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Tag: Commonwealth

  • Commonwealth assists Nigeria recovers $3bn in a year says Scotland

    Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has said  Commonwealth assisted Nigeria in recovering of about three billion dollars within one year.
    Scotland said this on Tuesday in Abuja when she visited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
     The Secretary General said that amount could not be compared to what the nation got in 10 years.
    Scotland said President Muhammadu Buhari was very clear on the repatriation of the funds, saying that it is a matter of pride to the Commonwealth to have been able to assist Nigeria in getting her money back.
    “We were very proud in the Commonwealth when the President graced us by coming to the Tackling Corruption Together Conference in May, 2016, and he explained so graphically, the wisdom that comes from corruption.
    “And I don’t think anyone would forget. When they asked him, what do you want out of this and he said, I want my money back. I want my money back to the people of Nigeria.
    “And this has been a matter of great pride to us in the Commonwealth that we have been able to assist Nigeria in getting its money back and in one year.
    ”Nigeria has managed to get back more money than it has got back in 10 years before.
    “It recovered about three billion dollars. That is over five hundred billion naira.
    “And that is money that can go to schools and housing and roads and I hope that we will get even more money back together,” Scotland said.
    Scotland also commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its fight against corruption in the country.
    She commended the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, for the work he has done, expressing hope that it was just the beginning of the war against corruption in the country.
    “And I do applaud everything that the new commission is doing.
     “I was there to launch that building, fantastic building and I really applaud the acting chairman because of the work that he has done.
    “I am hoping that this is just the beginning and I pledge our continued support,” Scotland said.
    She thanked Nigeria for her generosity towards the Commonwealth and called for more support.
    In his remarks, Onyeama said anti-corruption was one of the three priority areas of the President.
    The minister expressed delight over the Commonwealth’s monitoring and supporting anti-corruption efforts, saying it was of high importance.
    He said Nigeria looked forward to having more cooperation and engagement with the Commonwealth, including funding.
    “We believe in the Commonwealth and we believe that the better funded it is, the more responsive to our needs it would be, ” he said.(NAN)

  • UK to announce new £50m malaria programme for Nigeria

    The United Kingdom (UK) says it will announce a new malaria programme worth £50 million in Nigeria that will run until 2024.

    The UK said it would also provide a £9.2 million of new research funds to develop new triple artemisinin combination treatments.

    A statement issued by Ready to Beat Malaria, an NGO, said the UK Government had re-affirmed its commitment to spend £500 million a year on malaria through to 2020-21.

    The statement said that the UK would also announce additional £100 million match fund commitment to the Global Fund to match new contributions from private donors pound for pound.

    It said the funds were part of the Britain’s renewed commitment to accelerate progress against malaria.

    Read Also: http://staging.thenationonlineng.net/fg-ngos-sensitise-community-world-malaria-day/ 

    The statement said the UK government would make this known at the Malaria Summit London 2018, co-hosted by the UK Government, and the Heads of State of Rwanda and Swaziland.

    It said 15 Heads of State and Government from across the Commonwealth were to attend the Malaria Summit together with senior ministerial attendance and leaders from the world of business, science, civil society and international organisations.

    It said the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria would also announce commitments totalling 2 billion dollars from 46 countries affected by malaria between 2018 and 20.

    According to the statement, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will extend its investments in malaria by an additional 1 billion dollars (£700 million) through to 2023.

    It said the 1 billion dollars investment was to reduce the burden of the disease towards ending malaria for good.

    The statement however noted that most effective tools in the fight against malaria such as nets, sprays and treatments are under threat from drug and insecticide resistance.

    “ The malaria parasite and the mosquitoes that carry it are evolving resistance to existing interventions – malaria is fighting back.

    “The Malaria Summit call for new tools to stay ahead of the disease, announcing commitments to invest in future innovations,’’ it said.

    It said GSK is committing to invest a further 175 million dollars in its research and development efforts against malaria.

    The statement added that Novartis would invest more than 100 million dollars through 2023 to advance research and development of next-generation treatments to combat emerging anti-malarial drug resistance.

    It quoted Ms Theresa May, Prime Minister of United Kingdom, saying that: “UK is a proud leader in the fight against malaria, which has seen deaths cut by 60 per cent and saved seven million lives since 2000.

