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09/03/2016

Nigeria: Kaduna Passes Bill For State’s Master Plan Into Law

By Longtong Ibrahim

Kaduna (Nigeria) – The Kaduna State House of Assembly on Tuesday has passed into law a bill seeking to establish a master plan for the state.

The executive bill titled, ‘A bill for a law to provide for the establishment of Kaduna master plan law, 2016’, was passed into law during the plenary sitting of the state’s Assembly.

The bill states that: “Any person, who encroaches, interferes or in any way obstructs the orderly implementation of the master plan commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of six months or fine of N250, 000 or both.

“Any officer charged with the responsibility of implementation of the master plan, who falls or collaborate with others to obstruct the master plan shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of three years or a fine of N1 000,000 or both not exempting administrative disciplinary procedures as contained in the civil service rules.

The bill also noted that, the government shall have the right to remove, modify, restructure or reconstruct any existing structure, building or facility in order to bring it into conformity with the master plan and provided that it shall have due regard to provisions of the Land Use Act, 1978 on the payment of compensation in appropriate or deserving cases.

“From the date of commencement of the law, all transactions and Physical developments in the designated planning or urban area of Kaduna metropolis shall be in accordance with the provision of the master plan.

“Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Agency (KASUPDA) or it successors is hereby vested with power, duties and responsibilities to ensure compliance with the master plan in the state.

“Any development carried out prior to coming into force of the law shall not be invalid for non-conformity with the master plan if the owner thereof can establish ownership of the property, obtains all the necessary governmental consents and development approvals prior to the said development and have been up to date in the payment of all fees, charges and rents on the property.

“Any Magistrate court or such other court that may be constituted for the purpose of this law shall try the offender and impose such punishment and sanctions as presented by this law.

“The master plan shall be reviewed after every decade or within such reasonable periods as the Governor may decide,” the law stated.”

The objectives of the law however seeks to boost sustainable economic development of Kaduna State in it National, regional, state and city perspective; to enhance social development, relating to poverty reduction, social well being, cohesion and equity; To improve governance in land administration which hinges on reform of physical planning and community participation in planning processes.

“To enhance sustainable use of natural resources, proper solid waste management including air, surface and ground water quality; To secure property, safety from fire, natural disasters, adequate lighting, and ventilation as well as ensure safety of pedestrians, bicycle ways and people living with disability,” the bill noted.

Nigeria: Labour Shuts Down NNPC Offices Nationwide

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09/03/2016

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Nigeria: Labour Shuts Down NNPC Offices Nationwide

Abuja – Members of the organized labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have shut down the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) nationwide.

This follows Tuesday unbundling of the corporation.

News24 reports that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources , who doubles as the NNPC Group Managing Director, Ibe Kachikwu, had on Tuesday announced the creation of seven independent units , namely downstream, gas and power, refineries, ventures, corporate planning and services, and finance and accounts.

Members of staff and management of the corporation arrived their various offices on Wednesday morning to discover that they could not gain entrance following the total strike.

The Group Executive Committee (GEC) of the NUPENG and PENGASSAN had shortly after the Minister announced the creation of the new departments met to discuss the development.

At the end of the meeting, GEC sent this message to all members: “The GEC of NUPENG & PENGASSAN at its meeting of 8th March 2016, which started at 10:00pm, has extensively discussed the pronouncement of the GMD on NNPC unbundling. We observed that the GMD/HMSP totally disregarded due process and failed to engage stakeholders. Hence, from midnight today, All NNPC location will be shut down completely until further notice. Further directives will be communicated accordingly.”

The strike action will definitely compound the worsening fuel situation in the country as petroleum products will not be lifted by NUPENG.

