Nigeria News Digest: Aug 26, 2025

Group Managing Director Raymond Asemakaha of Benue Investment and Property Company said the new Benue juice plant will curb citrus post‑harvest losses, aiming for full operation by October so that no oranges leave the state, while Sono Group’s chairman Luiz Arena pledged a 15‑year partnership to produce quality juice.

Officials highlighted that the Ijaiye farm settlement’s 3,000‑hectare processing zone, part of a twin‑initiative on 7,581 ha, could boost agriculture and agribusiness in Oyo State, but emphasized that reviving abandoned farm settlements will require essential amenities such as water, electricity, roads, schools, hospitals and security, according to Folhope Nigeria Ltd chairman.

President Bola Tinubu imposed a six‑month ban on raw shea nut exports to curb informal trade, increase processor utilisation and capture higher export values, aiming to generate roughly $300 million annually and stabilise the shea value chain, a move he defended as necessary for the sector.

Six North‑East states together with Plateau in the North‑Central launched a joint initiative to safeguard the Gongola, Gali‑Lamurde and Hawal‑Kilunga river basins, citing climate variability, population growth and unsustainable land use as escalating threats to regional ecosystems and livelihoods.