Canada has pledged $119.25 million in humanitarian backing.
The Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, who spoke through the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed D. Hussen, said it was in response to the needs of 20 million people starving in Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen and South Sudan.
He said women and children in the crisis affected countries were to benefit from the aid to be provided, adding that there would be provision of food and nutrition, health care services, clean water and sanitation facilities, as well as livelihoods support.
According to Marie-Claude Bibeau, “It is a human tragedy that the situation has deteriorated to the extent where we have over 20 million people facing starvation.
“This assistance will be disbursed immediately to the most affected areas. We urge all actors in the affected countries to facilitate humanitarian access so that assistance can reach those most in need.”
Canada also made a plea to the affected countries to allow humanitarian workers access into the countries.
South Sudan which has been at war since 2013 has blocked humanitarian aid from coming into its territory to help victims.
United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Chief, Stephen O’Brien, recently made an appeal to the world to help fight hunger and starvation which has affected 20 million people in In Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan.
The Humanitarian Chief said, “The situation for people in each country is dire and without a major international response, the situation will get worse.”
Zambian Member of Parliament, Sebastian Kopulande, has stressed the need for immediate intervention against poverty in Zambia.
Kopulande, who is a member of the ruling party, Patriotic Front, made this call at the Lusaka District 413 Charter night for Lions Club of Kapila, the world’s largest service club organization, with 1.35 million members in more than 45,000 clubs, more than 206 countries.
The club meets the needs of local communities and the world every day because they share a core belief; to serve their community.
He observed that poverty in Zambia needs to be confronted head on and recalled the county’s president, Edgar Lungu statements on poverty in Zambia, while speaking to parliament.
The country’s president had said poverty in Zambia was on a high rise with 54.4 per cent of the people living below the poverty line, nationally.
The president had also stated that 76.6 per cent, in the rural areas where poor and expressed the need for bridging the gap between the rich and poor.
In his remark, Kopulande made an appeal to the church, politicians, business persons and every well-meaning Zambian to work together in fighting poverty in the country, saying, “The poverty situation in our country has reached emergency proportions and cannot be dealt with using conventional formulas and approaches.
“Yes, we can talk about it, but more importantly, as the President stressed, let us do something about it.
“More than ever before, the situation calls for unity and combined effort with a new creativity in addressing the issue.”
By Amos Tauna Nigeria says it will protect and reward whistle-blowers who provide information that leads to the recovery of stolen funds or assets, the Country’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has reiterated. In a statement in Lagos on Sunday, Special Adviser to the Minister, Segun Adeyemi, said Government would protect the identity of all whistle-blowers, whether in the public or the private sector, and ensure that the information they provide was kept secret. ”For those who may have suffered any backlash as a result of the information they provide, their cases will be reviewed and appropriate mitigating actions taken,” he said. Mohammed said the assurance followed the presentations made to the Presidential Assets Recovery Committee by concerned citizens and groups about the safety of whistle-blowers. ”Whistle-blowers have nothing to fear, because the committee has put in place the necessary measures to safeguard those who give useful information. As a matter of fact, whistle-blowers have everything to gain and nothing to lose,” he said. The Minister said any whistle-blower whose information leads to the recovery of up to 1 billion Naira would receive 5 per cent of the amount, adding that the reward for any amount between 1 and 5 billion Naira would be 5 per cent for the first 1 billion Naira and 4 per cent of the remaining 4 billion Naira, while any amount over 5 billion Naira will attract 2.5 per cent reward. ”For example, if a whistle-blower provides information leading to the recovery of 10 billion Naira, he or she will receive 5% of the first 1 billion Naira, 4% of the next 4 billion Naira and 2.5% of the remaining 5 billion Naira. ”What we have done by making this information public is to reassure potential whistle-blowers that the plan to reward is real. We are not just saying we will pay all whistle-blowers, but we are letting them know in advance what they are entitled to, once the information they provide leads to the recovery of looted funds,” he explained.
The Commander, Special Task Force, STF, on secutity in Jos, Plateau State in North Central of Nigeria, Major General Rogers Nicholas, has donated N600,000 to empower women at internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in various skills and businesses.
The Commander made the donation at his investiture as a honorary member of the District 9125 Rotary Club in Jos to give start -up grants to women trained by the Home Makers Women Development Initiative, a Plateau-based Non-Governmental Organisation.
The Commander while making the donation to the women from Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States said that he witnessed loss of lives of breadwinners when he served in Borno State where scores of death were high because of the insurgency.
He said the donation would help reduce the hardship faced by these women and help them cater for the needs of their family, saying his honorary membership in Rotary Club would further create a wider platform for him to contribute to humanity which was the premise in which the club was established.
