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Tag: NGO

  • NGO to FG: Take urgent action on children used as suicide bombers

    * seeks increased supports for 8.5m insurgent victims in north east

    The Country Director of Mercy Corps, an international Non-Governmental Organization, Darius Radcliffe has called on the Federal Government to take urgent actions on reported cases of children used as suicide bombers.
    He also called for an increased humanitarian supports for about 8.5 million victims of insurgency living in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
    Radcliffe said yesterday in Abuja that the situation has worsened due to limited aid to the less privileged people, apart from reports of sexual abuses and continuous use of young boys and girls as suicide bombers and other violent activities.
    The country director, who spoke on behalf of the Nigeria International Non-Governmental Organisation Forum (INGO Forum), during a briefing ahead of 2017 World Humanitarian Day (WHD), urged the federal government to take swift action on the sudden development.
    He canvassed for more commitment from international development partners and relevant organizations in the country to assist salvage the situation.
    He stressed on need to protect civilians in the north east region especially children and humanitarian aid workers.
    Radcliffe said: “There is an increase in using children under this incidence. We don’t have all the statistics at the moment. Obviously, we condemn doing that. It is actually not something we will support at all. It is something we can look at further as we dig into the issue.
    “Any time children are used in conflicts, there are huge dangers. So essentially that is something that needs to stop, we need to understand it better and at least actions taken.”
    “8.5 million people remain in need of humanitarian assistance this year in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. Now in its eight year, the crisis shows no sign of abating….women and children continue to suffer abuse and exploitation at an alarming rate.
    “Women, men and children face grave human rights violations and sexual and gender-based violence, including rape. Since the start of the conflict in 2009, more than 20, 000 people have been killed, countless women, boys and girls abducted and children drafted as so-called suicide bombers.
    “So the INGO forum would like to focus on the protection of civilians in conflict, particularly from sexual abuse and exploitation arising from displacement, as well as the dangers faced by humanitarian aid workers,” Radcliffe added.
    INGO National Coordinator, Drake Ssenyange lauded efforts of the Federal Government towards rebuilding the north east and other support services offered to the displaced persons through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
    He said despite these, there was need to advocate further support for the group.
    Ssenyange emphasized that hospitals and humanitarian workers have continued to witness attacks, adding that each time such occurs, it prevent humanitarian supports to the region.
    He urged the media to take active role in reporting issues surrounding humanitarian crisis in the north east region.
    Asked to comment on allegations that parents had continue to donate their children to the insurgents for use as suicide bombers,  Ssenyange explained that INGO was yet to carry out an independent research on the allegation but was something they could consider.
    The WHD holds every 19th August to pay tribute to aid workers who risked their lives in humanitarian services and to rally supports for people affected by crisis around the world.

  • NGO urges govt to revive culture

    Government at all levels have been charged to revive the traditional and cultural heritage of Nigeria as a means of eradicating poverty.

    Founder/President, ZITADEL, a non-governmental organisation, Oluwadamilare Omorege, said this during the launch of a project, STACIEP, in Akure, Ondo State capital.

    Omorege regretted that certain aspects of our cultural heritage had been neglected. He called for a reversal of the trend and genuine efforts to place the heritage on the world map.

    Noting that ZITADEL is committed to showcasing the cultural heritage of Africa, Omorege called for collaboration from all stakeholders to achieve the lofty goal. He lauded ZITADEL National Patron, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe; the matron, Princess Ronke Ademuluyi and the patron, Chief Akinyemi Akinremi for their support.

    He noted that STACIEP is a new concept in the development, presentation and preservation of rich African arts and culture, and targeted at meeting UNDP’s vision 2030.

    He said the initiative would create employment for young Nigerians, hinting that STACIEP would, later this month, take a cultural troupe to the Notting Hill Carnival in the United Kingdom (UK), and another group of Nigerians to a fashion show in London.

