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Tag: human

  • Are we all not human?

    Are we all not human?

    • By Priscilla Adesina

    Dear Amara, in the end of last year, I received the teary email you sent me, which I read and reread until my heart became wet. Some situations are humor in themselves. It is how you run to someone for consolation and they end up crying with you. This is why I would speak no word of my struggles with mother. The last time I did, her tears made me wonder if the problem was mine or hers.

    I swear to you, Amara, after I read from you, I wept for myself, and are we not all humans, was it not that you wrote to me so you could be the subject of pity?

    It’s been a year now since I received your rants that the world isn’t for people like you, people like us, Amara. I saw in your mail that you wish to varnish and for the first time, I am thankful that wishes are not horses, for if they were, even I would have ridden. Imagine that. Imagine how I wouldn’t have been here for you on this day.

    You say that your problems have suppressed you and I smirked. You had spent nearly three years fighting, fighting for a cause. A very bitter experience had led to it in the first place and in your words you said I would judge you, and that I would not know why you chose him. This decision has been less difficult for me by the sure knowledge that in our hard days, we escape from our dignity and sanity.  

    Amara, as long as you look back and see where you went wrong you realize that there is little else you need to do. I am getting older too but not any wiser particularly. Once I accepted this some years back, I have been more forgiving and kinder towards myself and others.

    During my hard days I have been comforted by tales of those whose crosses were heavier than mine. There has been no mental difference between me and them and between them and I.

    I spoke to you earlier about the grant I got, about how I immeasurably became the happiest person. Was it not that the organization credited me? That the next week diabetes visited my husband. That the other doctor said it was kidney failure. But we must not. We did not intend to allow this sluggish facts blind us to fear.

    But here is another question I have been asking myself’; why exactly did I use that money to treat my husband’s lung disease, what happened to asking people for help. I know some will say with great sincerity ‘what use is wealth without health’ Maybe so, but it is for them to submit the proof that using that money wasn’t foolishness.

    So far it is hard to be convinced that I am wise.

    But yes, time does heal and things do get better as you get older. After all, the more mistakes you’ve made, the less likely that you’d come up with new ones.

    There is another point: I have not said that I deeply understand your situation but do not sympathize with you Amara. I would say that there are two problems outstanding above all others in this world; the problem of foolishness and the problem of poverty; the foolishness that traps us and poverty that plagues us.

    My son’s wife had been sick two years into their marriage. This sickness followed the month after I sold my car to start a business, since my children were nothing to thank God for financially. It was how my son had called me to borrow money for an immediate surgery, as if he knew I had money. But there was the importance of learning from experience. There was nothing I could have said to him

    ‘I do not have money Ebuka’

    Did I? There is another thing about lying, the pinch of it that is truth. That money was For-the-business, not-me. Did you see the pinch of truth?

    At long last, Ebuka’s wife died just before the church approved all protocols to send in money for the surgery. I wanted to believe that this kind of death is destined, that my money couldn’t have prevented it.

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    Amara, can you see now that if foolishness were measured, wouldn’t I be an hero on the list. I want you know that the decision I made that day was mine and mine alone. I wanted to learn from my mistakes. This was a thing I have had to judge entirely for myself. I have for ten years tried to kill my guilt. But you must believe when I tell you I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of blaming myself for if I did, I wouldn’t be here.

    Amara, do not beat yourself for the mistakes you made when you were young. Unlike me. The best thing is that if you get a lot of your mistakes over and done with early in life, there will be less to learn the hard way later on. And that is what youth is all about. A chance to make all the mistakes you can and get them out of your way.

     I know that you say your problems are immeasurable, that the rich man you married in your late thirties lied to you. That he was living with cancer and he lived only two years after your marriage. I know that you blame yourself, you could have married Nozie, the not-so-rich suitor and that you believe you might never have a child of your own.

     That was your own mistake Amara. But what happened to the orphanages? I do not think it would be wise to live all those wealth he has left you alone in sorrows. Do you know that, ninety percent of Orphanages do not have dogs in their compound, you could walk in at anytime. What makes you a mother Amara?

    You still have a pen. I do not. I cannot rewrite my story to bring back my son’s wife, or apply for anymore grant, or quench the gigantic fire that started from the shop beside mine.

    But you, you still have the pen, do not let aging take it from you.     