“This award means the public is watching what we are doing. I am honored to be part of a group of seasoned professionals serving humanity of which I am committed to contribute my quota.
“I enjoined groups to emulate Rotary Club in augmenting the efforts of government in meeting the needs of the people especially the vulnerable groups. I also want my officers to discharge their duties diligently so that they would also be recognized for their diligent service,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs Philomina Dadu’ut, the President of Rotary in Jos, said, the STF commander was recognized by the Club because of his outstanding efforts towards restoring peace in the Plateau.
He explained that the Club gave start up grants to six women in December last year to enable them learn various skills and establish businesses to meet the needs of their families.
“Rotary as a humanitarian club gave start up grants to six of these women who were empowered by the Home makers Women Development Initiative of different skills of pastries, pomade making, spices and handmade bags amongst others. I want to appreciate the Commander for his kind gesture, it would definitely meet the needs of thousands of women and make them self reliant,” she said.
In her remarks, Mrs. Margaret Ahmed, the Coordinator of the Home-makers Women Development Initiative said, the organisation had trained more than 1,000 women in IDP camps on different skills who will no longer have to queue up for relief materials again.
Mrs. Hannatu Yakubu, one of the recipients of the rotary grant said, she has established her spices business and have been able to pay her children Senior and Junior Secondary Certificate Exams.
Rotary has seven clubs in the Plateau and are governed by the District 9125 Governor who coordinates twenty three states including the Federal Capital territory.
By Lontong Ibrahim Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in collaboration with other agencies and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Kaduna northwest Nigeria, have commenced evacuation of street beggars for rehabilitation at the Makarfi destitute camp. Kaduna State Commandant of the Corps, Modu Bunu, while briefing personnel of the command Friday, urged them to ensure high discipline, diligence and synergy in discharging their duties. NSCDC Spokesman, Orndiir Terzungwe, in a statement says the Commandant alongside others were required to assist in evacuating street beggars from the metropolis to Kakuri area, from where they will be moved to the camp. According to him, the decision to evacuate destitute from the metropolitan was taken during the states’ security council meeting held on March 7th, adding that the meeting resolved that the corps and Nigeria Police should evacuate destitute and keep them in their custody for onward transportation to the camp arranged by the state government for their feeding. The Kaduna State government after its security council meeting announced the commencement of enforcement of subsisting restrictions on begging, street hawking and usage of motorcycles for commercial transport in Kaduna metropolis and other urban centres in the state with immediate effect. The enforcement of the ban became necessary following credible security report in order to safeguard lives and properties. The Kaduna State government had in June 2016 issued a ban against street hawking and begging on major streets in the state capital and surrounding local government areas. The ban led to protest against the provision by the beggars under the umbrella body of the Joint National Association of persons with Disabilities. It further generated lots of controversies which caused a delay in the execution of the law.
Ghana’s Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda, has promised to give adequate attention to sanitation in the country.
This decision according to the minister would help attain United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) officially known as Transforming our world.
The minister stated this during an interview after addressing the Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the way for the new ministry created earlier in the year by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
“We have to move on further to create the institutional arrangements that are required, backed by law to have something comparable to what exists in other countries to be able to create policy and design programs and projects that will be effective in delivering the required services.
“I think these are all the things that should encompass the general vision that the president has to improve sanitation in the country,” the minister said.
Adda also expressed his recognition of the country’s achievements in the aspect of sanitation but also gave room for improvement in order to meet with global standard of sanitation.
Earlier in the year, the country’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo created a new Ministry which was to the Ministry for Sanitation and Water Resource.
The ministry was created out of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.
With the complexity of global security threats and the intensity of intra-state conflicts in the West African region, it has become imperative for the regional governments to devise holistic approach to security management.
While violent conflicts are reportedly declining in the sub-region, a recent report by International Journal of Security & Development disclosed that the recent insurgencies in the Sahel region affecting the West African countries of Mali, Niger and Mauritania and low intensity conflicts surging within notably stable countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal sends alarming signals of the possible re-surfacing of internal and regional violent conflicts.
In recent times, the global manifestation of terrorism and insurgency have become evident in Nigeria, where the absolute responsibility of the Nigerian government to grant security to the citizens has been challenged by such threats to security as international terrorism, state failure, and corruption, calling for holistic and dynamic measures to address the situations.
As recommends in the United Nations Resolution on Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, countries must take appropriate measures to refrain from organizing, instigating, facilitating, participating in, financing, encouraging or tolerating terrorist activities and to take practical measures to ensure their respective territories are not used for terrorist installations or training camps, or for the preparation or organization of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other States or their citizens.
