BusinessDay 12 Dec 2017

6 BUSINESS DAY C002D5556
NEWS
Stakeholders call for more SARS
posting to Rivers to save economy
… as SARS arrests 1,000 armed hoodlums with 200 AK-47 in 12 months
IGNATIUS CHUKWU
Some stakeholders in
Rivers State say to
rescue the economy
of the oil-rich state,
the security must be
fixed first. They have therefore
called for posting of operatives
of the Special Anti-
Robbery Squad (SARS) to
help business people retake
the streets hitherto taken
over by hoodlums.
All of last week, gunmen
shot in the open in parts of
the state capital robbing shop
owners serially. Some of the
leaders said the economy of
the state had crashed due to
insecurity.
Now, top leaders including
the prince of Kalabari
kingdom, Tonye Princewill,
have demanded for posting
of more SARS operatives to
the troubled state. This is as
the police chief in the state,
Zaki Ahmed, has revealed
that SARS has so far arrested
1000 armed and violent persons
with 200 Ak-47.
The demand for more
SARS was declared in Port
Harcourt, the Rivers State
capital, Monday morning,
December 11, 2017, by
hundreds of protesters who
headed to the Moscow Road
headquarters of the police.
Those who used to protest
against SARS used to end at
the Government House in
Port Harcourt, not far from
Moscow Road.
Princewill, former Labour
Party governorship candidate
in the state, however
stressed the need to reform
SARS based on complains by
some sections of the public,
but kicked against the call for
it to be scrapped.
Princewill stated that the
precarious security situation
in the state makes it imperative
for more SARS operatives
to be deployed to the state to
stem criminality.
Another Rivers leader,
the 2015 Rivers State APC
deputy governorship candidate,
Asita Honourable
Asita, revealed that some of
those protesting for the stay
of SARS were victims of violent
crimes in the state such
as kidnapping, robbery, attempted
assassination.
He said they have lost
family members due to activities
of criminals, which
SARS have tried to checkmate.
Asita stressed that if
SARS was scrapped, living in
the State might become hellish
for residents and businesses.
Receiving the protesters,
Ahmed said contrary to the
negative campaign against
SARS, the police unit has
since January till date, arrested
over 1000 suspected
armed robbers out of whom
about 500 are being prosecuted
in court. He further
added that over 200 assorted
lethal weapons including AK-
47 have been recovered.
Boost for local rice production as Amarava Rice Mill, Kano, comes on stream
DANIEL OBI
A
new 288 metric
tons per day capacity
Amarawa Rice
Mill has been inaugurated
by President Muhammadu
Buhari. The mill
is expected to be a major
boost to local rice production
in the country’s quest to
attain self-sufficiency in rice
production and reduce importation
of the commodity
to the barest minimum.
Owned and operated
by Amarava Agro Processors
Limited, a subsidiary
of Fullmark Group, the new
factory is the first madein-Nigeria
rice mill with all
fabrications and installations
of the factory made in
Kano, with almost 100 percent
local content.
Speaking during the inauguration
of the factory
Obaseki swears in 19 female aides, tasked them to improve women’s conditions
Governor of Edo State,
Godwin Obaseki, has
charged the 19 new
female aides to do all
within their power to improve
the socio-economic conditions
of women across the state.
Obaseki gave the charge on
Monday during the swearing
in ceremony of the special adviser
and 18 special assistants
on Gender, at the Government
House in Benin City.
He urged the appointees
not to see their appointments
as an opportunity to make
some people happy, but a
chance to change the circumstances
of women, who are
about 50 per cent of the state’s
population, for the better.
Congratulating the appointees,
the governor said
that any society that seeks
rapid progress and development
must not ignore or isorecently,
President Muhammadu
Buhari in a statement
commended the management
of Fullmark Group for
its effort, which he noted
was in line with the agricultural
revolution of his government
to reduce importation
of rice by encouraging
local farmers and investors.
President Buhari noted
that investment in Rice Mills
would encourage and boost
the confidence of the local
rice farmers and a right
step in the right direction
in moving Nigeria closer to
complete independence
from importation of rice and
improve food security across
the country.
He explained that, “Nigeria’s
continued dependence
on rice importation has put
a strain on the economy as
well as the nation’s food flow
as a substantial amount of
late the women.
“Women represent 50
per cent if not more of our
population. There must be
more women representation
in everything we do if
we want progress and development,”
he said.
The governor explained
that there are lots of gender
issues in the society that the
Ministry of Women Affairs and
Social Development alone,
cannot handle, hence the
need for the appointment of a
Special Adviser and 18 Special
Assistants on gender, who will
be reporting issues affecting
women to his office.
“I need 19 sets of eyes to
help me see and identify what is
happening with women across
the state. Women are powerful
economic units and social mobilisers
who can change our society.
We should create the aveour
foreign exchange goes
into rice importation yearly.
With this mill in operation,
Nigeria would continue to
progress towards food selfsufficiency.”
Also speaking at the
inauguration of the factory,
the chairman of Fullmark
Group Sriram Venkateswaran
revealed that
the entire idea of the project
was conceived, designed,
manufactured, executed
from start-to-finish in Kano,
Nigeria.
Explaining the production
capacity of the factory,
Sriram disclosed that
Amarava Agro Processors
Limited has the capacity to
produce up to 288 metric
tonnes of top quality perboiled
rice per day when
operating in full capacity
but it’s currently producing
250 metric tonnes per day.
nue to reach out to them, know
what they are going through
and not only to use them for
political gains. We need to support
them to do more for themselves,”
he advised. He urged
the aides to report to his office
monthly with the challenges
facing women in their various
local government areas.
“I want to know what is
happening to our women in
the market, hospitals, their
children’s education and issues
that relate to human
trafficking in your local government
areas.”
Speaking on behalf of appointees,
the special adviser
on Gender,. Efosa Uyigue, expressed
their gratitude to the
governor for honouring them
with the new positions and assured
of their readiness to contribute
their quota to improving
the lives of women in the state.
Tuesday 12 December 2017