President Kiir and Dr Riek exchange documents after signing a cease-fire agreement in Addis Ababa in 2014.
President Kiir and Dr Riek exchange documents after signing a cease-fire agreement in Addis Ababa in 2014.
South Sudan’s government and the main rebel group inked a power-sharing deal in the Sudanese capital on Wednesday, local media reported.
They hoped it would end years of conflict, however, smaller opposition groups have refrained from signing.
Riek Machar, a former vice president who will be reinstated into his old post under the deal, was in the room when the agreement was signed by representatives of the government and his group at a security compound in Khartoum.
The agreement, which was reached earlier this month in talks in Uganda, provides for creating a new 35-member government comprising 20 ministers from the current government of President Salva Kiir.
Machar’s SPLM-IO rebel group will have nine portfolios and the rest will go to other opposition groups.
Apart from Machar, Kiir will have four more deputies during an interim period under the agreement that was guided by Sudan and other east African nations.
However, another opposition group, the SPLM, said the latest version of the proposed agreement contained several shortfalls, including a “serious lack of consistency in allocating power-sharing ratios at all levels of governance,’’
It also cited “lack of clarity” on whether to dissolve a transitional legislature or to expand it to make it more inclusive.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Al-Dirdiri Mohamed Ahmed acknowledged some issues needed more work, including how to share power in local government administration.
South Sudan descended into a civil war that ravaged the country in 2013 after a political disagreement between Machar and Kiir pushed them apart.
Several attempts to end the conflict have ended in failure.
Researchers and public health experts have presented promising new data on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic and response from Sub-Saharan Africa.
This is contained in a statement issued at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 2018) in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ibadan said.
NAN reports that the conference, which is the largest gathering on HIV and AIDS in the world is organised by the International AIDS Society (IAS).
Prof. Linda-Gail Bekker, IAS President and International Chair of AIDS 2018, said despite extraordinary progress, HIV remained a serious threat to lives of millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The data presented today underscore both the urgent need and the opportunity to invest in expanded HIV prevention and treatment programmes that can turn back the epidemic in Africa,” she said.
Bekker said that data from multiple countries revealed the impact of enhanced prevention and treatment efforts.
Aleya Khalifa from UNICEF said a study noted that reducing HIV burden among young people in sub-Saharan Africa would require better access to HIV prevention, sexual and reproductive health, likewise targeted testing services.
Khalifa said that analysis conducted by UNICEF estimated that 9.6 million young people aged 15-24 years would be newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa between 2017 and 2050.
“The continued toll of HIV among young people reflects the rapidly growing youth population in the region, which is expected to increase by 85 per cent by 2050.
“There is slow decline in HIV incidence in this group has fallen by some three per cent per year since 2010,’’ she said.
Bernard Haufiku, Namibian Minister of Health and Social Services, noted that Namibia surpassed the UNAIDS goal of achieving 73 per cent viral suppression by 2020.
He stated that a population-level study in Namibia revealed that 77 per cent of people living with HIV in the country were virally suppressed; adding the HIV level in their blood fell to low levels.
Haufiku said the viral suppression indicated that people living with HIV were on successful treatment, saying such improves their health and prevents transmission to others.
“Its success reflects a high-level commitment to HIV treatment. In 2015, Namibia implemented an Acceleration Plan that rapidly scaled up HIV testing and treatment services,” he said.
Diane Havlir from University of California, San Francisco, U.S.A, said a multi-disease approach using streamlined care could rapidly achieve UNAIDS targets for HIV treatment and improve community health.
Havlir said community-cluster randomised study in Uganda and Kenya revealed that enhanced testing and care initiatives for HIV and other diseases could result in significantly higher viral suppression and lower HIV mortality.
“Communities in the study control group received testing and care for HIV-related hypertension and diabetes based on national guidelines.
“Communities in the intervention group received enhanced testing and care for the three diseases, including rapid-start treatment for all people living with HIV.
“After three years, communities receiving enhanced testing and care experienced higher viral suppression and lower HIV mortality, Tuberculosis Bacterium (TB) incidence and uncontrolled hypertension,” Havlir said.
Similarly, Moeketsi Joseph Makhema of the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership said the Ya Tsie Botswana Prevention Project revealed that combination of HIV prevention approach was effective.
“Randomised study in rural and semi-urban communities, found that a package of interventions, including expanded HIV testing, linkage to care, earlier treatment and voluntary male circumcision, led to 30 per cent reduction in HIV incidence,” he said.
Makhena stated that the study had compared outcomes over 30 months from 15 communities receiving the interventions and 15 communities receiving the standard of care.
Velephi Okello of the eSwatini Ministry of Health reported that adopting ‘Universal Test and Treat (UTT)’ led to improved health system performance.
