Connect with us

News

MEDICINAL CANNABIS IS MONEY SPINNER – GOV AKEREDOLU

Published

on

Share

•Makes Case For Controlled Cultivation Of Plant For Medical Use

•As Legislators, Pharmacists, Investors, Medical Personnel, Others Hold Round Table Discussion on Benefits, Opportunities of Cannabis Plant, CBD Oil

Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has said controlled cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical usage and exportation will generate several billions of dollars and provide thousands of jobs for the teeming youths.

Governor Akeredolu said the global market of Medicinal cannabis in 2019 was put at 52.8 billion Dollars.

He added that the market forecast is an average of 14.5% increase from year 2020 to reach 103.9 billion dollars by 2024.

Arakunrin Akeredolu charged stakeholders on the need to break the barrier of misconception occasioned by ignorance and ill-information on cannabis plant and CBD oil in the country.

The Governor said what is important is the need to have controlled cultivation of the cannabis plant for medical usage and exportation.

Governor Akeredolu spoke at a Stakeholders Round Table Discussions on “The Benefits and Opportunities of Cannabis Plant and CBD Oil in Nigeria – Research, Legislation, License, Medicine, Agro-Economy, Empowerment, IGR and Trade Exchange”.

The event was held on Monday at the International Culture and Event Centre (DOME).

Those who spoke at the event include Chairman, House Committee on Public Affairs & Media, Hon. Okezie Kalu; Chairman House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Tolu Akande-Sadipe; member, House of Representatives, Hon. Mariam Onuoha; representative of National President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Dr. Lolu  Ojo; National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmaceutical of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Adekola

Others are Prof. Agbaje Gideon Olubunmi, Ladi Sojode Esq, Yinka Arasi Esq, Mr. Abiodun Adewumi, J.B Wechsler, NUJ Ondo Council, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health.

The Governor said the cannabis plant has tremendous therapeutic value, stressing that it is being used to treat cancer, epilepsy and so many other ailments.

Governor Akeredolu noted that the country has not succeeded in stopping the cultivation and misuse of Cannabis by prohibiting it.

He, however, said controlled cultivation of the plant for medical usage will reduce its availability in the underworld market, adding that cultivators would like to sell in a more financially-rewarding markets.

The Governor urged the stakeholders to come up with a communique that will be useful for all arms of government and the private organisations so that informed decisions will be taken.

He said: “We need to save our forests from further plundering by Cannabis cultivators. Climate change phenomenon is a reality with devastating effect on our ecology or environment.

“This approach will reduce the availability of Cannabis in the underworld market because cultivators would like to sell in a more financially-rewarding markets. That is talking about industrial and medical market.

“We must put in place machinery to break the barrier of misconception occasioned by ignorance, pedestrian thoughts, and ill-information. We must come up with communique that will be useful for all arms of government and the private organisations so that we can all take better decisions.”

Governor Akeredolu charged journalists to avoid sensational reporting but only inform and educate the people on the benefits of medical cannabis.

He also appealed to the National Assembly members, the NDLEA and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria as well as research universities to have a second and deeper thought on the issue.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Senate Amends N/W, S/E Development Commission Acts Over MD, Chairmanship Positions

Published

on

Nigerian Senate
Senate in Session
Share

**South-South Development Commission Bill Scales  Second Reading

The Senate has commenced the process to amend the Northwest and Southeast Development Commission Acts, specifically addressing the allocation of Managing Director and Chairmanship positions.
Additionally, the Senate passed the South-South Development Commission Bill for second reading, further advancing efforts to establish the commission.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, while presenting the amendments, explained that the proposed changes to the Northwest Development Commission Act, 2024, aim to ensure fair geopolitical representation within the commission’s Governing Board. One key amendment is to prevent the appointment of both the Chairman and Managing Director from the same state in the zone, while also mandating Senate confirmation of these appointments, as required by the Nigerian Constitution.

“To uphold fairness and align with the federal character principle, it is necessary that the commission’s membership reflects other geopolitical zones, in line with the Acts governing federal commissions,” Bamidele said.

A similar rationale was provided for the proposed amendments to the Southeast Development Commission Act.

Following the second reading, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stressed the importance of the amendments, noting that they are essential for the smooth operation of the development commissions in both regions.

Meanwhile, the Senate also approved the South-South Development Commission Bill for second reading, just months after initially rejecting it. The bill, sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) and supported by Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), received overwhelming support across party lines.

During the debate, Senator Dickson clarified that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), often misconstrued as a zonal entity, is actually a resource-based commission addressing the environmental damage caused by oil exploration across several states. He noted that the NDDC serves not just the South-South, but parts of the Southeast and Southwest as well, while the proposed South-South Development Commission would be zonal.

With strong backing from the Senate, President Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Special Duties and requested a report within one week.

Continue Reading

News

LG poll: Protest Rocks PDP Secretariat In Rivers

Published

on

PDP logo
Share

There are reports that protests erupted at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Thursday.

Recall, local Government election has been scheduled for October 5, 2024.

According to Channels TV report, the protesters arrived in large numbers at the party’s secretariat, forced security operatives to step in to control the crowd and manage traffic congestion in the area.

Specifically, the unrest followed growing concerns over the delay in the release of the 2023 Voters’ Register by the Independent National Electoral Commission to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.

Further recall that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in a ruling delivered on September 30, 2024, barred INEC from releasing the voters’ register to RSIEC due to legal challenges.

Despite the court ruling, Governor Siminalayi Fubara maintained that the election would go on as planned.

Fubara expressed confidence that the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling, which mandated that all states in the federation must have democratically elected local government executives, supports his position.

 

Continue Reading

News

Constitution Review: I’m Not Working against Yoruba’s Interest – Bamidele

Published

on

Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele
Share

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has faulted claims that he is working against the interests of the Yoruba in the National Assembly.

Bamidele, also, said the claims “are baseless, false and unfounded,” noting that he had been dutifully serving the interests of Ekiti Central, Ekiti State, South-west and Nigeria by extension since his election into the National Assembly.

He made this clarification in a statement by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Wednesday, thereby challenging any person with audio-visual and documentary evidence to come out and present such.

Some media platforms had falsely attributed a statement to the senate leader that “If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.”

Faulting the statement on Wednesday, Bamidele said he never made such a statement, which he said, was an attempt to pitch him against the Yoruba and other ethnic nationalities in the federation.

He added that he did not make any statement about the regional government in line with the 1960 and 1963 Constitution at the 27th-28th September 2024 Senate Retreat on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

“The claim is far from the truth. I never spoke about the return to the regional government at any forum; neither did I make a claim that ‘If we allow the regional system in Nigeria, we would have automatically given the easterners Biafra.’

“It is a sheer case of misinformation and deliberate fake news, which do not in any way represent my worldview about federal governance structure,” Bamidele said.

Bamidele, however, warned that he would not hesitate to legally challenge any individual or establishment fabricating and circulating fake news against his person and office.

Currently, according to the senate leader, there is no proposal for the return to the regional government before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

He further said: “How then can I oppose the proposal that is not currently before the Constitution Review Committee? I believe this statement is politically motivated to discredit me before Nigeria as a whole.

“Already, the 10th Senate Constitution Review Committee has received 37 fresh constitution alteration bills. The Committee is also considering 16 constitution alteration bills inherited from the 9th National Assembly, making 53 alteration bills altogether.

“None of these alteration bills proposed the return to the regional federal governance structure as practised in the First Republic. Linking me to an anti-regional government is a deliberate attempt to tarnish my image. I am not working against the interest of the Yoruba. I will never do so for any reason,” he said.

Continue Reading