Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Senate on has taken a major step towards strengthening Nigeria’s food system, receiving committee reports on three key bills designed to boost local production and reduce the country’s heavy reliance on imports.

Presenting the reports at the floor of the hallow chamber during plenary on Tuesday, Senator Saliu Mustapha, who represents Kwara Central and chairs the Senate Committee on Agricultural Production Services and Rural Development, outlined the far-reaching impact of the proposed legislation.

The bills under consideration include the National Food Reserve Agency Bill and the Mandatory Cassava Inclusion in Flour Production Bill, both sponsored by Mustapha as well as the National Rice Council Board Bill sponsored by Senator Adamu Aliero representing Kebbi Central in the National Assembly.

Mustapha described the Bills as critical interventions that align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda in ensuring food security for the Nation as well as Job Creation in the agricultural sector while strengthening the agricultural value chain

Explaining the intent of each Bill, the lawmaker noted that the Food Reserve Agency Bill seeks to establish a national system for storing grains and stabilizing market prices.

The Cassava Inclusion Bill, he said, will mandate a minimum of 20 percent cassava content in flour production, a move aimed at cutting down Nigeria’s dependence on imported wheat.

On the rice sector, Mustapha emphasized on the urgency of reform, pointing out that Nigeria spends an estimated $2 billion annually on rice imports.

The proposed National Rice Council Board Bill, he said, is designed to reverse that trend by coordinating production, processing, and distribution across the country.

“The goal is to build a full agricultural value chain, from farm to reserve, to processing,” Mustapha said.

He however stressed that the measures would enhance economic stability and promote self-sufficiency.

The Senate unanimously passed the Bills, which will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence before being transmitted to the President for assent.

• Say treatment unfair, calls for urgent redress

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The people of Moro local government area in Kwara State, under the aegis of the Moro Descendants Development Union (MODDU), have decried the exclusion of their traditional institutions in the recent upgrading of traditional rulers in the State.

Speaking with journalists in Shao on Wednesday, the President of the socio-cultural organisation, Professor Reuben Kehinde Akano, lamented that the state government excluded the local government area from all its grading, re-grading and upgrading of traditional institutions and rulers from 2003 till date.

The people, who described the treatment as unfair, appealed to the state government to summon the political will and treat all local government areas as equal by restoring the rights and dignity of the people of Moro local government area as being done to the other local governments and as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

MODDU also lamented that out of the five local government areas in the Kwara North Senatorial District, namely Baruten, Edu, Kaiama, Moro and Patigi, it is only the Moro local government area that does not have a graded chief and traditional council at present.

He added: “Baruten and Kaiama Local Governments, whose people are Baruba and Bokobaru, have four First Class Chiefs each and several other classes. Edu and Patigi too have four First Class Chiefs each and they are mainly Nupe. Why is it that only Moro Local Government, whose people are mainly Yoruba the only local government in the Kwara North Senatorial District being deprived as their traditional rulers are not graded?

“We, hereby appeal to the State Government to urgently correct these ungodly imbalance and
anomalies in order to prevent negative experiences which have been witnessed in other places
in the country. We want to advise that the Kwara State Government should be seen to be treating all Local Government Areas of the State equally by upholding the provisions of the constitution and be open-minded to creating avenues for even developments including the welfare of traditional rulers in Moro Local Government Area as done in other parts of Kwara State in particular and Northern States of Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe and Katsina among others.”

The people implored people of goodwill to prevail on the Kwara State Government to summon the political will and begin to treat all Local Government Areas as equal by restoring the rights and dignity of the people of Moro Local
Government Area as being done to the other Local Government Areas of the State and as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The people also called for the “implementation of the State Government White Paper of 17th
December, 1987 which directed that the appointment of District Heads for Moro Local Government Area should be stopped and appointment made among the the indigenes of the local government area and
immediate remedy to the de-grading injustice done to Moro Local Government Area, by first restoring the Ohoro of Shao and Oba of Jebba to their pre-1984 of 3rd Class status.

“And immediate upgrading of the duo of Ohoro of Shao and Oba of Jebba to First Class status to meet up with their counterparts in the State like Olupako of Share, Olusin of Isin, Olosi of Osi of the 1983 Cadre, because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

“Immediate recognition and grading of the following traditional rulers in Moro Local Government Area namely Okutala, Lanwa, Bielesin, Malete, Bode Saadu, Igbo Emu,
Sheji, Malete and over three one hundred Baale and Mogajis in Moro among others.”

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Kwara State Police Command has recorded a breakthrough in its fight against car theft, successfully recovering a stolen vehicle in Ilorin through the use of advanced technology.

The incident, which occurred on April 27, 2026, was reported to the Anti-Car Theft Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Ilorin after a Toyota Matrix was stolen from a parking space at Mandate Market around 11:00 a.m.

According to the Command’s spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, operatives swung into action immediately after receiving the report at about 2:00 p.m., deploying an integrated tracking and immobilisation system linked to the vehicle’s security device.

“The technology enabled real-time tracking of the vehicle and remote immobilisation of its engine, which greatly enhanced our recovery efforts,” she said.

The police traced the vehicle to the Jebba Expressway area, where it was found abandoned by the roadside. Further checks revealed that the suspects had attempted to evade detection by changing the vehicle’s registration number, while the original plate number was discovered nearby.

“The swift recovery highlights the Command’s growing capacity to integrate technology into policing and crime prevention,” the spokesperson added.

The recovered vehicle has since been moved to the SCID headquarters in Ilorin for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest those responsible for the theft.

The Command reaffirmed its resolve to strengthen intelligence-led policing and the use of modern tools to tackle crime and safeguard residents across Kwara State.