     

  • NGO lifts 30 women

    NGO lifts 30 women

    A non-govern-mental Organisation (NGO), Independent Woman Initiative (IWI), has given 30 women start-up funds and incentives to ensure more women are financially independent, through innovations that could boost the economy.

    Uts President, Mrs. Monique Ededuan, said the initiative was aimed at taking women through the journey from dependence to independence.

    “The Independent Woman Initiative is all about stirring women up and teaching them from experiences and personal stories of other women to encourage their ideas. It was established out of the desire to address the challenges that women currently face and the set back they have to deal with due to lack of funds. Today, close to 300 women are in attendance at this conference and 30 women will be supported with startup funds, “she said.

    According to her, the 30 recipients of the funds shared their business ideas with the NGO, while registering for the conference, “The board put them into categories that qualified them for the fund. We also have more programmes currently running, which is called ‘She Learns’ and it is in two categories. The first one is for single ladies who want to further their education but lack funding and the other one is Scholarship Acquisition Programme for skill empowerment,” she said.

    Ededuan, however, urged women to step up and become  agents of change in the country by putting their ideas into practice. “There is no excuse to be idle, start with something little and with dedication, that business might become a global reference point. An empowered woman becomes a positive tool and an inspiration to others,” Ededuan said.

    She added: “The NGO is a business and entrepreneurship network for women and was established in 2016. Its vision is to support women financially with start up business fund and business ideas, so they can contribute financially to their homes and country.”

    Mrs Nneka Elege, a Board Member, said woman empowerment was an important tool that could be used to build a nation’s economy. “When you empower a woman, you have simply empowered a nation and even a generation because everything given to a woman is turned around and well utilised. So this programme is to empower women to use what they have, such as, knowledge, skills and talent and also put them to best use,” she said.

    Mrs Teju Abisoye, the Programme Coordinator, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund said it was necessary for women to know the importance of access to finance in building a business.

    “The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund is here to support every small business with finance, training and support services that can help the business grow to the next level. Because we are keen to see businesses grow in this economy, so basically any business that is existing and also must be Lagos State residents. We want people who have tax payers identity because we are giving people tax payers money. We want to ensure that they have contributed at one point or will be contributing to the tax payment, this is the criteria for accessing the loan,” She said.

    Abisoye said that this would go a long way in ensuring women to be economically independent.

  • Lagos, NGO collaborate on WASH policy

    The Lagos State Government has taken steps to evolve a policy to drive the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector. This came to the fore at the weekend in Ikeja, at a retreat organised by the state government in conjunction with the Save the Children International (SCI) on the review of the draft WASH policy.

    At the event, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare. said clean water, basic toilets and good hygiene practices were essential for the survival and development of children, while being very critical to human health, survival and development. He added that many countries and cities were challenged in providing adequate sanitation for their entire populations, leaving people at risk of WASH-related diseases.

    “According to World Health Organisation (WHO), there are around 2.4 billion people who lacked basic sanitation (more than 35 per cent of the world’s population), and 663 million who do not have access to clean water sources,” he said.

    Adejare noted that access to safe water and sanitation could turn problems to potential by unlocking education and work opportunities, and bring about improved health for women, children and families across the world.

    He stated that the  Lagos State government was determined to achieve the aims of the UNICEF Sustainable Development Goals to “ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.

    He said: “It is in furtherance of the foregoing, that we are all gathered here  to critically look at the newly enacted Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 and the draft policy on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) with a view to developing an implementation framework.”

    The SCI Area Operations Manager for Lagos and Cross River, Roy Chikwem, stated that the NGO, through the Stop Diarrhoea Initiaitve (SDI), considered the approval and full implementation of the Lagos WASH policy as the bedrock of preventing childhood diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases among under-five children in in the state.

    “We believe the retreat will resolve the overlapping functions between the MDAs, integrate the PENWASH mandate of the WASH policy and fully integrate the New Environmental Protection Law recently signed by the government,” Chikwem told The Nation.

