The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NGO

  • NGOs seek safety measures for public schools in Borno

    Following the abduction of over 200 Chibok girls in April 2014, schools safety became a major concern for stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), that have also joined the crusade to provide some security and safety tips for operations of schools in Borno State.

    A research by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) with Gender Equality Peace and Development Centre (GEPaDC), on the security and safety of schools in Borno, has said a lot of gaps still existed in the security architecture of public schools in ensuring pupils’ safety.

    Presenting the report of the survey at a consultative forum on promoting safety and security of schools in the state, a co-researcher of the programme, Prof. Patricia Donli, noted that security of schools in the state is a key component of security as communications, mechanism, safety tips, emergency response measures etc still remain a challenge in the nation’s public schools.

    Speaking in Maiduguri, Donli, who is also the Executive Director of GEPaDC, said  questionnaire was administered across  various classes of people, including community leaders, teachers and pupils.

    Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) Executive Director, Dr. Abiola Akiyode Afolabi, explained that WARDC and GEPaDC decided to come together and think toward providing a framework that would form at least a minimum standard for security and safety of pupils especially in the public schools for government to emulate.

    She said: “We feel people should have minimum knowledge like exit route, panic alert, fencing of schools etc. that are not expensive, yet can be done by schools that are committed.’’

    She said the programme, a pilot scheme designed to last for two years, was being implemented in three northern states – Kaduna, Bauchi and Borno, where three council areas of Chibok, Konduga and Maiduguri metropolis are.

     

  • NGO calls for entries on trafficking stories

    After a successful debut publication of her anti-human trafficking anthology  tilted: ‘I am not to be sold”, the Media Initiative Against Human trafficking and Women Rights Abuse (MIAHWRA), has opened entries for the 2017 publication.

    Founder of MIAHWRA, Ms. Tobore Ovuorie, said: “Unlike last year, where anti-human trafficking poems were written by secondary school pupils, this year’s edition will be on short stories.”

    After her last year’s campaign at Lagos State secondary schools, where pupils won gifts and scholarships for their brilliant performance, MIAHWRA, with Parresia Publishers Ltd, published some of the best poems written by participants aged between eight and 14.

    Ms Ovuorie said: “We are helping children find their voice and take their stand against human trafficking. The earlier they know about the A-Z of this evil trade dressed in different forms, the better for us all. To get published in next year’s edition, any child who is in secondary school should simply write a short story with the theme: ‘I am not to be sold.’ The entries should be within 1000 and 1500 words”.

    She, however, noted that entries are open to only secondary school pupils in Nigeria, adding that all entries must be their original work, among other criteria.

    Besides becoming published authors, she said the overall winner would win cash prizes, certificate, plaque, get their story published in the collection and become the MIAHWRA Human trafficking ambassador who leads the book reading/tour sessions next year.

    She called for entries to be sent to miahwra@gmail.com, while other information can be sought at info@miahwra.org. Entries close on Monday November 30, this year.

     

  • NGO lauds stores’ donation to vulnerable women, children

    Save Our Needy (SON), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that caters for the needs of vulnerable women and children, has lauded PEP Stores for donating items worth over N1 million to the less privileged.

    The items including clothing, toys and baby nappies, were presented to  SON’s Chief Executive Officer Ms Marvella Odili and the Programmes Manager, Mr. Jerry Odili as part of the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    Ms Odili said the items would be distributed to widows, single mothers and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

    She said that since 2011, the NGO has been in the business of “ending extreme poverty through the promotion of education for vulnerable children as well as youth and women empowerment.”

    Ms Odili urged widows, single mothers and unemployed young women interested in any of the items to send on-line requests to saveourneedy@gmail.com. She urged them  to explain how the donated items would assist them in starting up small businesses and how they would manage them.

  • Child marriage hinders girl child development – NGO

    The Centre for Learning and Educational Development Advocacy Africa (CLEDA-Africa), an NGO, has said that child marriage is one of the major hindrances to girl child development in the country.

    Mr Daniels Akpan, its Executive Director, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Tuesday that globally, one in seven adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 are currently married.

    “This is even worst in developing countries where one in three girls are married off before they turn 18 and more than 20,000 girls under the age of 18 give birth daily.

    “This increases the world population by seven million annually,’’ he said.

