside NAFDAC and other relevant agencies – to conduct a nationwide review and inventory of all highly hazardous pesticides in circulation.

Lawmakers also directed NAFDAC to strengthen regulation, monitoring, and enforcement of pesticide importation and use, while ensuring that the list of banned chemicals is regularly updated.

Additionally, the House called on the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria to promote integrated pest management strategies and support safer, organic alternatives such as biopesticides and agroecological methods already adopted by local farmers.

The Committees on Agricultural Production and Services and Environment were mandated to liaise with relevant agencies and stakeholders to develop a framework for the gradual phase-out and eventual ban of Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Nigeria.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cancer prevention and improving access to care through stronger collaboration among health agencies and sustained investment in research and innovation.

The 2025 International Cancer Week (ICW), held in Abuja and co-organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), focused on the theme ‘Redefining the Future of Cancer: Prevention, Access and Equity for All,’ and brought together stakeholders from within and outside the country.

The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, who spoke at the opening ceremony, said cancer remained a major public-health challenge in Nigeria and called for stronger advocacy, funding, and coordination among key institutions.

He said the government would continue to engage the National Assembly and relevant agencies to sustain budgetary provisions for cancer research and care, stressing that prevention and drug security were as important as treatment.

‘Cancer care is a huge financial burden not only to the individual but also to government. We must work together to make prevention and access to quality care a national priority,’ he said.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said the FCT Administration was promoting health equity through awareness campaigns and early-detection programmes.

‘Our goal is to build a healthcare system that not only treats diseases but also prevents them, ensuring residents have access to quality care within their reach,’ she said.

The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof Usman Malami Aliyu, said the conference was designed to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for cancer research and care through international partnerships and innovation.

He said NICRAT had entered research collaborations with global cancer centres, including Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University and Virginia Commonwealth University, while supporting early-career researchers and equipping teaching hospitals across the country.

The Chairman of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, said the agency was working to expand insurance coverage to make cancer care more affordable for Nigerians.

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) is setting up greenhouses across major cities to increase the availability of vegetables all year round in the country.

The Executive Secretary/CEO, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) Cornelius O. Adebayo while inspecting one of the projects at the University of Abuja yesterday said the aim was to make sure vegetables are grown closer to the major markets.

‘Here we have about 20 units, with one nursery. In Shagamu, in Ogun State, we have 30 with one nursery also. You can see we have a parking house, where you can clean and package the produce. And we have cold storage also attached to the parking house. It’s fully solarized (solar energy functionality). The idea of this greenhouse is to make vegetables available closer to the people,’ Mr Adebayo said.

The ES said the agency strategically put one in Shagamu targeting Lagos, which is the biggest market for vegetables.

Mr Adebayo said the agency is also supporting other greenhouse owners along the Shagamu-Ekpe Cluster to increase their capacity adding that most of these facilities are not going to be run by NALDA but given to young people that understand how to run them.

In addition to the greenhouses project, NALDA said it was embarking on the open field vegetable production targeting a minimum of 10 hectares per federal constituency, which would be run mainly by women.

‘You can see this one is targeted at the youth. But the ones in the constituencies are mainly targeted at women,’ Mr Adebayo stated, adding that for every 10 hectares, about 100 women can be engaged.

‘So we’re providing land clearing. We’ve already picked 16 locations. First, we went to Kwara, Taraba and Plateau, where we are rolling out this open field initiative.

‘And they are currently clearing those lands. Now, we are going to provide irrigation for the women. We are going to provide parking houses and cold storage.

‘We believe that with this three-layered approach, we would be able to solve a lot of the vegetable availability problems. As you know, during a certain period in Nigeria, you have a high price of tomatoes, high price of pepper. So with this, I think we can decentralize production, make things closer to the people, and reduce the cost of transportation,’ he added.

I am a Muslim. I like to think that I am a particularly devout Muslim too. Not only that, I happen to believe that faith, or religion is to this day the greatest achievement, or invention if you will, of mankind. The thought process that underpinned the discovery or invention of religion is still the anthropological schematic human society is based on. It is my belief, in fact, that science is itself an ancillary spinoff of the idea of religion.

That is the kind of Muslim I am. Being alive in this day and age, when the culture clash between the West in particular and the Muslim world is in full swing, I have heard it all. I have seen it all. So has everyone else.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the Muslim identity became radioactive and every Muslim who does not want to be ostracized and essentially excommunicated from the mainstream global society had to overcompensate on the defensive. and I believe that it was in the fallout of that world event that a trend began among Muslims, branding Islam as the religion of peace. They tell anyone who cares to listen that the Arabic word ‘Islam’ itself means ‘peace’.

