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  • Centre unveils initiative to defend vulnerable groups 

    Centre unveils initiative to defend vulnerable groups 

    The Centre for Development, Health and Rights (CEDHAR), a grassroots non-governmental organization, has unveiled plans to champion the rights and dignity of rural women, children, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) across Nigeria through community-based development, healthcare, and human rights advocacy.

    In a statement on Sunday by its Executive Director, Moses Omidiora, the organization reaffirmed its commitment to promoting access to justice, equitable healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods for some of the country’s most marginalized populations.

    “The launch of CEDHAR marks a bold step toward a more just, inclusive, and equitable society. We are here to challenge systems of exclusion, promote grassroots empowerment, and work hand-in-hand with communities, institutions, and policymakers to uphold human dignity and opportunity for all,” Omidiora said.

    CEDHAR, which was formally registered in 2019 but began full operations in 2025, describes itself as a people-centred and justice-driven organization. 

    It works with vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and underserved communities, to address entrenched inequalities and create pathways to inclusion.

    Read Also: Good Hands Initiative calls for policy on dementia, more support for caregivers

    “Our vision is to see a world where all people, regardless of status, can enjoy their rights, access quality healthcare, and live in dignity.

    “In pursuit of this, we work across multiple sectors to address the social, legal, and structural barriers that prevent individuals and communities from thriving.”

    The Executive Director noted that the organization’s approach is rooted in grassroots mobilization, strategic partnerships, and policy advocacy aimed at elevating voices often left out of development conversations.

    “CEDHAR will promote and protect the human rights of vulnerable groups by advocating for equity, justice, and social inclusion. We will also foster economic self-reliance through sustainable livelihood and social entrepreneurship programmes. 

    “Our goal is to build inclusive communities where all individuals, regardless of gender or ability, participate fully in development and decision-making.”

    Emphasizing the need to reframe the national development narrative to centre the experiences of people living on the margins, Omidiora said, “Our development model is not one-size-fits-all. It is people-centred and justice-driven. 

    “CEDHAR is committed to ensuring that every intervention we implement reflects that belief from legal aid and policy engagement to grassroots organizing and youth leadership,” he added.

    He explained that CEDHAR’s thematic areas include access to justice, gender equality, youth development, good governance, economic inclusion, and human rights education. 

    Each of these focus areas, he said, is designed to dismantle the systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality and exclusion.

    “Through community resilience building, we will collaborate with both state and non-state actors to create inclusive systems that truly respond to local needs. 

    “Development must be owned by the people and shaped by their lived experiences. That’s the core philosophy guiding CEDHAR’s work,” he said.

    As the organization begins its operations, Omidiora called on civil society, development partners, government institutions, and the general public to join in what he described as a collective responsibility to advance social justice, uphold human dignity, and ensure no one is left behind.

    With a firm foundation in rights-based programming and community mobilization, the organization said it is poised to make a measurable impact in Nigeria’s human development space, particularly among populations long relegated to the shadows of public policy.

    “We believe that true development must be inclusive, participatory, and grounded in the realities of those most affected. That is the future we are building at CEDHAR,” Omidiora added.

  • Doctors launch initiative to help diabetic, hypertensive patients

    •Doctors launch initiative to help diabetic, hypertensive patients

    A group of doctors yesterday launched an application to assist persons with diabetes, hypertension embrace positive lifestyle changes for improved health.

    The initiative, Mobile Doctor (MDoc), a health hub, was introduced at the General Hospital Ikorodu, where over 100 patients were schooled on managing their conditions for longer and healthier lives.

    According to the initiator of the hub Dr. Nneka Mobisson the MDoc was in collaboration with two organisations outside Nigeria to address a wide array of chronic diseases.

    Mobisson who said her father died of stroke, disclosed that she dedicated herself to help other sufferers of chronic diseases live better lives as a way of remembering her father.

    “The MDoc is an app which can be downloaded on mobile phones. It helps users check their blood pressure and sugar level. This is the first time we are having something like this in Nigeria.

    At the event were the Jagunmolu of Ikorodu Chief Rafiu Ogbara, MDoc co-founder Imo Etuk, Medical Director Ikorodu General Hospital, Dr. Funmi Bankole, representative of Roche Diabetes Care Mrs. Folasade Olufemi-Ajayi among others.

    In his remark, Etuk said: “This is our first launch and we are also introducing health hub into the communities to make it easier for people to get screened and manage their conditions better.”

    The Nation reports that patients were taught the importance of physical exercises and maintaining a healthy diet.

    A beneficiary Mrs. Adenike Akindele who said the facilitators have helped her achieve normal blood sugar level, encouraged others to take the lectures seriously.