    Akpan also said that out of the more than seven billion population of the world, 1.1 billion are girls with talents, creativity and full of abilities.

    However, he pointed out that culture, religion, tradition, poverty and illiteracy, among other factors, had hindered and limited the full development of the girl child.

    As the world celebrates this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, the director called on relevant stakeholders and the global community to strengthen and support girl child progress in Kaduna State and the nation.

    According to him, girls are engine of national development and stress the need to promote girl child education in preparing them for a better future.

    “This is the best way to stand up for girls’ progress everywhere,’’ Akpan said.

    He disclosed that CLEDA Africa had in September trained 150 secondary school girls in Pampaida and Saulawa communities of Ikara Local Government Areas of Kaduna State on vocational skills.

    He said that the gesture was to empower the girls financially as part of efforts to encourage them to remain in school.

    Akpan called on the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to partner with CLEDA Africa to reach out to young girls and empower them with education and basic skills to live a productive life.

  • Insurgency: NGO seeks cut in civilian casualties

    A non-governmental organisation, Centre for Civilians in Conflict, has bemoaned the high number of civilian deaths during counter-insurgency operations.

    Head of the centre in Nigeria, Sadiq Shehu said the figures are high and unacceptable, and urges the government and military to reduce them since it is virtually impossible to avert civilian deaths in such operations.

    He said he believed the Nigerian government and the military high command could cut down the casualty figures if they put certain measures in place.

    Shehu said, “We call on the Nigerian government to continue to ensure that the security forces carry out their operations that minimise harm to civilians. Where it still happens, it should be minimal because we know that conducting a military operation is no mathematics. So, even when precautions have been taken, it is still possible to have some civilian casualties. But we are proposing ways of minimising the casualties. When that happens, government should always acknowledge that civilians have been harmed, and do what is required by international best practices. [When civilians come to harm, they should consider] things like issuing a condolence letter to [relatives of] somebody who was accidentally killed during operations; it will go a long way in appeasing the family and the community and assuring them that the government does not support wanton killing of civilians and that it happened by accident. To the armed forces, we appreciate the openness and transparency we are seeing and the inculcation of international best practices in the conduct of military operations. This will endear the Nigerian military to the citizens and our foreign partners and NGOs.

    “If they cannot completely eliminate [killing], they should minimise causing harm. If measures to minimise fail and harm happens, we hold these actors responsible and should admit that civilians have been harmed and make amends to such people that have been harmed.”

  • Lawmaker partners NHIS, NGO on health care delivery

    Lawmaker partners NHIS, NGO on health care delivery

    Mindful of the United Nations (UN) stance that access to quality and affordable health care will solve most of health challenges confronting humankind, especially those dwelling at the rural areas, the member representing Ilaje Constituency 1 in the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr. Abayomi Akinruntan, has provided quality health care services for members of his constituency.

    The gesture was in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). It was aimed at giving medical support to the people.

    Also involved in the collaboration is Equitable Health Access Initiative (EHAI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO).

    To this end, the representatives of the NGO and the NHIS in Ondo State had visited two out of the 18 health centres in the constituency in preparation for the commencement of the health insurance scheme.

    The two health centres visited were Ilowo Comprehensive Health Centre located on the riverside communities which serves the people residing at the riverside, and Ugbonla Basic Health Centre in Ugbonla.

    The team observed that the health centre in Ilowo community, which was built some years ago by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to provide quality health care to the people  and being managed by the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) on contract basis, was in a terrible shape.

    During the visit, the two members of staff on duty, who took the team round the facility, decried the level of neglect by OSOPADEC. They urged the state government to show more interest in the maintenance of the health centre.

    One of the workers said: “All the equipment here are obsolete as a result of which we can’t treat patients. I have been working here for over 10 years. This place was serving the people of the riverside area but since three years now, we’ve not been getting support again from OSOPADEC that is managing the facility.

    “The only thing we get is our salaries; no equipment, no drugs and the staff quarter is dilapidated. We now refer our patients from here to the upland in Ugbonla Basic Health Centre or Igbokoda General Hospital. It has not been easy for members of staff here.”

    However, the condition was somewhat better at the Ugbonla Basic Health Centre as the place had just been renovated by Consolidated Oil Company, (Conoil).

    The Head Nurse, who took the team round the health centre, appreciated the regular support of the local government, adding that even though they are still experiencing some challenges, with time they will overcome them.

