The Nation Newspaper

Tag: UN

  • Nigerians are honourable, hard working people – FG

    Nigerians are honourable, hard working people – FG

    Nigerians are honourable and hard working people who are making remarkable contributions all over the world, the Federal Government said on Monday in New York.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that only a handful of the citizens were deviants.

    Enikanolaiye lauded the giant strides Nigerians have made in all walks of life, commending their ingenuity, loyalty, patriotism and positive spirit wherever they were found.

    The permanent secretary said: “The vast majority of Nigerians abroad are doing very well, bringing honour and glory to our country.

    “However, we have few bad eggs and unfortunately, that’s what gets reported in many instances; so it is a case of ‘one bad apple spoils the barrel.

    “So Nigeria’s image has also suffered from some of the activities of few Nigerians who get involved in all sorts of criminalities abroad but they are very few.

    “Nevertheless, the silent majority of Nigerians are doing very well, doing the country proudly and we are proud of them.

    “So we would continue to work on that strength of Nigeria and Nigerians because it is about perception.

    “This is to make sure that what is being reported out there is positive for our country.”

    He said the Federal Government would continue to work so it could project what was  great and positive about Nigeria and ultimately change negative perceptions about our country.

    Enikanolaiye said Nigeria had always been a reliable and dependable ally on the global stage, particularly at the UN since its independence.

    According to him, the country is fully back on the global stage, particularly with the assumption of duty of its ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande.

    The permanent secretary described the Nigeria’s UN envoy, and other envoys recently posted to other multilateral organizations as “very distinguished personalities”.

    “Even though the permanent mission has been doing its best in keeping the Nigeria’s flag flying, we believe that Bande’s coming at this time would energize our efforts.

    “This is for us to re-engage more effectively with the UN in a manner that Nigeria’s voice would be better heard in a manner that would show Nigeria’s role as a responsible and active player.”

    Enikanolaiye had earlier addressed the UN Security Council’s open debate on “Women and peace and security: Sexual violence in conflict” where he assured the international community of Federal Government’s commitment to bring back the girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists.

    He had also met with the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who he described as “a worthy ambassador of Nigeria” and expressed optimism that she would make Nigeria and Africa proud

  • FRSC takes road safety campaign to Churches in Jos

    FRSC takes road safety campaign to Churches in Jos

    The Plateau Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has taken its sensitisation of motorists on safety measures to Churches and other worship centres in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the campaign kicked off on Sunday at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Gigiring, Jos, with the Sector Commander, Mrs. Pat Emeordi, declaring that the initiative was aimed at reducing road traffic crashes.

    “Our visit to this Church today (Sunday) is to commemorate the 4th UN Global Safety Week.

    “The theme for this year’s UN Safety Week is ‘Managing Speed’; we are focusing on that and want to urge all motorists to obey speed limits,” she said.

    She urged Christians to obey traffic rules just as they obey God’s tenets so as to rid Nigeria of crashes on its highways.

    “As Christians, we respect and obey God’s commandments; we should equally obey traffic rules and regulations.

    “God created roads for safety and not for us to die on them. He also created the traffic regulations so that we shall obey them toward safety. So, if we refuse to obey traffic regulations, we are disobeying God,” she said.

    Noting that road accidents do not recognise wealth or status, she challenged Nigerians to support the campaign by cautioning drivers against speeding “even if they are our parents”.

    She warned drivers against wrong overtaking, speeding, overloading and use of phones, saying that anyone caught would face the full wrath of the law.

     

  • UN urges Nigerians to provide support for rescued Chibok girls

    UN urges Nigerians to provide support for rescued Chibok girls

    The United Nations (UN) has appealed to Nigerians to fully embrace the 82 freed Chibok girls and provide all necessary support to ensure their reintegration into the society.

    Mr Peter Lundberg, its Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, made the appeal in a statement issued by Abiodun Banire, Public Information, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Nigeria.

    Lundberg said the UN welcomed the release of the 82 Chibok girls in north-eastern Nigeria.

    He noted that despite this encouraging news, insecurity continues to affect millions of people living in six states in north-eastern Nigeria amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

    “Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, where 8.5 million people are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection are the most directly affected by conflict and mass forced displacement.

    “The United Nations and partners are committed to supporting the Government of Nigeria to providing much needed relief to these vulnerable people,” he said.

    According to him, over 100 of these school girls are still unaccounted for.

    “The United Nations urges the international community to continue supporting the Government of Nigeria in its efforts to ensure the release, rehabilitation and reintegration of all victims of Boko Haram,” he said.

  • Syria says UN peacekeepers won’t be deployed in ‘safe zones’

    Syria on Monday said that a deal brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran does not include deploying UN peacekeeping forces in the so-called “safe zones”.