Source:news24

Women’s Day: Nigeria’s Plateau State Seeks Lower Bank Interest Rate For Women

Agriculture

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09/03/2016

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Women’s Day: Nigeria’s Plateau State Seeks Lower Bank Interest Rate For Women

By Iyakale Yakubu
Jos (Nigeria)– Wife of the Plateau State Governor in north central Nigeria, Regina Lalong, says government is negotiating with financial institutions in the state, on how to reduce interest rates on loans accessed by women.

Women engaged in small scale farming and entrepreneurship, who find it difficult to access micro-credit facilities are among key focus of the drive.

“We are reaching out to institutions like the Bank of Industry to help such women,” Mrs Lalong said in Jos on Tuesday.

She spoke at a ceremony to mark this year’s International Women’s Day Celebration, emphasizing that the collaboration would focus on bringing down the interest rate to remove bottlenecks on the path to progress.

The governor’s wife said that the theme for this year’s celebration -‘Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for Gender Equality, was appropriate and timely in an era where women were being acknowledged and given equal opportunities with their male counterparts.

“Women should be given equal opportunities in their endeavours and the society; they want to contribute their quota without any discrimination based on gender.

“We also want emphasis laid on poverty reduction for women; by making women self-reliant, poverty is reduced to the barest minimum by 2030,’’ she said.

In her remarks, Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state, Rufina Gurumyen, said the inclusion of entrepreneurship training as part of the International Women’s Day activities on the Plateau was to give women the opportunity to learn the rudiments of being self-reliant.

“It is only when women are self-reliant that they could manage the on-going economic melt-down that appears to be a global issue,” she said.

She said the participating women, who are selected from the grass root, were expected to replicate the programme in their rural women communities across the 17 Local Governments Areas.

Representative of the United Nations, Sewuese Suwa, expressed concern that women accounted for 60 per cent of the world’s illiterate people.

She regretted that Plateau had only one female lawmaker in its 34-member House of Assembly, and urged Gov. Lalong to appoint more women into leadership positions.

Nigerian Government Tasked To Uphold Women Dignity

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08/03/2016

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Nigerian Government Tasked To Uphold Women Dignity

By Longtong Ibrahim

Kaduna (Nigeria) – Government at all levels in Nigeria has been tasked to step up efforts at ensuring the safety and upholding the dignity of women as well as the girl-child in the country.

Coordinator, Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), Sekyen Dadik in a statement, gave the charge in Kaduna, North-west Nigeria while commemorating the 2016 International Women’s day on Tuesday. The theme for the celebration was, “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality.”

She explained that the call was necessitated as a result of the high spate of kidnappings of young girls and denigrating comments about women in recent times – citing example of the abductions of the 14 year old Miss Ese Oruru from Bayelsa State, the female student in Sokoto and that of three female students of the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos.

Mrs. Dadik pointed out that, “This calls for concrete action by government and stakeholders to protect and empower women and girls as they contribute meaningfully to the growth of the nation.”

According to her, the 2016 theme buttresses the critical role women and girls play in finding sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, inequality and the recovery of the communities hit by conflicts, disasters and displacements.

“This year’s celebration of International Women’s Day is the first within the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as fundamental to progress.

“The new Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals include a specific goal to achieve gender equality, which aims to end discrimination and violence against women and girls and ensure equal participation and opportunities in all spheres of life,” she noted.

Nigeria Tasks VOA Hausa Service On Balanced Coverage Of Boko Haram

Development

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08/03/2016

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Nigeria Tasks VOA Hausa Service On Balanced Coverage Of Boko Haram

Nigeria has appealed to the Voice of America (VOA) to ensure a more balanced coverage of the Boko Haram insurgency by its Hausa Service.

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the appeal in Abuja Tuesday, while receiving a delegation from the African Division of the VOA, led by its Director, Mr. Negussie Mengesha.

He noted that there had been allegation that the Hausa Service of the VOA’s reporting of the war is being skewed in favour of the insurgents, and urged the international broadcaster to correct the perception.