Alas, that is not true. The word ‘Islam’ does NOT mean ‘peace’. I remember vividly back in primary school IRK (Islamic Religious Knowledge) class some time in the 90s before the fact of 9/11, we were taught that Islam means ‘total SUBMISSION to the will of Allah’. That was the definition we were taught in class, verbatim. And if you have to translate the word Islam to a single-word English analogue, what you get is ‘submission’. So, Islam actually means submission, not peace.

Yet again, Islam, meaning submission, has both syntactic and morphological connections to the Arabic word for ‘peace’, which is ‘salaam’. Salaam, is therefore indeed the root word of ‘islaam’. So, what does be a Muslim imply if the word Islam means, submission? First and foremost, it means total submission to Allah. To the will of Allah. You have to surrender your affairs; you have to subordinate your intellect to the dictates of Allah.

I’ve heard many, oh so many Muslims with an agenda parroting the ‘Islam means peace’ propaganda and it’s sometimes so nauseating not because if Islam did not mean peace, then it has to mean the opposite of peace but because of how misleading it is. It means we are so insecure and unsure of our own philosophical confession we need a cosmetic spin to be able to sell it. Such disingenuous sleights of hand ultimately do more harm than good. I mean, I do realize how it all sounds if you tell a non-Muslim who has a pre-existing aversion or prejudice for Islam, that ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’. A derivative of subjugation. If you let it hang in the air for a moment without context as a non-Muslim, you will feel how self evidently disgusting that is. It means Islam is anti-freedom. and freedom happens to be the (false) cover charge of Western Civilization.

And the chickens did come home to roost. I’ve heard many anti-Muslim voices using this as an attack angle. We had always been lying to them, we are taught to lie and deceive non-Muslims and that’s exactly what we were doing. We lull them into a false sense of security by telling them that our very essence means peace when we are secretly plotting their subjugation. We are initiates in a death cult that submits to a demon god and will not rest until all freedom is extinguished. A religion of peace indeed.

But why does ‘submission’ sound so terrible? Well, it doesn’t. As already mentioned, in my opinion, religion is the most impactful discovery of mankind.

When man first looked up at the heavens in abject helplessness, the idea of God became apparent. Man was fighting a losing battle against both nature and his own incipient consciousness. God became apparent because you have no control or power but He does. If I were to imagine myself alive in Neolithic Mesopotamia, I can see how it would be so easy, so scientific indeed to let go, to submit to a light which, according to a Christian gospel song, ‘that is leading me. to the place where I’ll find peace again’. It was easy to accept this unseen force, which according to the same Christian song, that ‘calmed the storms and gave me rest’.

You have no power but this force is all-powerful. You stop fighting and you resign, you surrender. You submit. And you find peace. Just like Muslims do. Islam is a religion of peace because it calms the tempest in the restless souls of its adherents. and gives them peace! A religion of peace indeed.

And as man navigated this helplessness and became able to narrow the pool and pull of the unknown, control or foretell natural phenomena, he became less reliant on God to the extent that the idea of blank and blind submission to an unseen being became disgusting.

What man asked of or needed from his God he now had the power dispose. Today, he does not have to fear being enslaved by raiders, he does not have fear the vagaries of wilderness, he does not even have to fear to a significant extent wars, earthquakes, floods and volcanic explosions. To a convenient extent, he can foretell them and prepare for them. He does not have to fear unexplained and unmanageable health challenges. He found peace. What he asked from his God, he could now create, or control. through science. All he relied on faith and religion for, he now relied on science. the spinoff of religion.

But still, Einstein had to submit to the cosmic constant. Science is itself a hodgepodge of immaterial and sometimes anecdotal conjectures. We have to submit to the idea of gravity, electromagnetism, weak and nuclear forces even though we have absolutely no idea how they all converge to produce the effects we observe but cannot rationally explain. We submitted to the Covid lockdowns and other unpalatable restrictions. I have to submit to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or I’m liable for treason. In return for peace, I have to submit to the laws of the land, to the facts of reality.

This is the peace Islam offers through submission. The same peace we are offered by about every other fact of reality and we gladly oblige given the stakes. And that is what makes Islam a religion of peace even though it does NOT mean peace.

Wind energy often feels like a quiet revolution. No smoke stacks, no coal yards, no immediate drama. Just turbines spinning in the background while industries keep humming. But make no mistake, the backbone of many industrial clusters today rests on reliable renewable power. And in India, one company in particular has shaped this shift with a mix of engineering discipline and practical foresight KP Energy.