    The policy is expected to guide government activities in relation to water and sanitation, identify the relevant WASH Agencies and streamline their roles.

  • NGO secures release of 21 inmates in Niger

    The Sani-Bello Foundation has facilitated the release of 21 inmates in Niger State. Of the 21, 15 were released from the Kontagora medium prison while the others were from Lapai prison.

    A statement by the foundation’s Director-General Mr. Zachary Ikani said the foundation is concerned about the plight of the detainees, adding that securing release of those detained for civil offences is part of its corporate social responsibility.

    According to him, more than 50 per cent of inmates awaiting trial, especially on civil cases, would spend more time than necessary in detention if.

    He lamented that the large number of inmates makes the country the fifth highest in pre-trial detention population in Africa, saying more than three of every five inmates have not been convicted of any offence.

    He called other NGOs and well-meaning organisations to intervene in releasing inmates. “We implore other NGOs and well-meaning individuals to do same, as our collective effort will make a great difference. “At Sani Bello Foundation, we believe that everyone’s right to the dignity of life counts, and we will always do our best to ensure that,” he added.

  • NGO seeks more funding of NDDC

    The Community Watch of Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged the Federal Government to release more funds for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for project execution.

    The Coordinator of the NGO, Chief Samingo Etukakpan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  in Yenagoa that inadequate funds had hindered the performance of the NDDC.

    He appealed to the Federal Government to assist the commission to enable it to execute projects for the wellbeing of the people.

    Etukakpan said that Niger Delta people would only feel the impact of NDDC through its execution of projects that would improve their lives.

    “The commission cannot achieve any tangible development without adequate funds,’’ he told NAN.

    The coordinator urged that the government should give priority attention to NDDC to facilitate development in Niger Delta.

    He applauded the leadership of the commission for efforts to develop the region is spite of funds constraint.

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  • NGO brokers peace in Southern Kaduna

    NGO brokers peace in Southern Kaduna

    A faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Global Peace Foundation (GPF), has stepped up efforts to ensure reconciliation and peace-building in the troubled Southern Kaduna through engagements with stakeholders.

    The last efforts are sequel to the peace deal brokered in June 2017 between the Fulanis and natives of Kaninkon Chiefdom in Southern Kaduna.

    Tagged Southern Kaduna Peace and Reconciliation Meeting, the parley had leaders and representatives of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MABCAN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Jema’a Foundation, Local Fulanis and other Southern Kaduna stakeholders in attendance.

    Also violence-affected chiefdoms and communities such as Kaninkon, Godogodo, Numana, Moroa, Atakar, Chawai, Kagoma and Dangoma under Kaninkon Chiefdom were all represented by their leaders.

    The Country Director, Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, John Oko, said: ‘’One point we heard repeatedly was that everyone was tired of the hostilities and wanted it to end.

    ‘’I want to assure you that Global Peace Foundation is committed to supporting you in that process until lasting peace returns to Southern Kaduna.”

    Northern Nigeria Co-Coordinators of Global Peace Foundation, Sheikh Halliru Abdullahi Maraya and Rev. John Joseph Hayab, reminded participants that the crisis has affected every family, calling for the killings to stop and give peace a permanent place.

    President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU), Solomon Musa, said the group was against killings in the area.

    “We in SOKAPU will not support killing of human beings or animals. We will defend the Hausas, Fulanis, Bajjus, Jabas or any other tribe; we are committed to peace and justice,’’ he stressed.

    Leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) delegates, Alhaji Haruna Tugga, urged all to live as brothers and sisters, stressing: “We must forget the past for a brighter future, we must support peace for development.’’

    Jema’a Foundation President, Alhaji Abdullahi Zubairu, said all parties need peace and urged all stakeholders to go back to the olden days when everybody lived peacefully as one.

    Leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), John Bwankwot, and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Audu Barau, urged the people to learn to live together as one to engender love and understanding.

