Anambra State Ministry of Environment is set to partner the state Waste Recyclers on the maiden edition of All Anambra Plastic Waste Recovery Challenge in commemoration of World Environment Day on 5th of June 2023.

This will rid the state off 10,000 tons of plastic waste.

During the partnership interface in Awka recently, the commissioner for Environment, Engineer Felix Odimegwu, stated that plastic pollution is one pressing environmental issues in the state and the world at large, it is a serious global concern which contributes drastically to climate change .

“Millions of plastic waste escape into our waterbodies, causing harm to wildlife, birds and fish

“The plastic recovery challenge is a good initiative that will rid the state of plastic waste, with great enthusiam and commitment, this project will surely be sustained.

“The first, second and third winners will go home with huge prizes, it will be categorized into three subsets urban, semi urban and rural areas.

“All agencies, parastatals affiliated to the environment such as Anambra State Waste Management Agency ASWAMA,Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, ANSEWCCA, will be fully involved ,this is to uphold Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo quest for a clean, green, healthy, liveable and sustainable Environment,” he concluded.

In appreciation, Mr Femi Akinyemi of Anambra State Waste Recyclers Association, ANSWRA expressed his profound gratitude to the State government and the Ministry of Environment for the flagship of this huge project, while promising that the association will put in it’s best to actualize a plastic waste – free Anambra State.

The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has inaugurated the governing board of the FCT Water Board.

The Minister who performed the brief ceremony in Abuja Nigeria’s capital charged the Board to work closely with relevant agencies within the FCTA to deliver on its mandate to residents of the territory.

Malam Bello while congratulating members of the Board on their well-deserved appointment, urged them to bring their wealth of experience to bear in the discharge of their duties.

He appealed to them to prioritize the rehabilitation of the Lower Usuma dam and the on-going Greater Abuja Water project as these projects will not only positively impact on the residents of the Territory but also ensure that the FCT regains its prime position in the provision of clean portable water to the citizenry.

On the Greater Abuja Water Project which the Minister disclosed was at 44.7% completion, also said that on completion, the project will contribute greatly in the evacuation and reticulation of water in the Territory.

Malam Bello who said that the inauguration of the Board was one of his last assignments as FCT Minister also urged work diligently in blocking all forms of leakages and improve its revenue generating capacity and improve the capacity of its employees through training programmes.

He also stressed the need for prompt and proactive maintenance of equipment when the need arises.

The 8 member Board which has Engr Hassan Umar Danjuma as its Chairman and the GM of the FCT Water Board, Engr. Tauheed Amusan will serve as a member while Barr. Patience Omadinihe, Legal Adviser to the FCT Water Board will serve as its secretary.

Present at the event where the Chief of Staff to the Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Borno, Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmed, Director, Department of Human Resources Management, Malam Bashir Mohammed mni and other senior management staff of the FCTA.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), has launched a policy brief on fisheries and aquaculture, to address malnutrition in the country.

Speaking at the launch of the document titled, “Transformation and Future of Aquatic Food Systems in Nigeria,” in Abuja, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, who is represented by the director special project in the ministry Mrs. Fausat Yususf said that it is in the interest of the nation for everyone to champion the success of implementing the policy.

“This is a significant gathering that has brought together all relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian fisheries sector with one objective of attaining the immense potential that aquatic foods can contribute to sustainable healthy diets and addressing the burden of malnutrition in Nigeria.

“Permit me to remind us this gathering of experts that the aquatic environment as we are all aware, is of utmost importance to the survival of mankind and the ecosystem Aside from providing us with food, it is also regulating our climate,” he said.

According to him, aquaculture as everyone is aware is the fastest growing sector to increasing fish production and that he has mandated the department to work towards increasing aquaculture production by an additional 250,000MT since he assumed office, to help create an additional 1.1 million jobs in the sector.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is looking to strengthen their partnership with China as the two countries are renegotiating mining contracts for the DRC’s mineral reserves.

This first State visit to China by the President of the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi, is the latest in a series of diplomatic exchanges between African leaders and Beijing.

Tshisekedi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping announced on Friday that they were upgrading “the bilateral relationship from a win-win strategic cooperative partnership to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

China is a major investor in the DRC, where the Asian power dominates the lucrative mining industry with companies such as Sicomines.

But Mr Tshisekedi has publicly pledged to renegotiate Congolese mining contracts, in particular the one signed in 2008 with China by his predecessor Joseph Kabila (2001-2019), in order to obtain better conditions for his country.