    …and I do not pity you Amara, I envy you, for you are sugar, surrounded by ants of possibilities.

  • Goat ‘births’ human in Kwara

    Goat ‘births’ human in Kwara

    Ashe-goat named nanny has allegedly delivered a human-like creature in Kwara State.

    The incident, locals claimed, happened last Wednesday at Adigun-Oke community, Ifelodun Local Government area of the state.

    It was gathered that people trooped to the house where the creature said to have only its ears and hands with the semblance of a goat was birthed.

    Wife of the goat’s owner, Aishat Umar, who spoke in Hausa language said that the wonder she-goat actually gave birth to two kids.

    She added that one was a complete goat while the other was in human form, except for the ears and the hands.

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    Also speaking, a community leader, Pa James Adeoye, said that people were just rushing to see it, adding that one of the creatures had hairs all over the body like a goat while the second looked exactly like human being 

    He said it didn’t have hair all over its body, adding that it had teeth like human being and died shortly after it was delivered.

    The goat’s owner, Umar, was said to have buried it as soon as he returned from his farm, while the nanny was busy taking care of the other kid.

    The astonished community leader said no one in the community had ever witnessed a human being mating with the goat which might have given rise to such a strange situation.

    Another resident, Lukman Onaade, said that the incident was surprising to every villager, as well as people from neighbouring communities, who, he said, thronged the community to witness the incident.

    He said  those, who had never known nor visited Adigun-Oke community came to the village following the incident to confirm if it was indeed true.

  • Artistes are human too, says Davido on Peruzzi, Pemilerin clash

    Following the assault on social media influencer, Pamilerin Adegoke, by singer, Peruzzi, hip hop star Davido and On Air Personality Denrele Edun, have intervened.

    Taking to Twitter, Davido apologized on behalf of Peruzzi, who is his artiste and noted that artistes are also human and react to certain situations.

    “I apologize to you @thepamilerin on behalf of my brother and Artist @Peruzzi_VIBES he was wrong for putting his hands on you,” Davido tweeted.

    “But pple need to realize that we Artiste are human beings and we see everything! You said some harsh words too my brother and sometimes this thing dey pain.”

    Also, Denrele has called on both Peruzzi and Pamilerin to settle the issue amicably.

    Denrele naarated how the settlement took place at his new club in Bayelsa.

    “So I invited @thepamilerin &@Peruzzi_VIBES to my club opening in Bayelsa,” Denrele tweeted.

    “Both arrived at different times. I’ve known Pamilerin for years since we all went to Dubai recently for his birthday celebration; I wanted him to cum thru not only as an influencer but to unwind for a bit!

    “Peruzzi came down a few minutes after & whilst we were catching up about his great performance d nite before, d Protocol guys called for my attention. We all stepped outside to d car park & drifted apart.

    “Next minute, I heard d sound of a LOUD SLAP & there wz commotion everywhere.

    “Dis was no PUBLICIY STUNT! It happened for real. And im rili saddened by dis turn of events! I apolologize to every1 who had to witness dis & I honestly want 2 ask @thepamilerin &@Peruzzi_VIBES to settle this amicably. Off camera. Cos I know it’s brewing hot more than we can imagine.”

    However, Peruzzi in his apology to Pamilerin, noted that there’s a very thin line between opinion and insult.

    “Someone else is somewhere feeling hurt because you don’t see that very thin line between opinion and insult,” he said.

  • Human rights abuses remain unreported, says Centre

    The International Centre for Investigative Reporting has decried the level of human rights abuses reportage in Nigeria.

    The centre said most human rights abuses remain unreported by the media.

    It was during a one-day workshop on human rights reporting for journalists and civil society organisations in Abuja.

    ICIR’s Senior Program Officer Rosemary Otohwo-Olufemi, in a communiqué at the end of the workshop, called for more collaboration between the media and CSOs to increase human rights reporting.

    The communiqué reads: “It (the workshop) was aimed at forming partnerships between the media and civil society organisations on human rights and justice issues, and especially encourage the collaborations to effectively raise public awareness and launch robust advocacy campaigns and reports related to human rights violations that are crimes under international law and that remain uninvestigated and unprosecuted.

    “It is the first stage in the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) funded project aimed at bringing together the media and CSOs to effectively raise public awareness, and launch robust advocacy campaigns and investigations on human rights and justice issues.