“The Voice of America is very popular in Nigeria, and for many years, the Voice of America has been seen as the veritable voice of cooperation, partnership and friendship to Nigeria. I can say that in the Northern part of Nigeria in particular, the Voice of America is listened to very religiously.

“However, I must say that in recent times, there have been lots of complaints about the Voice of America from the same part. People have not been too happy about the way the insurgency has been reported in recent times,” Mohammed said.

He noted, however, that in spite of the allegations, the VOA remains the favourite channel ”for many of our brothers and sisters in the North”, particularly during the time of the insurgency, which significantly affected the capacity of the local broadcasters to reach out to the people.

“When I read the article (on the VOA coverage of Boko Haram), I said it could mean two things. One, that the Voice of America is still very relevant in Nigeria and, secondly, the perception out there is that the audience probably wants more of balancing of stories than anything,” the Minister said.

He commended the VOA for its various capacity building programmes for journalists in the country and stressed the need to have an exchange programme between the American broadcasting organization and Nigeria’s public broadcasters.

Mohammed also lauded the VOA for expanding its reach through the Social Media, saying: “Social Media today is so pervasive. It might not be believed by all but the penetration is probably deeper than that of the conventional media. It is instantaneous, viral and it has no boundary. I must commend you for your effort to move from radio to a multi-media platform,” he said.

Responding, Mengesha denied the allegation that the coverage of the Boko Haram insurgency by the VOA Hausa Service is slanted in favour of the insurgents.

“I think the Hausa Service is the real enemy of Boko Haram. The entire Northern Nigeria has been affected by this crazy madness and in fact we took one of our reporters and kept him for six weeks in Northern Nigeria to have first hand investigative reports and he did an excellent job,” he said.

Mengesha, who said he was disappointed by the allegation contained in an article published in the Daily Trust of Saturday, March 5th, however expressed the readiness of VOA to correct the perception.

For his part, the Managing Editor, Hausa Service of the VOA, Aliyu Mustapha, dismissed the allegation of biased coverage of the insurgency by the Service as reflected in the said article as ”unsubstantiated”, and assured that the VOA will continue to partner with Nigeria to build on the successes it had recorded in the anti-terror campaign.

Also at the occasion, Joan Mower, Director, Development and International Media Training for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, commended the Nigerian media for the enviable role it played towards the eradication of polio in the country, adding that journalists from other countries would soon visit Nigeria to understudy the role of the country’s media in that regard

Nigeria: Federal Government Partners Lagos To Redesign National Museum

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08/03/2016

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Nigeria: Federal Government Partners Lagos To Redesign National Museum

Lagos – Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday toured the national museum at Onikan in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, in preparatory to its redesign and modernization into a world-class historical hub and tourist site.

The visit is a follow-up to the promised made by Ambode, during a courtesy visit to him two weeks ago by the Minister, to collaborate with the Federal Government in the modernization of the National Museum.

The Lagos Governor said the partnership would entail the utilization of the fallow land around the museum to erect new structures while the old building remains intact.

He said a multi-layer car park, which the state government is constructing near the museum, would complement the proposed modern museum.

“You will recall that two weeks back, the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture was in my office and we did speak about establishing a new museum here and as a follow up, he decided to invite me again today to see things for myself.

“So what we have done today is to find out what is required to collaborate and I am happy the DG has been able to take us round. We have seen what we have here and we believe that with this new partnership, Nigeria will be better for it. What I have seen is that we have enough space to actually create a new museum – a modern one – while the old one is still also in place,” the Governor stated.

He maintained that this is the kind of collaboration the Lagos State Government required with the Federal Government to create more jobs through culture and tourism and also to conserve the nation’s cultural heritage.

Ambode described the project as a legacy for the APC government in the country, which goes beyond showcasing it as part of the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of Lagos State.

“Even in the course of my campaign, I actually said that there is a programme called THEAS and this stands for Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Arts and Sports, but it’s not about revenue generation but about job creation. My emphasis is about creating jobs for the lower strata,” the Governor said.