     

  • Lagos bids for more foreign investments

    The Lagos State government yesterday unveiled an initiative, tagged: Lagos to the World, to showcase the activities of the state and attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the state.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Overseas Affairs and Investment, Prof. Ademola Abass, broke the news at a media launch of the initiatives in Lagos.

    The governor’s aide said the state government had been doing a lot to attract more FDI, adding that despite government’s effort, little was known about its giant strides in investment.

    He said the state had a prominent role to play in the overall economy of the nation.

    According to him, 65 per cent of the manufacturing activities usually takes place in the state.

    Abass said the state also contributes 30 per cent to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and account for over 90 per cent of the country’s trade flow.

    He said: “What informed this, simply, is that we felt the world needs to know what Lagos state has been doing in the last three years, especially in terms of investment.

    “How Lagos has been improving on its infrastructure development or in terms of security, roads, energy, among others.

    “Most of these things really are what attract investors, but the story is not being told out there.

    “So, the essence is to make the effort of the office known in trying to project Lagos more forcefully in terms of the investment opportunities.”

    Abass recalled that his office, which was established in 2015 by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, had broken a lot of bureaucratic bottlenecks as a one-stop shop for doing business with ease.

    The professor noted that prior to the establishment of the office, all business and licensing processes for establishing or expanding investment in the state was a multi-agency activity.

    He added that businesses had to pass through every agency involved in business registration, tax payment, land administration and construction permits.

    Abass said: “The process was arduous, uneconomical and unproductive and was not appropriate for a mega city like Lagos.

    “Numerous efforts being made by the state government are geared toward enhancing the ease of doing business in the state.

    “Some of the reforms include but not limited to tax reforms, ease of permits application processes, improved land registration system, quicker proposal processing and so many others.

    “These are areas where investors had challenges in the past which brought about discouragement that led to low level of investments in the state.”

    The Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs Olayinka Oladunjoye, said the state had the market ready to showcase its potential to the world, hence the need to push the narrative.

    An entrepreneur, Mrs Nkiru Balogun, said Lagos State had been open to business.

    She described the state as a place where small businesses could become big with enhanced security.

    An Arts enthusiast, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, described Lagos as a safe, captivating, vibrant city, where business of any kind could thrive.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event had in attendance representatives of some diplomatic missions and members of the corporate world, among others.

  • Growing tomatoes under Green House Initiative

    Growing tomatoes under Green House Initiative

    To promote diversification of the economy, many states have taken to farming. Akwa Ibom is into vegetable farming, growing tomotatoes and cucumber under its Green House Initiative to boost revenue generation. Joe Iniodu writes.

    If the  Akwa Ibom Employment and Enterprise Scheme (AKEES ) opened the people’s eyes to the wealth around them, especially in agriculture, San Carlos, a Mexican outfit reputed for mechanised farming and operating in Calabar,  Abeokuta,  Enugu,  Port Harcourt and Uyo, has come to deepen the persuasion that planting some hitherto imported vegetables, such as  tomatoes, and cucumber is  a goldmine.

    These vegetables are being grown under the Green House Initiative of Governor Udom Emmanuel in pursuit of the diversification of the economy.

    The Green House which is adjacent to the Ibom International Airport gate is a beauty to behold.

    Each of the houses draped in transparent enclosure has a landmass of one hectare with a farming model,   with promising high yield.  The Akwa Ibom State Government,  in partnership with the Mexican group, has allocated 10 hectares for the cultivation of these vegetables.

    For now,  four hectares have been deployed while the remaining six are awaiting preparation and  cultivation. Of the four that have been deployed, one has been cultivated with tomatoes which are being harvested. Another is also  ready for tomatoes cultivation while one is deployed for cucumber.

    There is yet another which is almost ready for fresh cultivation.  The production manager in charge of cultivation, Mr. Habbakuk Orhernnandec confirmed that the projection is to cultivate the 10 hectares this year.

    The Green House model of cultivation is a cutting edge method with the inevitability of rich yield. It uses hydroponic system. Hydroponic method is the growing of plants in nutrient solutions with or without an inert medium as soil. Each of the Green Houses are crisscrossed with pvc hose which are buried in wrapped cellophanes that contain coconut fibre or soil. The hose convey water and the solutions to plants which roots are also buried in the cellophane sags.

    The roots of the plants sprout from the wrapped cellophanes which has water to irrigate the plant and keep the condition of the place humid to combat the heat which the enclosure perennially generates.

    Habbakuk said the coconut fibre is good for tomatoe as it helps in controlling the plant but pointed out that the challenge is that the fibre is imported into the country from Mexico as there is no technology to process the coconut byproduct into fibre. It is in lieu of such challenge that soil is also used.