    “Human rights violations are crimes under Nigerian and international laws. However, many of these crimes remain unreported because the media failed to focus on them. This project aims to change the narrative.

    “Media and CSO’s should be proactive and not wait for international organizations to be the ones making all the expositions of massive human rights violations in Nigeria.”

  • Cross River gets partners in fight against human, wildlife trafficking

    two groups, the Conference of Western Attorneys-General (CWAG) and the Africa Alliance Partnership (AAP), have partnered the Cross River State to tackle human and wildlife trafficking.

    They held a one-day symposium on Investigation and Prosecution of Transnational Crimes: Wildlife Trafficking in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

    Speakers at the symposium said there was the need to have joint responses to transnational crimes by establishing and building cooperative relationships.

    The event was sponsored by the Cross River State Ministry of Justice in partnership with CWAG and AAP.

    At the event were representatives of CWAG; Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Michael Edem; representatives from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation; Nigeria Customs Service; Nigeria Immigration Service; the Police and the National Park, among others.

    CWAG Director, Mr. Markus Green, said given the trans-border nature of wildlife and human trafficking, child pornography, drugs, firearms, among others, no single country can address the challenge of the global crime alone.

    “It is on this note that CWAG-African Alliance Partnership seeks to contribute to the reduction, prevention and elimination of transnational crimes. This is part of the symposium that we are doing around nine different countries in Africa.

    “Primarily, what we are doing is to encourage the rule of law. We deal with a range of topics, including human trafficking, wildlife trafficking and some of the general administration of the rule of law practices.

    “Like anything new, the initial reception for the training was met with scepticism in Nigeria. But the idea is that we all belong to a global village and so we talk about the global social justice system. Whatever impacts United States also impacts Nigeria, and the reverse,” he said.

    Cross River Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Joe Abang  said United States Attorneys-General were in the state due to their passion for conservation of wildlife and bio-diversity.

    He said: “We are host to one of the largest national parks, which houses chimpanzees, monkeys and other important species to humanity.

    “These western attorneys-generals in conjunction with the Federal Ministry of Justice, state ministries of justice and body of attorneys-general in Nigeria chose Calabar as a biodiversity hotspot to share experiences they have had in the United States, Mexico and other countries and to deliberate on the way of preserving these endangered species.”

    AAP’s representative, Chief Anthony Idigbe (SAN) said CWAG and APP had held other trainings around Africa, such as the one on the rule of law.

    He said: “This time our focus is on wildlife trafficking. Agreed, there are laws against wildlife trafficking but the problem is always around the enforcement of the law.

    “What we have done is to bring in different people from abroad to come and share their knowledge on how they have been able to succeed.

    “I think one of the things that will come out from this training is the need for cooperation among the different agencies. There are so many agencies involved.

    “All these agencies are involved in trying to enforce various laws. The question is whether they are working in any coordinated manner to ensure that they are effective.

    “With respect to wildlife, clearly, you cannot have the parks working alone because something can slip out of the park and if that happens, there will be the involvement of other security agencies.”

  • To gaffe is human…

    Going by reports, our country comes under fresh global spotlight this Monday as United States President Donald Trump hosts Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in Washington. Well, one watchword to advise for that outing, with all due respect, is that to gaffe is human, but to be decidedly guarded in utterance is crucial wisdom.

    Presidential comments, no matter how casually meant, have juristic import. Little wonder that some comments by the Nigerian leader during his recent trip to London for the Commonwealth summit elicited lashbacks from segments of the citizenry that held those comments improper. And truth be told: this wasn’t because many Nigerians just have a penchant for mischief or twisting the president’s words out of their lexical zones. Of course, electioneering is upon us and some partisans, true to character, had a field day milking political capital from the controversial comments. But the comments were in themselves what they verily were – gaffes.

    When the president during a meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, for instance, blamed the raging menace of killer herdsmen in Nigeria on militias that were armed by former Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi, who purportedly found their way into our country after Gaddafi was killed, he seemed unmindful that if at all true, with Gaddafi having died since 2011, the present virulence of such militias seven years after being let lose is inevitably a damning indictment of the Nigerian government’s security competency. Besides, Nigeria shares no contiguity with Libya. Benue State where herdsmen killings have been persistent and frequent is more than 4,500 kilometres from Tripoli. Countries nearer to the Gulf nation like Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and Chad had not blamed their security challenges on Gaddafi’s militias, and so it was curious that Nigeria would by any stretch of imagination do.