    “The Russian side stressed that military police will be deployed and not peacekeepers under the supervision of the UN,” to oversee the implementation of the deal, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem told a news conference in Damascus.

    The deal signed in the Kazakh capital Astana on Thursday indicate that the de-escalation zones shall include checkpoints to ensure easy movement of unarmed civilians and the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance.

    Al-Moallem reiterated his country’s backing of the deal, but vowed to retaliate “harshly’’ any violation by the rebels.

    The Syrian official said it was too early to tell if this deal will succeed but hoped that the brokers will ensure that militant groups such as the al-Qaeda linked Fatah al-Sham Front will not enter the safe zones.

    The agreement envisions safe areas in northwestern, northern, central and southern Syria.

    The Astana agreement says that creating “de-escalation and security” areas is a temporary measure that could be in place for six months.

    Russia and Turkey have supported opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, which began with peaceful demonstrations in March 2011 against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

    Moscow and Istanbul have nevertheless stepped up efforts to seek a resolution to the conflict amid a rapprochement in their bilateral ties.

  • War forces two million South Sudanese children to flee

    The UN says war and famine have forced more than two million children in South Sudan to flee their homes, creating the most worrying refugee crisis in the world.

    The civil war in the oil-producing country began two years after it won independence from neighboring Sudan,when President Salva Kiir fired his deputy in 2013.

    The fighting that followed split the country along ethnic lines, spurred hyperinflation and plunged parts of the nation into famine, creating Africa’s biggest refugee crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994.

    Valentin Tapsoba, the Africa chief for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in a statement said: “no refugee crisis today worries me more than South Sudan.”

    The UN said in a country of 12 million people, nearly three in every four children do not go to school.

    The UN also said that no fewer than one million children have fled outside South Sudan while another one million are internally displaced.

    UNHCR and UNCEF also said more than a thousand children have been killed in the fighting.

    The true figure may be much higher since there are no accurate death tolls available for South Sudan, one of the world’s least developed nations.

    Many South Sudanese refugees have fled into neighbouring Uganda, Kenya, Sudan or Ethiopia, nations which are already struggling to provide enough food and resources for their own populations.

  • Kenya announces outbreak of dengue fever in coast region

    Kenya’s health authorities on Sunday announced the outbreak of dengue fever in the coastal region.

    Mombasa County Director of Health, Khadija Shikelly, said 119 cases had been confirmed in all six sub counties following rapid diagnostic test kits conducted at the hospitals in Mombasa.

    Shikelly said that Kisauni had the highest number of case, 37, followed by Mvita, 25, Changamwe 21 and Likoni 21.

    She said there was no record of any death from the fever this year. Last year, three people died of the fever.

    “This is to notify you that there is dengue fever outbreak in Mombasa County and we, therefore, need to respond effectively and in a coordinated approach to contain the outbreak,” Shikelly.

    County officials last week warned that the onset of the long rains could spur water and vector borne disease.

    Symptoms of the disease include severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash.

    Heavy rains in the region are said to have created new breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which are the vectors transmitting the disease to humans.

    Shikelly said dengue fever is transmitted by a mosquito and has no treatment or vaccination but can be controlled by spraying stagnant water and clearing bushes around homes.

    Shikelly said haemorrhagic dengue fever is the severe type, which causes immediate death.

    Dengue fever was last reported in northern Kenya in 2011, in Mandera town, bordering Somalia and Ethiopia.

    The disease, associated with large population movements, was at the time traced to African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops stationed in the war-torn country, and who frequented the Kenya border.

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease, whose symptoms are similar to those of malaria, is now present in 125 countries.

    The disease in 2012 ranked as the world’s fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease, with an estimated 6,000 deaths annually.

    The UN health agency says there is no specific treatment for dengue but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers the risk.

  • South Sudanese govt releases UN aid worker detained for one month

    South Sudan’s government has released a UN aid worker after detaining him for nearly a month, a top UN official has said.

    The aid worker, Peter Alex, was South Sudanese and a Nairobi-based spokeswoman for the World Food Programme.

    Other aid workers have been detained since civil war broke out in 2013 in South Sudan, which is increasingly split along ethnic lines, and at least 82 have been killed, including six in a single ambush in April.

    In February, the UN declared parts of the country were suffering from famine, the world’s first in six years.

    On Wednesday the government announced it was hiking annual registration fees for international charities from $600 to 3,500 dollars.

    “We are relieved to learn that Alex, a World Food Programme aid worker detained by the Government of South Sudan since April 10, has finally been released and reunited with his family,” Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN said.

    “Unfortunately, this is not a unique incident in South Sudan, the most dangerous country in the world today for aid workers,” Haley said in a statement.

    The U. S. has accused South Sudanese President Salva Kiir of contributing to the famine, and called on all sides to stop fighting.

