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Tag: UNGA

  • Five expected talking points of President Tinubu’s Speech at UN General Assembly

    Five expected talking points of President Tinubu’s Speech at UN General Assembly

    President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 78th session, which is currently underway at the UN headquarters in New York.

    Tinubu will deliver his statement around 6 pm (11 pm Nigerian time) to the world leaders in his first outing to the Assembly.

    The president would speak on the theme, “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.”

    Read Also: Tinubu reassures ExxonMobil: Nigeria is now fully prepared for business opportunities

    Here are five talking points he is expected to address:

    1. Sustainable development

    2. Climate change

    3. Global cooperation

    4. Imperative to address inequalities

    5. Global humanitarian crises.

  • Tinubu, Ramaphosa in investment talks at UNGA

    Tinubu, Ramaphosa in investment talks at UNGA

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday emphasised that Africa cannot have a stable democracy in the presence of poverty of knowledge and people facing starvation.

    The President, who spoke when he met with his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for bilateral talks, noted that democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume the continent, if care is not taken.

    He told his South African counterpart that the continent must join hands and agree that International Finance Institutions require reform since the continent is not a ground for economic scavenging any longer, but a place with gifted people ready for investment and cooperation.

    His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement, said President Tinubu asserted that Africa must have a consensus view that the hundreds of billions of dollars spent through International Development Finance Institutions over the years must meet the specific needs of developing democracies in Africa.

    “During the end of the Second World War, the Marshall Plan was established for the reconstruction and economic restoration of European nations through Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank and International Monetary Fund). Where has this presence been for Africa? We have to be careful not to replace the broken shackle of yesterday with a new set of shackles.

    “You cannot have a stable democracy in the presence of a poverty of knowledge and a starvation of people. Democracy without food on the table is a breeding ground for what will consume us, if care is not taken. We must join hands and agree that International Finance Institutions require reform as Africa is not to be a ground for economic scavenging any longer, but it is a place with gifted people that is ready for investment and cooperation.

    Read Also: UNGA 2023: Kwara Gov shares experiences on solutions to learning crises in Africa

    “We have all the human and natural resources required between our nations. We can collaborate in a mutually beneficial way that enriches our populations. South African Mining industries have a role to play in the Nigerian solid minerals development sector. Your business community has done well in Nigerian telecommunications. We have great mineral wealth across our land, and you have good expertise in this area. We expect to deliver jobs and mutually beneficial results in this area as brother and sister countries,” the President affirmed.

    Alluding to President Tinubu’s quick implementation of what he called “brave” economic reforms, the South African President agreed that the two countries have much more wealth to create together in close and intentional partnership, with each nation leveraging on each other’s respective strengths.

    “We are two major economies on our continent, and it is important that we deepen economic ties, particularly in light of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. We are very keen on the deepening of our economic relations,” the South African President said.

    The South African President emphasised that history has proven that Nigeria and South Africa can move the world on matters of mutual concern when the two nations operate on the same wavelength.

    “We would love to see Nigeria and South Africa working closely together on a number of issues because whenever we join hands, we have made an impact globally through those joint positions. Together, we can move the global South forward. We are a continent that has been plundered. And wealthy nations made so much of it from us, and we must seek out partners who will help us to advance our own interests,” the South African President emphasised.

    Recognising President Tinubu’s effective stewardship as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, the South African leader said that Southern Africa needed to emulate the solidarity being demonstrated in West Africa, following the Niger crisis.

    “We believe that we have a lot to learn from ECOWAS and its unity in reaching consensus positions on sub-regional matters. This is something we seek to emulate in the Southern African sub-region in view of events in Mozambique and other areas,” President Ramaphosa said.

    The South African leader also used the opportunity of the bilateral engagement to extend an invitation to President Tinubu to visit South Africa, following President Ramaphosa’s recent visit to Nigeria, as part of efforts to deepen economic ties and the broader relationship between both countries.

    Accepting the invitation, President Tinubu affirmed that an Africa, in which Nigeria and South Africa are working in synergy to advance their common interests, is the strongest version of the continent, which can make more impact on global affairs for the benefit of over one billion Africans with its enormous human and natural resource wealth.

    “Our continent is the last untapped ground for accelerated, massive growth and new economic opportunity on earth. We must be in charge of our own resources, and we must work to use each other effectively to achieve what is best for all of us, Mr. President. We look forward to an era of economically productive relationship,” the Nigerian leader concluded.

