Cubinks NEWS

S equel to the recent signing of the National gricultural Seeds Council (NASC) Amendment Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari into law,  the National Agricultural Seeds Advocacy Group (NASAG) during the week, in Abuja, played host to farmers’ associations, cooperatives, the civil society and other critical stakeholders to map out the way forward for the nation’s agricultural sector. The participants who were drawn from the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the FCT, among other things, reviewed engagements in the last quarter, results and challenges therefrom and developed a framework for tracking outcomes of advocacy, visa-vis improvement level so far of farmers’ access to  quality seeds,  with special emphasis on timely implementations of recommendations from NASAG’s dialogue with farmers. Representatives of the three states of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) took turns to outline the inroads they have made in the period under review,

F ollowing sustained campaign by concerned citizens and critical stakeholders in Kaduna state to open up the budget cycle, the Governor el-Rufa'i-led administration, during the week, engaged the representatives of the academia, community-based organizations, the civil society, women groups and individuals on state's 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework(MTEF) to make next year's budget budget realistic and realizable. The event tagged 'Citizens Consultations on 2020-2022 MTEF' which was put together by the state's Planning and Budget Commission with the support of DFID-funded Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), took a critical look at strategies to forge a people-centered budget with emphasis on transparency, openness and accountability. Co-chair of the Open Government Partnership(OGP) in the state, Alhaji Mustapha Jumare told participants that as a sub national, Kaduna state was indeed a trail brazer in nation's quest

One of the neglected health facilities in Kaduna Metropolis  By NASIRU JAGABA jagabanasiru@gmail.com During a recent trip to Kafanchan to receive a Humanitarian award from 'One Voice Foundation', I used the opportunity to continue my survey the revitalization of the 255 Primary Health Centres (PHCs).  Steven Magee cautions, "If you want to be lied to, all you have to do is believe everything that the government tells you". These are the strategic priorities of the State's Development Plan (SDP): governance and stewardship; health services delivery; health financing; human capital resources. Compositely too are health infrastructure, management information systems, research and development, education and promotion, partnership, community ownership and participation; maternal and child nutrition are the strategic priorities of Kaduna State's Development Plan (SDP). This strategic document has always been governed by a medium term