First rain: NiMet warns farmers against planting

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has warned farmers against rushing to plant crops saying the rainy season hasn’t commenced.

The agency was reacting to early rains in some parts of the middle belt – Nasarawa, Niger, and Abuja on Monday.

The General Manager, Network, NiMet Mr. Zakariyau Darazo told our correspondent on the phone that the rains happened at this time due to the usual Intertropical convergence (ITD) that happens before the onset of rains.

This is not the onset of the rains he said adding that at this time it’s usual for the weather to be erratic.

“The rains that happened now is based on the ITD movements. The ITD divides the southwesterly winds which are usually moist in nature and the dry northeasterly wind. From what we observed from our chats, analysis, and satellites, the ITD has moved northwards. That movement indicates that there is moisture influx into the country. That’s why some parts of the country had rains,” he said.

He said until the onset of rains, the ITDs will keep fluctuating and these rains will happen from time to time but farmers shouldn’t be apprehensive.

He said the 2019 seasonal rainfall prediction (SRP) predicts rain to start in Abuja and in most states of the middle belt around mid-April, thus farmers should work with that time frame.

Adoke denies congratulating to Dino

Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN ( Our Client) has denied that he has sent a congratulatory massage to Senator Dino Malaye on Facebook purportedly posted by him.

In a statement signed issued by his lawer, Mr. Victor Iorshenge of Equity Law Partners, Adoke said he does not own or operate a Facebook account and that the said congratulatory massage did not emanate from him.

He therefore called on the general public and Facebook users to disregard the said Facebook posting as the handiwork of fraudsters and mischief makers.

The statement said: “Our Client has since 2015 when he left public office maintained a personal policy of refraining from commenting on issues related to Nigerian politics and this has not changed.

Our client has taken appropriate steps to bring this infraction and illegality to the attention of Facebook for immediate remedial action.”