The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

  • NIS unveils additional centres for resident permits

    NIS unveils additional centres for resident permits

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has created 28 additional centres for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) in order to reduce cases of issuance of fake residence permits and aliens cards to expatriates coming into the country.

    Dr Benoy Berry, Chairman of CONTEC GLOBAL, the technical partner to NIS on CERPAC project gave this hint in Abuja Tuesday.

    Berry who spoke at a forum to mark one year of CERPAC project, disclosed that the federal government decision to increase the number of CERPAC centres to almost all states of the federation has helped to prevent unscrupulous foreigners and their Nigerian collaborators from perpetrating crimes, including sponsorship of acts of terrorism within the country.

    Specifically he said the newly introduced  ‘Know Your Immigration Status’, a new technology-based innovation by CONTEC  for expatriates to authenticate the status of their CERPAC in Nigeria, has created a safety barrier between touts and middle men who, hitherto, take advantage of foreigners adding that the company also upgraded its facility at various international airports with the deployment of latest super field verification station card scanners and sophisticated data capture with  bio metric  equipment to check illegal entry with fake resident permits and visas.

    Before now there were only eight centres that issued the CERPAC but its decentralization has seen additional 28 centres across Nigeria that now issue the card, making it a total of 35 centers.
    At present, only Borno and Yobe, two states that have been embroiled in lingering security, are without CERPAC centres.

    It would be recalled that last month the Heads of Immigration Services from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries were in Nigeria during which they visited the NIS CERPAC centre in Abuja.

    Sequel to that visit, they made some recommendations, which revealed that they are willing to adopt the Nigerian CERPAC model for the sub-region.

    Berry who conducted the 16 members ECOWAS Heads of Immigration Services  round the facility put in place for CERPAC project said, “The  heads of immigration in ECOWAS States were impressed with the state of the art equipment  and  have endorsed  the establishment a Migration Training Academy and similar card issuance model for Ecowas states  as part of measures to effectively manage migration and emerging trends associated with movement of persons across borders.”

    Speaking on how this could improve immigration services in Nigeria and African states, Dr. Berry said: “Nigeria and most African countries need to evolve smart ways of nipping security threats in their countries through identity manipulation and theft.”

    Berry said this could only be achieved through the adoption and deployment of smart technologies.  He said, “Smart technology remains the best means of identifying and stamping out perpetrators of terrorism and other crimes that threatens nations like Nigeria.”

    Pressed further, he said, “CERPAC is an embodiment of such technologies.  The CONTEC boss who expressed satisfaction with the level of commitment and performance of the CERPAC project said his company has also created several technologies that would make international passports and other identification documents harder to forge.

  • Shettima confirms killing of 31 fishermen by Boko Haram

    Shettima confirms killing of 31 fishermen by Boko Haram

    Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Tuesday confirmed that Boko Haram insurgents had killed 31 fishermen at Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.

    Shettima made the confirmation at the presentation of relief materials donated to the state by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the Internally Displaced Persons in Maiduguri.

    He said that the attack indicated that the Boko Haram insurgents were still unleashing terror, killing and maiming people in the Lake Chad Basin.

    Shettima noted that the military and other security agencies were yet to verify the report.

    “Somebody called me this morning and informed me that the insurgents had killed 31 fishermen in the Lake Chad Basin.

    “The security agencies have not commented on the attack; so, you cannot confirm it.

    “This shows the level of crisis we faced in Borno, as the so-called Jihadists continued with their inhuman acts in the Lake Chad basin,” Shettima said.

    He, however, commended the efforts of the military toward ending insurgency and ensuring that peace returned to the North-East region.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the insurgents had attacked and killed 31 fishermen in separate attacks between Aug.5 and Aug.6 in Baga.

    It was reported that the incident occurred at Duguri and Dabar-Wanzam fishing communities in Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.

    An anonymous member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) disclosed that 14 persons were killed at Duguri, while 17 others were murdered at Dabar-Wanzam.

    The source noted that the attack came barely four weeks after the fishermen returned to Baga and resumed fishing.

    NAN reports that the lifting of ban on fisheries by the military attracted thousands of fishermen to the area.

    The military had earlier banned fishing on the Nigerian side of the lake, following accusations that Boko Haram was using proceeds from fishing to fund its armed campaign.

