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  • Men, use your wife as next of Kin – Abike Dabiri

    Men, use your wife as next of Kin – Abike Dabiri

    Honourable Abike Dabiri has urged Nigerian men to ensure that they legally wrote a will and testament in case of eventualities.

    Honourable Dabiri said this on Tuesday while speaking at the celebration of the International Widows’ Day held at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos.

    According to the lawmaker, it is important that men have a legal declaration which covers their wives to manage properties and ensure the distribution of such properties at death.

    “Men should use their wives as next of kin instead of brothers or sisters who often neglect the wife and children in times of needs. Painfully, it is even women who often harass their dead siblings widows the most.

    “You widows should be bold to report molestation or any form of abuse or harassment and be ready to take legal actions. Especially when your dead husband’s family talk about surrogate, that is for your dead husband’s older or younger brother to marry you at widowhood,” Dabiri stated.

    She further maintained that widows should be outspoken about their challenges assuring that the First-Lady, Hajiya Aishat Buhari is committed to empowering every Nigerian woman.

    “First Lady, Hajiya Buhari is concerned that every women in Nigeria must have a means of livelihood so don’t keep your problems to yourself. Speak out and help will come,” she charged.

    The lawmaker, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency, maintained that it is punishable under Session 15(1), Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (As reviewed) for anyone to harass, maltreat or abuse a widow.

    According to her, the law which was passed and signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan on 28 May, 2015, states that such offender is liable to a 2-year jail term or pay a fine of N500,000 or be subjected to both forms of punishment depending on the gravity of offence.

  • UN celebrates International Widows’ Day

    UN celebrates International Widows’ Day

    The United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon has advocated for measures to erase the social stigmatisation and economic deprivation that confronts widows.

    The Secretary-General, represented by Mr Ronald Kayanja, Director, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, made the statement in his message during the International Widows’ Day celebration on Tuesday.

    He stressed the need for creating a world with greater equality for generations to come which according to him ‘is the defining challenge of our time’.

    “International Widows’ Day is an opportunity to assert the rights of those whose bereavement is followed by exclusion, abuse or the loss of homes, livelihoods and social standing.

    “Without the economic and social protection of their husbands, many widows are treated as financial burdens by their families. They may lose their rights to inheritance and property, or even be forced out of their communities,’ Mr Ki-moon noted.

    He further said that age, income, ethnicity, disabilities and other factors can put women at greater risk of injustice saying: “These human rights violations stem from the unjust view that women have diminished value. On International Widows’ Day, we reassert the equality of men and women.”

    Similarly, Honourble Abike Dabiri, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency, who lamented various inhuman treatment which widows often suffer, assured the widows on the position of the law regarding violence against persons – widows inclusive.

    Dabiri maintained that it is punishable under Session 15(1), Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria (As reviewed) for anyone to harass, maltreat or abuse a widow.

    According to her, the law which was passed and signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan on 28 May, 2015, states that such offender is liable to a 2-year jail term or pay a fine of N500,000 or be subjected to both forms of punishment depending on the gravity of offence.

    She therefore urged the widows to seek education at all cost stressing that: “If you are educated, you cannot be maltreated or abused.”

    In her speech, Professor Grace Alele Williams advised the widows to endeavour to explore all means available to them including writing to the Ministry of Women Affairs.

    According to her, widows could write letters to the ministry requesting for assistance adding that: “You can also ask the ministry what they have been doing for widows.

    “You can write through agencies like Hope For Life Initiative or any other NGOs around who can help forward and follow up on your case.”

    Prof. Alele warned that there are some widows who often abscond with the money in order not to repay the loan. To this she said: “Those who do such should desist from such act. You can also expose dubious NGOs when you come across them.”

    She also noted that one of the reasons help hardly get to those who needed it most is because some widows prefer to fill in family members who are not widows to benefit from widows-targetted-projects.

    “The United Nations is working on specific measures that can help widows, and I urge other partners to join these efforts,” Mr Ki-moon summed.

  • 60m people displaced globally – UN

    60m people displaced globally – UN

    The United Nations’ Refugee Chief, Antonio Guterres, said on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, that the world has entered a phase in which multiple crises have caused refugee numbers to soar to unprecedented levels.

