In Nigeria, the National Council on Information, NCI, has noted with dismay the alarming consequence of social media in the peaceful coexistence of the country and enjoined information managers at states level to create websites to counter report of misinformation posted on social media.
The meeting also observed that social media has no address, as such vetting and editing posting in social media may be difficult, hence the urgent need to take stringent measures in checking conventional media and their programmes.
A communique issued at the extra-ordinary meeting on hate speech, fake news and national unity advised, “Information managers at the state level should open a website to counter report of any misinformation posted by the social media as quickly as the Hate Speeches, Misinformation and Fake News are posted.
“Setting up a council to regulate the use of social media in Nigeria. It will be better to kill quickly whatever postings on social media assumed or presumed to be hate speeches or fake news or misinformation by the information managers in various state.
“The social media may take over the 2019 elections because Nigeria people have come to rely more and belief the social media over the conventional media.
“Federal and State Ministries of Information should use jingles to promote peace and also they should come up with cartoons on the T.V. & Paper telling us the dangers of fake news and hate speeches.
“The collaboration must start with National Orientation Agency, MOA, and the state governments. There is also need to start talking to those responsible for law and enforcement of justice to address the issues of citizen taking laws into their hands.”
The meeting observed with concern the need for urgent emphasise on the welfare of the people was paramount, noting that people well fed will listen to their government.
Nigeria Police says it has concluded plans for the setting up of a broadcasting station, Nigeria Police Broadcasting Services, NPBS.
Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, made this known while addressing Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum.
A statement by police spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, quotes the IGP saying the station would assist in addressing many current security challenges across the country.
“I passionately wish to seek Your Excellences assistance for the funding of the Nigeria Police Broadcasting Services (NPBS) which is a project being created to deliver Public Service Broadcast function that will assist in addressing many of the current security challenges across the country,” Ibrahim Idris appeals to Governors.
He explains that the station would bridge the gap between the Nigeria Police and members of the public. “When commissioned, it will broadcast Nationwide on TV, Radio, online and the National Emergency Communication Command Control Centre (NEC4) with its Headquarters in Abuja and locations in each of the thirty six (36) States and the FCT to give effective national coverage.
“It will enable the Police to tell its story and set the record straight by telling positive stories and correcting distorted information.”
He observed that the station would be used to build community relations and enhance positive relations with members of the public.
He noted that the regular budgetary allocation to the Police cannot fund Police operations without alternative source of funding, assuring that the police under him would guarantee the protection of lives and property in the country
Responding, Chairman, Nigerian Governor’s Forum, Gov. Abdulhazeez Yari of Zamfara State, commended the police boss for dousing security challenges in the country.
He assured the IGP of their support to ensure the success and smooth takeoff of the broadcasting services, saying issue of security should be seen as every body’s business.
The Governors Forum has set up a committee chaired by the governor of Kwara state, governors to serve in the committee are Bauchi, Imo, Delta, Sokoto, as well as members of technical committee from the proposed Police Broadcasting Services.
Some of the governors who spoke on the project commended the IGP for his effort in dousing tension in the country, despite limited resources.
Gombe (Nigeria) — Gombe State Board of Internal Revenue in northeast Nigeria says the measures it took in blocking leakages and loopholes in collection of revenue is beginning to yield positive results.
Executive Chairman of the Board, Muhammad Adamu Damji disclosed this while speaking at the launch of Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), in Gombe this weekend.
He said before the reforms, the Board was collecting between 50 million and 150 million Naira monthly, but it now collects between 200 million and 500 million Naira monthly.
“This is made possible as a result of the reforms put in place by the state government, as one of the immediate measures meant to augment the revenue accruing it from the federation accounts,” he said.
Speaking on the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme, he said the programme was launched on June 29 by Nigeria’s Acting President, Yemi Osinbanjo and every Thursday of the week was set side as ‘Tax Thursday’ for all tax authorities at all levels to carry out awareness campaign activities.
