Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group, has announced that cement manufacturers in Nigeria have agreed to freeze the price of cement for projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The industrialist made the announcement after a meeting with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Thursday and revealed that the decision to freeze cement prices is a concerted effort by cement manufacturers in the country to contribute to the success of the President’s ambitious development projects.

He said, “Alhaji Aliko Dangote of Dangote Cement approached me, and I concurred with him that we should do everything to support Mr President Renewed Hope Agenda, and we have decided that we are going to freeze the price of cement for any contractor that is involved with the renewed hope project, or projects.

“So, what it means is that any company or anybody that is involved or that is doing a project that is under renewed hope, the price of cement will be frozen. There will be no increase for the foreseeable future. We are doing that to support Mister President’s renewed hope initiative. And that is something that Alhaji Aliko Dangote actually proposed.

“I must say, I must give him credit, and I concur with him. So we’ve agreed. We are going to do that. We are going to send out the letter sometime next week to the ministry. And I also want to commend the Honorable Minister of Works, Engineer Umahi, for the initiative he took to ensure that all the roads are concrete roads.

“Because concrete roads are more durable, they take much longer, you know, in terms of durability and the price is going to be, the cost is going to be cheaper than even bitumen.”

The United States government practices what can be described as segregated policy on visa for people seeking to enter the country. While citizens of some countries pass through ‘hell’ to get visa to travel to the powerful country, people from privileged nations can freely walk into the US and stay up to 90 days under its Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

The US Department of State has list of 41 countries whose citizens are considered qualified to travel to the United States without applying for a traditional visa for business or tourism purposes. In return, those countries must allow US citizens to travel to their territories without a visa for a similar period. The countries are United Kingdom, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Taiwan.

Romania was added on January 9, 2025, but its designation was rescinded on May 2, 2025, before it could be implemented. Argentina and Uruguay previously participated but were later removed from the programme.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, the United Kingdom’s eligibility under the VWP applies only to British citizens with the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man. It does not include British overseas citizens, British dependent territories citizens, or citizens of Commonwealth countries.

The Kogi State Government has launched a climate-resilient oil palm production training aimed at equipping farmers with modern agricultural techniques to combat the effects of climate change.

The workshop held at the Auditorium of the College of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Kabba, Kogi State, was declared open by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Timothy Ojoma who was represented by the Director of Agricultural Services, Kunle Agbana

The Commissioner emphasized that unpredictable rainfall and shifting farming calendars necessitate urgent training for farmers to maintain productivity and high quality in oil palm production.

A statement by Kogi State Government House media team had it that the commissioner reaffirmed Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo’s commitment to agricultural development, citing the successful tractorization of over 8,000 hectares of farmlands and support for 88,000 farmers with free inputs in the past year, with an expansion plan to cover at least 16,000 hectares this year.

Ojoma urged farmers in the state to embrace sustainable agricultural practices and traceability systems to meet international standards, stressing that the future of oil palm production in Kogi State is one that is standardized, traceable, and exportable thereby signaling a new era of agro-economic growth for the state.

Similarly, Director of Research and Head of Extension and Economics at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Olusegun Solomon, emphasized the vast potential of oil palm to generate wealth, create jobs, and strengthen agro-industrial value chains.

He noted that every part of the oil palm tree holds economic value, including the palm kernel shells which he noted is now in high demand globally.

Solomon announced the distribution of 1,000 improved oil palm seedlings worth ₦2.5 million to farmers in Kogi west senatorial district with plans to replicate the initiative in Kogi East in the coming weeks.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Kogi West Oil Palm Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, Moses Olorunnipa, commended the initiative as a game-changer for local farmers and Nigerian youth.

He urged young people in the state to collaborate, invest in processing and harvesting equipment, and tap into the vast and untapped potential of the oil palm industry for sustainable income and job creation.

The workshop & training brought together stakeholders, farmers, and agricultural experts to address challenges posed by unpredictable weather conditions and shifting farming calendars.