Breaking News
Food Prices Drop: Farmers in dilemma over loans, hajj payments
Food Prices Drop: Farmers in dilemma over loans, hajj payments....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
For farmers, especially those in rural areas of Niger State, this harvest season brings little joy. The season instead marks the beginning of a fresh struggle shaped by falling food prices and rising production costs, while government measures appear to favour consumers at the expense of local producers.
Many rural farmers say they feel forgotten in national economic planning. They argue that policies are often designed without considering the realities of farming communities, including poor infrastructure, lack of access to credit, limited storage facilities and weak market access.
Experts, however, warn that if the situation persists, many farmers may reduce production or abandon farming altogether, a development that could deepen food security challenges in the future.
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Debt, broken aspirations
Several farmers told our correspondent that they are currently struggling to repay loans taken during the planting season as creditors have begun taking stringent measures, including arrests.
They noted that while the prices of farm produce continue to crash, the prices of the goods they need to purchase remain high.
Farmers told Weekend Trust that their primary hopes after harvest were to perform the hajj pilgrimage, build or renovate homes and buy motorcycles to ease movement to their farms. However, the continuous fall in prices has placed these aspirations beyond reach.
While lower food prices have put smiles on the faces of consumers, the situation is devastating for the producers.
High fuel prices have also increased transportation costs, eating deeply into their remaining profits.
Hajj, marriage plans stalled
In one village in Niger State, 17 farmers reportedly paid for hajj seats in 2025 through the sale of produce. However, not a single farmer from that same village has been able to pay this year despite a bumper harvest, according to Mallam Hussaini Abdullahi, a farmer in Gbako Local Government Area.
A staff member of the Niger State Pilgrims Welfare Board confirmed to Weekend Trust that significantly, fewer farmers have come forward to deposit money for the 2026 pilgrimage compared to 2025.
Mohammed Sani Idris Kodo, a farmer in Bosso Local Government, said the falling prices were already fueling rural-urban migration.
“Next farming season, many farmers will not be able to go to the field because farming is a business, and right now, farmers are running at a loss. A bag of paddy rice is between N30,000 and N40,000. How can you pay back loans?” He asked.
Female farmers in the region expressed similar frustrations.
Zara’u Usman from Bosso Local Government Area noted, “A mudu of millet is N350 but a bottle of palm oil is N2,000. How do we buy cloths and other necessities?”
Jamila Ibrahim added that she had hoped to buy a new mattress and renovate her room but expressed frustration. She said, “I wanted to buy a new bed and was told it cost N250,000. How is that possible when a bag of maize is now N20,000?”
In Beji, Abbas Audu shared that five of his siblings postponed their weddings. “We wanted to build rooms for the brides but the prices of zinc, nails and cement are too high. Those who built rooms have resorted to thatch for roofing because zinc is beyond our reach.”
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The Federal Ministry of Works has outlined plans to allocate more than N500 million for programmes aimed at training hairdressers and make-up artists, distributing grinding machines, motorcycles, mini-vans, and conducting anti-drug abuse awareness campaigns across selected states in Nigeria.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Details of the proposed spending are outlined in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which was uploaded on the Budget Office’s website and accessed on Thursday.
Analysis of the budget shows that these items and initiatives are distributed across various geopolitical zones of the country.
According to the document, under budget item code ERGP 12234747, the ministry intends to spend N35 million on providing an unspecified number of grinding machines to women in Ndokwa/Ukwani Federal Constituency, located in the South-South zone.
Similarly, another N35 million has been set aside to train and empower women in hairdressing, make-up, and soap production in Mikang/Shandam/Qua’an Pan Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the North-Central zone.
The budget also includes a proposal to allocate N70 million for skill acquisition and trade equipment provision to youths, women, and seven retirees in Inyamaltu/Deba area of Gombe State in the North-East.
Additionally, the ministry plans to spend N70 million on supplying mini pick-up vans, mini shuttle buses, and motorcycles to constituents in Abakaliki Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, in the South-East.
Another component involves training, sensitisation, advocacy, and youth empowerment programmes against drug abuse in Zamfara State, which falls in the North-West, among several other constituency-level projects outlined in the budget.
The inclusion of these empowerment initiatives in the Federal Ministry of Works’ 2026 budget has sparked debate and raised questions about the appropriateness of such allocations within the ministry’s mandate.
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Art & Commercial students don’t fail JAMB because they’re dull. They fail because they’re taught like Science students. Science students calculate — JAMB rewards that. Art students explain — JAMB doesn’t. So you read hard, attend lessons, yet your score disappoints you. This online class fixes that. No theory overload. No confusion. Just real JAMB questions, clear breakdowns, and winning strategies. 📌 JAMB is not hard — you were just taught the wrong way.Click The Link To Reach Us Now 👉 https://wa.me/2349063958940
Breaking News
Edo Protest Saga: Finally Detained Ambrose Alli University AAU Students Regain Freedom
Students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, who were arrested and remanded at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre over a recent protest, have been released alongside other detainees.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The release was confirmed in a statement released on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, Patrick Ebojele.