VAIDS is an opportunity meant for individuals and groups that have hitherto evaded or dodged tax payment in Nigeria to regularise their tax status and avoid government sanctions.
Damji said VAIDS period last “from 1st July, 2017 to 30th March, 2018,” within which hitherto defaulters over a period of at least six years were allowed to regularise their status without penalty.
Kaduna State Government in northern Nigeria, has set up a 28-member Child Spacing Technical Working Group (CS TWG) to help deliver its mission of scaling up the uptake of child spacing services. The TWG will do that through coordination and advocacy for full implementation of Kaduna State Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) for child spacing.
The CS TWG is also to ensure the implementation of task shifting/sharing policy in the state. The policy provides that Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWS), be trained and empowered to perform some of the duties of midwives, especially in communities lacking in midwives.
Inaugurating the CS TWG, State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Paul Manya Dogo, tasked members to work hard towards delivery of their mandate.
“The Child Spacing Technical Working Group will constitute an integral part of the State MNCH Technical Working Group, and will carry out its mandate by coordinating and advocating to the state stakeholders on broad strategic policy and funding issues including, but not limited to, effective implementation of the CIP, increasing/creating child spacing line items budget, and working with the media to promote uptake of child spacing services,” he said.
The Commissioner said the TWG is made up of people with capacity in “Advocacy on reproductive health/child spacing; financing for contraceptives; product forecasting; procurement mechanism; system strengthening; contraceptive use and demand; as well as quality assurance methods, public health”
Represented by a Director in the Ministry, Abdulkadir Ahmed, the Commissioner tasked the CS TWG members to justify the confidence reposed on them.
Responding, Chairperson of the CS TWG, who is the Executive Secretary of Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, (SPHCDA), Hadiza Balarabe, expressed appreciation to the government for the wisdom in setting up the committee to help mobilise for uptake in child spacing services.
Balarabe called on members of the committee to rise to the challenge of not only achieving the 46% CPR target for the state by 2018 from its current 22%, but to work towards higher target.
The CS TWG is expected to function through six sub-committees, namely (i) service delivery; (ii) supply chain; (iii) demand creation; (iv) supervision, monitoring and coordination; (v) finance; (vi) policy and environment.
Nigeria’s Minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, has expressed concern that hate speech, disinformation and fake news has become a canker-worm that requires serious minded stakeholders to ensure stability in the country.
Speaking at the extra-ordinary meeting of the National Council of Information in Jos, on, “Hate speech, fake news and national unity,” Mohammed noted that the way out was for Nigerians to say no to hate speech in all spheres of life.
He explained, “We must boycott any medium that engages in hate speech, incitement to violence, disinformation and fake news. The regulators must also be alive to their responsibilities by promptly sanctioning the purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.
“What do these phenomena of hate speech, disinformation and fake news have in common? They are all capable of destabilizing the system, inciting people to violence and weakening the people’s confidence in their government.”
“In Nigeria today, the hate being spewed on radio stations across the country is so alarming. If you tune into many radio stations, you will be shocked by the things being said, the careless incitement to violence and the level of insensitivity to the multi-religious, multi-ethnic nature of our country.
“Many here will also recall the quantum of hate speech directed at candidate Buhari during the last electioneering campaign. Never in the history of electioneering campaign in Nigeria has such a quantum of hate speech been directed at any candidate.
“This did not stop even when he won the election and became President. For instance, the President had hardly left Nigeria for his vacation in London on 19 January 2017, during which he said he would have routine medical check-up, when these hate and fake news campaigners circulated the news that he has died. Between then and now, they have repeated similar fakes news times without number.
“What do these phenomena of hate speech, disinformation and fake news have in common? They are all capable of destabilizing the system, inciting people to violence and weakening the people’s confidence in their government.”