When we talk about the Best Wind Company practices, it’s easy to drift into buzzwords about sustainability and green goals. Those matter, of course, but they’re not enough. What matters is whether industries get stable, affordable, long-term electricity that supports their growth without draining resources. KP Energy has been quietly setting benchmarks in this space.

Why Wind Energy Still Matters

There’s a lot of noise around solar, storage, even hydrogen. All promising, all exciting. Yet wind continues to hold its ground. Unlike solar, it doesn’t fade at sunset. In many states, wind patterns align beautifully with industrial demand curves. At night when plants are running shifts, turbines often peak.

Critics sometimes argue wind is land-hungry or inconsistent. They’re not wrong. But the same critics miss the point wind complements other renewables. It reduces volatility, balances grids, and lowers overall costs. That’s exactly why industrial growth in energy-intensive sectors has leaned on wind power far more than headlines suggest.

The Role Of Independent Power Producers

The real shift in India’s energy story happened when Independent Power Producers entered the picture. Instead of leaving it all to government utilities, private players started building projects, managing risks, and delivering power under long-term agreements. This is where the Largest Independent Power Producer models prove their worth.

IPPs, by design, take on the heavy lifting. They invest in land acquisition, transmission connectivity, and plant operations. For industries, it means freedom from the complexities of running their own power plants. They just sign a contract and focus on what they do best manufacturing, processing, scaling.

How KP Energy Built Its Edge

So what sets KP Energy apart from dozens of other developers? In my view, three things stand out.

First, they don’t treat wind projects as isolated assets. They build them as part of an ecosystem linking transmission, substation design, and even hybrid integration where solar fits alongside wind. That kind of thinking is rare.

Second, KP Energy has chosen not to chase scale blindly. Growth is steady, but not reckless. That’s important. Too many companies rush into capacity announcements without securing long-term reliability. Wind farms then underperform, and investors get skittish. KP Energy has taken the slower, sturdier path, which is why their projects keep delivering.

Third, they’ve kept one eye firmly on industrial users. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, KP Energy has specialized in meeting the needs of high-demand consumers who cannot afford downtime. That focus makes them dependable.

Best Practices In Wind Project Development

Best practice is a loaded phrase. It gets thrown around too often. But some truths hold.

One, land acquisition isn’t just about buying plots. It’s about choosing sites with viable wind speeds, community acceptance, and smooth transmission access. KP Energy has earned a reputation for groundwork that prevents future bottlenecks.

Two, project execution is not just about turbines. Civil works, foundations, and road access matter as much as blade length. Poor execution there can cripple an otherwise promising farm.

Three, transparency with clients. Industrial partners don’t want surprises. KP Energy communicates risks, schedules, and outputs in a way that builds trust. That might sound basic, but in the energy sector, clarity is often missing.

Powering Industrial Growth

Walk through an industrial corridor in Gujarat or Maharashtra and you’ll notice something subtle. Factories running day and night, many powered partly or fully by renewable sources. Without consistent power, growth stalls. That’s where KP Energy’s role is felt most.

Wind projects tied into captive or group captive models have lowered energy costs for industries that once depended on volatile grid tariffs. Predictable tariffs translate into competitive advantage. A textile mill competing with exports from Vietnam or Bangladesh doesn’t just need cheaper labor. It needs lower power costs. Wind delivers that buffer.

And let’s not overlook the reputational gain. Global supply chains increasingly demand green credentials.

The Next Step For KP Energy

Where does KP Energy go from here? My hunch is toward hybridization. Wind projects supported by solar during the day, storage smoothing out peaks. Not just bigger capacity, but smarter projects. The direction is clear. Industries want round-the-clock renewable supply, and the only way to get close is by blending resources.

KP Energy is already positioned for this transition. With strong experience in grid connectivity and substation integration, layering new assets onto existing infrastructure won’t be a leap. They may not call themselves the Largest Independent Power Producer yet, but their steady hand suggests they’ll be among the most resilient.

A Few Hard Truths

Wind energy in India still has hurdles. Land rights, changing policies, grid congestion. Not every project will run smoothly. But companies that respect these complexities and build with patience tend to endure. KP Energy has shown the patience.

It’s tempting to glamorize renewables as silver bullets. They’re not. They’re messy, technical, sometimes unpredictable. Yet when executed with discipline, they form the backbone of sustainable industrial growth.

Experience how KP Energy Ltd is powering progress in renewable infrastructure – watch our latest video, Gujarat’s No. 1 BOP Solution Provider in Wind Energy.