    Guterres said in his annual report that it was unfortunate that the international community could not work together to stop wars, build and preserve peace.

    He said that another post-World-War-II record was set in 2014, as 59.5 million people were counted as refugees or as internally displaced people.

    He said Syrians, Afghans and Somalians make up the biggest groups.

    Guterres said the world was witnessing a paradigm change, an unchecked slide into an era in which the scale of forced displacement and the response required was now clearly dwarfing anything seen before.

    “The equivalent of the population of metropolitan London, 13.9 million, became newly displaced as they fled wars, persecution or oppression during 2014.

    The UN refugee agency chief said the figure was four times higher than what was recorded in 2010.

    Guterres said that 15 conflicts had broken out or restarted in the past few years, including in the Central African Republic, Iraq, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.

    “In addition to people who fled in previous years and haven’t returned home, there were 38 million internally displaced people, nearly 20 million refugees and 1.8 million asylum seekers last year.

    “More than half of the refugees are children,’’ he said.

    Guterres said Turkey was the biggest refugee host country, as a result of the conflict in neighboring Syria, followed by Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran and Ethiopia.

    He said flowing `unprecedented’ mass displacement; there was urgent need for an unprecedented humanitarian response and a renewed global commitment to tolerance and protection for people fleeing conflict and persecution.

  • United Nations condemn Chad bombing

    United Nations condemn Chad bombing

    The United nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned the bombings in N’Djamena, Republic of Chad, which reportedly killed more than 25 people and injured dozens of others.

    The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Chad. He wishes a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack. 

    Mr Ban Ki-moon commends Chad for its courageous role in the fight against Boko Haram, while stressing the importance of enhanced collaboration among countries in West and Central Africa to effectively combat the threat of Boko Haram.

    In that regard, he welcomes positive developments on the operationalization of the Multi-National Joint Task Force. 

    The Secretary-General reiterates that States must ensure that all measures taken to address the terrorist threat of Boko Haram comply with all their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law.

  • UN worried by 200,000 displaced Nigerians

    UN worried by 200,000 displaced Nigerians

    United Nations agency, the World Food Programme (WFP), expressed yesterday its concern about the consequences of insecurity in Nigeria and the over 200,000 displaced people.

    A number of the displaced are seeking refuge in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, while others are waiting at the borders, the agency said

    “Nearly half a million people – refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons and local communities – face an acute food security and livelihood crisis,” added WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs at a news conference in Geneva.

    Civilians in  the northeast are fleeing Boko Haram attacks.

    Emphasising the plight of newly arriving refugee children in Niger and Cameroon, Ms. Byrs said malnutrition rates have surpassed emergency thresholds.

    “In some violence-affected areas near the Cameroon-Nigeria border, acute malnutrition rates among children under five years of age could be as high as 36 percent,” she warned.

    With the arrival of the rainy season, already stretched health centres would struggle to cope, she continued. As food became scarce, some 4,000 refugees have moved to the Minawao refugee camp since the end of April. “Displaced people said they could not rely for help on host communities which are already struggling to access food”, she added.

    Making up 75 per cent of Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, 84 per cent of internally displaced persons in Cameroon, and more than 80 per cent of the Nigerian refugees in Niger, women and children are the most exposed.

    WFP aims to provide food to nearly 400,000 people each month but it is impossible without urgent funding, stressed the spokesperson. The Programme is less than 50 per cent funded – with $41.6 million needed until the end of the year.

    “In April-May, WFP provided food to about half of the people it was planning to assist and, in some instances, the ration size was reduced”, Ms. Byrs said.

  • Dutch cyclists to South Africa arrive Nigeria

    Dutch cyclists to South Africa arrive Nigeria

    The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, in collaboration with the Netherlands Embassy Office in Lagos on Wednesday received two Dutch Cyclists of the Building Bridges project who had embarked on a bicycle journey to Cape Town in South Africa.

    The Cyclists, Jilt van Schayik, and Teun Meulepas, who are stopping over in Lagos, took off from Amsterdam in the Netherlands in February to connect and encourage young people across two continents of Africa and Europe, habouring 21 countries; a journey of about 17,000km.