In his remarks, the Minister said the project is like a dream come true and described it as one of the biggest collaboration so far between the Federal Government and a State Government in the area of culture and tourism.

“That the Governor has been able to come here today is an eloquent confirmation that he is ready to walk his talk. The issue goes beyond Lagos State.I think it’s about Nigeria,” he stated.

Mohammed stressed the need to utilize tourism and culture to create jobs and also bring out the best in people in terms of talents and creativity.

He said the Federal Government is aiming to turn the museum into another hub for culture, tourism and entertainment, thanked the Governor for his generosity and vision and gave the assurance that the project will be accelerated.

“That the Governor is here less than two week after his promise speaks volumes about his intention. On our side, we would spare nothing to ensure that this project is realized,” he said.

The Director General of the National Museum and Monuments, Mr. Yusuf Abdallah Usman, who guided the Minister and the Governor on the tour, said Culture is on the concurrent list, which envisages collaboration of all tiers of government to develop culture and tourism.

Organisation Trains Nigerian Women On Farming Methods

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08/03/2016

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Organisation Trains Nigerian Women On Farming Methods

By Iyakale Yakubu

Jos (Nigeria) — About 600 women in Plateau State, north central Nigeria have received training on coriander cultivation and other farming methods to boost food production in the region. Coriander is a plant with leaves and seeds that can be added to food to give a special flavour.

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Green Sahara Farms said it conducted the training last year, designed to empower the women, and make Plateau the Hub of spices and herbs in Nigeria.

Executive Chairman of the organisation, Suleiman Dikwa, told Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Rofina Gurumyen, in Jos, that “We brought them (the women) in to benefit from the privileges the large scale commercial farmers were accorded.

Dikwa said the women were also trained on best farming practices, group dynamics, rural financing, account and financial management in the first phase of the project.

He said after the training, the women increased their cultivation of coriander plants.

Dikwa said prior to the training, most of the women had been cultivating lands for more than 30 years, but their economic status still remained the same.

“Farmers do not have problem of what to produce, but their major concern is how to market such goods, we market their products as a group to spice companies that used to import their products.

“Spices are widely used in our homes, everybody uses thyme, curry, rosemary, celery and others everyday as spice in our meals,’’ he explained.

He said with the current policy of the government, power has been given to farmers to partake in the development of food processing and other Agro allied companies.

He said the programme was being coordinated by Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) with 18,000 members in Plateau and one million members in Nigeria.

According to him, the region is blessed with natural resources such as land and water for cultivation.

Dikwa noted that only the support of government was needed in training women in these skills, as a source of livelihood and business venture, which would improve their standard of living.

In her remarks, the Commissioner for Women Affairs said the visit was coming at a time when Nigerians were being encouraged to look inwards on ways to boost the country’s economy.

Gurumyen acknowledged the efforts of the organisation and pledged government’s commitment to support women who were the major sustainers of the home.

The commissioner implored the organisation to take their training to the hinterlands where women are under-skilled in such cultivation.

She also urged the organisation to ensure that the products produced by the women were marketed, to further encourage them to cultivate more hectares of land and improve on their status.

Women’s Day 2016: Major Obstacles Persists Against Safeguarding Women And The Girl Child

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08/03/2016

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Women’s Day 2016: Major Obstacles Persists Against Safeguarding Women And The Girl Child

By Omobonike Adebayo and Biodun Owo

In many nations around the world, including Nigeria, gender discrimination is still very persistent and perpetrated through social norms. For example discriminatory practices such as child/forced marriage, human trafficking, female genital mutilation/cutting, physical and sexual violence are still very prevalent in Nigeria with women and girls being victims of these practices. Women and girls are also disproportionately affected in conflict situations.

Child marriage is deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of many communities in Nigeria. Though the practice is believed to be a way of protecting the girl child from sexual assault and unwanted out-of-wedlock pregnancies as well as to protect family honour. Child marriage is a violation of human rights as majority of young girls are married without their free and full consent.