    It was agreed that the NGO should constitute a Southern Kaduna Peace and Reconciliation Committee with membership representing the stakeholders, which will work to resolve all pending issues in the area.

    To signal the end of hostilities, participants embraced themselves in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.

  • NGO lauds Aregbesola for Osun student’s feat in Ukraine

    A Non-Government Organisation, Democracy and Good Governance Forum (DGGF) has lauded Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola for the exceptional academic feat performed by a female indigene of the state, Dr. Lateefat Abiola in Ukraine.

    Lateefat was decorated as the best graduating medical student at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine on June 30. The young genius scored an impressive 95.6 percent to emerge the best not just at her university where she beat 564 students, but also overall in Ukraine.

    In a statement in Osogbo yesterday by its Chairman/Convener, Comrade Tunde Oladunjoye, the forum commended Aregbesola for his “great vision, dedication and unrelenting commitment to the socio-economic transformation of the State of Osun.”

    The forum expressed delight in the remarkable efforts of the governor in human capital development, noting that it was no doubt the commitment of the “forward-looking governor” that propelled him to award the brilliant girl along with her colleagues, state scholarships to complete their medical training in Ukraine.

    The forum commended the girl for her rare academic feat, noting that the announcement that her academic score was the best in  Ukraine was a thing of pride not only for Osun, but also for  Nigeria.

    There are 49 other students from Osun State in her set, sponsored to the school by the government of Governor Aregbesola despite paucity of funds.

    “The decision, which has now yielded a bountiful dividend is a good testimony to the brilliance, pro-activeness and public- spiritedness of the governor himself”, the forum noted.

    Abiola was one of the 85 medical students of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) left stranded after the National University Commission (NUC) in 2012, refused to accredit the course for lack of medical school.

    In 2014, Aregbesola sponsored the 85 students that belonged to two different sets to complete their medical studies at the Kharkiv National University, reputed to be the only university in Ukraine that has produced three Nobel Prize laureates.

  • Kwara, NGO to provide free cleft lip surgery

    Kwara, NGO to provide free cleft lip surgery

    The Kwara State government is collaborating with Oral Health Advocacy Initiative (OHAI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to perform free surgery for patients of cleft lips and palates in the state. Smile Train, a United States NGO, is co-sponsoring the programme nationwide with OHAI.

    Already, no fewer than 300 persons with cleft lips have been operated upon by the OHAI team in Baruten Local Government Area of the state, it was gathered.

    At the launch of Cleft Week in Ilorin, the state capital, Programme Director, OHAI, Dr. Ver-or Ngutor said, “Cleft lips and palates are variations of a type of congenital deformity caused by abnormal facial development during gestation period leading to non-fusion and continuity of facile structures before birth. The defects can also occur together as cleft lips and palates.”

    Dr Ngutor revealed that several epidemological studies have been carried out in different parts of the world, adding that about “6,000 children are born with this defect yearly in Nigeria.”

    He said, “Surgery as the immediate option treats disfigurement but it is also beneficial in managing both physical and psychological perspective of this condition as it results in increased self-esteem, self-confidence and satisfaction with one’s own appearance. OHAI takes this surgical correction of this defect to the very doorsteps of these patients by seeking out strategic partnership with government, concerned individuals, organisations and the media to meet our imperative objects giving everyone a chance at full social and economic integration.”

    The programme director said the NGO had taken the initiative to Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Cross Rivers, Enugu, Kebbi, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara states.

    In a remark, Programme Director, for West and Central Africa, Smile Train, Mrs. Nkiruka Obi said the free surgery is “a wake-up call to all tiers of government. There is a whole lot of people who are suffering in silence. We also need not just the support of government

    but the support of the media. The media need to help us push the message out that oral health is critical to general wellbeing of individuals. Clefts could be solved just by simple surgery.