  • UNGA 2023: Kwara Gov shares experiences on solutions to learning crises in Africa

    UNGA 2023: Kwara Gov shares experiences on solutions to learning crises in Africa

    Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has been slated to make speeches at different events on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly 2023, which is getting underway in New York, United States.

    Abdulrazaq, who doubles as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum chairman, is on the entourage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The President is scheduled to make his first address to the General Assembly as Nigeria’s leader on Tuesday.

    Around 3p.m. N.Y. time on Monday, the Governor will join other leaders, development partners, and diplomats to discuss ‘stemming migration flow by providing basic needs’ — the main theme of the Nigeria Economic and Trade Summit 2023, organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum.

    The Governor is expected to make remarks on how scarce resources can be mobilised by all stakeholders to promote economic growth, inclusion and youth empowerment, and halt the menace of brain drain and its consequences for Nigeria and Africa.

    Abdulrazaq is also billed to share experiences about resolving learning crisis in Africa, including resource mobilisation to bridge infrastructural gaps, increase school enrolment, and improve learning outcomes for the children.

    Read Also: Nigeria to push for global tax resolution at UNGA 

    Themed ‘Addressing Africa’s learning crisis and preparing for a young future: Finding solution’, the fireside event is jointly organised by Devex, media platform for global development community, and NewGlobe, an international giant in educational development initiatives.

    The Governor would speak alongside Jennifer O’Donoghue, senior fellow and deputy director, Center for Universal Education, Brookings Institution; Eric Hanushek, senior fellow, Stanford University; Shungu Gwarinda, executive director-Africa, CAMFED; Palwasha Hassan, senior technical and programme director, Mina’s List;
    Mohammed Keana Sabo, founder, Almajiri Child Rights Initiative; and Shannon May, president and co-founder, NewGlobe; among others.

    The discourse will explore outcomes to help improve the quality of education in low-and middle-income countries, and also shine a light on what is needed to equip everyone from teachers to education ministries with the data tools needed to drive improved learning outcomes for all.

    The Governor is also taking part in other events at the UNGA, including a lunch where President Tinubu will address and rally investors and other stakeholders behind the economic direction of his administration.

  • Over 340m females face abject poverty by 2030, UN Women warns

    Over 340m females face abject poverty by 2030, UN Women warns

    • Precious Igbonwelundu, New York City 

    More than 340 million women and girls globally will still live in extreme poverty by 2030 if nothing is done to address discrimination and inequalities, the United Nations Women has warned.

    It also warned that close to one in four women will experience moderate or severe food insecurity, urging all hands to be on deck in removing the pushbacks against women’s empowerment and fair treatment.

    The above were contained in the opening remarks delivered by Executive Director, Sima Bahous, at the Generation Equality Midpoint moments, one of the high-level events at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

    Bahous in her speech, noted that the statistics were from the UN Women’s latest research, highlighting the challenges and urgent imperatives to accelerate progress towards gender equality.

    She said: “We meet on the eve of the SDG Summit, seized by the challenges and the urgent imperatives to accelerate progress. 

    “Our latest research tells us that at the current rate of progress, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030, and close to one in four will experience moderate or severe food insecurity.

    Read Also: Nigeria to push for global tax resolution at UNGA 

    “We need renewed energy, we need renewed commitment, and we need our will to change this trajectory. Generation Equality provides us with this opportunity.

    “We are Generation Equality because we are all feminists.

    We are Generation Equality because we know that gender equality and SDG 5 are the greatest of enablers and that the dividends of equality are limitless.

    “We are Generation Equality because we believe in and model the power of multistakeholder partnerships.

    “We are Generation Equality because we know that our coalition must stretch from the global to the local and we aspire to connect the energy here in this room with the energy at grassroots level around the world.

    “We are Generation Equality, and we are at the heart of change.”

    Apparaising the group’s performance in the last two years, Bahous noted that there had been significant progress as commitment makers already spent $10 billion on gender equality, initiated or were implementing 849 policies, 2,306 programmes and 3,649 advocacy initiatives across the world.

    “At this Midpoint Moment we take stock, hold ourselves accountable, grow our movement, and energize ourselves and others, building on the achievements in Mexico City and Paris two years ago. We do so with pride and our pride is based on evidence.

    “In just two years, youth, civil society, governments, private sector, and philanthropists have delivered unprecedented action. 

    “Collectively, Commitment Makers have already spent almost USD 10 billion on gender equality. Across the world they have already initiated or are implementing 849 policies, 2,306 programmes and 3,649 advocacy initiatives.

    This is quite impressive.