He noted that Nigeria was a country of ethnic and religious diversity. “That should be a source of strength, if the fault lines are not deliberately being exposed and exploited by those who are bent on setting the people against themselves, using their new-found tools of hate speech, disinformation and fake news.
“These dangerous trend is threatening the very foundation of our national unity. It is daily pushing the nation close to the precipice, perhaps more than at any other time since the end of the civil war.
“We must boycott any medium that engages in hate speech, incitement to violence, disinformation and fake news. The regulators must also be alive to their responsibilities by promptly sanctioning the purveyors of hate speech, disinformation and fake news. Yes, our constitution allows freedom of speech and this government believes in it, but freedom of speech must not be allowed to become freedom of irresponsibility,” he observed.
On the part of the federal government, he explained, the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, had recently undertaken a series of engagements with all stakeholders to defuse the tension cause by these tendencies, stressing that his efforts have gone a long way in calming frayed nerves, especially in the aftermath of the attacks and counter-attacks by various groups across the country.
As a follow-up to the efforts of the Acting President, the minister said the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture was planning a series of engagements with the media, to educate and sensitize them to the dangers posed to the unity of the country by hate speech, disinformation and fake news.
“Needless to say that we are also appealing to the media, the traditional media in particular, to show responsibility by repudiating the freewheeling and out-of-control purveyors of hate speech,disinformation and fake news.
“Unlike the Social Media, the traditional media is subject to the rigours of accuracy, fact-checking and fairness, among others. Sadly, even a section of the traditional media now apes the hate campaigners by lifting their unverified or distorted news and dumping such on their readers,” he appealed.
Local Government (LGA) Chairmen in Kaduna state Thursday commit to engaging residents of their areas on safe motherhood and the need to space their births – this they will do through town hall meetings to enlighten community members on importance of antenatal clinics and hospital delivery.
They made the commitment in Zaria, at the training on child birth spacing, organised by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI).
Community dialogue according to them, remains the best way to ensure stability of the family and safeguard the lives of women and children. This is in addition to proactive steps they will take towards improving services at the facilities.
Speaking, Chairman of Giwa LGA, Yahaya Saleh Ibrahim, says, investing in the health of women has multiple rewards, hence the need for them to take positive actions that would reduce the death burdens of pregnant women in communities.
“We also need to carry along the traditional and religious leaders so as to ensure its acceptability in the communities.”
“I am surprise that some of these issues have not received the desired attention. We will make necessary budgetary provision to address these issue.” He told the meeting.
Also speaking, Chairman of Zaria LGA, Hassan Abdullahi Makarfi, said, LGAs have a role in safeguarding the lives of residents, especially women.
He called for a strong collaboration between the LGAs and Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) to ensure effective delivery of health services to women.
He stressed the need for improvement in the skills of workers so they could save the lives of more women.”
In a paper, Chairman of Family Health Advocates in Nigeria Initiatives (FHANI), Shehu Makarfi tasked the chairmen to make funds available for the uptake of child spacing services in the state, guaranteeing that it is the best formula to addressing maternal mortality, especially in the face of current financial challenge facing Nigeria.
“This year Kaduna State government has created a budget line for Child spacing and 100M is voted for it under the Drug Management Agency.
“The LGAs have long created budget line for FP in all the 23 LGAs. Initially each LGA had a provision of N500,000 but later it was increased to N2,000,000.
According to him, the state and the local government can work together to ensure adequate provision of funds to provide the service free of charge to all women in the state.
Makarfi said, “the state government has developed a state implementation plan to domesticate national FP policies and scale up FP services in the State.”
Senior Programme Officer in NURHI, Kadijah Ibrahim Nuhu, said, the meeting was to train the LGA Chairmen and Directors PHC on the need to make adequate funds available for child spacing — a quick way of reducing maternal death.
NURHI is working with CSOs, as well as traditional and religious leaders in 15 LGAs of Kaduna State, towards ensuring women have access to free child spacing services. NURHI stated work in Kaduna in 2009.