    “We should not stigmatise or discriminate against people who have clefts, rather we should actually help and give them support and refer them to Smile Train partner hospitals closest to them and they will be given complete free medical treatment; which is of course safe and of high quality.”

    Mrs. Obi said that OHAI has “in the last couple of years carried out over 2000 free and safe quality surgeries on cleft patients. OHAI is a global leader in quality healthcare in Africa.”

    Said she: “Smile Train is the world largest cleft charity and we have a single vision which is to ensure that every child born with cleft in any part of the world is given a second chance to live a full and productive life.

    “We have a very unique strategy, which is to use teach a man how to fish model; whereby we come into a community and empower the local medical professionals who in turn are trained and they are able to provide free comprehensive cleft care to cleft people there all year round.

    “And for us coming here today, we have partnered with Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Oral Health Advocacy Initiative (OHAI). They have been partners since 2011/2012. Today they have brought us to Kwara state where they are doing comprehensive cleft care to people.

    “We are here to inform the people of the state that no child should be left to suffer with cleft, because OHAI with Smile Train are here to provide free and high quality cleft surgery to anybody who is willing to be helped.

    “For us it is an initiative which is laudable because we know that cleft children have feeding problems, speaking problems and they suffer a lot of stigmatization. The irony the whole is that these children can be given a new smile within 45 minutes surgery. And that is why we are here.”

    Declaring the free surgery open, the state Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Suleiman Alege expressed the state’s preparedness to readily collaborate with OHAI to improve healthcare delivery in the state. He hailed the initiative and urged others to emulate the kind gesture of OHAI.

  • NGO wants speedy approval of WASH

    The Save the Children International, a non governmental organisation, has called on the government to ensure a speedy approval of the Lagos State Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) policy. This is because of its direct implications in achieving the SDG-6 targets- which is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and the overall improvement in the health of the public, especially women and children.

    The Area Operations Manager, (Lagos & Cross River) of Save the Children International, Mr. Roy Chikwem, made this know at this year’s WED celebrations in Lagos, on Monday.

    Chikwem, whose organisation partnered the Lagos state government for the celebration, said it has become imperative to create awareness and action for the protection of the environment as there will not be a society if the environment is  destroyed.

    He explained that given that his organisation’s mandate is to ensure child protection, survival, development and participation, the NGO finds it saddening to see the damaging impact of a poor environment on the spread of childhood illness such as Malaria, Diarrhoea, Cholera, Typhoid and Pneumonia which account for large percentages of under- five deaths in Nigeria and other low-income countries.

    Chikwem noted that while the interplay of the environment in the management and control of Childhood Diarrhoea Disease (CDD) cannot be overstressed, yet, the organisation is convinced that by ensuring improved quantity and quality of water in households and promoting community wide total sanitation, CDD will be drastically reduced.

    “It is our hope that this year’s WED will reawaken our consciousness to the impact of individual, community, and government action on the environment.  For if we all take responsibility for our environment and keep it clean and safe then we will have cleaner environment, safer water, lesser disease burdens, more money for families, improved living conditions and a prosperous future for our Children,” Chikwem said.

    Through the Stop Diarrhoea Initiative (SDI) project, the organisation has continued to collaborate with the government and other key actors, to push for the development, adequate-resourcing and operationalisation of clearly articulated strategic frameworks and implementation plans that address key elements of UNICEF- WHO 7-Point Plan for the control and prevention of Diarrhoea, particularly those directly addressing the environment, at both National and State levels.

    Save the Children is an international NGO working to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children globally in over 120 Countries for over 80 years. It has been working in Nigeria since 2001 with offices and programmes in Lagos, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kebbi, Borno, Kano, Plateau, Akwa-Ibom, and Cross River with a focus on Health and Child Survival (including Nutrition and HIV/AIDS), Education, Hunger and Livelihoods, Child Protection and Child Rights Governance.

    In 2013, the NGO berthed in Lagos state, and has been implementing projects that seek to improve Education, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Care and School Health and Nutrition.