    “In 2022, Compact signatories spent almost USD 1 billion on women, peace and security and humanitarian action, reaching 22.1 million women and girls. “We should congratulate ourselves as we challenge ourselves to do more. Commitment Makers have reported a new total of USD 47 billion in financial commitments, with USD 20 billion already secured and there is much more to come. We thank you all for that.

    “This is the moment, the opportunity, to finally call time on gender inequality. This is when we say enough to pushback, enough to regression, enough to ongoing failures to invest and act.

    “We are disruptors. Our commitment is unwavering, the cause we work for, collectively, is undeniable,” she said.

    The Nation reports that the event which had the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera in one of the panels, also called for an action plan against all forms of violence against women and girls; child marriages and the suppression of women by Taliban’s in Afghanistan.

    The forum further urged global leaders to consider designating as international crime, inequalities and injustices against women just as it urged the leaders not to de-list the Taliban as a terrorist organisation.

  • Ambassadors’ recall and unending funding crisis

    Ambassadors’ recall and unending funding crisis

    • By Bisi Olawunm

    The  Presidency  on September 2, 2023 announced world-wide recall of Nigerian ambassadors in its diplomatic missions, except for those at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, who  announced this, said the two UN ambassadors were  excluded to allow them prepare for the president’s attendance at the UN General Assembly ( UNGA ) later in  the month.

    The recalled ambassadors, appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari and deployed in January  2021,  were given a grace period of two months, for a proper disengagement, till October 31, 2023 when they are all expected to be back in the country. The total recall  is apparently to allow the president set a new foreign policy thrust reflective of his administration’s objectives. Nigeria has 109 diplomatic missions, worldwide, comprising 76 Embassies, 22 High Commissions and 11 Consulates.

    ‘’ The president is determined to ensure that world class efficiency and quality, will henceforth, characterize foreign and domestic service delivery to citizens, residents and prospective visitors alike’’, Ngelale  stated. He explained  that ‘’the president’s  directive is sequel to his careful study of the present state of affairs at Nigerian Consulate Offices and Embassies worldwide’’ and in line with his renewed hope agenda.

    Communication from The Presidency sounded grandiose in its rationale for the immediate recall of the ambassadors. The question is : What are the highlights of the findings from the “study of the state of affairs  at  Nigerian embassies worldwide “  which warranted this tsunami of total recall of ALL the ambassadors  with immediate effect ?   Secondly, the recall appears rather precipitate. This, therefore, does not give the impression of a well thought out process.   Thirdly, the recall signals   continuing  policy tumbles which have emerged as the trademark of the Tinubu presidency – from the cavalier statement of ‘subsidy is gone’ in his inaugural address;  the delayed and eventual summersaults on ministerial nominations ; ethical deficit of the corper-minister appointment and lingering untidiness in palliative management. 

    Read Also: Libya flood: let’s work to build resilience, protect planet – UNGA President

    This set of ambassadors had faced trauma in their posting. The diplomats, 95  of them, made up of 52 non-career and 43 career ambassadors, appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, had been screened and ratified by the senate in July  2020 but were not deployed till January 2021. They were appointed for four year tenure but the mass recall less than three years was justified on the basis that they serve at the pleasure of Mr. President.  However, you wonder :  What is the urgency of the moment for a fledgling administration,  buffeted by political turbulence and requiring some stability,  to embark on this mass recall of ambassadors, worldwide  ?  

    What is particularly confounding is that no lesson seemed to have been learnt from the president’s disastrous outing in his first foray on the foreign policy front in leading ECOWAS to the precipitate threat of military  invasion of Niger Republic to restore democracy and reinstate toppled President Mohammed Barzoum.   Up to this point in time, it is the force of unanimous public opinion, opposed to military invasion as first option, that has restrained and rescued Tinubu from a headlong rush into a catastrophic war in Niger Republic.

    However, it is not enough to just recall all ambassadors, perhaps only for the hurried purpose of  giving patronage appointments to the president’s men and women.  The word, ‘’ hurried ‘’, is used advisedly, given the rather impulsive tendencies of the administration.  

    So, the posers for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar  are :  What are those modalities being put in place to ‘’ ensure  world class efficiency and quality  service delivery‘’ by the country’s diplomatic missions ?  What are those core foreign policy values  the ambassadors are to implement ?  To what extent should Africa remain centric to the nation’s foreign policy, given the minister’s ‘’ Strategic Autonomy ‘’ doctrine ? 

