By Felix Umande

The Och’Idoma and Paramount Ruler of Idoma Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Agabaidu John Elaigwu Odogbo, on Tuesday flagged off the office of the MATAN Food Bank Professional Association of Nigeria and its 21-Pillar Stakeholders’ initiative in Benue State.

The ceremony, which took place at the Bank of Agriculture, Makurdi on Tuesday, 3rd November 2026, was attended by government functionaries, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders.

Speaking as both Och’Idoma and Patron of the Association, the monarch said food security must become a collective national priority, stressing that no society can attain sustainable prosperity when a significant portion of its population struggles to access adequate and nutritious food.

“Food is central to human existence, dignity, peace and national development,” he said, noting that Benue as the Food Basket of the Nation has the agricultural potential to transform its economy, but that potential must be translated into measurable productivity, income, employment and food availability.

The royal father charged the Association to move beyond meetings and ceremonial engagements to visible impact in the lives of people, measured by the number of families empowered, households supported, youths encouraged and jobs created. He also assured the leadership of his goodwill and support for initiatives that advance food security and sustainable agriculture.

He commended the Benue Chapter for adopting the 21-Pillar framework, describing it as a symbol of stability, structure and sustainability, but cautioned that the pillars must be developed into actionable programmes addressing real needs, including smallholder farmers’ empowerment, youth participation in agribusiness, women empowerment, community food banks, food processing and storage, agricultural financing, market access and skills acquisition.

The monarch further stressed the role of traditional institutions as indispensable partners in grassroots development and called for practical partnerships to encourage youths to embrace agriculture as a profitable venture.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Internal Security, Chief Dr. Joseph Har, said without physical security, food security cannot be guaranteed. He noted that security challenges in the state have improved compared to the past and assured that government is determined to make the situation better.

In an interview with newsmen, the National Vice President, Contact, Mobilisation and Organisation of MATAN Food Bank Professional Association of Nigeria, Comr. Ikpe David Idah, said the event marked the official declaration of the Association’s office complex in Makurdi by its Patron, the Och’Idoma, and the kick-off of the 21 pillars in Benue as one of the pilot states in the North Central.

He listed some of the pillars to include MATAN Food Bank Foundation, MATAN Mobility, Community Food and Nutrition Resilience Initiative, Street Feeding, Pan-African and inter-regional commodity exchange, among others contained in the organisation’s profile.

According to him, the primary aim of the Association is to end hunger and ensure not just food sufficiency, but nutrition in quality, quantity and proportion, with laboratory testing and medical certification of food before distribution to the public.

–Convicted Aba businessman given ₦5m fine option

By Nick Ibe

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has won the conviction of a businessman in Aba, Abia State, for manufacturing and selling counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil, sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment with an option of a ₦5 million fine.

The conviction of Mr Innocent Okoye, Managing Director of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, Aba, followed months of investigation and prosecution, is a remarkable action against food counterfeiting and other substandard products before unsuspecting Nigerian consumers.

Okoye, MD of Chikason Industrial Nigeria Limited, was convicted on two charges relating to the manufacture and sale of counterfeit Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

According to NAFDAC, Justice K. O. Ogundare of the Federal High Court, Umuahia, Abia State, delivered the judgment on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

The case arose from an enforcement operation conducted by the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in April 2026, during which officials uncovered a facility in Aba allegedly used for the production and distribution of counterfeit Goya oil.

NAFDAC arrested the suspect and forwarded samples of the recovered products to its laboratory for scientific analysis. Consequently, criminal proceedings were taken against Okoye leading to his eventual conviction.

The development comes amid growing concerns over the circulation of fake food products in Nigerian markets, with counterfeiters allegedly exploiting the popularity of established brands.

In January 2026, NAFDAC raised the alarm over counterfeit Goya oil packaged in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles and sold to unsuspecting consumers as genuine imported products.

At a media briefing in Lagos, the agency’s Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Dr Martins Iluyomade, disclosed that investigators had uncovered an illegal production operation at Oke-Arin Market, Idumota, Lagos.

According to the agency, operators of the facility were allegedly processing palm oil with colouring agents before repackaging the mixture as Goya oil for sale.

Iluyomade explained that genuine Goya oil authorised for sale in Nigeria was imported in original glass bottles through approved distribution channels. He warned consumers to be wary of products bearing the brand name in PET plastic bottles.

Beyond the violation of product standards and intellectual property rights, food counterfeiting raises serious public health concerns because consumers may have no reliable way of determining the quality or safety of the products they purchase.

NAFDAC has urged consumers, traders and religious organisations to verify the sources of products they purchase and exercise caution when confronted with suspicious packaging or unusually presented goods.

The agency also called for the cooperation of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, consumers and law enforcement agencies in fight against counterfeit products, illegal manufacturing facilities.

The conviction though shows NAFDAC’s commitment to intensifying market surveillance, the judgment is a slap on the wrist as it is not painful enough to serve as a deterrent.

By Felix Umande

The National Economic Council, NEC, has endorsed a 90-day economic action plan proposed by the Federal Ministry of Finance to consolidate gains from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms.

The plan focuses on reducing the cost of living, improving food affordability, attracting investment and accelerating delivery of projects with direct benefits to Nigerians.

The endorsement on Thursday followed a presentation by Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, during the Council’s 161st meeting held virtually and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The action plan identifies five priority areas: food affordability, tax harmonisation, completion of high-impact projects, resolution of investment bottlenecks and regulated household support.

NEC also approved establishment of a national dashboard to track ongoing projects across the federation, with emphasis on transparency, accountability and accurate reporting of how proceeds from fuel subsidy removal are being utilised.

Presenting the economic outlook, Oyedele expressed optimism about progress under the reform programme and identified reduction of headline inflation and interest rates to single digits by 2027 as key policy objectives, noting that the next phase would require coordinated implementation across federal and state institutions.

Addressing members, Vice President Shettima said while the President’s reform programme was designed to achieve broader prosperity, governments at all levels must translate its objectives into improved living conditions. In his words:

“The first dividend of prosperity should be the confidence to plan a life. Our task is to make such confidence less dependent on fortune.

“Our separate jurisdictions must serve a common public interest. Our separate mandates must not become competing excuses. Each Governor carries knowledge that no federal document can supply.”

Shettima further charged governors to ensure gains translate into affordable transportation, improved healthcare, employment and financial security.

On the National Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, Bus Initiative, he stressed that success should be measured by affordability and accessibility rather than fleet size.

“The cost of reaching
a livelihood should never consume the livelihood itself,” he said.

In other resolutions, NEC reviewed the reported Ebola outbreak in the FCT. Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, assured the Council that Nigeria has capacity to contain it, while acknowledging 21 states that updated their response plans and urging the remaining 15 to expedite preparedness.

The Council also directed states to strengthen polio eradication efforts through post-campaign reviews, timely release of counterpart funds and improved coordination in insecure areas.

On livestock development, Council, after receiving report of its Ad Hoc Committee chaired by Kebbi Governor Nasir Idris, resolved to strengthen federal-state collaboration to unlock the sector’s economic potential.

Council further resolved to establish a joint financing framework between federal and state governments to accelerate deployment of CNG and electric vehicles, directing that savings from the programme be passed to commuters through lower fares and that transport unions be engaged.

A committee will be constituted to coordinate the financing arrangement and ensure benefits translate into affordable and sustainable transportation.