CBN Unveils Strategy to Cut Wheat Importation by 60% in Two Years Initiative to save $2bn FX annually James Emejo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday flagged-off the first ever rain-fed wheat programme in the country, which aims to slash the importation of the commodity by 60 per cent in two years.
The initiative is also expected to save the country $2 billion annually in foreign exchange. Speaking in Jos, Plateau State, during the unveiling ceremony for the Nigerian Brown Revolution, which is a central bank wheat value chain intervention, CBN
Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said following the successes in the Anchor Borrowers' Programme (ABP), the apex bank decided to extend the gains recorded in the rice and maize value chains to wheat production. He said the plan was to
ultimately eliminate wheat importation or reduce it to an insignificant contributor to the country’s total food import bill, adding that the wheat programme would benefit over 150,000 farmers. He also said the programme
would be implemented in 15 states on about 180,000 hectares of land. Emefiele said the programme would address the impact of wheat importation on foreign exchange. Represented at the occasion by CBN Deputy Governor, Corporate
Services Directorate, Mr. Edward Adamu, the CBN governor said the country spends about $2 billion annually importing 5.2 metric tonnes of the commodity to meet local demand. Continued on page 10
Senate in a Resolution, Condemns Invasion of Justice Odili's Home... Page 5 Wednesday 10 November, 2021 Vol 26. No 9711. Price: N250
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N'Assembly Okays Electronic Transmission of Results, Direct Primary Expresses optimism that Buhari will sign bill into law PDP kicks, says no party has right to impose its processes on another huks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale and Emameh Gabriel in Abuja The National Assembly has adopted
the electronic transmission of election results in line with the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Similarly, the legislative body also resolved that political parties should adopt direct primary as mode of electing their candidates for elective
offices. The adoption of direct primary option, even though has not gone down well with some segments of
the political class, readily reminds Nigerians of Option A4 used in the third republic. It was one of the most successful mode of
conducting both primary and the election proper in 1993 and led to Continued on page 12
After Ihiala, Soludo emerges Anambra Governor-elect I’ll never disappoint you, says winner
Total votes scored by front line parties:
43,285 PDP 53,807 APC
APGA 112,229 YPP
21,261
Total number of valid votes cast: 241,523 Total number of rejected votes: 8,108 Total votes cast in the election: 249,631 Nseobong Okon-Ekong, Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo and David-Chyddy Eleke Candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has emerged Anambra State governor-elect, after winning
yesterday’s supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state with 8,283 votes. Thus, overall, Soludo won 19 out of the 21 local governments in the state and polled a total of 112,229 votes to defeat his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Continued on page 12
Prof Charles Soludo
Lagos Tops Chart as States Raked in N849.12bn IGR in First Half... Page 8