    From personal experience as a Foreign Correspondent in Washington, D.C. United States, from 1985 to 1989, and on several  visits thereafter, three major  issues can be identified  with our diplomatic missions. .  These are inadequate funding of the embassies, laid back attitude of many diplomats and their hostile relationship with Diaspora Nigerians  in their host countries. 

    FUNDING.  The poor funding of Nigerian embassies is a scandal.  There are instances where diplomats are ejected from their residences while many embassies suffer embarrassing deficit in running costs, a recurrent issue that seriously constrain activities of the missions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA )  in its recalibration would need to creatively address this protracted funding problem. It is instructive that Saturday PUNCH of September 9, 2023 had this banner front page headline :  ‘ NIGERIAN EMBASSIES IN FINANCIAL CRISIS AS FG DELAYS FUNDS ‘. It is an indictment of and shame on successive leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 38 years after my 1985 report on the irresponsible operational under funding of our embassies, the problem has persisted till date. Destitute diplomats constitute a national embarrassment in their host countries. To imagine that these are the same state officials expected to project the positive face of the  country abroad !  The PUNCH  report showed that not only are budgeted funds to the missions drastically cut, their remittance  get delayed for months. A Foreign Service Officer ( FSO), speaking on condition of anonymity, highlighted the plight of the diplomats : ‘Many of our staff members have been evicted for not paying their rent . It happened in Budapest, Hungary, in 2021 when some Nigerian staff members were evicted from their apartments  for failing to pay their rent’.  Continuing, the FSO had stated :  ‘There are cases where diplomats borrow money to settle school fees and rents to avoid eviction. Some borrow from their friends in Nigeria and also from the Nigerian community or the local churches they attend in their country of service’.  That is the extent to which diplomats are brought to ridicule.  Even when they are recalled, it is usually a struggle to get paid the months of backlog  foreign service allowance owed.  I knew a diplomat at the Nigerian embassy in Washington D.C. in the late 1980s who got stranded in the U.S. when he was recalled  prematurely after two years, against his expectation of a four-year tenure, was owed months in allowances and could not face the shame of returning to Nigeria literarily a destitute – no car, no savings.   A retired diplomat, Rashid Akinkuolie, corroborated the FSO’s statement on funding crisis :  “It is a perennial issue, it is not something that is just happening today “. According to him,  the problem was that their “vote is converted to dollars, euros, pounds and other currencies and this causes  devaluation  and a lot of issues. Sometimes, they can’t pay salaries in two or three months, they can’t pay utility bills, local workers and meet other responsibilities”.

    With the wholesale recall of ambassadors, to what extent is the MFA is a position to settle the outstanding and relocation entitlements of the diplomats ?  Why has it been impossible to make a SPECIAL CASE for denominating budget allocation to the foreign missions in dollars, as a universal currency , to save the missions from the vagaries of a crazily  declining naira value ?  The government should consider reducing the number of the nation’s diplomatic missions to what it can conveniently fund. Going forward , the level of strategic importance,  economic relationship and the population of resident Nigerians  should determine location of the country’s diplomatic missions while some  other countries can be covered, concurrently, from a neighouring country.

    While the funding burden remains an albatross on government, ambassadors, on their part, should imbibe cost cutting measures in terms of cost of rent on accommodation and public school for children of diplomats in advanced countries.  Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka, Nigerian ambassador to the U.S. took such prudent measure in the mid 1980s when he got  diplomats serving in the mission to withdraw their children from fee-paying  private schools to free public schools. Public schools in the U.S. have top facilities, so, going to private school, particularly at elementary and high school levels, was just ego-induced status symbol for diplomats!.

    LAID BACK WORK ATTITUTE.   Many diplomats are not proactive in terms of working to timelines and deadlines, a carry-over from the bureaucracy  they are used to in Nigeria. This lethargy applies particularly with political officers and Information Attaches, requiring performance monitoring unit at MFA headquarters.

    ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY.  Activities  in many embassies are routinised  and mainly about Protocol Diplomacy  and the Cocktail Circuit !  There is need for a paradigm shift with emphasis on  Economic Diplomacy, which Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi had insightfully promoted as Foreign Minister between 1985 and 1987. 