  • NILS signs $1.28m grant with African foundation

    NILS signs $1.28m grant with African foundation

    The National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) on Monday signed 1.28 million dollars grant to enhance capacity of parliamentarians in West Africa.

    Signing the agreement on Monday in Abuja, President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said the grant would strengthen financial oversight functions of parliaments, for the deepening of democratic processes in sub-region.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the signing of the agreement was the second phase of the grant. The first phase was signed in March, 2014.

    “You may recall that on March 27, 2014, we witnessed the signing of a grant of 900, 000 dollars from the ACBF and a contribution of 700,000 dollars from the National Assembly.

    “This is to jointly support the implementation of the first phase of the NILS Capacity-Building Project (NILS-CAP I).

    “The first phase which covered a two-year period from 2014 to 2016 was a national project with a sub-regional outlook.

    “As part of its sub-regional outlook, the project focused on capacity-building for the National Parliaments of the member-countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the ECOWAS Parliament.

    “The project which targeted legislators and parliamentary staff in the West African sub-region ensured that capacity gaps were bridged to improve governance systems for sustainable development in the sub-region,’’ he said.

    Saraki noted that NILS-CAP II was further targeted toward capacity development in ECOWAS countries and the ECOWAS Parliament.

    He said that it was also to effectively facilitate the implementation of intra-regional trade among ECOWAS member states and effective financial oversight in the sub region.

    According to him, other important sub-themes for consideration included regional trade, resolution of challenges impeding effective trade integration and security challenges in ECOWAS.

    Saraki said that the 8th National Assembly had worked on freeing markets by enacting laws that improved the ease of doing business and promoting competitiveness of the industries to provide platform for economic growth and development.

    On his part, Executive Secretary of ACFB, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, said that partnership with the national assembly began in 2004 with the development of the then “Policy Analysis and Research Project (PARP)’’.

    According to him, the grant was to consolidate and expand on NILS’ regional activities thereby making the institute a special partner of the Foundation.

    Nnadozie said the project for which the grant was signed was a regional programme that would build capacity of parliamentarians in Nigeria and ECOWAS countries in the areas of financial oversight and governance.

    “Cumulatively, ACBF has invested a total grant amount in excess of 30 million dollars to support national and regional capacity-building activities in Nigeria.

    “We have been able to achieve this with funding support from African governments; the Nigerian Government has been a solid supporter of the ACBF,” Nnadozie said.

    He noted that during the just-concluded African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, the foundation was formally appointed as a specialised agency of the AU responsible for capacity development in Africa.

    Also speaking, the Director-General of NILS, Prof. Ladi Hamalai, noted that the collaboration had over the years helped to scale up legislative capacity development in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

    “I must laud the ACBF’s continuous support to NILS and the significant role in strengthening national parliaments toward sustainable development in West African.”

  • ECOWAS to set up solidarity fund to rebuild North East

    ECOWAS to set up solidarity fund to rebuild North East

     

    Mr. Edward Singhatey, the Vice President, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission says that plans are on-going to establish a solidarity Fund for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North-East.

    Singhatey made this known on Tuesday in Abuja during the celebration of the 2017 World Refugee Day with the theme “We stand together with refugees and IDPs”.

    He said the Solidarity Fund was in compliance with the decision of the Mediation and Security Council to support the Federal Government’s Plan for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of North-East Nigeria.

    He said that the humanitarian crises in the insurgency affected states of the North-East was enormous, adding that it was constantly being assessed by the ECOWAS Commission.

    Singhatey said that the dire situation in the North-East deserved special attention, adding that it had necessitated the international community and ECOWAS Commission to engage in several interventions.

    He said that the ECOWAS Commission, working with partners had donated one million dollars’ worth of food items to support the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 300,000 dollars for Nigerian refugees in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

    The ECOWAS Commission vice president said that it also donated 400,000 dollars for the support of affected communities in the North-East.

    According to him, a recent statistics by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates over 65 million out of the eight billion worldwide population are refugees, asylum seekers and IDPs.

    Singhatey said that the African region represents about 30 per cent of the total number of refugees worldwide with a record of 180 million refugees as at 2016.