    “We have made a major contribution to that progress, including investing 500million dollars each year over the next three years, developing new drugs and technologies and making life-saving solutions available to millions at risk from malaria.

    “But the job is not yet done. Today there are millions still at risk, economies held back and a child’s life needlessly taken every two minutes from this disease.

    “This is why I am championing a new Commonwealth commitment to halve malaria across member countries by 2023.

    Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who are co-convening the Malaria Summit, said: “History has shown that with malaria there is no standing still – we move forward or risk resurgence.’’

    He added that the commitments made today, from the UK, country leadership and the private sector, show that the world is ready to beat malaria.

    NAN

  • Prince Harry appointed Commonwealth youth ambassador

    Prince Harry has been appointed a Commonwealth youth ambassador, his highest-profile public role to date and a job that will see him working with his future wife encouraging young people to use the network of mostly former British colonies.

    Queen Elizabeth awarded the position to her 33-year-old grandson who is fifth-in-line to the throne and has led a rebranding of the monarchy in a bid to make it more modern and relevant.

    “I know that serving as ambassador to young people I’m going have to try to keep up with you all … my job will be to listen to you, my duty will be to ensure that your ideas, concerns, thoughts and hopes are heard,” Harry told the opening of a Commonwealth forum discussing youth issues.

    The announcement coincides with the start of a summit of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in London this week, which will seek to boost the network at a time when Britain is negotiating its departure from the European Union.

    “I’m also incredibly grateful that the woman that I am about to marry, Meghan, will be joining me in this work, in which she too is hugely excited to take part in,” the prince added, drawing applause and cheers from the audience.

    Harry will marry American actress Meghan Markle on May 19.

    In a statement, Buckingham Palace said more than 60 percent of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion people were under the age of 30.

    The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth, but questions have been raised over whether her son and heir, Prince Charles, should succeed her.

    “The Queen clearly is personally very committed to the Commonwealth but after her, maybe it’s a time to say ‘well actually the Commonwealth should decide who its own president is on a rotational basis’,” Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, told the BBC.

    Foreign minister Boris Johnson said it was “a matter for the 53 to decide”.

    In his opening speech, Harry praised the queen’s role in the development of the Commonwealth, calling her “the ultimate source of guidance in all things Commonwealth,” citing a speech she made in 1947.

    “She said that whether her life be long or short, it would be dedicated to the service of the people of the Commonwealth. All of us here today can be grateful that it is a long life the Queen is still enjoying,” he said.

    Reuters/NAN

  • Commonwealth Games: D’Tigers ready for battle – Dike

    D’ Tigers shooting guard, Azouma Dike has said that the Nigerian team is set for the Commonwealth Games basketball event, which begins on Thursday in Gold Coast.

    The Nigerian team will play its opening Group A game against New Zealand at Cairns on Friday with the hope that a favourable result would propel it to a podium finish at the Games. The Nigerian team also has Australia and Canada to contend with for a place in the next round.

    The Alex Nwora-tutored side has a tough task but Dike is sure that they will do well at the Games. “We are getting set for the game against New Zealand. It is will be a very tough game but we are not scared of any team.

    We might not be as big as the teams in our group, as the FIBA ranking suggests but we are good to go.”

    When he was reminded that experience matters in basketball, he answered: “Basketball is the same everywhere.

    We are not scared of the big names because it is a game where anything can happen, so we all have to bring our best performance into all the games.

    “We can shock some teams. You can take surprise element away from basketball because small teams have prospered against big teams in competitions. We have what it takes to do well and I believe in my teammates,” Dike added.

    The team is captained by Ike Diogu (Henan, China). Others are Uchenna Ireogbu (Stony Brooks, NCAA, USA) Dung Eli Abraham- (Kano Pillars (Nigeria) Azuoma Dike – (Kano Pillars, Nigeria) Olantunji Olalekan  Graham- (Unattached, USA) Ofoegbu Uchechi Chima – (Unattached, USA) Musa Usman (Mark Mentors) Abdulwahab Yakubu (Gombe Bulls) Istifanus Sylvanus (Gombe Bulls) Abdul Yahaya (Kano Pillars) Achiuwa Godsgift Onyekachi (Unattached, USA) and Orizu Prince Ifeanyi (Far Eastern University, The Philippines).