    EMBASSIES’ – NIGERIANS’ RELATIONSHIP.  It is a notorious fact that there is a prevalent hostile relationship between many embassy staff and Nigerians in the Diaspora.  This sour relationship has persisted over the years.  The diplomats, generally, relate with  Nigerians with aloofness and condescension. Two issues generally bring Nigerians in Diaspora in contact with embassy staff – passport/immigration matters and education/scholarship issues. I will cite three instances in Washington D.C. over the decades.  In 1986, while I was still a Foreign   Correspondent in Washington, my intervention got a woman and her three kids from North Carolina  who  got shut out of the Embassy for arriving five minutes to 1.00pm when the embassy closes to the public, got her admitted into the embassy, attended to and her problem resolved.  On another occasion, a PhD  doctoral student who was to be wrongly deported had sought the intervention of our diplomats but was shunned at the embassy. He came to NAN office at the National Press Building in Downtown Washington to narrate his ordeal. I filed a news report on his plight to Nigeria that attracted the intervention of the Foreign Ministry in Lagos and his deportation was stopped. That is how dismissive of Nigerian embassy officials can be.  The third instance was in 2018 while I was on vacation in the U.S. I went from Baltimore, Maryland  to Washington D.C  with a Diaspora Nigerian who was having issue with her passport renewal only to be told that passport booklets have not been available for months !!   Passport booklet scarcity is a recurrent problem in Nigerian diplomatic missions which the new Minister of Interior must tackle, head-on.

    • Dr. Olawunmi, Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Adeleke University, Ede, is former Washington Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria and Fellow, Nigerian Guild of Editors. 
    • Email  :olawunmibisi@yahoo.com   PHONE :  (SMS ONLY )   0803 364 7571 Sunday. September 10, 2023.
  • Libya flood: let’s work to build resilience, protect planet – UNGA President

    Libya flood: let’s work to build resilience, protect planet – UNGA President

    President of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Dennis Francis has condoled with the government of Libya over the flood that has ravaged the eastern part of the North African country.

    This is as Libyan authorities opened an investigation into the collapse of two dams that caused a devastating flood.

    Major parts of the city of Derna — home to approximately 100,000 people — were swept away last Sunday after Storm Daniel, an extremely deadly Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, collapsed two dams.

    The dams were said to have submerged many buildings in the area while drowning some residents.

    Francis called on world leaders to work on how to build resilience and protect people and the planet.

    He affirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting rescue missions and efforts in Libya.

    Francis said: “One week ago, Morocco was hit by its worst earthquake in half a century. Just days later, on 12 September, epic flooding in neighbouring Libya claimed thousands of lives, destroying homes and critical infrastructure in a country already struggling to consolidate hard-won gains towards reconciliation and sustainable peace.

    Read Also: Pinnick commiserates with Morocco over tragic earthquake

    “I convey my deepest condolences to the Government and people of Libya for this profound tragedy. And I affirm that the General Assembly – and the international community at large – stand with them in this time of crisis. To this end, I have been in contact with His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Younis Menfi, President of the Presidential Council of the State of Libya, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths to coordinate how we, together, can ensure that aid urgently reaches those in need.

    “I call on the international community, the humanitarian and other organizations, civil society, the private sector and all other stakeholders to ensure that the Government and people of Libya receive the critical support they need to recover and rebuild from this unprecedented disaster.

    “And I call on all parties to address the escalating impacts of climate change and to better support and further strengthen the disaster risk reduction and recovery systems. Disasters such as these continue to erode progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – our global blueprint for peace and prosperity. And, as is too often the case, it is the most fragile and most vulnerable who suffer the most severe, most frequent impacts.

    “Let us work to build resilience and protect people and planet. Let us rise to this moment and demonstrate full solidarity and support to the Government and people of Libya.”

  • First Lady arrives New York for #UNGA78

    First Lady arrives New York for #UNGA78

    •  Alao Abiodun, New York 

    The First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu (CON) has arrived New York ahead of the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). 

    She was received on arrival by the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande 

    Oluremi will be speaking at the Nigeria Economic Trade Summit, Africa First Ladies Peace Mission side meeting on Gender Actions for Peace, DUSUSU Foundation among other high level meetings.

    On her way to New York, The Nation learnt the First Lady made a brief stopover at the Madeira International Airport in Portugal where she met with the Nigerian Ambassador to Portugal, Alex Kefas.

    Read Also: Six Govs, seven Ministers attend UNGA with Tinubu

    On September 19, the first day of the High-Level General Debate of the 78th UNGA Session, President Tinubu will deliver his inaugural National Statement.

    Before engaging in the General Debate, the President will join other world leaders to participate in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN 2023 Summit on SDGs).

    The theme of the UNGA is: “Rebuilding trust and Reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.”

  • Security strengthened ahead of UNGA

    Security strengthened ahead of UNGA

    Ahead of the high level  78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) beginning next week, security has been strengthened  at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York City (NYC) .