    He said that in West Africa, displacement and sufferings were caused by conflicts and other natural and human made causes.

    Singhatey said that failing to address the situation of refugees and other persons of concern amount to inviting adverse consequences for the environment.

    He said that the Commission’s Department of Social Affairs and Gender leads the humanitarian works with the goal of a borderless, prosperous and cohesive region with the capacity to effectively prevent and mitigate conflicts.

    He said the goal was also to limit the impact of conflicts and disasters on citizens and residents with a view to achieving human centered development.

    Singhatey said that the commission would continue to support the efforts of the Nigerian Government in assisting refugees, IDPs and other persons of concern.

    Also speaking, Mr. Jose-Antonio Canhandula, UNHCR Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS tasked Nigeria to join the new approach, which he said was the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework.

    He said that the framework was already being piloted by other African countries, including development actors and private sector in Chad, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda.

    Canhandula, however, said that UNHCR was working with various partners to foster the protection of refugees and IDPs, to collectively seek ways to increase support to the government in assisting people.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion was attended by Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who was represented by Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning.

    Others present were Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, the Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, humanitarian actors and the refugees and IDPs who displayed the wares they made from various skills acquisition programmes.

  • World Refugees Day: FG promises more welfare for IDPS, Migrants

    World Refugees Day: FG promises more welfare for IDPS, Migrants

    …UNHCR laments condition of refugees

     

    The Federal Government on Monday promised that it will continue to make provisions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and migrants precipitated by crisis in the various camps scattered across the country in line with mandate and principles of international protection.

    The assurance was given by the Federal Commissioner in charge of National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, Sadiya Umar Farouk while presenting food items to inmates of the refugees camp in Nyanya Gwandara, Nasarawa State as part of activities to mark the World Refugee Day.

    June 20 is marked as World Refugee Day.

    As part of activities to mark the day, Farouk led ‎representatives of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the camp.

    Farouk said that the aim of the visit was to empathize with refugees and IDPs who have found themselves in circumstances not pleasant for humanity.

    She urged Nigerians and all individuals to take a moment to remember all those affected, assuring them that they are not forgotten.

    She said “The National Commission for Refugee, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons will continue to play its role in accordance with its mandate and principles of international protection.”

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Jose Antonio Canhandula lamented the condition of the refugees which he said was caused by no fault of theirs.

    He called on the international community to show solidarity with the refugees predicament.

    Also in her remarks, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Dr Fatima Diasow ‎assured that ECOWAS was doing everything within its powers to curtail the disturbing incidence of conflicts across the region.

    Diasow, who was represented at the occasion by Mr Alozie Amaechi, assured that ECOWAS was willing to partner with UNHCR and other world bodies to address the sufferings of citizens caught in conflict situations across the region.

    The spokesperson of the refugees, Germaine Ukumu commended Nigeria for the show of love and provision for stranded African refugees, despite competing demands on lean resources owing to the government’s engagements in the fight against terrorism.

    She said “Whoever gives a refugee a cup of water or shelter has done mighty before God. We here there are over 50 million refugees in the world today, and more troubles are taking place to force more people out of their countries into exile.

    “Now, there is a new trend, the IDPs syndrome that has occupied ‎the attention and resources of the federal government of Nigeria in recent times due to terrorism. Despite all that, Nigeria has continued to show large heart to stranded Africans and refugees,” she said.

     

  • Netanyahu to attend ECOWAS Summit in Liberia

    Netanyahu to attend ECOWAS Summit in Liberia

    Israeli Prime Minister

    will be attending the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) annual summit of Heads of State in the Liberian capital, Monrovia on Sunday, June 4.

    Tony Obiechina, Senior Media and Political Officer of the Embassy of Israel, in a statement in Abuja, said, Netanyahu will be on a one-day visit to Liberia to attend the summit.

    Obiechina said that during the summit, Netanyahu is expected to sign a joint declaration for greater cooperation with ECOWAS, the 15-state regional body.

    He said that Netanyahu has spearheaded intense efforts to improve ties with Africa under the slogan “Israel is coming back to Africa, and Africa is coming back to Israel.”

    It will also be Netanyahu’s first trip outside Israel after hosting President Donald Trump in Jerusalem.