    Harley said: “the warring parties in South Sudan must stop the ongoing violence.

    “The Government of South Sudan must stop obstructing humanitarian assistance and ensure the safety and security of all humanitarian aid workers.”

  • Maitama Sule charges Nigerians to support Buhari’s anti-corruption war

    Dr Maitama Sule, former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, has called on Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against corruption.‎

    Sule made the call on Thursday during the unveiling of NIPOST Anti-Corruption stamps at the Coronation Hall, Kano.‎‎

    He ‎ said that the anti-graft crusade launched by the present administration should be seen as a collective aspiration by all Nigerians and not necessarily Buhari’s individual struggle.

    “The fight against corruption is a collective one. We are grateful to have a courageous president who said enough is enough,” Sule noted.‎

    The one-time UN envoy expressed the hope that the Buhari administration would change Nigeria’s battered image abroad and curb corruption.‎‎

    He also ‎expressed confidence in Buhari’s administration to improve the fortunes of Nigeria.

    The elder statesman‎ commended NIPOST for undertaking the task to create more awareness in the anti-corruption crusade.

    ‎He also urged leaders at all levels of government to make sacrifice and work in one accord to turn around the economic fortunes of the country.

     

  • Nigeria will take its rightful place at the UN –Amb. Bande

    The Nigeria’s new Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, say his assumption of duty signifies that Nigeria has come to take its rightful place at the global body.

    Bande stated this after the presentation of his credentials to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Wednesday evening.

    “It’s extremely important that we take our rightful place in the system (UN) here. What’s important is that we have a lot of issues relating to security and peace and development.

    “In terms of the efforts being undertaken in Nigeria, we do need partners to understand what it is that we are doing and in what ways not only can we be assisted but also in what ways we can contribute to the effort globally.

    “Because Boko Haram, for example, is an issue but it is not just a Nigerian issue; it’s a global issue relating to terrorism.

    “There are questions concerning UN reform. These are important issues that are being discussed for decades and there is a new push that this should be done equitably.

    “Nigeria has offered itself to serve in any capacity relating to that new reform of the UN Security Council.

    “So these are extremely important issues – peace and development, conflict matters, the issue of Lake Chad.

    “And what support can be given to revive communities in that region, which includes not only West Africa but Central Africa; lives and livelihood are affected.

    “But it is important that we join the system, offer ourselves for leadership and give support to issues that concern not only Nigeria but also Africa and the world.”

    The Nigeria’s envoy pledged that Nigeria would bring its influence to bear on the UN, particularly on the issues of security and development on the African continent.

    The Permanent Representative also commended the world’s body for its support to Nigeria and Africa over security challenges.

    “The Secretary-General has shown leadership, he has shown commitment to the African region.

    “He supported the highest-powered body to go to the continent to see for themselves the ravaging effects of Boko Haram.

    “There was a renewed commitment by the international community through that effort to support Nigeria and the Lake Chad region to address the Boko Haram challenge.

    “This is because Boko Haram is not Nigeria’s problem; it’s a problem affecting Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon,” Bande said.

    The new Permanent Representative assumed office at the Nigeria’s Permanent Mission on Monday.

    Nigeria’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Samson Itegboje, Head of Chancery, Dr Cyprian Heen and the Mission’s Spokesperson Akinremi Bolaji were on Bande’s entourage to the UN House.

     

  • Nigeria’s UN Ambassador assumes duty in New York

    Prof. Tijjani Bande, the new Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, on Monday arrived in New York to assume office at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York reports that Bande was received at a brief reception organised for him by the Permanent Mission.

    The Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Amb. Samson Itegboje, then introduced the members of staff of the Mission to the new Permanent Representative.

    The new Nigeria’s envoy, commended the staff of the Mission for their commitment, saying he looked forward to working with them to lift Nigeria’s flag high at the UN.

    “Nigeria is a very important country. All our missions and agencies should work together,” Bande said.

    The former Director-General of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) also pointed out that he was honoured to have served at the Institute, saying “there’s none like it in Africa”.

    “We shouldn’t have some of the challenges that we have; we have great intellectuals who are working hard to address our challenges,” Bande said.

    Itegboje assured the new ambassador of the cooperation of the staff of the Permanent Mission to ensure that he has a successful tenure.

    “We are one family here and we work as one. There’s a lot of work here but I can assure you everybody is ready to work.

    “We will pull forces together to ensure your tenure is successful. Be rest assured that we will all work in harmony to represent and protect the interest of Nigeria.

    “We will do everything to ensure you succeed in this great task,” the Deputy Ambassador assured Bande.

    The new Permanent Representative replaced Prof. Joy Ogwu, who held the position from 2008 to 2015.

    He served as the Director-General of NIPSS until Feb. 25, 2017.

    Bande’s appointment was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 31.