    Schayik and Meulepas arrived Lagos –Nigeria on Tuesday night in the company of the Togolese grassroots initiative for Building Bridges, and were received by their Nigerian counterparts.

    Recounting the experience, Meulepas, one of the cross-continent bikers said: “So far so good, we had a great trip, we met a lot of inspiring people, we saw a lot of crazy things and we had a lot of fun on the road as well.

    “But what is important in this is the story of a lot of young people. We saw a lot of young people who are worried about their chances of getting a job. Young people are worried about the systems of education in their countries; young people are worried about corruption.”

    Meulepas and colleague promised to relate the stories of a lot of young people, who they met in the course of their journey, to the United Nations office in New York when they return.

    During his welcome address, Director of UNIC in Lagos, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, lamented the poor involvement of young people in policy making recounting that in 2000 eight goals were spelt out by the UN.

    According to him, “They were supposed to be achieved by 2015, and now we are in 2015 but the results are mixed. Some countries have achieved them, some countries have not and now we are discussing a new set of goals by2030. And we call those the Sustainable Development Goals. They are 17 goals that are being discussed.

    “In September this year in New York, member states of the United Nations will meet to agree on these goals that we shall use as our target for the coming 15 years.

    “But what we have realised is that, in all these things, young people are either not interested or are not well informed about what is going on. So their participation is minimal.”

    He however noted that the essence of accompanying the cyclists as they ride on the streets of Lagos is to create the aware among young people that something is happening.

    On his part, Drs. Taco Westerhuis, Press Secretary to Embassy of the Netherlands in Lagos commended the bikers for the courage to undertake the journey, urging Nigerian youths to connect with the idea of developmental policies from their immediate neighbourhoods.

    Drs. Westerhuis, who observed that there are more opportunities in Lagos than there are in the Netherlands, said: “The only thing to do is getting the opportunities to the right people.”

    He however commended the Nigerian group of cyclists for the team spirit observing that: “We all know biking in Lagos is not easy, I therefore commend those of you who dare to ride your bikes in Lagos.”

    Building Bridges project is about involving young people in policy making and breaching the gap between young people and policy makers.

  • UN honours fallen peacekeepers

    UN honours fallen peacekeepers

    United Nations (UN) on Friday honoured peacekeepers who gave their lives for peace at battle in other countries.
    The UN during the celebration of International Day of Peacekeepers, honoured a total of 126 peacekeepers in the last year and 49 this year.
    The UN Secretary-General in his speech at the ceremony noted that ‘This is a time of danger & growth for blue helmets.
    At the ceremony, the UN specifically honoured the about 2,975 Nigerian peacekeepers who risk their lives on front-line around the world.
    Similarly, it held a Commemoration ceremony for 4 fallen Nigerian peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2014.
    The Nigerians are Lance Corporal Silas DANYAWU and Lance Corporal John JULIUS from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Corporal Adama IKE and Sergeant Rabiatu MUSA who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

    Below are some activities of the United Nations through the social media (twitter):

  • Safety of mother, child in emergency

    Safety of mother, child in emergency

    “I remember hearing gunshots and feeling afraid. I ran to save my life and that of my six children, but I was not fast enough… I lost my baby… but I had to remain strong for the others…”, recounts Zainab (not real name) rescued from the Sambisa forest.

    “We are looking for your men. Do not run,” she remembers the gunmen saying when her village was stormed, leading to abduction of women and children. Another survivor, a pregnant Fatima (not real name) watched Boko Haram militants murder her husband and drag her three children away. Afterward, she was taken to the Sambisa Forest and ended up giving birth in the forest. She and her newborn were later rescued.

    The above tales of horror orchestrated by Boko Haram insurgents at the peak of their acts of terrorism in North-East Nigeria has been strongly condemned by the internal community including the United Nations (UN).

    The plain truth, yet a sad commentary, is that at the receiving end of the humanitarian crises arising from insurgency are women and children. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the refugees kept growing.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the UN system in Nigeria put the total number of IDPs at 1,235,294 while 2,120 refugees and asylum seekers were registered as of 17 January 2015.