    The trip is the first for any Israeli leader to West Africa since the late Prime Minister Golda Meir visited Nigeria in the 1960s.

    The Prime Minister on 2016 toured East African.

    Obiechina said that one of key goals of Netanyahu’s Africa trip is to strengthen economic ties and boost Israel’s know-how specifically, in the areas of water technology, agriculture, energy and cyber-security.

    Israel’s relations with Africa go back to the 1950s barely few years after it was created in 1948.

    NAN reports others expected to attend include a high-level delegation from the Moroccan government, a high-level delegation from the European Union, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, among others.

    On the margins of the summit, Mano River Union States (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire) will launch the West Africa Power Pool Project which will provide electricity to the countries within the Mano River Union basin.

    NAN also reports that it will be the first ECOWAS summit held in Liberia in more than two decades.

  • Armed conflicts: Nigeria to implement ECOWAS trans-human movement

    Armed conflicts: Nigeria to implement ECOWAS trans-human movement

    The Federal Government Thursday said it has domesticated the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trans-Human Movement Law and would commence its implementation.

    President Muhammadu Buhari stated this at the 2017 National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Abuja.

    Buhari, who was represented by the Minister for Interior, Gen. Abdulraman Dambazau (rtd), said that the domestication became necessary in order to contain menaces of herders, militants and terrorists.

    He said: “ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and person has always been there from the word go but there is ECOWAS decision on trans-humans. That is movement from one country to another as herders.

    “The decision is that every country where these trans-humans come, they should prepare reception areas for them and issue them International trans-humans certificates for identification. They would also be monitored so that their movements are known.

    “So, this is an ECOWAS decision that was taken in 1998 but has not been implemented. ECOWAS is trying now to see how they can implement it so as to reduce the conflict going on between herders and farmers.”

    Buhari also attributed increase in crime rate to proliferation of small arms, noting that there were over 10 million illegal small arms in the country a decade ago.

    He said: “I did a research ten years ago and I discovered that over 10 million small arms and weapons were in the country and that was before Boko Haram and Niger Delta crisis.

    “I do not know the quantity as of today but certainly, they must have increased bearing in mind the flow of weapons from North Africa because of the Libyan and Malian crises.”

    Earlier in his address, Buhari said that armed Agro Rangers would be stationed in farms as part of measures to protect agricultural investment, farmers and herders.

    He explained that the move would boost food security, economy and reduce incessant clashes.

    He said government would pursue security governance initiatives that are broad based, adding that it had entered into bilateral and multilateral agreements with other stakeholders to improve nation’s security.

    He assured of government’s support in carrying out institutional reforms and restructuring to revamp police in line with global best practices.

    He said government has launched national  counter terrorism strategy, adding that security management was the responsibility of everyone including the international community.

    Urging states to domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, Buhari said it would assist in harmonsing, punishing any criminal.

    Acknowledging the challenges faced by the police, Buhari noted that there was improved budgetary allocation for the force, urging organised private sector to invest more in security sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    In an aside interview with The Nation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, said the way out of farmers-herders conflict was for Nigerians to be tolerant with each other.

    He said: “The main way to tackle the issue of herdsmen and farmers is for us to be our brother’s keeper. We grew up in this country and we saw how people migrated to other places and settled peacefully. I think it is just the element of give and take that is lacking and like somebody observed, Nigerians are becoming intolerant of each other. “Until we stop the intolerance and believe that we have to forego something in order to get something, the communal clashes and ethnic disagreements would continue.

    “The reason for the summit is for all stakeholders to assemble and proffer solutions to improving security across the country.”

    Highpoint of the event was the anti-kidnapping, K-9 and anti-explosives simulations exhibited by police operatives.

     

  • Saraki asks ECOWAS leaders to resist trade policy manipulation 

    Saraki asks ECOWAS leaders to resist trade policy manipulation 

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Wednesday asked Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders to resist ongoing manipulation of its trade polices by other countries to the detriment of the sub-region.

    Saraki gave the advice in his speech at the opening session of the 2017 First Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

    He also urged the ECOWAS Parliament to rise up to its billing by using its powers to ensure greater democratization and inclusiveness in the region.

    Saraki in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, said that the challenge of insecurity in the sub-region could only be surmounted if there was a collective approach by the Community in dealing with the menace.