    At the UN headquarters  yesterday ,  only accredited delegates and visitors were  allowed access into the premises after screening.

    Also observed were simulations by the city’s fire and emergency services, just as aerial drills and helicopter patrols were also being conducted by security agencies   around the perimeter.

    The New York City authorities have started mapping out road traffic diversions around adjoining streets to the UN headquarters for the week-long global event.

    President Bola Tinubu and other world leaders  are expected to attend various events during the high-level week.

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints Delu Yakubu as NSIPA’s CEO, Ahmed for NCFRMI

    Also, the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu will speak and also ring the bell at the UN Day of Peace’s First Ladies High Level Forum slated for September 21.

    This initiative, adopted since 2015 by Africana Women Working Group at the UN, was created to bring First Ladies to a relationship with women at the grassroots by having leverage on issues affecting women and peace, said the UN Coordinator of the Forum, Prof. Adaeze Okika.

    She  said the forum would provide an opportunity for First Ladies to exchange ideas, network with grassroots women, lend their voices and showcase what they are doing in the areas of women, peace and security in their respective countries.

    Already, a lot of activities have  begun  at the UN headquarters for youths, education, women, policy, education and security to commemorate the World Day of Peace, she said.

  • Tinubu addresses world leaders at UN General Assembly Sept. 19

    Tinubu addresses world leaders at UN General Assembly Sept. 19

    Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will address the 78th Session of the high-level General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, September 19.

    The UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu, in his first outing to the Assembly, will be addressing world leaders in the evening of that day.

    The Nigerian President would be the fifth African leader to speak on day one of the gathering, according to the speakers list from the Office of the General Assembly President,

    According to the list, Tinubu will be the 14th speaker out of 20 leaders slated to speak on the first day.

    The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the 10th speaker, will be the first African leader to speak in the morning session of the Assembly.

    Read Also: Angolan President invites Tinubu

    In the Afternoon session, five African leaders are expected to address the gathering.

    The Nigerian president would deliver his statement around 6pm (11pm Nigerian time) to the world leaders during the afternoon session.

    The President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune will be the first African leader to speak at the afternoon session, followed by the Moroccan leader, Aziz Akhannouch and Mozambique President, Filipe Nyusi.

    The President of Senegal, Macky Sall will be the firth African speaker to address the gathering and the last leader on the first day.

    The President of Brazil, Luiz da Sliva would be the first world leader to present his address to the 78th session as it is tradition, followed by the U.S. President, Joe Biden, the traditional second speaker, being the host country.

    NAN reports that the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) will open on Tuesday, Sept 5. with the inauguration of a new President, Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, who will take on the mantle for the next 12 months

    The high level General Debate will be held from   Sept 19 and to Sept. 29.

    The Theme of the General Assembly including the general debate will be rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
    (NAN)

  • Searchlight on Nigeria, Africa at Gates summit

    The 2019 Goalkeepers Summit by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York, which coincided with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), was a forum for American business magnate Bill Gates, Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote and others to chart the way forward for humanity, reports OLUKOREDE YISHAU from New York.

    Dangote Group President Aliko Dangote and Microsoft founder Aliko Dangote became friends some years back. Dangote runs the Dangote Foundation; Gates and his wife Melinda run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With challenges such as poverty, open defecation, education and health as focus, Gates had to look beyond the developed world to effect change. In Dangote they found an ally.

    Through its Gatekeepers Report, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation monitor the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress. This report was a major talking point at the 2019 Goalkeepers events in New York, where awards were given to people who helped in moving towards the achievements of the SDGs.

    Gates urged governments across the world to focus more on primary healthcare development and education as a means of achieving the SDGs. Using Nigeria as an example, he condemned uneven development in societies and called for sufficient spread of developmental efforts. Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim also aligned with Gates on the need for inequality to be ended.

    The 2019 report shows that Nigeria’s health indicators have improved.  In the late 1990s, it was estimated that two of three Nigerians lived in poverty. That represented 68 per cent. Twenty years later, the figure has dropped to 32 per cent of the population or one in three Nigerians.

    Sixty-four per cent of children used to suffer from malnutrition in 2005. This went down to 37 per cent last year, according to figures supplied by the foundation.

    Only about half of Nigerians used unsafe or unimproved sanitation in 2018 compared to 80 per cent in 1990.

    As good as these improvements are, Nigeria still ranks 43rd of 52 African countries on a recently compiled sustainable development goal index. The implication is that the country has gone 47 per cent towards achieving sustainable development goals. The Gatekeepers Report lists the country as one of those who will not meet the SDGs 2030 deadline.