Closing Reflection

Best practices aren’t found in glossy brochures. They’re found in how a project behaves ten years after commissioning. In whether a factory sees the lights on through another night shift. In whether a wind farm quietly produces year after year without legal disputes or transmission breakdowns.

That’s the standard by which the Best Wind Company should be judged. And by that standard, KP Energy is powering far more than turbines. It’s powering the very growth of Indian industry.

The US Army War College has conferred a posthumous honour on Late Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja.

Lagbaja, the 23rd Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Nigerian Army, was inducted into the prestigious International Hall of Fame (IHOF).

The recognition took place during the opening ceremony of the ongoing Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Convention at the Walter E. Washington Convention Centre, Washington D.C., United States of America, on Monday.

In a solemn ceremony, the Commandant of the USAWC, Major General Trevor J. Bredenkamp, presented the posthumous honour in acknowledgment of the late General Lagbaja’s sterling leadership, visionary service and exceptional contributions to the advancement of military professionalism and international peace and security.

Acting Director Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, in a statement disclosed that late Lagbaja was one of the six eminent inductees honoured at this year’s event.

‘The induction represents a historic milestone as he became the first ever Nigerian Army officer to be enshrined in the USAWC International Hall of Fame in the institution’s illustrious 124 year history, a testament to his enduring legacy of excellence and service to humanity.’

‘Representing the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, at the ceremony was Major General Adeleke Ayannuga, who received the honour alongside Mrs Maria Abiodun Lagbaja on behalf of the late COAS.

‘Among the dignitaries in attendance were the Director General, Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre, Major General G.O. Adesina; Director General, Defence Headquarters Joint Doctrine and Warfare Centre, Major General G.T.O. Ajetunmobi, Mrs Deborah Aboderin of the Office of Security Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, Abuja.

‘Also present were the Nigerian Defense Attaché to the United States, Army officers undergoing higher professional military education at the National Defense University, Washington D.C, the United States Army War College and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, alongside other senior Nigerian Army officers participating in the AUSA 2025 Annual Convention.

‘The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, expressed profound pride in this singular honour bestowed upon one of the Nigerian Army’s most illustrious and visionary leaders. He affirmed that the recognition not only immortalizes the late Lieutenant General Lagbaja’s distinguished service but also reinforces the Nigerian Army’s commitment to the universal ideals of professionalism, discipline and dedication to global peace and security,’ Anele said in the statement.

The biological father of the late Bilyaminu Bello, who was murdered by his wife, Maryam Sanda, in 2017, has commended the pardon of his daughter-in-law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to him, he had been on a quiet quest to secure freedom for Maryam, who had been on death row since her sentencing for the murder of her husband.

Alhaji Ahmed Bello Isa, who made these revelations in a joint interview conducted on Tuesday in Abuja with Alhaji Garba Sanda, father of Maryam, stated that his motivation was purely humanitarian, and that he wanted his daughter-in-law released so she could look after her two young children, and that executing her would not bring back his son.

He explained that, ‘as a devout Muslim, I had long accepted the tragic incident which has been a subject of public discussion, choosing to forgive and leave judgment to Allah.

‘There is nothing more painful than for someone to lose a son in the way I lost my son, Bilyaminu. However, what gives me some measure of comfort is that he left behind two beautiful children, my granddaughter, Sa’adatu Bilyaminu, and my grandson, Bilyaminu Bilyaminu, named after his father.

‘I have forgiven Maryam who was found guilty of killing my son. Before the end of the trial, I made every effort to let both the Police and the Court know that I did not want her prosecuted, because I did not want a situation where my grandchildren, who had lost their father so tragically, would also lose their mother..

‘I have taken it as the will of Almighty Allah, what happened to my son, and I do not blame Maryam for it. However, now that she has been sentenced to death, I beg in the name of Almighty Allah for mercy. If she is killed, who will take care of her two children? They will grow up as orphans, without a father or a mother’s love,’ he said

Asked about the statement by the family who expressed concerns over the Presidential pardon, he said ‘Anyone has the freedom in his family to express himself but as the biological father, he has forgiven her,”

Also speaking, Alhaji Garba Sanda, father of Maryam, expressed deep gratitude to Alhaji Bello and his entire family for their rare act of compassion, describing it as ‘a true reflection of faith and forgiveness.’

He said: ‘Words cannot describe our appreciation to the Bello family for this gesture of mercy and reconciliation. We continue to pray that something positive may yet emerge from this regrettable tragedy, that our families may heal, and that these children will grow up knowing love from both sides of their family.’

The two families, stated that they have chosen forgiveness, compassion, and faith over pain, and have committed to working together to raise the children in an atmosphere of peace and love.