    From the yield witnessed on that day of harvest, if all the allocated hectares are duly cropped , the tomatoes needs of the state would be reasonably met. Tomatoes have about 90 days span from nursery to when they are actually planted to fruition and  harvesting. Harvesting may be carried out between two and three times a week. For one hectare , each harvest comes in tonnes giving  assurance of increased revenue to the farmer and others within the value chain. Perhaps some of the advantages associated with tomatoes cultivation is its short span to maturity;  its value as domestic and industrial necessity; its value as an income earning produce; its receptiveness in the market; its popularity as a produce; its well known health value and lastly, being a non-seasonal all year round produce. These factors make tomatoes cultivation an attractive engagement.

    But the Production Manger, Mr Habbakuk in his interaction with yours truly submitted that while he admits that engaging in tomatoes cultivation is a goldmine,  the hiccups associated with the enterprise have hurdles to scale and many rivers to cross.

    Of course even without probing, it is obvious that storage and preservation are still challenges that are yet to be surmounted.  Off takers and other buyers are therefore often required immediately after harvest to help in the evacuation of the produce to either final consumers or factories where paste are produced. For Mr Habbakuk,  the most disheartening challenge is access to fertiliser.

    According to him, only three companies import the item into Nigeria, noting that the inadequacy has given room for a shortfall in supply of these important inputs which application would increase yield and revenue.

    The production manager who is in- charge of cultivation reiterated that Nigeria is too vast for only three companies to monopolise the importation of such critical items.

    Habbakuk and his colleagues lauded Governor Emmanuel for conceiving of the partnership and practically taking steps towards its realisation, maintaining that the partnership between San Carlos and the state government would record significant mileage in production and engagement.

    It was a regalling sight to behold as women engaged as farm hands and who were on that day harvesting sang eulogies for Governor Emmanuel whom they said had put food on their table through the initiative.  They however charged him replicate the same initiative in other senatorial districts to boost the production  of the vegetables and broaden the tapestry of engagement for Akwa Ibom people.

    The agricultural sector has been known worldwide to be one of the largest employers  of labour.  Its value chain also helps in widening participation.  In the case of the intending ten hectares,  the Green House at full capacity utilisation would engage a huge number of Akwa Ibom people. In the interim, about 74 workers, according to the General Manager, are engaged in construction, production and operations.

    Yet, they are those who are not engaged directly, but provide ancillary services that are salient to the chain. The basket makers, transporters, owners of grinding machines and market women are also part of the chain.

    Nigeria has been run as a monolithic economy for decades. The clamour for diversification also started decades ago and remained mere political rhetoric till recently.  The slump in the price of oil in the last three years and the attendant decline in accruable revenue has impacted adversely on the Nation’s long held habit of importation which depletes foreign exchange and puts  the economy on a low tide.

    The reality has compelled the review of the nation’s agricultural policy and necessitated its choice as the diversification option. Interestingly,  states that have chosen this path are already reaping bountiful benefits.  Nasarawa and Anambra are states that have braced to the new challenge and taken up the gauntlet of midwifing a diversification.  They have stirred up some kind of agricultural revolution in their states. Akwa Ibom is unequivocally part of the revolution, but in a rather quiet and subdued tone. The people of the state must be grateful that the governor is not a spectator that is content with watching the revolution in other states.

    He has made the state part of the revolution through vibrant agricultural policies,  programmes and partnership. The distribution of improved seedlings of some crops, coordinated access  to inputs like fertilizer,  the cocoa maintenance scheme, the coconut refining plant, the various rice farms springing up in the State, the cassava processing plant, the palm oil mills, the hatchery at Mbiaya Uruan and many other initiatives are part of the concerted effort of the Udom administration to rewrite the narrative of agro business in the State.

     

    • Joe Iniodu is a public affairs analyst.

  • Welcome initiative

    •House of Reps did the right thing by supporting ranching instead of cattle colonies

    Following the inexplicable and protracted paralysis of the will by the Federal Government and its relevant security agencies to decisively tackle the widespread and sustained killings of farmers and sacking of host communities across huge swathes of the country by herdsmen, the House of Representatives has commendably decided to confront the challenge and proffer practical solutions. The lower chamber of the National Assembly, last week, set up a seven-man committee headed by the Deputy Whip of the House, Mr. Pally Oriase, to commence thorough investigations into the incessant clashes between the two groups that had resulted in horrendous destruction and blood- letting.