    Gatekeepers’ report 2018 says poverty is concentrating on just a handful of very fast-growing countries. Nigeria still has the second-highest number of deaths of children aged five and under. It tags behind India.

    The 2019 report says life is better for the boy-child. “No matter where you are born, your life will be harder if you are born a girl,” the report says.

    It adds that across sub-Saharan Africa, girls have an average of two fewer years of education than boys. In Nigeria, according to the World Bank, girls get an average of 7.6 years, and boys get 8.7 years.

    The report recommends that “human capital investments should be designed to reach girls and prioritise those countries and districts that have to make up the most ground”.

    The report also observes that education is not enough to bridge the gender divide.

    “In some countries where girls tend to be well-educated they are still underrepresented in the workforce because they also face discriminatory norms and policies.

    “Africa’s youth population (people aged 0 to 24 years) is booming while the rest of the world is shrinking,” says the report.

    The median age across Africa is 18; it is 35 in North America and 47 in Japan.

    The report also shows that in Nigeria, child mortality rate reduced from 109 per 1,000 births in 2017 to 104 per 1,000 live births in 2018 while child stunting reduced from 38.14 per cent in 2017 to 36.74 per cent last year.

    Death from malaria, the report shows, reduced from about 166 per 1,000 in 2017 to 160.72 per 1,000. Cases of tuberculosis reduced from 351.8 per 100,000 to 344.2 in 2018.

    Instances of Neglected Tropical Diseases, according to the report, went down from 52,566 per 100,000  in 2017 to 50,584 last year. On a sad note, the number of people living in poverty increased from 66.83 million in 2017 to 67.48 million in 2018.

    The report shows that Measles-Containing-Vaccine second dose (MCV2) was low at 39.27 per cent; Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunisation coverage was 36.39 per cent.

    The report also reveals that the vaccine coverage for Pneumoccocal conjugate vaccines (PCV3) was at 35.67 per cent.

    The Gates in the 2019 Gatekeepers’ Report entitled: Examining inequality 2019 say: “Gaps between countries, districts, and boys and girls prove that the world’s investments in development aren’t reaching everyone.

    “Using new sub-national data, the report uncovers the vast inequalities within countries that are masked by averages.

    “Where you’re born is still the biggest predictor of your future and no matter where you’re born, life is harder if you’re a girl.

    “Despite gains in female educational attainment, opportunities for girls are limited by social norms, discriminatory laws and policies, and gender-based violence.

    “As we write, billions of people are projected to miss the targets that we all agreed represent a decent life.”

    The foundation called for a new approach to development, targeting the poorest people in the countries and districts that need to make up the most ground to address persistent inequality.

    “Governments should prioritise primary healthcare to deliver a health system that works for the poorest.

    “Government should also deliver digital governance to ensure that governments are responsive to their least-empowered citizens, and more support for farmers to help them adapt to climate change’s worst effects,” it said.

    It added: “The report is designed to track progress in achieving the Global Goals, highlight examples of success, and inspire leaders around the world to accelerate their efforts.

    “The goal is to identify both what’s working and where we’re falling short,” it said.

    Speaking at a panel discussion with Gates last Wednesday at the fourth Gatekeepers Summit at the Lincoln Centre, New York, Dangote said he hoped to give out a chunk of his wealth like Gates. He is estimated to be worth $9.2billion.

    Dangote praised Gates for his love for Nigeria: “When I started my foundation in 1994, I never realised we had this massive challenge in the health sector.

    “Really, it was mind-boggling when we had this agreement to collaborate with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and that really opened my eyes to realise that there are a lot of challenges in health.

    “At that time I didn’t have the opportunity of meeting Bill but meeting Bill changed me into a different person. This is somebody that has nothing to do with us in Africa or Nigeria but he is putting his money and his soul into everything.

    “He is very committed to helping humanity and that really surprises me a lot and I realised that he is a simple person and I never knew Bill would be this simple. He is a very soft-spoken guy and kind-hearted.

    “It is very difficult to find people like Bill in this world. Bill, we are very grateful and I can assure you that with my association with Bill, my only prayer is that in the next few years, I will try and give my chunk of wealth to charity.”

    Gates, who noted that a place where a person is born could determine how long the person could live, thanked Dangote for connecting him with the governors in the North.

    He added that Africa’s richest man proved to him that one could make better impact by reaching out to powerful politicians in charge of policy.

    Gates said: “Aliko knows people; he has relationships and he is willing to reach out to people. He says ‘let’s reach out to the governor, let’s talk to him about this’ and the next thing you know, we’ve got the governor on the phone, talking.

