From: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in Mosan-Okunola LCDA, Alimosho, Lagos State have raised alarm over an alleged attempt to impose a female candidate as the Council Chairman.
This was contained in a statement signed by Head Of Concerned Progressive Mosan Okunola LCDA Leaders,Comr. Yusuf Abdullahi Olayiwola and made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.
This comes after a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting held at ACME, triggering widespread concerns over internal democracy and credible leadership succession in the LCDA.
He alleged that, the woman at the center of the controversy has been parading herself as the favored consensus candidate for the chairmanship position—even before the party’s official deliberations at the ACME meeting.
“Abisco’s two-term tenure has faced widespread criticism across the LCDA. Party stakeholders describe her administration as underwhelming and divisive, citing multiple abandoned infrastructure projects, lack of developmental milestones, and unresolved internal party conflicts that weakened APC’s presence in the last general elections.
He opined, “Her leadership, once symbolically celebrated as female-driven, has now become a reference point for poor governance and exclusionary politics.
“Her posture has unsettled many party faithfuls, particularly considering her current role and long-standing internal rivalry with the outgoing chairman, Hon. Princess Olabisi Adebajo, popularly known as Abisco.”
These leadership failures, according to him, had a measurable impact on the APC’s performance in the 2023 general elections, lamenting that the Party suffered significant losses to opposition parties in key wards within Mosan-Okunola, with many loyal voters either staying away from the polls or shifting their allegiance out of frustration.
HortiNigeria trains 70,000 farmers, mobilises £4m for horticulture growth
HortiNigeria, a non-governmental organisation, has announced that it has trained over 70,000 farmers and mobilised £4 million since its inception in 2021 to strengthen Nigeria’s horticulture sector and stimulate economic growth.
Mr Mohammed Idris, Programme Director of HortiNigeria, made this known at the ongoing workshop for financial institutions in collaboration with the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in Abuja.
The workshop is themed “Unlocking Sustainable Finance for the Horticulture Sector”.
Idris explained that the HortiNigeria programme is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented through a consortium led by the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC).
It has also supported Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with tools to aid their growth.
He emphasised that in spite of agriculture’s contribution to Nigeria’s economic growth and job creation, the sector receives less than six per cent of total commercial bank lending.
“The horticulture sub-sector, in particular, continues to suffer from neglect due to perceived risks associated with perishability, market volatility, and seasonality,” he said.
He said the four-day workshop aims to equip financial institutions to better understand and invest in horticultural value chains.
“The training is designed to equip financial institutions with practical knowledge on structuring inclusive horticulture financing products, mitigating risk, and unlocking investments for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses.
“It is expected to lead to the development of tailored financial products for horticultural enterprises, increased lending and investment in the sector, and stronger partnerships between banks and agricultural actors, all within a de-risked ecosystem supported by NIRSAL’s tools, frameworks, and guarantees,” Idris stated.(NAN)