    According to Assessment Capacities Project, Start Network (ACAPS), the majority of IDPs are in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, in the far northeast, but 47,276 IDPs are in Plateau, Nasarawa, Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna states.

    However, the magnitude and severity of needs remain more pressing in the northeast, where humanitarian emergency thresholds have been exceeded and access was for a long time extremely challenging.

    Thus, it is no longer news that hundreds of women and children were abducted and held in locations hitherto held by the insurgents, including the dreaded Sambisa forest. It is also not news that hundreds of women and children have been rescued and are still being rescued by the military.

    That a number of the women and girls rescued were very traumatised and found to be pregnant is also in the public sphere. However, that every pregnancy, regardless of circumstances leading to it, must be safe and delivered is the issue for the front burner of public discourse.

    No doubt, the women and girls have gone through hell in the hands of their abductors. Their rights have been infringed upon; they have been brutalised and abused; and many have lost their lives in the process. The lucky ones that are still alive are back and still far away from returning to their normal self. They, obviously, need all kinds of support: foods, non-foods, dignity kits, health support, education, livelihood, among others.

    Furthermore, every time there is a humanitarian emergency, the actors in the humanitarian field are quick to rush and repeatedly provide food and non-food items to the displaced population.

    Of course, that reinforces the African proverb that says, ‘If you resolve the challenges of feeding in the life of a poor man, then he is no longer poor.’ But over time, the reality of other equally critical needs set in. The pregnant women, the lactating mothers, women of reproductive age and the children have to be catered for specially.

    The United Nations through its specialised Agencies, Programmes and Funds and the government, with the benefit of hindsight, always anticipates this and in all cases, factors such into its response plans.

    The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) being the lead Agency of the UN in the area of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) is committed to delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every child birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Its mandate was determined by United Nations Members, including Nigeria.

    Indeed, Nigeria is one of the countries whose 1965 appeal to the UN ultimately inspired the creation of UNFPA a few years later.

    UNFPA in Nigeria is committed to save lives, restore dignity and rebuild broken lives of vulnerable women and girls.

    Within the context of the insurgency in the North-East and its humanitarian challenges especially as they affect women and children, UNFPA is addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian settings through a wide range of services, including counselling, post-rape treatment, legal support, assistance with livelihoods, and support through its Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) programs.

    Working with and through the government of Nigeria including in the states, UNFPA interventions in 2014 alone supported more than 16,000 safe deliveries in North East Nigeria; reached about 2.6 million women and girls with SRH services including for Gender Based Violence (GBV) management in North East Nigeria; and supported provision of modern family planning services to an estimated 2 million women and Couple Year Protection of 2.2million countrywide.

    It is gladdening to note that through its interventions and support, about two thousand maternal deaths were averted country wide while another one thousand free fistula treatment surgeries were supported with 97% success rate across the country.

    Explaining the SRH support to the rescued girls and women, the Director and Country Representative of UNFPA Nigeria, Ms Rati Ndhlovu, observed that “Upon the arrival of rescued women and children in Malkohi camp in Yola, UNFPA responded immediately by providing reproductive health care and psychosocial counselling to survivors of violence.

    “Women and girls who survive unimaginable trauma of captivity and brutalizing violence need immediate and compassionate care and UNFPA has been, as always, determined to ensure that they are given everything they need to be able to heal with dignity, safety and a restored sense of self-worth. After a few weeks of counselling, there was marked improvement in the survivors.”

    Restoring the livelihood and normal lifestyle of the rescued women and children and those that are displaced by the insurgency and military operations is the issue on the front burner of the UN system in the country.

    Of particular importance is ensuring that women can deliver babies safely and that they and girls can maintain their health, dignity, rights and self-worth even in the most challenging situations.

    “Our efforts”, Ms Ndlovu added, “are focused on supporting women and girls to restore their lives as quickly as possible and begin the process of healing to be able to fulfill their potential and once again resume productive lives.”

  • UN decries Boko Haram’s sexual abuse of captives

    UN decries Boko Haram’s sexual abuse of captives

    Ms Zainab Bangura, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, on Wednesday decried reported rape and forced marriages of female captives of Boko Haram.

