Author: The Nation

The International Women’s Society of Nigeria (IWS) has drawn the government’s attention to the plight of widows across the country.

The organization held an event tagged: ‘Rejuvenate Widows Respect, on June 23 at its Skills Centre in Lekki, to educate the public on issues of concern, mobilise political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and donate to the widows.

President of IWS Nkoli Ogbolu lamented that no fewer than 15 million widows live in abject poverty in Nigeria, same also goes to millions of students who are out of school. This, she regretted, was why some of them went into prostitution.

“This is a huge burden on the society, considering the attendant fall out of such a disposition, and the socio-economic problems and challenges they pose. It shows that this country is not doing something right, the Federal Government needs to address the basic needs of its people, which is food, shelter, lighter and water.

“We all need to rally round to re-orientate widows of their rights, repair their broken spirits and bring relief through a reward system for hardworking widows,” she said.

Chairman of the occasion Chief Abimbola Abimbola Ogunkelu, a former Minister of Health, called on the Federal Government to come up with statutes that will protect the right of widows.

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“Widows are almost like outcasts, particularly in some cultural settings, and Nigeria must do all it can to come to the aid of widows. We ask for the girl-child right, women’s right. When women become widows, they don’t stop being women, so widow’s right must be upheld. And women’s right cannot be complete unless widow’s rights are upheld,” Ogunkelu said.

Chairperson of the Widows Trust Fund, Mrs. Olabisi Alokolaro, who had been widowed for ‘7 years, emphasised that its committee is still fully committed in ensuring that the rights and respect of widows are upheld. “Widows must not be regarded as objects of rights but as subjects of rights,” she said.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Giwa Aminat, who lost her husband in 2009 but joined the society in 2014, praised the IWS for its support, saying its empowerment had touched many lives.

“What happens to us as widows is uncontrollable; we don’t have control over death because it comes suddenly. This caused sadness, depression, but with the help of this organization, things are getting better. Since, I became a member; they have been assisting to me. I have been able to take care of myself and the children because they empowered me some months ago,” she said.

A top United Nations (UN) official has warned of “serious implications for human rights” in parts of Myanmar after the government shut down mobile data networks.

According to Telenor, a Norwegian telecoms firm which operates mobile internet services in Myanmar, all mobile phone operators were ordered to “temporarily stop mobile internet traffic in nine townships in Rakhine and Chin State” on June 20.

“The directive, which makes references to the Myanmar’s Telecommunication Law, does not specify when the shutdown will end. Officials referenced disturbances of peace and use of internet services to coordinate illegal activities,” Telenor said in a statement.

The Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw, has been conducting major security operation and crackdown in the western province of Rakhine since August 2017, when alleged Rohingya militants attacked police posts.

More than 720,000 Rohingya are estimated to have been forced to flee into Bangladesh as a result of the ensuing violence, which US lawmakers and international human rights bodies have said amounts to ethnic cleansing, and even genocide.

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The unrest caused by the anti-Rohingya crackdown and exodus has been exacerbated by conflict between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army, a Buddhist insurgent group, which has been fighting with the government since last year. More than 35,000 civilians have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN, with violence spilling into neighbouring Chin state.

U Myo Swe, an official of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said this month’s internet shutdown was “for the sake of security and the public interest”.

“All of us know the situation in Rakhine. People are in trouble, and many people have been displaced. The internet is one of the contributors to this. So, it has been temporarily suspended. It will be resumed when stability is restored,” U Myo Swe said.

But Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said the internet shutdown could have the precise opposite effect, however.

She said in a statement: “As there is no media access and serious restrictions on humanitarian organisations in the conflict-affected area, the entire region is in a blackout. I fear for all civilians there, cut off and without the necessary means to communicate with people inside and outside the area.”

ETHIOPIA has held a memorial for the army chief of staff, Gen. Seare Mekonnen, who was killed in an alleged coup attempt on Saturday.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was pictured weeping at the ceremony in Addis Ababa to honour the general.

The assassination was reportedly part of a coup attempt in the Amhara region.

Officials said the alleged attacker, the general’s bodyguard, is being treated for his injuries – contradicting an earlier claim that he was dead.

The alleged ringleader behind the attempted coup, Brig. Gen. Asaminew Tsige, was killed on Monday as he tried to escape from his hideout in Asmara’s capital, Bahir Dar, the police said.

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Yesterday’s memorial service held at a large venue in the Ethiopian capital, amid tight security. Mourners paid their respects before flag-draped coffins bearing the bodies of Gen. Seare and Gen. Gezai Abera, a colleague who was assassinated with him.

Abiy was filmed wiping away his tears at the event, while soldiers eulogised the dead men.

In a statement on Monday evening, Ethiopian federal police apologised for having earlier said the alleged assassin, Gen. Seare’s bodyguard, had killed himself.

The latest statement from the police said the bodyguard, who has not been named, was being treated for gunshot wounds in hospital. It is not clear if the injuries were self-inflicted.

The internet has been shut across Ethiopia, after a brief resumption in service that followed an unexplained blackout lasting more than a week.

EBONYI State Governor David Umahi has dissociated himself from the purported inauguration of a campaign platform known as “Southeast for President 2023”.

He described the purported inauguration as a distraction.

Umahi, in a statement by his Chief Press secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, dissociated himself and his government from any form of political gathering with intent to promote him for President in 2023. He said he is more committed to delivering quality and purposeful leadership to the people.

He added that promoters of his purported 2023 presidential ambition did not have his support, and so should not link him with any election that is four years ahead.

The statement reads: “The governor was greatly embarrassed by the link to presidential ambition of 2023 being circulated in the news, and states that he will not be distracted by the various endorsements by groups and individuals who clamour for a President of Igbo extraction.

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“Governor Umahi does not know the promoters of the platform, and could not have contracted them to do the job, but be believes that genuine and law abiding Nigerians reserve the right to go about their business as long as it doesn’t not impinge on laid down rules of the country.

“2023 is still very far ahead. I am the Governor of Ebonyi State, and a second term governor for that matter, by the grace of God. I put all my energy and concentration to serve my people and deliver on my campaign promises. I am not looking at where I will be tomorrow. Allow God to determine my next political fate but don’t distract me with Presidential ambition of 2023 now in 2019, it’s ridiculous.

“As a Nigerian and Igbo man, and in my capacity as the Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum, I am not against the idea or agitation for Nigeria President of Igbo extraction, but linking me to it at this time is mostly embarrassing, distracting and premature, and I beg to be left out of it.”