He was greeted by a line of honour and jubilant children between meetings with Mr Xi and Premier Li Qiang.

Mr Li told Mr Tshisekedi that he believed “China-DRC relations will surely achieve greater development and benefit both peoples.”

The large central African country is a major exporter of copper, uranium and cobalt a key ingredient in batteries for consumer goods.

A senior DRC official, Erik Nyindu Kibambe, told reporters in Beijing that the mining renegotiation talks were going “wonderfully”, with the Congolese side hoping for an agreement by the end of this year.

He said they were aiming for a state-to-state agreement, rather than agreements between the DRC and individual mining companies.

Félix Tshisekedi is the latest in a series of African leaders to visit China in recent weeks, following delegations from Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Gabon.

The African continent is at the heart of a struggle for influence between the great powers, China, Russia and the United States, who have all sent their heads of diplomacy to the region for rival diplomatic offensives this year.

Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria.

It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern states of Nigeria, with its rail and important road network.

The population of Kaduna was at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census.

Rapid urbanization since 2005 has created an increasingly large population, as at 2023, the estimated population is 1.1 million.

The project population of people in Kaduna state as at 2021 is 8.9 million people.

History
Kaduna was founded by British colonists in 1900.

The first British governor of Northern Nigeria, Sir Frederick Lugard, chose the present site for development due to its proximity to the Lagos-Kano Railway.

It became the capital of Nigeria’s former Northern Region in 1917 and retained this status until 1967.

The city is still influential as the headquarters of various political, military and cultural organizations especially in northern Nigeria.

Kaduna is a major industrial centre in Northern Nigeria, manufacturing products like textiles, machinery, steel, aluminium, petroleum products and bearings.

However, the textile industry has been in decline due to recent Chinese imports and factory closures caused by years of neglect during the military dictatorship in Nigeria. Other light manufactures include: plastics, pharmaceuticals, leather goods, furniture, and televisions.

Agriculture is also a major industry in Kaduna, and as such, the Bank of Agriculture has its headquarters in the city.[9] Some main agricultural exports include: cotton, peanuts, sorghum, and ginger.

Kaduna also has a branch of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Automobile manufacturing also remains an important part of Kaduna’s economy.

Peugeot Automobiles Nigeria has an assembly plant in Kaduna.

Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), one of Nigeria’s four main oil refineries is located in Kaduna.

It is supplied by a pipeline from the Niger Delta oil fields.

Infrastructure
The infrastructure network in the city are currently being developed under the administration of Nasir el-Rufai.

Kaduna has an inland dry port. The Nigerian military has several installations in the city including the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Airport
The city is served by Kaduna International Airport.

The airport commenced operations in 1982.

The Nigerian Air Force maintains a presence in the city.

Education
Kaduna is popularly known as the centre of learning, as evident from the numerous educational institutions located in the state. Tertiary Institutions in Kaduna city include:

Kaduna State University

Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna

Greenfield University Kaduna

National Open University of Nigeria, Kaduna Study Center

Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna

National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna

School of Midwifery Kaduna

Kaduna Polytechnic (1968), Kaduna

National board for Islamic and Arabic studies

Kaduna Business School

Dialogue Institute Kaduna
Institute of Ophthalmology, National Eye Centre, Kaduna.

National center for nomadic education

Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State

Sant Esteve Church is a Romanesque and partially Gothic church, located at the entrance to the old quarter of the capital city of the small Principality of Andorra, Andorra la Vella.The church dates back from 12th century, however, it was considerably modified in 20th century.Since it has been through significant alterations and enlargements, from the original church there only remains the semicircular apse, part of the walls of the nave and a small apse.The apse is the largest and the most richly decorated in sculptures of the Romanesque apses preserved in Andorra, where it has two double slit windows and the quarter sphere roof is made of pumice stone.Outside, beneath the slate roof, there is a saw tooth frieze from one side to the other and below this another of blind arches, all in Lombard style, supported by a small table with geometrical decorations.All of the walls have been decorated with murals, most likely from 13th century, where today some of them are partially preserved in the National Art Museum of Catalonia.There are also some mural paintings in two private collections, nonetheless, really important to be noted inside the church is the Painting of the Souls from 18th century.The major restoration from 20th century happened in 1940, which was made by the modernist architect Josep Puig.Visible from various points of the capital city, Sant Esteve Church nowadays is a great symbol for this small country which is high in the Pyrenees Mountains, and greets every visitor who would like to learn more about the rich history of Andorra.