    Meanwhile, the killings in Benue and other hot spots like Nasarawa State are not letting up; actually, they are getting worse by the day. Scores were hacked down in their communities in just the past week, and security agencies are beginning to look truly helpless about the menace. The relevant issue to address, one would think, is how to halt these killings immediately, whoever may be to blame for them.

    A more contentious comment by the president during his London trip was the statement at the Commonwealth Business Forum that a lot of Nigerian youths were not putting out, and yet were waiting for freebies. He was reported to have said at the forum, which was touted as ‘a truly unique and historic opportunity to promote and celebrate the very best of the Commonwealth to a global audience,’ that while more than 60 percent of Nigeria’s population of conservatively 180 million persons is below the age of 30, “a lot of them have not been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.”

    Government spokespersons have been at pains since then to draw a hard line against criticisms that the president threw Nigerian youths under the bus before the world audience. Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed accused the critics of trying to incite the youths against a leader whose administration had made enormous investment in that population segment through job creation, school feeding and youth empowerment programmes, among others. “This is a government that is so concerned and passionate about youth development, and it is not right for people to begin to quote Mr. President out of context and thereby incite the youths against the government,” he said penultimate Friday.

    (By the way, has anyone heard any intervention from Youths and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung on this matter, or is his job description limited to only the sporting aspects of his designated portfolio?)

    Earlier, presidential spokesman Femi Adesina argued that the president never cited “all of” Nigerian youths, but “a lot of” them, and he linked the whole uproar to “manipulators and twisters of statements of Mr. President, who lie in wait to make mischief.”

    Opportunists and mischief-makers are by all means to be condemned. But could the president have avoided giving them fodder for their fire? Obviously, he very well could have, because this particular comment not only begged the question but was also contestable. For one, it needs to be checked out if the greater number of Nigerian youths who have not been to school are as such owing to idle expectation of oil rents, or whether governments over the years have by omission or commission frustrated their educational ambitions and restricted their access to school.

    Then, it really isn’t the case that “a lot of (youths)… are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country, therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free.” That is not by any contortion the present-day Nigeria. The idle goodies of this country’s oil riches were exhaustively commandeered and squandered by the ageing generation, and all that is left is the acidic residue of a rusty oil pot out of which many of the younger ones are now striving to make decent pies. Just think on it: where is the remote possibility of free housing, healthcare or education in today’s Nigeria that any youth could have idle expectations of even if they wanted to?

    Most of all is that the London forum was primarily a platform intended for Commonwealth leaders to showcase their countries’ hidden strengths and advantages to attract potential investors. And it is difficult to see how the comment about Nigerian youths – be it most of them or, indeed, very few – serves that objective, never mind whether or not the claim is indeed true. Already, there are many negative stereotypes about Nigeria that those potential investors were likely looking out to be dissuaded about. But the president’s comment only served to reinforce the stereotypes.

    It is common knowledge that the London talk-down on youths wasn’t the president’s first about Nigeria before foreign audiences. Could it be he slips into this mode because he feels compelled at international fora to show the world how hard his administration is working, and so he cites damning societal contexts out of which he makes the straws for his haystacks? If so, he is invariably the lead figure of the Nigerian spirit as of now. And as such, he must find strength to resist impulses to impress foreigners at the cost of tarring the personality that he epitomises.

    As President Buhari hits Washington this Monday, therefore, it is expected that he’ll carry the Nigerian personality with gusto; if need be, with arrogance. His host, President Trump, is famed as it were for xenophobic hubris and once dubbed Nigeria along with other African nations and the southern American states of Haiti and El Salvador “shithole countries.” This is a golden opportunity to make him recant that tag, at least on Nigeria, and give this country some due respect.

    When former British Prime Minister David Cameron, in a conversation with Queen Elizabeth just ahead of an anti-corruption summit in May 2016 described Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt country, the Nigerian leader, who attended the summit, was interviewed by Sky News and asked whether he wanted an apology from Cameron. “No, not all,” he responded. He was asked if he was embarrassed by what Cameron said. “No, I am not,” he answered. He was then asked if Nigeria is truly fantastically corrupt. “Yes,” he posited. That should by no means be the president’s disposition to negative presumptions about Nigeria famously being harboured by Mr. Trump.