    In carrying out its assignment, the committee plans to visit the areas where these clashes have persistently occurred to interact with and obtain first hand information from victims, survivors and other stakeholders, including security chiefs and foreign partners. It will also conduct a public hearing that will help in determining its ultimate suggestions and recommendations.

    It is heart-warming that, going by the comments of Mr. Oriase, the committee determines to approach its sensitive task with an open mind rather than preconceived and possibly biased and subjective notions. He observed that current attempts to address the killings by the Federal Government and its agencies “are being impacted by strait-laced narratives, political innuendo and ethno-religious distrust. In fact some of these strait-laced narratives have tended to ascribe all the killings to a single cause, thus jettisoning the need to rigorously interrogate the happenings with an open, unbiased and non-partisan mind”. We hope that the proceedings of the investigative committee will not be impeded by these lapses which it has rightly identified.

    Another laudable initiative on the part of the House of Representatives in this regard was its adoption of a motion moved by a member from Nasarawa State, Mr. Mohammed Ogoshi, on the “need to educate and encourage herdsmen on the benefits of ranching instead of the proposed cattle colonies in every state of the federation”. The resolution passed by the lawmakers in plenary, urged the Federal Government to make provisions for soft loans to be made available to herdsmen to enable them buy land to ranch their cattle. This surely makes eminent sense since most of the herdsmen may lack the economic means to set up ranches entirely on their own resources.

    It is noteworthy that some members of the House reportedly opposed the proposal that herdsmen embrace the more modern, efficient and less conflict-prone option of ranching on the ground that it is alien to their culture and many of them lack the knowledge or skills to effectively run and operate ranches. We concur with the majority of the legislators who called on the government to be alive to its responsibility of educating herdsmen on the benefits and techniques of ranching.

    The lawmakers also advocated that the Federal Government work in conjunction with interested state governments to establish cattle breeding settlements as one way of stemming the perennial clashes between herdsmen and farmers. There is no doubt that there is some merit in this suggestion but it is one that should be considered with a lot of caution since many state governments had reportedly received humongous amounts to set up ranches in the past with absolutely nothing to show for the money.

    We are aware of weather-related challenges that may pose a problem for the establishment of ranches in parts of the North, including excessive heat, desertification and global warming. But these can certainly not be a general phenomenon and if, as the Kano State government claims, it has provided ranches that can accommodate millions of cattle, the same feat can be achieved elsewhere with ingenuity and modern technology.

     

  • Support Cleaner Lagos Initiative, LG boss pleads

    The Lagos Island Local Government and Visionscape have urged the people of the local government area to support the state government’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative.

    At a sensitisation programme held at the local government secretariat, the Chairman of the local government, Tijani Adetoyese Olusi, said the Cleaner Lagos Initiative of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is to make the state look like other developed countries in terms of neatness.

    “I appreciate Governor Ambode for the Cleaner Lagos Initiative. The governor is looking at cleaner Lagos. We need to put all our hands on deck to achieve our goal,” he said.

    He added: “We, as government, are not happy with what is happening. We have seriously been cleaning refuse in the Lagos Island Local Government Area. As the premier local government and the hub of business in Nigeria, it means Lagos Island generates a lot of wastes. It is an enormous task.

    “The Community Development Associations and market leaders have a role to play because they are the major generators of these wastes. Most of the wastes generated are daylight wastes between 6 and 10pm. The residents should work hand in hand with Visionscape. We want you to pack your wastes where Visionscape operators will be able to pack them,” he said.

     

  • Actress enters New Year with free health initiative

    YORUBA actress and producer, Bankanthony Funmilade, is set to kick off the new year with a free medical outreach for people in her community.

    Working through her foundation, Rough Diamond Charity Organization, the actress has called for support for the initiative tagged ‘Outreach/Care Clinic Programm.’

    “Rough Diamond Charity Organization community health initiative tends to sensitize and improve the health of both young and aged in hard reached community all over Nigeria,” she said of the initiative.

    “We’ll achieve this by bringing health expertise close to the community for easy accessibility and prompt diagnosis of any impending health issues.

    “This outreach usually includes the provision of free health screening, health promotion, disease prevention and information on general health services such as; free Arthritis screening and free Medication, Hepatitis A and B screening and free immunization, free eye screening and glasses/ eye drop.

    “Other treatments include, Malaria and Typhoid screening and medications, HIV and AIDS screening, Diabetic screening and medication, Blood pressure with anti-hypertensive medications, anti Helminthic and expeller amongst others. 2018 is going to be a great year. Volunteers will be compensated.”

  • TCN chief working against local content initiative, say contractors

    TCN chief working against local content initiative, say contractors

    Local engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) have accused the firm’s Interim Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, of threatening the local content initiative.