    He said, “Nothing threatens our development today and our match towards a more sustainable democratic sub region like the issue of insecurity. The inability of the region to fashion out a clear path for collective sub regional intervention and collaboration scheme militates against and impacts negatively on our region’s ability to feed itself, attract investment and promote tourism. Mitigating this ugly trend must form a vital part of your deliberation in plenary.”

    While noting that trade remains the surest way to fight poverty in the region, he urged ECOWAS leaders to remain vigilant to ensure that its regional framework for liberal trade engagement is not misused or usurped to the detriment of the sub region’s internal industrialization and development policy direction.

    “What do I mean? A situation where the ECOWAS trade liberalization policy, is manipulated by other countries to channel goods into the sub-region in a predatory manner to kill local industries is not the intendment of the policy.

    “This is today going on in the area of our agricultural development and we must resist this and ensure that where there is leakage in the trade engagement that enable this practice, it is nipped in the buds.”

    According to the Senate President, another issue that requires the urgent attention of the ECOWAS Parliamentarians is illegal migration, saying, “We need to proactively work on remedying the image of the sub region in this regard and join hands with countries like Italy, Germany and Europe as a whole to find solutions to the migration challenge that we have. Continuous dialogue and engagement is important in this regards.”

    In the same vein, Saraki while receiving members of the Advocacy Mission of the Task Force on the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme, led by the former President of Niger Republic, Djibou Salou, urged the committee to work assiduously to ensure that all human and systemic obstacles militating against free trade in the subregion are redressed.

    He pledged that the National Assembly will work closely with the task force to achieve the ratification of all pending trade protocols to facilitate the free movement of persons, goods and increased trade in the region.

    He urged them to ensure that the liberal trade policies that have been adopted by the governments of the ECOWAS sub region are not exploited by unscrupulous firms to subvert the objectives for which they were put in place.

     

  • Addressing climate change issues will end farmers/herdsmen clashes – ECOWAS

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has appealed to the governments of member states, especially Nigeria to address climate change issues to end farmers/herdsmen clashes in the region.

    Mr Ernest Aubee, the ECOWAS Principal Programme Officer, Agriculture, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

    Aubee said that the issues could be addressed through planting of more trees, grasses and fodders, adding that this would encourage herdsmen to reside in one place and discourage encroachment into farmlands.

    “Farmers and herdsmen have lived together for many years, they have co-habited.

    “If you look at farmers and herdsmen, they are after the same objective which is to provide food. You sell and make money.

    “What is important is to create an understanding, a dialogue process because the clashes benefit no-one.

    “The farmer wants the land to cultivate and sell, the herdsmen are looking for grazing land and water, so it is a question of resources.

    “The current climate change issues have to a great extent resulted in the clashes.

    “We must also address the issues of climate change in looking at the issues of movement of animals.

    “The government must do everything possible to plant more trees, more grasses, fodders so that the herdsmen can benefit and do not go into other people’s farms,” he said.

    The ECOWAS official said the commission was also working assiduously to tackle the problem at the regional level.

    He said that the ECOWAS was engaging the two groups to talk at the regional level, because the problem of herdsmen and farmers was not just a Nigerian problem.

    “You have it in other parts of the region, although on different scales,”

    “The issue has become a security issue in the region.

    “However, the commission is currently implementing the directives of Heads of States and Governments on how to address the challenges,” Aubee said.

     

  • King of Morocco wishes Buhari well

    King of Morocco wishes Buhari well

    King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Wednesday had a telephone conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari in London, where the Nigerian president is on vacation.

    The King, who initiated the call, asked after the President’s health and expressed satisfaction at his rate of improvement.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the two leaders also discussed the current stage of the Morocco-Nigeria Atlantic crude oil pipeline project.

    It reads “King Mohammed VI thanked President Buhari for Nigeria’s support in returning Morocco to the African Union and notified him of Morocco’s request to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

    “The Moroccan King also expressed his intention to make the Rabat-Abuja strategic partnership a framework for regular consultation and cooperation on African issues of mutual interest to both countries.

    “President Buhari, who thanked King Mohammed VI for the phone call, said that he looked forward to deepening relations between both countries,” it stated.