  • Commonwealth Games: Dalung, NOC charge federations on good leadership

    Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung has charged the sports federations in the country to make the best use of the lessons learnt in the two day the “International Olympic Committee/NOC seminar on good governance in sports” to move sport to the next level.

    The Minister who was represented by the Director of Research and Statistics in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Hawa Kulu Akinyemi, said this while declaring open the IOC seminar yesterday and will end today in Abuja.

    Dalung disclosed, “I commend the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for their collaborations and support which ensured successful conduct of the last election into the sports federation.

    “I believe that the major take away from this seminar is a better understanding of good governance, which I expect you (presidents of sports federations) to translate to better management in your sports, especially the athletes for their better performances”, Dalung stated.

    IOC member and President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Habu Gumel is convinced that “the seminar is a milestone in the annals of Nigerian sports as this happens to be the first time such a high-level seminar is being organised within our shores for presidents and members of our sports federations to address the subject of good governance in our sports system.”

    The IOC expert, Dr. Donald Rukare, who conducted the seminar, said the major problem in Nigeria was how to get the federations to perform optimally. He expressed believd that the problem would soon be a thing of the past.

  • Africa not getting fair deal from Commonwealth, Ekweremadu, Dogara lament

    Africa not getting fair deal from Commonwealth, Ekweremadu, Dogara lament

    Africa is being shortchanged in the Commonwealth of Nations,

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara lamented yesterday.

    They spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, during the 74th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) Executive Committee meeting.

    Ekweremadu said: “Britain has left Europe and we are going to look for new friends. We are going to sign new partnership agreements. We are going to look for new partners.

    “As we go into this new era of Commonwealth, Africa must be ready to put on a new thinking cap for better negotiations, for better deals.

    “Yes, we must put money for the sustenance of Commonwealth, but we must ask ourselves, do we get enough returns for our investment in Commonwealth? Gambia asked this question and left the Commonwealth.

    “There used to be Commonwealth scholarship. Do we get enough of those scholarships? If we say we have a Commonwealth, is it Commonwealth of Nations or Commonwealth of the people?

    “I think what we need is a Commonwealth of people where everybody has a sense of belonging to such a super national organisation, where a Nigerian, a Ghanaian, South African, Kenyan, etc can go to the United Kingdom without having a visa.

    “That is what is Commonwealth. We have different sets of Commonwealth. We have Commonwealth of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, among others but our experiences are not the same.”

    Dogara, represented by Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Nigerian Content, Samuel Ekong, said parliamentarians must ensure their primary responsibilities of law making, appropriation and oversight were strengthened to deepen democracy.

    He said: “African parliamentarians should wake up to the reality that with the Brexit, the commonwealth will pick up still because the British government will seek new partners.

    “We will remain a struggling economy as long as they continue to leave us with just raw materials and bring us finished products.

     

     

     

     

    “But we must in our engagement insist that there must be value addition in our production chain right here in our domains as this will create employment opportunities and ensure that our export receipts increase and our revenue inflows are better off.

    “Otherwise, we will engage in a situation whereby we continue to pick the crumbs while they bring the finished products and increase our import bills and continue to add pressure to our revenue base.”

  • AFN official denies bias in selection of Commonwealth team

    AFN official denies bias in selection of Commonwealth team

    Olalekan Soetan, a renowned athletics statistician on Monday has debunked the accusations that the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) Commonwealth Games team list was biased.

    Soetan, who was among the selection team, told our reporter that the Sports Ministry gave AFN limited slot, as such only athletes with medal prospects were selected.

    “The ministry, which is the sponsor of the Nigerian team to the Games, gave AFN limited slot for athletes, and then we picked the team as regards our medals prospects.

    “Our national trial for Commonwealth games was used mainly for team selection.

    “Yes, we considered some who could not realistically come home for the trials but with outstanding performance or prospects for excellent performance.

    “Let’s not forget that AFN set a standard which very few met, yet we selected athletes based on merits and some on real prospects,” he said.’

    Soetan dismissed those accusing the AFN of bias as mere mischief makers.

    “The few people that are making a scene are mischief makers. For example, a coach, who has never trained his personal athletes to make Nigerian team and pouched some to failure at trials is saying he has jurisdiction,” he said.