    In a statement, the local contractors accuse the TCN’s boss of preferring to use foreign EPC contractors instead of the local contractors for jobs Nigerian contractors could undertake.

    Besides, they said Mohammed had put many ongoing projects on hold.

    The local contractors said the Federal Government in the last two years, has enforced implementation of local content policies in the ministries, parastatals and agencies by maximising use of local goods, competent local contractors for the rehabilitation and construction of power transmission projects.

    The policy, they said, has helped to fast-track the completion of ongoing transmission projects to help the TCN to be able to wheel more power to the national grid and provide more power for Nigerians.

    The contractors added that Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola had a meeting with them and discussed payment of outstanding invoices and promised to promptly pay new invoices.

    The local EPC contractors said: “This move has helped to bring back many projects on stream and a number of those projects are slated for commissioning next year. The commissioning of different transmission lines is a huge boost and clear sign that the transmission networks are being expanded.

    “However, as soon as the new CEO of TCN resumed, he has placed many of the projects on hold. He has refused totally to listen to reasons. He wants all the projects whether or not almost completed to go back to tender. The mess is total and the gains of the last two years are being jeopardised.

    “Besides placing several ongoing projects on hold, the TCN boss has failed to understand the legal implications and the potential losses in litigations, delays and liabilities that TCN may incur from his action and the negative impact the situation will have on the power sector. If the new TCN chief is not called to order and prevailed on to stop frustrating local contractors, he will spend most of his time in one conflict resolution or the order in one court case or the other. “

  • Council chief backs Cleaner Lagos Initiative

    Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area, Abdul Fatai Oyesanya, has urged residents of the council to embrace the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).

    Oyesanya said this during a sensitisation campaign of the initiative at Jakande and Mile 12 markets.

    He informed the traders that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has directed all the 57 councils in the state to ensure that people at the grassroot key into the new agenda.

    The council chief reminded the traders that government will not hesitate to close down any market that is dirty, urging them to work together as stakeholders to ensure that the surroundings of the markets are in clean state regularly.

    He told them that cleanliness of their markets should be a priority because that is where people buy the food they consume.

    Oyesanya appealed to residents of the council to desist from dumping refuse inside the drainage to prevent flooding.

    He assured them that his administration has provided adequate human and material resources to clean drainage and cart away refuse across the seven wards of the council.

    “We want our council to be the cleanness the state,” he said.

  • UBA Foundation takes Read Africa Initiative to Kenya

    The UBA Foundation has donated over 500 copies of the book, The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma, to Our Lady of Mercy Girls Secondary School in Nairobi, Kenya.

    The foundation is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and the donation was made under its “Read Africa Initiative”.

    The initiative, which was launched in 2011 with the aim of encouraging students to improve their vocabulary and communication skills through reading, has been changing the lives of African students across the continent for six years.

    Through the initiative, the UBA Foundation is helping rekindle the dwindling reading culture among African youths as they pursue their education.

    Over a hundred thousand books and educational materials have been donated to various schools across Africa as UBA Foundation continues to traverse the continent, contributing positively to the development of African youths.

    The foundation last week visited Emma High School in Kampala, Uganda before going to Kenya to read to the students at Our Lady of our Mercy School.

    The high school for girls, which was founded in 2008 by Mrs. Angwenyi with just 32 girls, has grown into a student body of over 500 with donations from both private individuals and the Kenyan Ministry of Education.

    The school started off with girls, who were very under-privileged and living in conditions that were not conducive to education. Less than a decade later, some of these students have gone on to universities to pursue their dreams.

    Present at the drive were the CEO of the UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, UBA Kenya MD/CEO Isaac Mwige, the school principle Mrs. Angwenyi and the pupils, who got an opportunity to interact and read with the UBA Executives, sharing their future aspirations and ambitions as they engaged the executives in a Q&A session.

    Atta, told the students that the UBA Foundation was committed to uplifting the lives of the societies within which they operated by creating dynamic educational platforms for future generations on the continent. She also encouraged the students to read voraciously.

    “The pursuit of knowledge should be a lifelong activity that starts at a very young age. You should read all types of books so that you can explore and shape your own narrative,” she said.

    UBA Managing Director/CEO Isaac Mwige further encouraged the students to cultivate an interest in reading not just the academic text books but also material outside of their course work in order to acquire knowledge.

    “Everything you read fills your head with new bits of information, and you never know when it might come in handy. The more knowledge you have, the better-equipped you are to tackle any challenge you’ll ever face,” he added.

    Mrs. Angwenyi thanked the UBA Foundation for its contribution and said it was very timely as the school is placing emphasis on the value of reading not just to prepare for exams but reading to prepare for life.