    Bangura lamented in a statement signed by her Office’s Advocacy and Women’s Rights Specialist, Ms Letitia Anderson, that one year after the Chibok Girls abduction many were still in captivity.

    “Over a year since the extremist group Boko Haram abducted 276 teenage girls in Chibok, Borno State, in Nigeria, many still remain in captivity.

    “I am appalled by reports that hundreds of the recently released female captives were repeatedly raped by Boko Haram militias and compelled to “marry” their captors.

    “These latest revelations suggest that Boko Haram is not only destroying existing family and community structures but is bent on controlling their future composition.

    “In order to give rise to a new generation raised in their own image, they are waging war on women’s physical, sexual and reproductive autonomy and rights.’’

    According to her, sexual violence is not merely incidental, but integral to Boko Haram’s strategy of domination and self-perpetuation.

    The UN official said that she recently met with women and girls in the Middle East that were newly released from sexual slavery by ISIL.
    Bangura, therefore, renewed the UN’s call for the immediate release of the abducted women and girls.

    “I reiterate my calls for all abducted women and girls to be immediately released from captivity and returned safely to their families.

    “I call upon the Government of Nigeria, with support from the international community and local organisations, to provide medical and psychosocial care for those who have been impregnated.’’

    Bangura also called for the provision of treatment for women and girls infected with Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDs.

    She urged the international community to adopt a coordinated response that would address the root causes of violent extremism in communities.

  • UN to honour fallen Nigerian peacekeepers

    UN to honour fallen Nigerian peacekeepers


    The United Nations (UN) is to honour four Nigerians who lost their lives while serving as peacekeepers in Liberia and Senegal. The honour is part of activities to celebrate the ‘International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers’ on Friday, May 29, marking the seventh successive year in which the Organization will honour more than 100 ‘blue helmets’. Similarly, the 126 peacekeepers – military, police and civilian – who lost their lives in 2014 while serving with the UN as a result of hostile acts, accidents and diseases, will posthumously receive the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal. The International Day was established by the General Assembly in 2002, in tribute to all men and women serving in peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. The Assembly designated 29 May as the Day being the date in 1948 when the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), the world body’s first peacekeeping mission, began operations in Palestine. This year’s Peacekeepers Day falls during the significant 70th anniversary of the United Nations, “offering a chance to honour the Blue Helmets’ invaluable contribution to the proud history of the Organization and to reaffirm our commitment to make them even more effective in the years ahead. Thus, the theme for this year is ‘UN at 70:  Peacekeeping:  Past, Present, and Future’.” In a message to mark the Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “United Nations peacekeeping has given life to the UN Charter’s aim “to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security”. Through years of struggle and sacrifice, the iconic Blue Helmet has earned its place as a symbol of hope to millions of people living in war-ravaged lands.” “At the same time, demands far outpace resources. We need better funding, training and equipment. Our troops and police must carry out ever more complex mandates while being held to the highest standards of conduct. We need developed countries to resume their historically influential role as contributors of troops. And we need stronger political support from the Member States that are responsible for authorizing, financing and contributing troops and police to the missions,” the Secretary-General further said in his message. Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, said:  “We pay tribute to those courageous men and women who have lost their lives while serving on our Peacekeeping Missions. I express my heartfelt condolences to the families of those who have paid the ultimate price. “Today, we are witnessing our largest deployment in the history of UN Peacekeeping. This is a testament of the international community’s faith in Peacekeeping as a fundamental tool in helping to peace and security”. The 2015 commemorative ceremonies will be held at a time when the demand for United Nations peacekeepers is at an all-time high. There are now more than 125,000 UN peacekeepers, including 91,000 military personnel, 13,000 police officers as well as 17,000 international civilian and national staff serving in 16 operations on four continents. Nigeria is the ninth largest contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping.  It currently deploys 2,975 military and police personnel to the UN peacekeeping operations in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Western Sahara. The Nigerians are Lance Corporal Silas Danyawu and Lance Corporal John Julius from the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and Corporal  Adama  Ike  and  Sergeant  Rabiatu Musa who both served with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). The commemorative activities in honour of the fallen heroes will be held at the UN’s Headquarters in New York, and at peacekeeping operations and offices around the world.