    But beyond seeking to change the existing stereotypes, the president should be guarded against unwittingly reinforcing them with fresh gaffes.

     

    • Please join me on kayodeidowu.blogspot.be for conversation.  

  • ‘Rules must have human face’

    Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, lawyer, arbitrator and stockbroker, is currently Managing Director/Chief Executive, Maxifund Investments and Securities Plc. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, he speaks on the merits and demerits of the new trading rules introduced by the Nigeria Stock Exchange. Excerpts:

    The Nigeria Stock Exchange just introduced new trading rules for the stock market. What do you have to say about this?

    All those rules are supposed to be a way of controlling what l might call capital market corruption and the fact that they want to protect investors. But unfortunately, these things would continue to happen despite all the rules and all that. And the problem of the regulator is just that certain actions are taken without due regard for other germane issues.

    You must be able to do what l call moral suasion to these people because if you don’t, it only scratches the problem on the surface. When you have a company, there are people in that company that probably will not disobey all your rules but you’ve got to use your experience in terms of managing corporate governance to be able to control your human resources. So while they’re doing these things, they should not do it in such a way that’ll affect others.

    You must be able to accommodate everybody into the fold, the major players, the medium, and the small players. All of them contribute to the development and increase in employment in the country. So you must try to protect all of them because any of them that dies affect negatively the economy even if they’ve only two or three staff. Of course, these companies cannot all be big at the same time. That’s the mistake Nigeria keeps making in all regulatory facets. The access rules, those of us who are operators should be able to keep the rules.

    Do you think these rules are hard in themselves?

    The rules are not difficult to keep but you cannot avoid some people breaking the rules for one reason or the other. It may not be deliberate; it may be a genuine mistake. But you cannot for that reason not show leniency. You may punish them. And when you punish them, the punishment should have a human face. Most of the regulators do things here without accommodating the human face of the organisation of those people they’re trying to control. And that is why in most of the organisation, even outside political setting, we suffer a lot. I think what they’re doing is right but they should make sure that when they do it, they give sufficient warnings. They cannot just because they’re regulators because nobody challenges them and nobody regulates them so to say and do as they like. No. I did ask a question sometimes about the Central Bank; l said who regulates the regulator? The regulator is regulated by public opinion by the operators. If you go to the USA for instance, if you see cases they hold against the New York Stock Exchange everyday, you’ll marvel. But in Nigeria, you’re afraid to take the NSE to court when they infringe on your rights because if you do it, the next thing they’ll do is to ensure that your business dies, which is not right for regulation. They should keep their doors open and to be able to welcome even negative views about the organisation. But here, they don’t tolerate it. Otherwise, the new rules are okay. I have gone through it and they made a lot of steps. But one good thing the Stock Exchange are doing is that because they want to change the rules, they engaged the operators by issuing what l called the exposure drafts so that we can comment if there’s anything so you don’t comment after the rules have been made public. They’ve always exposed it for us to make our inputs before they finally come out with it. That’s one of the good things they do.

    Did these set of rules had a lot of buy-in from stakeholders like you?

    Yes, they give exposure drafts and ask you to comment on it on how it’s good for the market and stakeholders and operators normally comment that this is okay or this is not okay. You put in your views and once you put your views they don’t close their eyes to those issues.

    Some of the rules are sometimes observed in breaches by those who want to achieve selfish aims. Do you share such sentiments?

    I agree with you. But I’m saying that when that happens, it should not impact negatively on others. The culprits should be handled with care, given the opportunity to defend himself following the rules of fair hearing. Agreed, some may have ulterior motives in breaking the rules, some may not have. So it’s for the regulator to see and really go in-depth, if possible employ external investigators to ensure that they do not throw away the baby and the bath water.

    With the benefit of hindsight, I’m aware that these new rules were actually been reviewed from the one they issued in 2015. Do you think this review they did is timely and appropriate at this point in time?

