The Nation Newspaper

Tag: European Union (EU)

  • IOM, EU evacuate 134 more Nigerians from Libya

    IOM, EU evacuate 134 more Nigerians from Libya

    The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU) have evacuated 134 more Nigerians from Libya.

    Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West Zone, confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.

    Farinloye said the new batch of returnees arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Friday at 10.20 p.m.

    He said the Nigerians returned aboard a
    BURAQ Airlines Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Registration Number 5A-DMG.

    According to him, the returnees comprise 10 adult females, 123 adult males and one infant, including a medical case.

    He said they were also received by officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Police.

    Farinloye said their return had brought the number of Nigerians repatriated from Libya in 2017 to 6,806.

    “The project of the repatriation is the programme of IOM with the funding for reintegration at the local level provided by EU.

    “IOM paid for their accommodation to stay overnight before proceeding to their various destinations,” he added.

    Also read : NEMA receives 167 Nigerians from Libya

  • 1,295 Nigerians returned from Libya in November – NEMA

    1,295 Nigerians returned from Libya in November – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) says a total of 1,295 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in November after being stranded in the volatile North African country enroute Europe.

    The Nigerians returned in various batches between Nov. 6 and Nov. 30 with the assistance of the International Organisation for Migration ( IOM ) and the European Union ( EU ).

    The Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ), Alhaji Mustapha Maihajja, made the disclosure while receiving a fresh batch of 150 Nigerians who arrived the country on Thursday.

    The returnees were brought back aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Registration Number: 6A-DMG.

    The aircraft landed at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 9.15pm.

    The returnees comprised of 13 female adults and one teenage girl while the male were 133 adults, two teenage boys and one baby boy.

    They were received on behalf of Maihajja by the South West Zonal coordinator of NEMA, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu .

    Also on ground to welcome the returnees back home were officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service ( NIS ) , the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP ), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) and the Police.

    NAN

    Read Also: NEMA hands over relief materials to flood victims in Enugu

  • EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    EU proposes 40% quota of female board members

    To push for gender equality, the European Union ( EU ) proposed 40 per cent quota of female board members, The Guardian newspaper reported.

    Male members account for more than 60 per cent on company boards, a proposal brought up by the European commission.

    Under the proposal, the EU is required to give priority to female candidates over the same qualifications for a post when women constitute less than 40 per cent of the boards.

    Several European countries such as Germany, Hungary and Sweden have opposed previous attempts to reach the goal in consideration of preserving domestic affairs and ideology.

    Women empowerment at high ranks of companies is in slow progress in Europe.

    Women made up 29 per cent of British boards in 2016, down from 32.1 per cent in 2014 and 31.6 per cent in 2012, according to research by global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder.

    Statistics also show that the proportion of women on boards across the EU has more than doubled from 2005 to 2015.

    However, in terms of board chairs and chief executives, women take up less than 10 per cent in the largest listed companies.

    NAN

    Read Also: EU agrees on new labour rules to prevent social dumping

  • EU Commission proposes 30% cut to carbon emissions by cars

    EU Commission proposes 30% cut to carbon emissions by cars

    The European Union ( EU ) Commission has proposed to 30-per cent reduction of car carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 2021 levels.

    “Europe is currently not on the right track,” said European Commissioner, Miguel Canete.

    “To drive and lead the global shift to electric, Europe has to get its house in order.’’

    He said the proposal aimed to amend current trends in the European car industry, including the low number of electric cars sold on the continent.

    He added that jobs in the electric car industry had flowed to other parts of the world, such as the U.S.

    The commissioner said that the target would also help to restore trust in European car makers after they were engulfed in the emissions-testing scandal.

    NAN

  • EU to enhance SMEs growth in Nigeria

    EU to enhance SMEs growth in Nigeria

    The European Union ( EU ) says it will enhance Small and Medium Enterprises ( SMEs ) in Nigeria through forging of linkages and partnerships with business innovators.

    Mr Jean-Jacques Lennon, the European Union Senior Manager, made this known in an interview at the ongoing Lagos International Trade Fair ( LITF ) in Lagos.

    Lennon said that some EU initiatives were seeking to assist SMEs to access international markets and enhance their growth potential.

    According to him, EU sees great prospects in Nigeria’s economy and wants to seize the business opportunities provided on the platform of the Lagos International Trade Fair ( LITF ) to upscale business activities for SMEs.