The MaxART study in eSwatini (previously known as Swaziland) provided the world’s first data on the impact of “Universal Test and Treat (UTT)’’ in a government-run national health system.
UTT entails offering antiretroviral treatment to all HIV-positive individuals, regardless of CD4 count.
The study evaluated data from 14 health facilities as they transitioned from the current standard of care to UTT.
Okello stated that the likelihood of achieving viral suppression improved dramatically, with 79 per cent of patients achieving viral suppression under UTT compared with just four per cent under the current standard of care.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) says about 64 per cent of lubricant products imported into the country are below the approved standards.
Desk Officer, Base Oil and Lubricants at SON, Gabriel Abah, raised the alarm Wednesday at a one-day sensitisation workshop on reduction of substandard engine lubricant in the markets in Awka, southeast Nigeria.
The workshop has as its theme: “Imbibing Quality Culture in made in Nigeria Product’’.
Abah said statistics showed that 30 per cent of the substandard products found their way into the country’s lubricant market.
He described lubricants as lubricating of the wheel of industrial and sustainable economic development, adding that market intelligence from across the country portrayed an adulteration dimension of epidemic proportion.
The desk officer said SON was doing everything possible to protect the lubricant sub-sector which contributed about eight per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2017.
Abah recommended increase of import duty on lubricants from 10 to 30 per cent and reduction of same on base oil, a major input in production of lubricant as possible solution.
“Some of the consequences of substandard lubricants include loss of integrity, low return on investment, facility loss, knocking of engines, low engine performance, low fuel economy and environmental pollution.
“Concerted efforts and collective resolve from both public, private institutions and sectoral stakeholders in enforcing compliance with codes of practices will constitute formidable arsenal to fight the menace,” he said.
In a keynote address, Director-General of SON, Osita Aboloma, said the organisation had been mounting campaign against the influx of substandard products into the country.
Aboloma said the workshop in Anambra was in view of the relevant role the residents play in contributing to the economy of Nigeria in manufacturing, importation and market for engine lubricants.
The director-general, represented by Mr David Obi, Enugu Regional Coordinator of SON, said as the world’s large importer of generators, industrial and vehicle lubesv into the market for lubricants in Nigeria was high.
“The purpose of this workshop is to reduce the influx of substandard and adulterated lubricants in Nigerian by creating awareness among stakeholders and letting them know the consequences of getting involved in it.
“Always do your businesses the right way, in a manner that ensures your activities do not infringe on safety or enhance economic loss of money and time to other citizens,” he said.
In a address of welcome, Head of SON in Anambra State, Nwaoma Olujie, said the workshop was to inform stakeholders in the sector on the development.
Olujie, who warned those manufacturing or circulating substandard lubricants in the state to desist from it or face the wrath of the law, added that SON should not compromise on ensuring value for customers.
“Consumers should watch out for lubricant products with SON certification logo, while urging manufacturers to protect their brands by subjecting them to SON process and obtaining its seal,” she said.
The stakeholders, including lubricant blenders, marketers and consumers were also lectured on various ways of testing the standards of lubricants.
Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has urged Nigeria to provide critical infrastructure that would make the nation’s environment conducive for businesses to thrive.
Dangote made the appeal while delivering the third Eminent Persons Business Lecture and Inauguration of the Aliko Dangote Complex, a N300 million naira building donated to University of Ibadan, School of Business.
He said his Foundation would continue to prioritise education as a means of raising entrepreneurs that would change the nation’s economy and drive growth and development.
Dangote was represented by Group Executive Director, Dangote Industries Limited, Ahmed Mansur.
According to him, Nigeria has the potential to be among the most industrialised countries in the world and required only the right policies to propel investors into taking the lead in its industrialisation efforts.
He noted that for the nation to breakthrough industrially, the leaders and citizens must have the political will, courage and perseverance to succeed.
Dangote said backward integration was one of the best policies of government that had helped the economy, and advised that the policy should be replicated in other sectors of the economy.
The business mogul said backward integration would increase cost control, efficiency, improved coordination and delivery of raw materials along the production process.
“The impact of the policy was felt within the first decade of its implementation as Nigeria became self-sufficient in cement production.
“Installed cement production capacity has now grown from 3 million metric tons in 2002 to 44 million metric tons as at December 2017,” he said.
He said as at 2002, about 600 million dollars was spent annually as cement import bill, but the country had now successfully transitioned from being a net importer to self-sufficiency and net exporter.
Dangote noted that despite the benefits inherent in the policy, businesses faced major challenges in developing and using backward integration.
He listed some of the challenges as; inadequate power supply, lengthy and costly processes of gaining access to land, poor quality transportation infrastructure and high cost of capital.
