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Kalu meets Okonjo-Iweala, seeks WTO’s collaboration in boosting export of primary products

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu has solicited the cooperative efforts of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in boosting the exportation of primary products from Nigeria and Africa in general.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Levinus Nwabughiogu stated that Kalu made the call, Monday, when he visited the Director-General of the WTO, Nigeria’s Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Geneva on the sidelines of the ongoing 148th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentry Union (IPU) in Switzerland.
The Deputy Speaker who accompanied the Senate President and leader of the Nigerian delegation to the IPU assembly, Senator Godswill Akpabio to the headquarters of WTO raised concerns about a downward slope of export of primary products from Africa to other parts of the world.
He said that most businessmen from the shore of Africa encountered challenges marketing the products due to aflatoxins that come in contact with them before reaching their destinations, especially within the framework of “The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA)” which ultimately provides duty-free treatment to goods of designated sub-Saharan African countries (SSAs).
Available report describes aflatoxins are various poisonous carcinogens and mutagens that are produced by certain molds, particularly Aspergillus species.
The fungi grow in soil, decaying vegetation and various staple foodstuffs and commodities such as hay, sweetcorn, wheat, millet, sorghum, cassava, rice, chili peppers, cottonseed, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and various spices.
Kalu therefore solicited the help of the WTO to set up centres in Africa for the treatments of the primary products packaged for export.
“Africa is interested in exporting our primary products. We have always had issues with these primary products we are exporting. Aflatoxins, I don’t know what you are putting together to help these products reduce that because it’s one of the complaints about products coming from Africa. I don’t know if there will be centres around Africa where businessmen who cannot afford to do this decontamination will get that particular centre and detoxify their products to be able to meet the quality specifications before selling them off. Is WTO interested in this and how much so. Are there programmes designed to be able to facilitate this? Kalu enquired.
Responding to Kalu’s enquiries, the DG, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said that WTO is aware of development and is also eager to assisting countries implement their respective protocols on the issue.
“At the WTO, we have been heavily promoting something we called re-globalization. We are trying to persuade supply chains of companies located outside Africa, we are trying to tell them that this also a good place. WTO is very much aware. Many of the rules are built based on our rules. So, we have an interest in keeping in touch and making sure any country that wants to request our help to implement their protocols and so on will be able to do that. And we hope it will take off in a good way. Now, one big thing we have to watch is, we cannot all trade the same thing to each other. We are growing primary products. We are not going to trade Cocoa to Cote D’Ivoire. We can trade oil because most of them want oil but we don’t just want to trade that”, she said.
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Nigeria’s inflation jumps to 24.23% in March 2025

Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 24.23% in March 2025, according to the official government data source, the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The rise in the country’s inflation rate, from 23.18% back in February 2025 to 24.23% in March 2025, reflected a major increase in the rising commodity and energy costs in the last few weeks.
According to the March 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) Report which measures the inflation rate released by the government agency on Tuesday, the country’s food inflation rate was 21.79% year-on-year in March 2025.
The food inflation rate, however, showed a decrease compared to the food inflation rate of 23.51% recorded in February 2025.
Economists had predicted that the country’s inflation rate which decreased minimally in February would rise when the Dangote Refinery and the state-run NNPCL got entangled in a petrol price war that culminated in the temporary termination of a naira-for crude agreement between the two oil companies and the subsequent increase in the pump price of petrol.
Some observers had also said the minimal reduction in the prices of food commodities experienced earlier in February was not sustainable, attributing the temporary decline in the prices of food to the importation intervention of the Federal Government.
Food and commodity inflation have skyrocketed as Nigerians battle what can pass for the worst cost of living crisis since the country’s independence over six decades ago, a development that economic wizards have attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of the forex rates.
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Plateau 51: Mutfwang mourns, says “we failed you”, begs affected community

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has apologised to the people of Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) for the failure of government and security agencies to protect lives and properties.
Fifty-one persons were gunned down early Monday in the Zikke community of the LGA, with houses razed and many displaced about two weeks after a similar attack led to the killing of scores of persons in Bokkos Local Government Area.
Less than two days after the most recent assault, Governor Mutfwang apologised for the government’s inability to protect the people.
Fifty-one persons were gunned down early Monday in the Zikke community of the LGA, with houses razed and many displaced about two weeks after a similar attack led to the killing of scores of persons in Bokkos Local Government Area.
Less than two days after the most recent assault, Governor Mutfwang apologised for the government’s inability to protect the people.
The governor said this on Tuesday at the palace of the Paramount Ruler in Miango.
“I will tell you the truth: I have been crying since yesterday because I had trusted God that all the arrangements were put in place, that this will not happen again. We have made investments in security,” he said.
But like all human arrangements, sometimes they fail. I want to admit that on Sunday night into Monday morning, we failed you. Please, forgive me.”
He urged the people not to relent in their efforts to secure their communities and ensure that they complement security agencies’ efforts by providing vital information for intelligence gathering and expose the antics of the criminals.
Governor Mutfwang, in the company of security chiefs and members of the state executive council, was in Zikke community to commiserate with the people on the death of over fifty persons killed in Monday’s attacks.
The Paramount Ruler of Irigwe land, Ronku Aka, who is the Brangwe of Irigwe, urged the government to come to the aid of the communities with the provision of social amenities in the area.
The governor and the entourage also went to see some of the families who lost their loved ones in the attack. The victims have been buried just as members of the community demanded action to stem the rising wave of insecurity in the state.
Plateau State has been a hotbed of attacks, but the renewed spate of attacks adds a fresh layer of twist to the decades-long crisis rocking the North-Central state.
After the most recent assaults, President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to fish out the masterminds, describing the attacks as condemnable.
While experts have linked the lingering Plateau crisis to farmers-herders tussle for resources, Governor Muftwang said it was sponsored and genocidal.
According to him, over 64 communities in the state have been taken over by gunmen.
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