Following outcry over the alleged removal of the Not Too Young To Run Bill in the Constitution Amendment Report which was laid on the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerians that the bill was not removed from the report which will be considered next week.
A statement by the special Adviser to the speaker on media and public affairs, Turaki Adamu Hassan, noted that his boss also reaffirmed his support for youth inclusion in politics, saying the House will live up to the promise it made to do all within its powers to pass the Bill.
It quoted the speaker to have said, “The young people should be informed that we made a promise and we will keep to our promise, by God’s grace”.
Dogara made the remarks during plenary on Thursday, following a clarification on the matter by the chairman of the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Review of the Constitution, Deputy Speaker, Sulaimon Yussuf Lasun.
The deputy speaker had explained that rumors spreading that the bill was removed at the retreat of the joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Review of the Constitution was false.
He, further explained that though the Bill was retained, the title was changed, which could be the reason why it was thought to have been expunged.
Speaker Dogara has on several occasions, assured that he supports youth inclusion and participation in politics and other spheres of endeavor, the statement noted.
World Youth Skills Day brings youths a time to check efforts they have made towards personal capacity development. As it’s seen in the world today, youths are one of the most under-represented subsets of the global population when it comes to decision making. This is not due to under-population of youths but a jaundiced, stigmatized perception of youths by the ruling class all around the world.
Although the terms “youth” and “young people” are conceived differently by people in different parts of the world, they most commonly refer to adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24. Other sources extend this age bracket to include people of ages 29 or 35 but one factor is common to all; youth is the period (transition stage) between childhood and adulthood. Demographically, youths have a global population of 1.1 billion claims a whopping 18 percent of the entire world’s population; 60 percent of which live in Asia; 15 percent, in Africa; 10 percent, in Latin America and the Caribbean; and the remaining 15 percent, in developed countries and regions.
These facts echo the unparalleled significance of youth in our world today and reiterate their importance in planning for future generation.
Unfortunately, rather than being major stakeholders in devising global developmental programs, youths themselves are the subject of global challenges with many facing possibilities of early marriage, early childbearing, incomplete education and the threat of HIV and AIDS.
To understand the severity, these statistics from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs would paint a better picture.
Approximately 238 million youth live in extreme poverty—that is, they live on less than $1 a day; 462 million youth survive on less than $2 a day.
About 255 million young people live in the 19 countries with the largest poverty gaps; 15 of these 19 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Experts estimate that, in the 49 countries classified as having a high proportion of undernourished people, 110 million youth live in hunger.
About 133 million youth in the world are illiterate.
Youth comprise 41 percent of the world’s unemployed people.
These figures shouldn’t be what describe the supposed most vibrant age bracket of the world!
What can be done to address this??? The exact reason why #WorldYouthSkillsDay is necessary and we will – from an individual perspective – chart a way forward.
Poverty is a state of penury and lack. The only antidote to it is earning through just means. The perception of “go-to-school, get-a-job-after” has led many youths to believe skill acquisition is not for them which leaves the world with a teeming population of “clueless youths”. It is high time youths acquired skills and take up vocations they are passionate about and lifts them well beyond the poverty and marginalization indices.
Many are also of the opinion that formal education is only what makes someone literate. No! President Jacob Zuma is the world’s most illiterate president. He lacked formal education but made up for his deficiency by acquiring skill which included language and leadership skills.
In conclusion, it is better to try and fail than not to try at all. Do not be so afraid to fail that you fail to start. #ChangeYourStatus today!!! #LearnASkill #SkillsForAll
Written by Ogunjobi Muyiwa Felix from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Editing by Adebote ‘Seyifunmi and Reporting By Alli Abiola.
In Nigeria, the National Council on Information, NCI, has noted with dismay the alarming consequence of social media in the peaceful coexistence of the country and enjoined information managers at states level to create websites to counter report of misinformation posted on social media.