The students were among 52 persons remanded by a Benin High Court on charges bordering on malicious damage and armed robbery.
They were arrested after a peaceful protest against insecurity in Ekpoma last Saturday turned violent.
Hoodlums reportedly hijacked the protest, attacking traders, setting tyres ablaze and blocking roads, scenes which were captured in viral videos on social media.
Okpebholo met with the released students and other affected persons during a stakeholders’ engagement at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Benin, where he assured them of his administration’s commitment to dialogue, reforms and the development of Ambrose Alli University.
The governor said he was deeply pained by the violence, especially given his resolve to revive the university.
The governor said, “I was highly in pain when I saw what was happening in my place. The day I was sworn in, I said I was going to revive Ambrose Alli University.
“They were paying light bills, water, printing, salaries and everything from ₦41 million, which was not enough for anything at all. But on record, one consultant was receiving ₦59 million under the last administration, while the entire university community was receiving ₦41 million.”
He added that his administration increased the subvention to ₦500m as part of efforts to reposition the institution.
He said, “Since then, it has been about how to revive the school, how to move the school forward and how to reposition it again.”
The governor also disclosed that outstanding salary and wage arrears owed to AAU staff stood at about ₦41bn, noting that plans were underway to gradually offset the debt.
He cautioned students against allowing themselves to be used by criminal elements, urging them to focus on their studies and pursue peaceful engagement.
He said, “Somebody said he is a student, and he protests. What are you protesting for? Don’t allow yourself to be used. Read your books so that you can be like us.”
Okpebholo acknowledged the security challenges facing Ekpoma and other parts of the country, describing insecurity as a collective problem.
He, however, said investigations revealed that many criminal activities around Ekpoma were carried out by locals.
The governor condemned the destruction of shops and looting during the protest, describing such actions as counterproductive.
He said, “The same way you are afraid of your life, is the same way I am afraid of my life. Kidnappers do not know the status of anybody, and so it’s a common problem we all have.”
He assured residents and students that criminals would not be allowed to find safe haven in Edo State.
Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu, praised the governor for facilitating the release of the students and choosing dialogue over force.
Other speakers at the meeting also commended the governor’s intervention and commitment to education and peace.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa; the Chief of Staff, Gani Audu; the Minister of Youth; the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Youth Engagement; and other top government officials.
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Art & Commercial students don’t fail JAMB because they’re dull. They fail because they’re taught like Science students. Science students calculate — JAMB rewards that. Art students explain — JAMB doesn’t. So you read hard, attend lessons, yet your score disappoints you. This online class fixes that. No theory overload. No confusion. Just real JAMB questions, clear breakdowns, and winning strategies. 📌 JAMB is not hard — you were just taught the wrong way.Click The Link To Reach Us Now 👉 https://wa.me/2349063958940
Breaking News
Drama as man catches girlfriend with another man, removes her belongings from apartment
A dramatic scene unfolded after a man paid an unannounced visit to his girlfriend’s residence and caught her with another man inside the apartment.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
According to accounts circulating online, the boyfriend, who was said to have rented the apartment for the woman, arrived without prior notice and discovered the situation, leading to a heated confrontation.
Following the incident, the man reportedly decided to remove the woman’s belongings from the apartment, insisting that he had the right to do so since he was the one who paid for and secured the accommodation.
One netizen, @dammiedammie35 said:
“Her boyfriend visited without informing her and caught her with another guy inside her room. Then the boyfriend decided to take her things out of the apartment since he was the one that rented the apartment for her”
Check out reactions …
@queenie_baybe said: “Women don’t learn
Never collect a rented house, bought phone and the rest
Tell him you already have some money that needs completing, run the process yourself”
@RealMoses17 wrote: “Na my fear be this. My bae even say ma help her rent house n pay her skul fees. Make una advice me”
@QingBankse said: “this’s exactly what did to one mumu wey call her self my girlfriend in 2022, omo na dyna bus i use come pack everything send am to village asap, ontop foam wey i buy, you go dey there dey fu??ck another man pr..eek wetin do the guy house, god dey punish you, lol i even park the onec wey no be me buy self”
Watch video below …
Her boyfriend visited without informing her and caught her with another guy inside her room. Then the boyfriend decided to take her things out of the apartment since he was the one that rented the apartment for her🧎🏻♂️➡️ pic.twitter.com/PCDWuV5vt1
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) January 15, 2026
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Art & Commercial students don’t fail JAMB because they’re dull. They fail because they’re taught like Science students. Science students calculate — JAMB rewards that. Art students explain — JAMB doesn’t. So you read hard, attend lessons, yet your score disappoints you. This online class fixes that. No theory overload. No confusion. Just real JAMB questions, clear breakdowns, and winning strategies. 📌 JAMB is not hard — you were just taught the wrong way.Click The Link To Reach Us Now 👉 https://wa.me/2349063958940
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