    The official explained that the likes of Oluwatobiloba Amusan and Blessing Okagbare are tested athletes, unless proved otherwise.

    “Amusan and Okagbare are tested athletes, meanwhile, Okagbare is only going to feature in the relay and Tobi is our surest medal prospect in 100m Hurdles.”

    The AFN had released the names of 37 athletes for the Commonwealth Games scheduled for April 4-15, in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

    The athletics event starts from April 8-15.

    NAN

  • Okonjo-Iweala appointed into Commonwealth high-level group

    Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been appointed into a High Level Group on Governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

    Prof. Ben Maloney, Communications Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat, said in a statement that  the High Level Group would make recommendations on governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

    The Commonwealth, however, denied that the group was constituted to secretly begin considering who might succeed the Queen as its head.

    “At their last Summit in Malta, Commonwealth heads of government directed the Secretary-General to form the Group.

    “Today members are discussing the scope of the group’s work and the areas of governance it will examine over the coming months.

    “The process is open and the High Level Group reports to the heads.

    “The issue of succession of the Head of the Commonwealth is not part of the Group’s mandate,” the statement said.

    The group is chaired by Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016.

    Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is among the seven-member group.

    Others include Lord Howell, former British Energy Secretary; Louise Frechette, former UN Deputy Secretary-General; and Robert Hill, former Australian Defence Minister.

    Dame Miller, former Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados and Dr George Vella, former Foreign Minister of Malta are also members of the group.

    The group operates independently of the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat and would report only to the heads of Commonwealth governments.

    However, further members may be appointed, the Secretariat said.

    The group is expected to report to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April, which is likely to be the last that the Queen would attend.

    NAN

  • Buhari greets Emeka Anyaoku at 85

    Buhari greets Emeka Anyaoku at 85

    President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Eleazar Chukwuemeka Anyaoku, on his 85th birthday, January 18, 2018.

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, congratulated all the professional colleagues, family members and friends of the highly resourceful diplomat and elder statesman whose resume on international diplomacy and community development continues to inspire and instruct on the power of discipline, focus and knowledge.

    As the first and so far the only African Secretary General of the Commonwealth, the President affirmed that Chief Anyaoku contributed seminally to Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, combining his thorough understanding of the peculiarities of the political structures, with his office and international network of friends to garner support for the country’s transition.

    President Buhari extoled Chief Anyaoku’s unwavering patriotism and commitment to the unity and progress of Nigeria as he continues to contribute to national affairs, through formal and informal advice to Presidents, including chairing the meeting that led to the adoption of the Abuja Accord, by which all the presidential candidates in 2015 committed themselves and their political parties to non-violent campaigns and acceptance of the results in good faith.

    President Buhari prayed that the almighty God will grant Chief Anyaoku, who is the Ichie Adazie of Obosi, longer life and more fruitful years to serve his country.

  • Celebrating the Common Wealth Day

    Celebrating the Common Wealth Day

    The true essence of life is when we all come together in good spirit to promote the values and essence of our countries and ensure its continuous survival and existence; this we do irrespective of our differences in culture and geographic barriers.

    In simple definition, the Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 52 independent and equal sovereign states. It is home to over 3 billion people and includes both advanced economies and developing countries.

    It is a community of friends and equals committed to the maximization of the benefit of their common historical heritage.

    This year, the theme for the commonwealth day is “A Peace-Building Common Wealth”. At a time of increasing instability and uncertainty in the world, there is a fierce urgency for the common wealth family of nations in its rich diversity to become a source of strength and hope for all its members.

    A peace-building common wealth basically reaffirms the common wealth charter principle that international peace and security aid in sustaining economic growth and development and rule of law is essential to the progress and prosperity of all.

    To give an historical colouration, it is important we know that the Commonwealth day is dated to the mid 20th century with the decolonization of the British Empire through the increase of self-governance of its territories. It was formally enacted by the London declaration in 1949 which was ordained by the member states as “free and equal”.

    The head of the common wealth of free association is Queen Elizabeth which is also known to be the monarch of 16 members of the commonwealth, known as commonwealth realms.

    Nigeria joined the common wealth in October 1st, 1960 (suspended 1995–99).

    The purpose of Common Wealth is to support social progress, promotion of common understanding, promotion of sporting activities, discussion of problems as it affects member states, advancing democracy and building economic resilience and affluence.