Business
Farmers trained in Kano, Jigawa to boost cowpea yields
Farmers in Kano and Jigawa trained on ISFM to restore soil fertility and boost cowpea yields through practical demonstrations and field sessions
Farmers in Kano and Jigawa states have been trained to restore soil fertility and improve cowpea yields through a collaborative initiative by Soil Values and the Centre for Dryland Agriculture of Bayero University Kano.
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The training, conducted as part of a Field Day on Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM), equipped smallholder farmers with practical techniques to rejuvenate degraded soils.
Participants visited four demonstration plots on the farm of Ahmad Isa Falali in Takai, Kano State, where they observed traditional practices, inorganic fertilisers, organic fertilisers, and the ISFM approach in action.
Falali described the experience as transformative. “Learning how to make compost, recycle residues and adjust nutrient levels has turned the ISFM plot into an ‘open-air classroom’ for me,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the CDA Director of Research, Dr Bassam Abdulrahman explained that the Field Day is part of the Soil Values project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands over ten years.
The programme aims to enhance land use in Kano, Jigawa, and Bauchi states through farmer training.
Women farmers also benefited, with Rayya Abdullahi noting increased confidence in soil management.
“I now have the confidence needed to properly manage the soil, and I intend to share this knowledge with other women in my group,” she said.
The programme is implemented by three primary partners—the International Fertiliser Development Centre, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, and Wageningen University & Research—supported by five scientific partners, including IITA, AGRA, ICRAF, ISRIC, and IWMI.
According to organisers, the initiative seeks to reduce the yield gap, improve soil fertility, and encourage farmers to restore land for long-term productivity and food security.
Operating in Sahelian regions affected by drought, desertification, and climate change, Soil Values has a budget of €100 million and targets restoration of two million hectares of degraded land across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and northern Nigeria.
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In Nigeria alone, 800,000 hectares are expected to be rehabilitated, directly benefiting 600,000 smallholder farmers, with a focus on women and youth.
The Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) has dismissed allegations that it appropriated the Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit (NDEIS) brand, insisting it lawfully obtained trademark acceptance for the name and will proceed with its 2026 summit as scheduled.
In a statement issued on September 12, 2026, the chamber described claims by Kunle Nwiwa Junior as “cheap blackmail, misleading, mischievous and a misrepresentation of the facts,” maintaining that it independently developed the summit and followed all required regulatory procedures.
According to NDCCITMA, it applied for and received a Trademark Acceptance Letter for the name Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit (NDEIS) in August 2025 under File No. NG/TM/O/2025/387284.
The chamber said the chronology of events contradicts allegations that it copied another party’s application, arguing that its trademark acceptance predated the period during which Nwiwa’s own application was reportedly still pending before the relevant authorities.
“Economic Summit” is a generic expression
NDCCITMA further argued that the phrase “Economic Summit” is a generic description widely used for conferences that bring together governments, investors, businesses, development institutions and other stakeholders to discuss investment and economic development.
The chamber maintained that while concepts may be widely used, legal protection only arises from recognised intellectual property rights, including duly registered trademarks and other enforceable proprietary interests.
It therefore rejected suggestions that any individual or organisation has exclusive ownership of the broader concept of an economic summit.
Court grants interim injunction
Addressing reports that the summit had been halted, NDCCITMA said the dispute is already before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt and that there is no court order restraining the event.
The chamber disclosed that in Suit No. FHC/PHC/CS/57/2026, Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants—Kunle Nwiwa Junior and Keneva Consult Ltd.—from interfering with the planned summit.
According to NDCCITMA, the court also directed the defendants to remove publications, notices, petitions, social media posts and other statements allegedly considered damaging to the chamber’s name, integrity and reputation pending the hearing of its motion for interlocutory injunction.
The matter has been adjourned until September 22, 2026 for further hearing.
Chamber rejects ₦500 million demand claim
NDCCITMA also alleged that it had received a demand from Nwiwa Junior requesting ₦500 million as a condition for abandoning his claims over the summit.
The chamber said the demand was rejected, adding that it subsequently petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over what it described as repeated harassment and threats directed at its officials.
It said the petition sought police intervention, including inviting the complainant for questioning and caution where necessary.
Summit opens September 15
Despite the legal dispute, NDCCITMA reaffirmed that the 2026 Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit will hold from September 15 to 17, 2026, at the Obi Wali Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The summit will be held under the theme “Driving Investment, Innovation & Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta” and is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, business leaders, development partners and industry stakeholders to discuss economic transformation across the region.
The chamber said it remains committed to promoting commerce, industry, trade, mining, agriculture and sustainable economic development throughout the Niger Delta while allowing the courts to determine all outstanding legal issues.
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