    The EU officially got a pavilion and brought exhibitors to the fair for the first time in the 31 years of the fair.

    He said Nigeria was listed as one of the 11 countries that European Union, through its SME Instrument Overseas Trade Fairs Programme, would showcase innovations and commercialise its technology.

    Lennon said that the fair was identified as a veritable platform where investors and innovators from EU could synergise toward boosting economic growth.

    He said that some of the technologies exhibited by nine EU innovators would improve activities in agriculture, waste management, weather forecast, renewable energy, food safety and genetic services.

    Lennon urged the Federal Government to continue with the policies and reforms that would create an enabling environment to attract investments into the country.

    NAN reports that the LITF is an annual event organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( LCCI ).

    It began on Nov. 3 and end on Nov.12.

    NAN

  • Gombe executive to back GOE bill passage

    Gombe executive to back GOE bill passage

    The Gombe State Executive Council has vowed commitment to support the passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities ( GEO ) Bill by the state House of Assembly with a promise to ensure full implementation after passage.

    This position is contained in a communiqué issued after a two-day sensitisation workshop organised for them by the European Union (EU) Women under its programmed tagged “Promoting Women Engagement in Peace and Security in Northern Nigeria.”

    The document signed the state Commissioner for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Mal. Yusuf Manu Swa and Ishiaku Mohammed, Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Women Affairs also saw participants committing to active engagement of women and youths i peace-building process.

    Participants condemned in strong terms violence against women, girls, children and all vulnerable persons.

    It therefore resolved to speak against all forms of violence against all persons

    The workshop drew 40 members, which include commissioners, permanent secretaries, UN Peace and Security Project team and representatives of the gender committee.

    It was basically aimed at deepening the knowledge of the members of Gombe state executive on contents of Gombe State GEO Bill and to collate input from them on the content of the Bill.

    The workshop also provided a platform for direct advocacy for the passage of the Bill, while enhancing participants understanding of the United Nations Security Council Resolution ( UNSCR ) 1325.

    The meeting was funded by European Union ( EU )  and implemented by UN women in partnership with UNICEF and the state ministry of women Affairs and Social development.

  • 826 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in one month – NEMA

    826 Nigerians voluntarily returned from Libya in one month – NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA ) says a total of 826 Nigerians stranded in Libya, enroute Europe, voluntarily returned from the North African country in October.

    The Director General of NEMA, Alhaji Mustapha Maihajja, made the disclosure while receiving a fresh batch of 270 Nigerians who arrived the country on Tuesday.

    Maihajja, represented by the South West Zonal Coordinator of the agency, Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, said the returnees were assisted back to Nigeria by the International Organisation for Migration ( IOM ) and the European Union ( EU ).

    He said that the fresh batch added to 138 Nigerians earlier brought back on Oct. 3; 257 on Oct. 24 and 161 on Oct. 26 made the total number of returnees in October 826.

    The NEMA boss urged the returnees to contribute their quota to national development, stressing that the quest to build Nigeria required the support of all and sundry.

    NAN reports that the new set of returnees arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 7.30pm aboard a Libyan Airline aircraft with registration number 5A-LAU.

    They comprised 216 female adults, 13 teenage girls and five infants, while the male adults were 27, 18 were teenage boys and nine, baby boys.

    Other agencies which received the returnees were the Nigerian Immigration Service ( NIS ), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP ), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) and the Police.

    NAN

  • ‘Nigeria must not back Morocco’s admittance into ECOWAS’

    ‘Nigeria must not back Morocco’s admittance into ECOWAS’

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has opposed moves by Morocco to be admitted into the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

    MAN, at its 45th annual general meeting (AGM) in Lagos yesterday, warned the Federal Government against supporting Morocco.

    It noted that the admission of the North African country will be disastrous for Nigeria.

    Speaking through its President, Frank Udemba Jacobs, MAN noted that admitting Morocco into ECOWAS would be equivalent to signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

    Jacobs said: “We urge the Federal Government to oppose the move as it would spell doom for the productive sector of the economy.

    “We are aware Morocco and the European Union (EU) have a trade agreement, which means if it becomes part of ECOWAS, products that come into Morocco from EU will end up in Nigeria. After all, Nigeria is the biggest market in ECOWAS.