Given the intensity of recurring attacks, relevant authorities in the country must continue to arrange for initiatives and programmes to promote dialogue, tolerance and understanding among civilizations, cultures, peoples and religions, and to promote mutual respect for and prevent the defamation of religions, religious values, beliefs and cultures. Of such dialogues and initiatives is the on-going constructive interface between Nigerian security agencies and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) under the aegis of Peace and Security Forum. The Forum has hitherto paved way for regular meetings on issues bothering the nation’s security. It has further stepped down its approach to advocacy through regular peace and security meetings with traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to promote peaceful coexistence, sustainable peace and security at all levels.
Appreciable effort must be made to promote a culture of peace, justice and human development, ethnic, national and religious tolerance, and respect for all religions, religious values, beliefs or cultures by establishing and encouraging, as appropriate, education and public awareness programmes involving all sectors of society. In this case, the security agents must shun all manners of extra-judicial killings, human rights abuses, and apparent disproportionate response to socio-religious gatherings as experienced in recent times. This must be promptly addressed to avert unwary sensation that can warrant further outbreaks of insurgency.
The country must adopt peace, justice with strong institutions as enshrined under Goal 16 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. Governments at all levels must provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive systems to address ethno-religious attacks by bringing perpetrators to justice. This will re-install citizens’ confidence in governance and judicial system.
It is no more news that Nigerians have continued to suffer from widespread poverty, low economic output in both private and public sector attributable to corruption, inefficiency, erratic power supply, unrealistic policies, and infrastructure decay. These among other factors informed the recent report by the International Monetary Fund, (IMF), warning that unless Nigeria’s government takes urgent steps to curtail the on-going economic decline, there could be a worsening of unemployment and widespread poverty in the country.
Meanwhile, the alarming rate of youth unemployment has become a dire socio-economic issue for a developing nation like Nigeria. It would be recalled that in May 2016, a report by Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had revealed unfavourable statistics, stating that 1.5 million Nigerians became unemployed in the first quarter of the year. Another report by the Bureau showed that as at the second quarter of the 2016, a total of 4.58 million Nigerians were unemployed. As crime in varying degrees affects policies and development of the country, it becomes imperative for the nation to strive towards development by reducing the frequency of crime to the barest minimum through sustainable effort by both executive and legislative arms to eradicate poverty and promote sustained economic growth and development.
All levels of government must pursue and reinforce development and social inclusion agendas at every level as goals in themselves, as these are paramount to reduce youth unemployment, marginalization and the subsequent sense of victimization that fuels extremism and the recruitment of terrorists. A report by the Guardian Newspapers, United Kingdom, has attributed the root insurgencies in the country to the increasing sense of marginalisation on the part of some communities.
Similarly, collective rehabilitation and reintegration efforts must be taken by the governments to put in place, national systems of assistance that would promote the needs of victims of terrorism and their families and facilitate the normalization of their lives. The on-going initiative by the Nigerian Government to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of violence attacks in North East through exhaustive consultation with Civil Society and relevant stakeholders is indeed a commendable development.
Abubakar Jimoh is the Head of Communications at Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Abuja, Email: abujimoh01@gmail.com
President Donald Trump has stood by claims he was wiretapped under Barack Obama, telling visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel: “At least we have something in common, perhaps.”
US intelligence agencies under Mr Obama reportedly monitored Mrs Merkel’s phone, sparking an angry response.
But both Republican and Democratic congressional leaders have said they do not believe Mr Trump was wiretapped.
Mr Trump and Mrs Merkel have discussed key issues including Nato and trade.
Her visit had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to a snowstorm.
Mr Trump made his wire-tapping jibe in a joint press conference with Mrs Merkel. She gave a quizzical look.
He was also asked about a comment by White House press secretary Sean Spicer that the UK’s GCHQ spy agency had carried out wiretapping on Mr Trump during the US election campaign.
Mr Trump said Mr Spicer had been quoting a comment on Fox TV. The president said he had not offered an opinion on it, adding: “You shouldn’t be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox.”
Fox later read out a statement on air, saying: “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now president of the United States was surveilled at any time in any way, full stop.”
GCHQ rejected the allegations against it as “nonsense” and Downing Street says it has been assured the US will not repeat the claims.
The US president was also asked if he regretted any of his regular tweets. He said “very seldom”, adding that it was a way to “get round the media when it doesn’t tell the truth”.
The body language was at times awkward. In an earlier photo opportunity in the White House, Mrs Merkel asked him quietly: “Do you want a handshake? ” He looked forwards with his hands clasped and did not reply.