    Yes, it’s timely. They don’t just issue a review just for the sake of issuing a review. These reviews are issued either through market developments, political development or observation they’ve made in the operations. Once they see this, their research department will note some of the problems and say, hey, we need to check this and that… But like I said before they do it, they just don’t do it for the sake of it. They would consult operators by issuing exposure drafts for people to comment on. So it’s okay. Normally, the rules are not cast in stones, remember. They’re supposed to be amended or changed or reviewed from time to time. There’s no set time for that to happen. So I think it’s in order but all I have said is that when they do it, they should also consider all strata of the market, like I said, the very big, the medium and the small because they’re all members. So everybody should be accommodated within the basket of rules they have. And this is the problem keep quarrelling with. When the issue of N25billion for banks came up, remember all banks were asked to recapitalise and I said, you don’t do a thing like that because we all have heads but our caps cannot be the same. So, this idea if segregating is not fair because all of them contribute to the economy. You can’t just say all of them should have one cap fits all. It’s not the best thing when you’re doing some of these market segmentations. So whatever rule that is done, it should be done and applied accordingly.

    Like you said, the NSE did issued exposure drafts for members to make inputs, but from feelers out there, there’s a sort of disquiet amongst your rank and file over the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of these rules; thus giving the impression that a lot of people are not receptive to this idea. What’s your take on that?

    You know my problem with that, when the rule is made, the first thing will be to practice that rule first, give of time to go through it and see the impact in the market place. I do not want to say because I have seen it; it’s not going to work. We don’t need to have that kind of negative view. Let’s try it first. If it does not work, like I said earlier, the rules are not cast in stones, the regulator should also see that that rule is not fit and proper for the market; they’ll review it. But for people to start complaining from day one, I don’t think we’ll achieve the result we want to achieve. But I feel the regulator should look at the market and make sure every player, whether big or small is accommodated within that rule. That’s the way I see it. Even when people complain, I keep asking the question, have you tried it practically? Because all the rules they issued are enforced practically and then if there’s a problem, you note it and then quietly and objectively inform the regulator.

  • Buhari tasks ECOWAS leaders on terrorism, human, drug trafficking

    Buhari tasks ECOWAS leaders on terrorism, human, drug trafficking

    •Seeks regional measures to evacuate, resettle, empower stranded citizens abroad

    President Muhammadu  Buhari yesterday charged leaders in the West African sub-region on the need to urgently tackle the challenges of terrorism, human trafficking and drug trafficking in the area.

    According to him, the problems are greatly affecting young men, women and economies of the region.

    He spoke in Abuja while delivering welcome address at the 52nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

    He said “In West Africa, we live in constant threat of violent terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, AQIM and Al-Qaida. Nearly every week we see and hear the horror of human trafficking perpetrated by trans-border syndicates, who lure our youths to slavery through irregular migration.

    “We see the consequences, on our young men and women and on our economies, of drug trafficking and capital flight.” Accordingly, it is imperative that we take urgent action to address these challenges.

    “In collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration, we, in Nigeria, have been evacuating our compatriots who are stranded in Libya. Returnees have been receiving needed support including from state governments and   some non-governmental organisations.

    “I have instructed the National Emergency Management Agency to speed up the evacuation of all Nigerians stranded in Libya and facilitate their resettlement.

    “In view of the enormity of this challenge, may I suggest that we look into the possibility of putting in place a well run regional mechanism for the evacuation, resettlement  and empowerment of stranded ECOWAS citizens abroad.” he said

    He also urged the leaders in a joint effort to step up dialogue with European partners in order to overcome the challenges.

    The President said that the long term solutions to the challenges is to create conditions of peace and security in the ECOWAS countries and ensure sustainable development of the economies.

    “Only through this can we create jobs and other conditions in which our youths will have little or no excuse to embark on the suicidal venture of irregular migration.” he said

    He said that the region since 2001 has been steadily developing the culture of democratic  practice, including good governance and respect for the Rule of Law.

    He said “This trend has just been demonstrated in Liberia. I salute the people of Liberia for the manner in which they conducted themselves during and in the aftermath of the just concluded general elections.

    “It is my fervent hope that the same attitude prevails in the coming run-off election scheduled to hold on 26 December, and a new president is inaugurated in January, 2018 as per the provision of the country’s Constitution.”

    Buhari also appealed to the citizens of Togo to continue to embrace dialogue in efforts to resolve their political differences.

    He therefore urged the government to widen the space for dialogue and mediation.

