The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Non-Governmental Organisations

  • Ending discrimination against the physically challenged

    Since 1992, following the United Nations’ declaration of the International Day for people living with disabilities, every December 3 is a day for people with disabilities. Its the aim is to increase global awareness of their situation in all spheres of society.

    The day affords us an opportunity to drive conversations targeted at improving their rights and wellbeing.

    In Nigeria, individuals, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have continued to remind President Muhammadu Buhari of his promise and urged him to sign the Nigerian Disability Bill into law.

    This month makes it the 45th month since Buhari made a pledge during a town hall meeting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, to end discrimination and stigmatisation against persons with disabilities in Nigeria. While the National Assembly (NASS) has completed the legislative actions on the bill to end discrimination against persons with disabilities, the president is yet to sign the bill into law. Global statistics projects that approximately 80 per cent of people with disabilities live in developing countries, with one-in-five of the world’s poorest having at least, one disability.

    It is believed that when the bill is signed into law, it would maximally boost human capital development and encourage indigenous and foreign participation of persons with disabilities in the economic, social and political development of the country. This year’s International Day of People with Disabilities with the theme: Empowering persons with disabilities for inclusive, equitable and sustainable development, brings this subject to the table of state actors again, particularly when considered that their rights and wellbeing are also integrated part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international development frameworks which Nigeria is signatory to.

  • Group vows to tackle child abuse

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Era Gate Foundation, has vowed to eradicate child abuse in Nigeria.

    Its founder, Mrs Rudy Atie, who made this disclosure this at a press briefing in Asaba-Delta State said the NGO is dedicated to the memory of the teen, Elizabeth Ochanya, who died from complications following repeated rape by father and son in Benue State.

    She said the formal launch of the NGO will be flagged off at the weekend in Benin-City, Edo State.

    According to her, the NGO has recorded several laudable achievements since it was created last year.

    She said: “The journey unofficially started last year, in little group discussion, one-on-one talk with kids, church visitations and videos on social media. I never knew how huge this was, until I started getting feedback from abused children, then I knew that what I was venturing into was no child’s play.

    Continuing, she said:“Each time I hear that a child has been abused, I feel I have failed and have let one child down. After making my reach on steps to make this task official, I went on with the first stage of registering the NGO last month”.

    She said the theme of the launch is “SAY NO and SPEAK OUT.”

    According to her, the theme is aimed at advocating zero tolerance for child abuse in the country.

    Mrs Atie said the NGO was created with the aim of supporting the abused child and preventing abuse, through creating awareness, defending and rehabilitation, by being their voice”.

    She also urged the Federal Government to ensure that justice was done for late Elizabeth Ochanya, adding that there should be proactive measures on the part of governments and relevant agencies to forestall such abusive tendencies.

     

  • 200 killed in migrant shipwrecks

    Almost 200 people are feared to have died in two Mediterranean Sea migrant shipwrecks during the weekend, according to reports on Monday.
    The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya said that seven people were rescued off the north-western city of Zawiya, and one of them said 113 others were missing.
    The information was posted on Twitter and confirmed by an IOM Spokesman in Rome, Flavio Di Giacomo.
    Separately, 80 people died on Saturday after the rubber dinghy they were travelling on overturned, according to the ANSA news agency, which sourced its report from survivors’ accounts to Italian prosecutors.
    The sea channel between Italy and Libya is the world’s busiest and most dangerous sea migration route.
    More than 6,600 people were rescued there between Friday and Sunday.
    On Sunday, the Head of the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, said more than 1,150 people died or went missing since the start of the year in sea crossings to Europe.
    Grandi added that the mortality rate on the Libya-Italy route was one in 35.
    He praised efforts by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), noting they had carried out one third of rescue operations since January 1, and renewed calls for EU authorities to open legal migration channels to spare people from dangerous sea journeys.
    NGO involvement in sea rescues has become controversial since an Italian prosecutor accused them of acting in cahoots with Libyan people smugglers.
    The prosecutor says he has suspicions but no proof; the NGOs have rejected all charges.

     

  • Buhari seeks NGO’s support for IDPs

    Buhari seeks NGO’s support for IDPs

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday called on Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and international aid agencies to complement the Federal Government’s efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

    Speaking while receiving the Greek Medical Charity organisation, also known as ‘Heart Doctors’, at the State House, Abuja, President Buhari said that the Nigerian government was working hard to secure and rehabilitate communities ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents.

    Buhari in the statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said: “It is a pathetic situation we have.

    There are more than two million internally displaced persons, 70 percent of whom are women and children. Of these, 60 percent are orphaned children. “We are willing to work with organisations such as yours to quickly rehabilitate infrastructure, rebuild schools, medical clinics and destroyed homes,’’ the President said.

    He also told the visiting medical charity team that the task of rehabilitating IDPs in the region was enormous, but noted that with perseverance and commensurate resources such challenges are surmountable.

    The President thanked the Greek doctors for their humanitarian activities in the country and assured that his administration would welcome other spirited individuals and organisations with similar intentions.

    The leader of the Greek Medical Charity organization, Prof. Xenofan Yataganas, told the President that the organisation which commenced humanitarian work in Nigeria since 2002 has been involved in rebuilding schools and distributing medicines and food at IDP camps.