Others are; Inconsistency of policy implementation, lack of inter-sectoral policy coordination, inadequacy of knowledge and skills in the workforce and lack of foreign exchange.
According to him, most of the challenges relate to the poor quality of the overall business environment, rather than local content policies.
Earlier, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Olayinka, commended Dangote for the building, describing it as the first largest individual donor to the university and a legacy that would forever be cherished.
He explained that Dangote was to initially donate N250 million to the university, but they prevailed on him to build the complex rather than giving money and that the decision had paid off for the university.
The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, urged Nigerian youths to learn a big lesson from Dangote’s humble beginning, saying with hard work Dangote had become one of the greatest entrepreneurs in Africa.
Ajimobi, represented by Prof. Joseph Olowofela, Oyo State Commissioner of Education, lamented that nowadays, most youths did not cherish hard work, but wanted to get rich quick, which explained the increase in social vices in the country.
“We need a paradigm shift from the get rich quickly at all cost to hard work that leads to wealth,” Ajimobi said in a statement by Chiejina.
Nigeria has called for synergy among security agencies to address the menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the country.
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the call Wednesday in Abuja, at a two-day training of security agencies on “Prevention and Management of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria”, organised by a non-governmental organisation, Cleen Foundation.
Represented by Zakari Ningi, Assistant Commandant-General, Training and Manpower Development, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dambazau said that the Federal Government was committed toward addressing SGBV in the country.
He said “it behoves on security agencies to work together, as no agency can achieve that alone.”
The minister, who said that the primary goal of any government was to ensure the security and well-being of citizens, added that “no any meaningful development can take place if the citizens, particularly women, children and the less privilege are exposed to violence.
“This is important particularly now that our country is facing security threats of faceless insurgency and terrorism in the North East and some parts of the country.
“Therefore this programme would not have come at a better time than now because it was an opportunity for stakeholders to come together, discuss, share knowledge and experiences on how best to tackle challenges.”
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan, said that government recognised the importance of promoting the rights of women and children against human trafficking, child abuse, child labour, among others.
Alhassan, represented by Funmilayo Abdulkareem, Community Development Officer I, Department of Women and Gender Affairs, said the ministry was always ready to collaborate with any organisation to address the menace.
She said “as you are aware of rising cases of sexual and gender related crimes on daily basis, there is need to protect vulnerable groups, most especially women and children.
“The Protection and management of sexual and gender based violence are the basic human rights that lie at the heart of human development and the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
“At this time in our nation’s history, there is obvious need to protect women and children from these crimes.”
Executive Director Of Clean Foundation, Benson Olugbuo, described gender base violence as the most extreme form of gender inequality that must be addressed.
Olugbuo said that preventing and responding to gender based violence must be recognised as lifesaving activity from the onset of an emergency and as key protection concern.
He said that in Nigeria, SGBV was alarmingly at an all-time high; owing to the added atrocities brought by the insurgency in the North East, the herders-farmers crisis and other security challenges elsewhere in the country.
“These conflicts led to displacements of women and girls, forced and early marriages, kidnapping, physical, mental or sexual slavery in the hands of non-state armed groups and sadly sometimes, state security actors.
“Sexual violence is exacerbated during armed conflicts and is sometimes used as a tactic of war and terror on the bodies of women, men, boys and girls.”
He added that the role of security agencies being at the forefront of these conflicts uniquely placed them as key stakeholders in finding lasting solutions to SGBV.
Olugbuo said that the training was to bring together a crop of intellectuals, government agencies and and representatives of the various security agencies and oversight bodies to scale up efforts to curb SGBV.
He added that it was also for stakeholders to gain skills in the prevention and management of SGBV in Nigeria in the modest efforts to improve the country ‘s commitment to the global and national campaign to end SGBV.
Gov. Samuel Ortom of Bunue State, North Central Nigeria
Gov. Samuel Ortom of Bunue State, North Central Nigeria
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the defection of the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as “somewhat surprising”.
Bolaji Abudullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary said this on Wednesday in Abuja, while reacting to the development.
The party recalled efforts made by its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole to address some of the grievances raised by the Governor pertaining to the local politics in his state.
“The Governor had left the meeting saying he was satisfied with the assurances given by party leaders, we are still working on giving effect to the resolutions from the meeting.
“Therefore, we are somewhat surprised by Gov Ortom’s decision,” the statement said.
The APC reiterated its earlier position that it respects the rights of every citizen to choose his political affiliation, but expressed hope that those who left its fold would rescind their decisions.
It added that even with the defection of the governor to the opposition PDP, the party did not think it was too late for reconciliation.
It stressed that the party’s leadership would continue to talk to its aggrieved members across the country, adding that reconciliation was still possible.