    On Ginuea Bissau, he said “With regards to our sister nation, Guinea-Bissau, it is worrisome that the continued political deadlock is taking its toll on the people, on good governance and the resources of member States, particularly troops from contributing countries to the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea Bissau.

    “I therefore strongly urge all the stakeholders in Guinea Bissau to respect their undertakings in plans to resolve the political impasse.”

    Reflecting on the recent recession and economic challenges faced by ECOWAS Member States, he said that there is an urgent need to review the spending patterns of all the community institutions, to ensure that dwindling resources are put to good economic use for the optimization of strategic goals of the community.

  • RRS arrests suspected human traffickers

    RRS arrests suspected human traffickers

    Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives have arrested a suspected human trafficker who attempted to move two teenagers to Ivory Coast for prostitution.

    The suspect, Martha Edea, 30, a native of Cross River State was arrested in Lagos and the two victims she got in Edo State rescued.

    According to the police, the mother of two confessed that she was also a victim of human trafficking, adding that she was deceived by one Mariam, who told her she would get a good job in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

    Instead of a good job, Edea said she was forced into prostitution and she slaved for several months to pay back her custodian the amount spent in taking her to the country.

    She said: “I worked for three months to pay Mariam about 300,000 CFA (N180,000) to balance her for my transportation into Ivory Coast and also for connecting me.

    “After collecting the money, Mariam moved to Spain and left me in Abidjan, where I continued prostitution.”

    The suspect, who said, she couldn’t break even in the business after Mariam relocated, stated that a friend advised her to come to Nigeria and recruit young girls.

    She said she came to Nigeria and went to Edo State, where she met two young ladies Favour and Deborah.

    “Favour took me to one Francess Bamidele, who she said was her friend and will like to be taken out of the country for prostitution.

    “Deborah took me to Elo Etim, 18. She said she was eager to travel abroad to hustle. I paid Favour and Deborah N10,000 each for their assistance in getting the girls.

    “I also met with Elo’s mother, I told her what her daughter was about to embark on in Abidjan and she agreed to it. She prayed for her and wished her good luck,” she said.

    Bamidele, a school dropout, said she was told prostitution was very lucrative in the Francophone country, adding that she accepted to follow them without telling her guardian.

  • Human trafficking strips youth of dignity, says Elumelu

    Human trafficking strips youth of dignity, says Elumelu

    Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation Mr. Tony Elumelu has hailed Director-General of Nigeria’s National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Julie Okah-Donli for her accomplishments at the agency. Elumelu, who spoke when the foundation hosted the NAPTIP Director-General, pledged his group’s commitment to the war against human trafficking.

    Saying human trafficking strips youth of dignity, he: “We support what you are doing and we stand behind you. The Tony Elumelu Foundation believes in the empowerment of our youths and as we all know, they cannot be empowered if they are not free.”

    “We stand with you in eradicating human trafficking in Nigeria and will engage extensively with you as you work to restore dignity to mankind, protect the dignity of our youth and ensure no one can take undue advantage of them.”

    He made an appeal to the government to increase budgetary funding to the cash-strapped agency.

    “I call on the Federal Government to make more resources available to support you. As private companies, we pay taxes to the Federal Government and we want to see a more judicious use of the taxes paid.”

    Elumelu urged other private sector players to join the agency to fight human trafficking, assuring them of the credibility and competency of NAPTIP and its DG whom he could vouch for. Elumelu hailed Okah-Donli for her accomplishments at the agency, including the conviction of over 325 persons, and successful rehabilitation of more than 12,000 victims. He added that she was a former staff of leading pan-African bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA).

    “She is an alumna of the United Bank for America (UBA), Africa’s global bank, thus we are not surprised at what she has become. We predicted that she will attain such great heights because of the passion she has always had for human trafficking.”

    Mrs. Okah-Donli said UNESCO ranks human trafficking as the third most lucrative criminal enterprise in Nigeria.

    Thus, she said agencies like NAPTIP needed good laws, sustained funding and equally important, critical support from local and global stakeholders to execute the urgent war against human trafficking.

    Mrs. Okah-Donli said: “We can no longer wait for government alone to fight this war. Many victims are on standby, anxious to be fully reintegrated into society. At the agency, we are desperate for assistance to empower and rehabilitate these millions of victims in need. Thus, we are identifying and approaching organisations like the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) for support.”