By Aisha Gambo

A physically-challenged woman in Kaduna, Fatima Mustapha, has pledged to apply her newly acquired knowledge of spice production, to increase people’s appetite for sumptuous meals.

Mustapha, who is a cripple, spoke on Friday at the graduation ceremony of 50 women beneficiaries of training on spices and food seasoning production, organised by Kaduna Directorate of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

She said she had learnt how to prepare pepper spice, fried rice spices and sliming tea, among others, adding that she had started buying some of the ingredients for the spice production and would soon produce same for sale.

“Just because I am cripple does not mean I can not be productive; I am married with three children but I did not give up on myself, as such I do not parade the streets begging for alms.

“I thank God I have hands; I can make anything I wish to make and sell; even before the training, I sell tomatoes and other soup ingredients at home; so this training is an added advantage for me,’’ she said.

She urged other physically-challenged persons to shun begging and acquire skills so as to be self-reliant.

Mrs Happy John, another beneficiary, said that she had gotten value from the training as she now knew different herbs, spices and their uses.

She said she would start business with the little capital she had, and teach other women to engage in same .

Earlier, the acting state coordinator of NDE, Kaduna State. Directorate, Mrs Victoria Williams-Dada, had stated that the training was organised under the directorate’s Women Employment Branch (WEB) unit, which mission was to empower women.

She urged beneficiaries to make the best use of what they learnt during the training by starting small businesses that would grow gradually, adding that “practice makes perfect”.

“You don’t need to wait for big money before you can start; start with the little you have as most of the ingredients are affordable in our local markets.

“We also want you to train other women; they may be your neighbours, family members and friends; let them know how to produce and sell these spices so that women would be empowered and poverty reduced,’’she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that certificate were issued to beneficiaries by the acting state coordinator.(NAN)

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'Who's your father' - Wike blasts Obaseki's Deputy over Edo PDP crisis

NURUDEEN SHOTAYO

March 12, 2022 9:22 PM

Wike vows he will make the party takes disciplinary actions against Shaibu for threatening to leave the PDP.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State [Twitter/@GovWike]

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has blasted Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, for threatening to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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Wike said this in a video that surfaced on Twitter on Saturday, March 12, 2022.

The visibly angry governor went on a long rant to tongue lash Shaibu for daring to threaten the PDP on a national television.

Recall that Shaibu had appeared on a Channels Television program where he said he and Governor Godwin Obaseki may resort to leaving the PDP if the party continues to treat them like outcasts.

The Edo PDP has been rocked by an internal strife for leadership since Obaseki and Shaibu joined the party from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shaibu claimed in the interview that the original Edo PDP has refused to embrace the new-PDP (referring to those who joined them from the APC).

He said there was a sharing formular agreed to by the stakeholders which prescribes that some of the original PDP member be given political appointments in Obaseki's government, while some new-PDP members would also be given positions in the party executives.

Shaibu revealed that while the new-PDP has fulfilled its own end of the bargain, the original PDP has refused to do so likewise. He said this attitude showed that there are efforts to alienate them from the party.

He then went ahead to warn the national body of the PDP to intervene otherwise they may be forced to pitch their tent with an alternative party.

Reacting to what appears to be a threat by the deputy governor, Wike wondered how Shaibu got the audacity to make that sort of comments on a television.

He also expressed sadness that the same people that came to beg for the PDP ticket after the APC rejected them would now turn around to be making uncomplimentary statements about the party's leadership.

"Threatening the party, that the there are alternative to PDP. This is the same people that were kneeling down to beg for us to give them the umbrella, today you've the effrontery to threaten the PDP. Such a shame. These are the same people when they were denied ticket under APC, they were running helter-skelter begging everybody to give them umbrella and we gave them umbrella."

"We went and made sure that they won that election, today that deputy governor would be ranting. A deputy governor would come out on television to tell PDP that there are alternative. I've written to the National Chairman of the party, if they don't constitute a disciplinary committee against the deputy governor, I would make sure I invoke the sections of the party and I would make sure they must discipline that deputy governor."

"And he lost his local government when we were in Edo, he lost. And he would come out on television to threaten the party that there are alternatives, look at the deputy governor, it's unfortunate."

Wike also made reference to Shaibu's famous choice of dressing asking how a PDP deputy governor would be donning khaki.

"It's very unfortunate for our party, a deputy governor is wearing khaki, look at it, I've never seen a thing like this in my life. This is the first time I can see a deputy governor come out in the television to tell the party if you don't do this, who's is his father."

"Let him come and threaten a whole party where we are as governors, now that he has started the trouble, let him note, we will make sure he never have rest. You don't come and threaten us, it won't work and it will never work."

Meanwhile, the PDP national Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu has waded in to resolve the impasse between the Edo original PDP and the new-PDP.

This happened few day days after Shaibu issued the warning.

Ayu met with Obaseki and some PDP stakeholders in Edo state to broker peace in the party.

Recall that before Shaibu's interview, his principal, Obaseki, had boasted that he and his supporters will not leave the PDP for anybody.