metro
Nigerians to pay more for bread over Russia-Ukraine war
The price of bread is set to rise if the current Russian-Ukrainian war persists.
Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for more than 18 per cent of international exports.
The downside to the war is that if supply from Russia is distorted for whatever reason, Nigeria could be faced with further surging wheat prices in its local market as a result of the supply gap, which could lead to an increase in the price of some other by-products of wheat, such as bread, wheat meal amongst others.
The price of bread was increased by more than 80 per cent between 2020 and 2021.
In 2020, the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) had hinted at a 50 per cent increase in the price of bread citing the surging cost of raw materials and COVID-19 impact.
According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), wheat is the third most widely consumed grain in the country, with its local production only accounting for just one per cent of the five to six million metric tons consumed annually, with the country relying on importation to meet local demands.
The demand-supply gap has necessitated the spending of over $2 billion on wheat importation annually, representing the second-highest contributor to the country’s food import bill.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigeria imported goods valued at N813.19 billion (over $2bn annually) between January and September 2021, representing 3.7% of Nigeria’s total import in the same period.
A further look at the data shows that Nigeria imported durum wheat worth over N128.1 billion in the nine-month period of 2021, while it recorded a N144.14 billion durum wheat import in the previous year.
Also, Nigeria imports different types of seafood from Russia, some of which include mackerel, meat, herrings, blue whiting, other fish, all in frozen form.
It is also worth noting that Nigeria imported vaccines for human medicine from Russia in Q4 2020.
In 2019, Russia and Ukraine together exported more than a quarter (25.4 per cent) of the world’s wheat, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).
In the event of outright aggression, the flow of wheat and grain could be disrupted. Economic sanctions or military action could have a significant effect on the cost of food as importers seek to find alternatives.
Ukraine is the fifth largest exporter of wheat, accounting for seven per cent of sales globally in 2019.
Daily Trust reported President of Association of Master Bakers & Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN), Mansur Umar, as saying the current situation will definitely lead to an increase in the prices of flour.
He said, “Flour millers are happy to hear of things like this because they will capitalise on it to increase prices by hoarding the product to induce artificial scarcity.
“We are in trouble. I wish we were ready with the cassava flour at least, we can substitute with up to 10 per cent and that will save this country billions of naira.
“As we speak, a major distributor of one of the brands has announced a N100 increase from Monday.”
metro
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that about 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East, noting that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for this achievement.
The CDS made this known at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.
His words, “All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.
“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.
“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic.
“We have said it; the kinetic aspect is just less than 30%. The non-kinetic has a lot to play. The non-kinetic, because when you have democracy, people must have the evidence of democracy. As long as it tells people to sleep well and be peaceful, and they are hungry, their children cannot eat, and all this creates more problems.
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“The issue of informants. We have to look at how we tackle this issue of informants. Because these are the people who have created the issue.
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
metro
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
The spokesperson for the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, has confirmed the death of two robbery suspects in the state.
Mr Edafe, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, said that the deceased were killed from the bullets shot by their gang members.
According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Edafe explained that the deceased were leading the police surveillance team attached to the Ekpan Division to their hideout when they were caught during a shoot-out.
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“The suspects were arrested at Effurun roundabout with a bag containing 57 live cartridges and other items. They were leading the surveillance team to their hideout at Warri/Sapele road when their gang members, on sighting the vehicle of the police team, engaged them in a shootout.During the gun duel, the arrested suspects that were leading the police team were fatally wounded by the gun shot of their colleagues. The two injured suspects were taken to the hospital and later died while receiving treatment,” he said.
Mr Edafe said that items recovered from the hoodlums hideout included: one English pump action gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun and eight live cartridges.
Others were: six iPhones, Smart phones and a Rolex wrist watch.
He said that the command had intensified manhunt on the fleeing members of the gang.
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
(NAN)
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