    Speaking at the palace of Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, the lawmaker said he had decided to bring relief to his constituents after realising the challenges they face in accessing affordable and quality health care.

    His words: “Our people, especially in the riverside area, face a lot of problems before they access quality health care in their communities. It’s expensive and not easy moving pregnant women and emergency cases with boat or canoe from the riverside to the upland.

    “I realised the need for urgent intervention on their health facility in the riverside area and I have decided to take it upon myself to foot the bill of delivering quality health care for my people; not minding the harsh economic situation. This tour was for us to assess the level of readiness of the centres to provide such services.”

    Responding, the NHIS Director in Ondo State, Mr. Simon Adeniji, commended the lawmaker for giving them a platform to deliver the Federal Government’s initiative to the people of Ilaje Constituency 1.

    He said the aim of the NHIS was to ensure that communities, especially those at the rural areas, have direct access to quality health care across the country at no or low cost, adding that the purpose of their visit was to assess the infrastructure at the health centres and strategise on how to deliver good and quality health care to the people.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EHAI, Dr Akinmurele Timothy, admitted that Mr. Akinruntan has done a noble thing by caring about the welfare of his people. He added that only those who have their people in mind will decide to bear the cost which he put at N800 monthly per person.

    After the inspection of the facilities, the team visited the Olugbo of Ugbo land.

    The monarch said the state of the health centres in Ilaje is worrisome, even as he called on the state government to intervene for the benefit of people living in the riverside areas. He promised to collaborate with the team in achieving their goal of delivering better health care to his people.

     

  • NGO lifts four Ebonyi schools with materials

    To  promote science education, a non-governmental organisation(NGO), Breezbell Management International (BMI), has donated science equipment worth over N16million to four secondary schools in Ebonyi State.

    According to the NGO, the donation was powered by co-venturing partners in the OML 140 projects which include: Star Ultra Deep Petroleum Limited, Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, Lukoil Oil Company and National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).

    The four benefiting schools are: Model Girls Secondary Schools Ohaukwu, Enyigba Comprehensive Secondary School Eketube, Community Secondary School Ndiagu and Amana, and Government Technical College, Abakaliki.

    The materials included desktop computers, white boards, books, instructional materials and other teaching aids.

    At the handing over of the equipment, BMI s Director Jane Coker, said the intervention was bornes out of the poor performance of students in the state in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination(WASS2CE).

    “We carried out a research on education and discovered that Ebonyi State’ results from this year’s WASCCE was too low compared to other states. This is why we picked the state for the first phase of the project,” she said.

    Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited Chairman, Chief Reggie Uduhiri, hoped the intervention would translate to better performance of students from the state in their internal and external examinations, while also equipping them to be innovators and investors in future.

    He explained that the project was a testament to the unflinching resolve by the co-venturing partners to continually initiate projects in education, health care and economic empowerment in order to better the lives of Nigerians.

    Representatives of other firms that partnered in the donation expressed confidence that the provided items would add to the body of knowledge available to the students and adequately equip them to provide innovative solutions to the challenges they would encounter in their academic lives and beyond.

    As partners, they noted that the most important investment is in human development, especially in securing children’s future through sound education.

     

  • NGO takes medical outreach to Gwoza IDPs

    NGO takes medical outreach to Gwoza IDPs

    Not every internally displaced person in Abuja is in the popular camps. Many live in remote places, and fend for themselves the best way they can.

    Some of them, mostly from Borno State, rent apartments in Nasarawa State villages and try to provide for their families.

    They complain of the difficulties in making ends meet, not having  enough to eat and their children constantly falling ill due to the cold.

    Twenty-eight-year-old mother of four, Christina Ibrahim told a typical story of the Gwoza, Borno State IDPs.

    She said, “We mostly suffer from fever, malaria, typhoid, high blood pressure, when most of our people are taken to the hospital, they are always diagnosed with high blood pressure because we don’t really have anything to do, barely have enough food to feed the children, when you look at the children and see them hungry, it is not easy as a parent, we have to pay so much for rent in the village where we stay since we don’t have a camp and even pay for water, we pay N15 or as much as N25 for a gallon of water, it is difficult doing it especially coming from a village where we want for nothing.

    “Our children are always falling sick because we don’t have mattresses, blankets or sweaters for them, we sleep on the floor with the children and the weather can be so cold mostly at night, we do not have mosquito nets.

