Business
Fish farmers to new NAIC boss: ‘Your appointment must bring real change, not just promises’
A coalition of aquaculture professionals under the aegis of National Aquaculture Professionals Alliance (NAPA) has welcomed the appointment of Yazeed Shehu Danfulani as the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC), but with a clear message: it must not be business as usual.
In a statement signed by its President, Engr. Ibrahim Ayotola Bamidele, the group applauded President Bola Tinubu for what it described as a “strategic choice”.
But while NAPA acknowledged the appointment as a potential turning point, it stressed that farmers are tired of symbolic appointments that fail to deliver results on the ground.
“For years, fish farmers have suffered in silence—plagued by floods, disease outbreaks, and unpredictable production costs—with little to no insurance support,” Bamidele said.
“Mr. Danfulani’s appointment is a moment of renewed hope, but it must lead to action.”
The group pointed out that NAIC, despite its mandate, has remained distant from everyday farmers, especially smallholder aquaculture operators who form the backbone of Nigeria’s protein supply chain.
“The truth is, NAIC has been largely invisible to grassroots farmers. This is the time to change that,” Bamidele stated, calling on Danfulani to break from the past and usher in a new era of practical insurance schemes that are accessible, affordable, and timely.
He argued that Danfulani’s background in finance, agriculture, and enterprise development gives him an edge — but only if it’s matched with the political will to reform NAIC into a truly farmer-focused institution.
According to Bamidele, the sector has the potential to contribute significantly to food security, foreign exchange earnings, and employment if it is properly supported with risk mitigation tools like insurance.
“The reason many young Nigerians avoid agriculture is because of the risks. But if NAIC is repositioned under Danfulani to offer responsive insurance schemes and timely payouts, more people will be willing to invest in farming,” Bamidele noted.
The group called on the new NAIC leadership to prioritise stakeholder engagement and bridge the existing gap between the agency and farmers at the grassroots.
“We urge Mr. Danfulani to work closely with associations like ours. Let NAIC move from being a name on paper to being a visible support system for farmers across Nigeria. Organise sensitisation drives. Meet us where we are — in hatcheries, ponds, and markets,” the group said.
The government in Hanoi has ordered the closure of bank accounts lacking biometric verification, affecting over 86 million accounts.
Starting September 1, Vietnam has decided to permanently close more than 86 million bank accounts that did not comply with the new facial biometric authentication requirements. The remaining 113 million accounts have been subjected to verification under the new anti-fraud and anti-money laundering regulations.
The situation has particularly impacted foreigners residing in the Asian country. A Reddit user, a former international contractor, reported being forced to return to Vietnam in person to avoid the closure of his HSBCaccount, as remote solutions for biometric verification were not available.
“This is a very insidious way to do a bail-in while also increasing the surveillance state,”commented Marty Bent.
According to Daniel Batten, researcher and co-founder of CH4 Capital, these measures give the Vietnamese central bank “next-gen financial surveillance ability.”
The Hanoi government justified the introduction of the new rules by citing the increased use of generative AI and sophisticated spoofing techniques to bypass banking security systems. Last May, local police dismantled a laundering network that used fake facial scans and had moved approximately 1,000 billion Vietnamese dong ($39 million).
The new regulations require facial biometric authentication for first-time registration and online transfers over 10 million dong ($379), while combined transactions exceeding 20 million dong ($758) always require biometric verification.
The National Industrial Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) from blocking Nigerian roads, or frustrating and shutting down the operations of Dangote refinery, MRS Oil Nigeria Limited, and MRS Oil and Gas Company Limited.
The court also restrained NUPENG and other drivers’ associations from embarking on an industrial action or compelling other truck drivers to join in its industrial action.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, delivered the ruling on Wednesday following an ex parte motion filed by George Ibrahim, the refinery’s lawyer.
Ibrahim approached the court with an ex parte motion filed alongside the originating processes and a motion on notice, dated and filed September 15.
The lawyer prayed the court to direct NUPENG and its members to continue petroleum trucking services to the refinery, MRS, and the Nigerian public pending the determination of the motion on notice.
In an affidavit deposed by Ahmed Hashem, the group’s general manager, government and strategic relations of the refinery, the applicants provided an undertaking of damages to the organisation if the court ultimately rules against the restraining request.
After hearing Ibrahim, the judge held that “this court, having satisfied itself that there is a serious issue to be tried, that the balance of convenience tilts in favour of the Applicants (Dangote Refinery), that irreparable damage may be occasioned if the necessary orders are not granted, and that the Applicants have given an undertaking as to damages”.
He ruled that NUPENG ought to be restrained, granting interim injunction on the refinery’s request.
‘RESTRAINING ORDER TO LAST FOR SEVEN DAYS’
The judge noted that the restraining orders would remain in effect for seven days.
He further directed the applicants to serve the respondents with the motion on notice and all accompanying processes in the suit within seven days from the date of the order.
The judge also noted that the court’s authority to sit during the ongoing vacation would expire on September 23.
Consequently, he ordered that the case file be forwarded to the president of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for reassignment to another judge, who will hear and determine the motion on notice as well as the substantive case on its merits.
On September 11, NUPENG placed its members on red alert for the resumption of its nationwide industrial action — two days after it suspended its strike action, in protest against Dangote refinery’s “anti-union practices”.
The union said it made the decision after Sayyu Dantata, the owner of Mrs Oil, allegedly instructed his truck drivers, who had been NUPENG-Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) members for several years, to remove union stickers from their trucks.
NUPENG said the action led to an altercation between the truck drivers and its officials.
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the non-payment of pensions and gratuities despite government’s claims of meeting its revenue target.
In a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Obi said it was unjust for the government to celebrate revenue growth while pensioners who had served the country were left to contemplate a nationwide protest over unpaid arrears.
He said senior citizens who gave their most productive years in service to the nation deserved to be paid their entitlements promptly.
Obi added that any excess revenue realised by the government should be channelled to settle obligations to pensioners in order to restore their dignity and assure workers that their labour was valued.
He said: “I read with deep concern that our pensioners, men and women who gave the most productive years of their lives in service to our country, have been pushed to contemplate a nationwide protest over unpaid arrears.
“Just last month, Mr. President announced that Nigeria had reached its revenue target. If that is true, then the moral question is simple: why are our senior citizens, who worked, served, and sacrificed, still owed their rightful pensions and gratuities? Revenue growth should first reflect in the lives of the people, especially those in difficult times.
“The excess revenue we celebrate today must not remain on paper. It must be directed to settle our obligations to pensioners, to restore their dignity, and to assure the working population that Nigeria values their labour and service. Anything less is unjust and unacceptable. Good Leadership and compassion are inseparable.”
Ebonyi gets Acting Governor as Nwifuru embarks on annual leave
STATEWIDE BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, SIR SIMINALAYI FUBARA, GSSRS, ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
Vietnam closes 86 million bank accounts over missing biometric verification
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