Trafficking in persons is still prevalent despite measures put in place by the government to punish perpetrators. A report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that Nigeria country still serves as a source, transportation and destination for the trading of women and children. Over 8 million children are engaged in forced labour and most of them are gathered from rural areas within the country’s borders.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is another harmful practice that is deep-rooted in our tradition and performed by traditional circumcisers, traditional birth attendants, health professionals such as doctors and nurses/midwives for various reasons such as maintaining chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage, increasing male sexual pleasure, initiation of girls into womanhood, maintenance of social acceptance, enhancing fertility, promoting better marriage prospects and child survival. Research shows that more than 19 million women in Nigeria have undergone FGM/C.

Violence against women is widespread in many parts of Nigeria and is ingrained in deep cultural beliefs. It occurs irrespective of social, economic or religious background. Common forms of violence against women in Nigeria are rape, acid attacks, molestation, and wife beating. It is of special concern in pregnancy because of the effect on the woman and the unborn baby; it is known to be associated with adverse pregnancy outcome such as miscarriage, preterm delivery, low birth weight and perinatal death. According to 2013 National Demographic and health Survey (NDHS), 28% of women age 15-49 have experienced physical violence at least once and 7% experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected in conflict-prone regions. This is made worse by insurgence of terrorists groups in the country. According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over half a million children have been displaced to date by the terror group, Boko Haram. Victims are taken from Nigeria to other West and Central African Countries; Women and girls are abducted and forced to serve as domestic or commercial sex workers. A 2014 study by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) revealed that some of these women and girls are taken out of the continent for sexual exploitation.

Nigeria is signatory to several policies, legislations, and conventions that commit to eliminating discriminatory practices that are harmful to women and girls. Yet what is seen in reality is a far cry as there are still significant gender gaps in education, economic empowerment and political participation. Discriminatory practices, violence against women and gender stereotypes hinder the much needed progress towards gender equality. Nigeria has a particularly high maternal mortality rate and women’s access to quality health care is limited, especially in rural areas. Harmful cultural and traditional practices such as early and forced marriages, female genital mutilation as well as unplanned pregnancy, unsafe abortion, contribute significantly to the unacceptably high Maternal Mortality in Nigeria.

A 2012 UK study data ranked Nigeria 118 out of 134 countries in the Gender Equality Index. It showed that women make up only 21 percent of the non-agricultural paid labour force, the majority occupied in casual, low-skilled, low-paid informal sector employment. Another 2012 study by DFID showed that “Nigeria’s 80.2 million women and girls have significantly worse life chances than men and also their sisters in comparable societies”. Women are under-represented in all political decision making bodies and their representation has not significantly increased since the inception of democratic rule.

This myriad of challenges faced by Nigerian women and girls call for deliberate responsive actions from respective stakeholders. Executive Director of Women Advocates Research Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr Abiola Akiyode urged Nigerian government to do a gender audit of their laws to ensure that discrimination against women and girls do not persist, and ensure that funds are budgeted towards addressing inequalities in Nigeria. “On maternal health the government should ensure that maternal health service is free, adequate and accessible”, she added.

According to Country representative of Champions for Change project in Nigeria, Theressa Kaka Effa, “Nigeria has great and various plans, policies, and laws to guide us in addressing our development and health issues. What we lack is the willpower at individual, community and governance level to do what is right. My recommendation to those in Governance is to be accountable to citizens – enforce and implement the various provisions as enshrined in protective laws such as the Child’s Rights Act, the National health Act 2014 , the Violence against persons prohibition Act 2015, Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015 Etc. She also called on citizens to take responsibility for their health and development by seeking information and educating others as well, demand for their rights and entitlements, vote objectively and for leaders who care about them and make true their promises.
Omobonike Adebayo and Biodun Owo work with DevComs Network, Lagos

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