    “Because we are not in normal camps like the others, we are left to fend for ourselves, we don’t get much assistance unlike the others. Most times people come to us, ask us our problems, we tell them but they never come back, which is why most times, we ignore it when some others ask because we have never gotten any positive result from the ones that promised to help.”

    Help has come. The Life Builders Initiative for Education and Societal Integration has taken a medical outreach to the unconventional camp, along with doctors, pharmacists and nurses who diagnosed and adminstered drugs to the IDPs.  from Gworza.

    Coordinator of Life Builders Mr Sanno David explained that they are interested in helping the poor and vulnerable in the society.

    David who said that his organisation had conducted a research which found out seven areas that the poor in the society need help added that they have been to other major camps around Abuja and provided medical and economic empowerment skills.

    His words, “We are helping the poor and vulnerable in our society and it so happens that the IDPs can presently be found in this category. We recently conducted a research and found out seven areas that the poor and vulnerable in our society need help.

    ”They include education, health, accommodation, societal integration, economic empowerment, food and basic sanitation and we have been trying to help them as best we can. We have been to the other camps around Abuja and Nasarawa State and every month we go to an IDP camp to provide them with these basic needs.”

    Coordinator of the camp, Mr Sunday Waba added, “Recently we found out that a lot of our children suffer from worms and malaria, recently FEMA donated mosquito coils to us which we have been using as insect repellent to fight the mosquitoes.”

     

  • NGO appeals to Cross River govt to rehabilitate roads to encourage tourism

    A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) MATER DEI, has appealed to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River to rehabilitate the deplorable roads in the state to boost tourism activities.

    This call is contained in a statement signed by Mr Bioku Ibraheem, the National Secretary of the organisation on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Mr Nnamdi Okpara, the National Coordinator of the NGO, made the appeal when he led other officials on a visit to the governor.

    He said their visit was to acquaint Ayade on its decision to construct an international pilgrims’ centre in Maryland, Ogoja.

    Okpara stressed the need for the road to be fixed, saying that it would encourage tourism.

    “The roads in Central and Northern Cross River areas, Ikom and Ogoja linking Benue state and Abakaliki are in a sorry state.

    “The rehabilitation is very expedient so as to secure the lives and properties of travelers on those roads.

    “Also, a good road network in the state would encourage tourists from all parts of the word to access the state known for its richness in hospitality and tourism potential,’’ Okpara said.

    He also urged the state government to create an enabling environment for investors in the state to do business.

    Okpara commended Ayade for his pragmatic handling of workers welfare and urged him not to relent in his demonstration of good governance.

  • NGO takes etiquette training to Lagos teens

    Teenage girls in public secondary schools in Lagos State Education District I, have benefitted from a four-week summer camp organised by a nongovernmental organization (NGO), Ornaments of Grace and Virtue (OGAV) in collaboration with the district.

    The girls were exposed to etiquette training at the Government College, Agege, for the duration.

    President of OGAV, Mrs Olubusola Kolade, said the camp, with the theme: “Etiquette,” featured career guidance, safety guidance, character education, life coaching as well as academic and leadership skills development.

    She said: “We decided to fill a gap that we have seen in the society and the need for girls to be properly brought up for them to succeed in life.  Eighty-five per cent of what is required in life’s journey is the social skills, while personal development and academic knowledge just form about 15 per cent.  So, we decided to go to schools, especially public schools, where some of these things are not readily taught and to nurture girls using holistic approach to become proper ladies in society and to impact in the community positively.”

    Being a holiday camp, Mrs Kolade said activities were organised to hold on Tuesdays and Fridays at the College.

    Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary (TGPS) of the district, Dr Olufolayimika Ayandele, advised the pupils at the opening ceremony, to listen and conduct themselves well during the camp.

    “You should always remember that character defines who you are and what you will be in future. This empowerment programme is meant to build your character and academic performance; teach you how to build yourself positively and how you relate to the economy and the society; and also how to overcome negative influences; to make the right decisions and be confident with truth; leadership skills and ethical behaviour,” she said.

    Some of the participants described their experience at the summer camp as worthwhile.

    Oluwademilade Ogo said: “I was enlightened more on sleeping, walking, eating, sitting and talking etiquette and I was taught how to dress outside school in order for people to respect me.”