This, the statement added would be the situation as long as such members kept their minds open and had the courage to put the real issues on the table.
“We once again call on members across the country to remain calm as the party leadership continues to work hard to position the party strongly for the next general elections,”the statement said.
Gov. Ortom had on July 19, told the APC national chairman that he would remain in the party after alleging that the party’s Benue chapter gave him a “red card”.
Ortom also told newsmen after a closed-door meeting with the APC national chairman, that he would remain in the party.
He had likened himself to a footballer who was out of the football pitch waiting to be picked by another club following the said “red card” he was given.
The governor and Sen. George Akume, a former governor of the state and a serving Senator, had been having a running battle over who controlled the party in the state.
“It was the Benue APC that gave me a red card, not the national APC and that was enough to make myself available out of the pitch.
“But, the leadership of the party told me that its decision is superior to that of any individual or group of people and I think that is good enough.
“They have spoken to him (Akume) and have spoken to me, and the state’s stakeholders are going to be spoken to. That’s where I belong.
“We have not concluded the matter. It’s an ongoing process. I always stand for peace. I always want peace to prevail, and that’s what I call for.
“I am here in APC; I am a member of the party, I am still flying the flag of APC.I only said I was given red card, but I have been corrected by the national secretariat,” he had said.
U.S Charge d’Affaires Nigeria, David Young on Wednesday said Nigerians must act as peace makers and work to promote dialogue across communities, ethnics groups and religion, to end the recurring violence in the country.
The Envoy, who was in Plateau, Zamfara, and Kaduna States on fact finding visit on the security situation there, told newsmen in Kaduna that the Federal Government should also deploy more trained security personnel to face the challenges.
He agreed that the “issue is very complex now particularly with no simple solutions available,’’ but added that it is critical that “criminals should not get away with this kind of impunity and violence.
“Even though the government is making good effort and trying hard on the security issues, more need to be done to tackle the menace.
“At the same time it is important to develop initiatives and hope for the young people.
“We are partners with Nigeria in some of these areas in terms of improving education, health, economic opportunity and Agriculture,” Young said.
According to him, it is critically important that people have opportunities and hope to a better future, so that young people do not go into criminality.
The Envoy said that the United State Government would continue to work with Nigeria across board in different sectors in helping to create a better future including security.
“In terms of working with Nigeria on the North East as it combats Boko Haram, we partner in a number of ways on different issues, training, intelligence and information and other means.
“It has also approved the purchase of aircraft with very sophisticated gadgets that can be used by the Air Force against the insurgency in the North East.’’
Young added: “U.S contributes over one billion dollars each year to work with Nigerian partners to create a better future for Nigerians in so many ways.
“We look forward for to continue working with Nigeria for Nigerians in federal, states and local levels to address these challenges and the opportunities for this great country.’’
On the 2019 election, Young said what is important is to ensure fairness, transparency, credible and peaceful process before, during and after elections.
He stressed that democratic process all over the world should go hand in hand with basic freedom and fair treatment for all according to the rule of law including the neutrality of security forces and police.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Al Hussein, on Wednesday, said persistent reports of grave human rights abuses in Cameroon must be investigated by the Cameroonian authorities urgently.
The UN rights chief, who expressed concern over the situation in that country, condemned a widely shared video showing alleged execution of a woman, child and baby.
Amid the backdrop of protests in the English-speaking north-west and south-west regions of the country that escalated in late 2017 into clashes between state military forces and armed groups, Zeid condemned an ambush on government motorcade that took place earlier this month.
But he cautioned that the government’s “heavy-handed response…will only make matters worse for the women, children and men caught in the middle.
To date, the violence has forced more than 21,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries, according to UN humanitarian officials, while 160,000 were internally displaced, many reportedly hiding in forests to protect themselves.
Zeid said: “there are reports that armed elements carried out kidnappings, targeted killings of police and local authorities, extortion and torched schools.
“There are also reports that government forces are responsible for killings, the excessive use of force, burning down of houses, arbitrary detentions and torture.”
To prevent the situation from deteriorating further, Zeid urged the government to launch independent investigations into alleged violations by state security forces and abuses by armed elements.
The high commissioner noted serious violations in the far north of the country, where the authorities continued to confront the terrorist group — Boko Haram.
Zeid said he was “utterly appalled” by a video reportedly showing members of state armed forces executing a woman, a child and a baby who were accused of belonging to the separatist militants, and insisted the government had an obligation to investigate the crime.
“I am deeply worried that these killings captured on camera may not be isolated cases,” the UN rights chief said.
Given the seriousness of the reported violence by State and armed actors, the UN official added that it was “regrettable” that the government had failed to grant the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) access, in spite of repeated requests.
“We will now need to explore other options, including remote monitoring,” Zeid said.