    “So, we oppose Morocco being admitted into ECOWAS. It will affect us. We are telling our government not to allow it become part of ECOWAS…

    “Come to think of it: why should it be part of ECOWAS? Morocco is too far. ECOWAS is Economic States of West African States, but Morocco is not part of West Africa. It shouldn’t be part of ECOWAS.”

    While lauding the Federal Government for introducing policies to stimulate the economy, MAN outlined three key challenges to be addressed for the productive sector to boom.

    He listed them as inadequate and unstable power; unavailability of foreign exchange for importation; and high interest rates.

    Jacobs said with double-digit interest rates, the economy will continue to decline. “We recommend, as the association has done in the past and always, a single-digit interest rate.”

    The Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN) also called on the Nigeria to resist attempts by member countries of ECOWAS to admit Morocco into the regional body.

    Founding Chairman and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ignatius C. Olisemeka warned that Morocco’s motive was political, aimed at whittling down Nigeria’s role in the admission of Western Sahara into the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

    The association however wondered why the Federal Government has not engaged in a campaign against Morocco’s move.

  • NDLEA arrests 67 persons for drug trafficking in Edo

    NDLEA arrests 67 persons for drug trafficking in Edo

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA ) in Edo says it has arrested 67 persons for allegedly trafficking in various drugs in the state.

    The Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Buba Wakawa, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Benin.

    Wakawa said the suspects that comprised 47 males and 20 females were arrested in various parts of the state between July and August.

    He also disclosed that suspected illicit drugs totaling about 779.572 kilogrammes were seized within the period.

    He said about 45.5 hectares of land estimated to yield about 216, 835 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis sativa were also destroyed.

    Giving a breakdown of the figure, the commander said that about 114.75 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis sativa were seized and about 667.62 kilogrammes of the same substance abandoned by the owners were confiscated.

    The commander said two grammes of Heroin; 26.1 grammes of suspected cocaine and 170 grammes of Psychotropic drugs were seized within the period.

    He further said that one vehicle was seized during the period.

    Wakawa described cannabis cultivation as a major threat to food security, peace and development in the state, and appealed for the urgent intervention of leaders at all levels.

    He said a cannabis survey was being conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) under the European Union ( EU ) funded project in collaboration with the Nigerian Government and technical support from the Nigerian Air Force.

    He explained that the exercise which was to access the scope of the problem in high-risk States had shown that what had been destroyed was “a tip of the ice berg”.

    According to the commander, vast expanse of fertile arable land in the state had been completely taken over by cannabis cultivators.

    He, therefore, called on the State Government to declare a State of Emergency to effectively tackle the situation due to its security implications.

    “The situation calls for a State of Emergency.

    “Our operations are impeded by huge logistic constraints.

    “Manual destruction of the farms is a far cry considering the magnitude of cannabis cultivation in Edo, besides the security implications, food shortage, unemployment, deforestation, environmental degradation and high rate of criminality all militate against good governance.

    “The Agency cannot win this fight in isolation and l call on the state government to intervene in addressing the situation before it further degenerates,” he said.

  • Project funding: EU urges other states to emulate Obaseki

    Project funding: EU urges other states to emulate Obaseki

    …Obaseki seeks EU’s partnership to end illegal migration

    The timely payment of counterpart funds for European Union (EU) projects and the timely implementation of the projects in Edo State by the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration, received commendation on Monday in Benin City.

    The leader of a delegation of the European Union on Niger-Delta Support Programme (NDSP), Mr. Kurt Cornelis, said his team was impressed with the high level of commitment of the Edo State Government to the execution of projects under the NDSP and urged other governors to emulate Obaseki.

    “Your government is really implementing the proposed reforms in water management, and that is a positive aspect and it is very commendable as well as encouraging,” Cornelis added.

    In his response, Obaseki said there was the need to ensure synergy between his administration and the EU on the Niger-Delta Support Programme (NDSP) to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts and guarantee sustainability in water and sanitation as well as in checking illegal migration.

    “We must get our donor agencies to work together with us to avoid duplication and waste and ensure that those programmes are tied to our internal programmes and to enable us provide more services for the people,” Obaseki said.

    He stressed that he was aware that funding to check the challenge of illegal migration was available and added that his administration was reforming its processes to access the fund and create more opportunities in the state to discourage people from going down the tortuous path of illegal migration.