    “So, this ability to reach out and draw on the broad relationships that Aliko has developed…you know I am pretty shy about calling people. I just want to mail them my charts.

    “So what has come out now is that Aliko and I do conference calls with six of the governors from the northern states where we look at vaccine coverage.

    “It is a big challenge but I’ve drawn from Aliko’s communication skills and he is not afraid to call anyone. Everyone likes to talk to him.”

    Gates said his new task was to close the gaps between nations towards achieving the SGDs by ensuring that all had access to quality health and education.

    Dangote said his company wanted the government to make it mandatory for companies to fortify all rice products consumed in the country.

    He said Nigerians eat rice in the morning, afternoon and night, adding that fortifying rice with the right vitamins would help combat malnutrition.

    “At the Aliko Dangote Foundation, we have what we call the Nutrition Integrated Programme, of which we are trying to make sure we take out two million children from malnutrition,” Dangote said at the Goalkeepers Summit.

    “Right now, Dangote is also in the process of rice milling. We are setting up about one million tonnes of rice, and all our rice will apply these nutritious vitamins.

    “The main food we eat in Nigeria is rice; people eat rice in the morning, they eat rice in the afternoon, they eat rice at night.

    “With this, we are now trying to introduce this, and also we are going to the government to make it mandatory for all the rice we consume in Nigeria to be fortified. This will help quite a lot,” Dangote said.

    He added that his company was the first in Africa to begin fortification of sugar, which he said has become the norm.

    Dangote said about two million children are malnourished in Nigeria — a trend the foundation is working to bring to zero.

    He appreciated the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for bringing companies in Nigeria together to sign up to food products fortification of battle malnutrition.

    In an interview before the summit, Gates said: “Nigeria is a super-important country and one that the foundation has an office there.  We did a lot of work in Nigeria on polio and we learned a lot doing that.  Nigeria has gone almost three years now without having a polio case.

    “The biggest priority we have, although making absolutely sure we’re done with polio remains a big priority, now we’re able to focus even more on the primary healthcare system.

    “If I had one wish for Nigeria, it would be that the quality and funding of the primary health care system would achieve the level of some other countries that are lower-income but have done a better job with the primary healthcare system.  So, it definitely is doable.

    “In Nigeria for a lot of the work we do there we’re partnered with Aliko Dangote, who helps us understand who the good partners are and exactly how we can reach out to groups like the traditional leaders and get them involved in these efforts as well.

    “So, Nigeria is important. I’m hopeful about Nigeria. As you see in the report, the disparities within Nigeria are quite stark.

    “Also, one challenge that Nigeria has is that the amount of money that the government raises domestically is quite small compared to other countries. A lot of countries at that level will be raising closer to 15 per cent of GDP and Nigeria is one of the lowest in the world down at about six per cent.  And so, it is a huge challenge that when you want to fund infrastructure, health, education, all those things, that over time the tax collection, the domestic resources are going to have to go up quite a bit.

    “That’s a long-term effort and I think partly by making sure the current resources are spent well like on primary healthcare, you gain the credibility that the citizens will say, okay, we want more of these things.  If we don’t raise the quality, you can get into a trap where they don’t feel like paying the taxes actually has that much impact, and so they’re not supportive of that.

    “So, we’re working hard.  I mentioned we do videoconferences with state governors.  If we can make the six states into exemplars, then these practices can be extended to all 18 of the northern states.  There are best practices down in the south as well that we can learn from as well.

    “Building on what we were able to achieve with polio and the relationships we’ve built there and our commitment, starting with primary healthcare, we think that Nigeria can tackle its inequality.”

    The awards

    The summit witnessed the presentation of awards to India Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing open defecation.

    Modi, in less than five years, led a mission which ensured that 600 million people stopped open defecation in one of the world’s most populous country.

    Gates said: “Managing human waste is one of the world’s oldest and toughest challenges and I will say most leaders are not willing to talk about it, in part because the solutions aren’t that easy, but we do have to talk about it.

    “We hear a lot about malaria and we should, because it’s devastating and we are making progress. But sanitation-related illnesses kill more kids every year than malaria does.

    “In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Swachh Bharat Mission, a programme with the very ambitious goal of eliminating open defecation in India.

    “Before the project, more than half a billion people were defecating in the open, but today, just five years later, thanks to the leadership of hundreds of thousands of people in communities across India, the vast majority now have access to safe sanitation.

    “This progress is critical to achieving SDG 6 for water and sanitation, which is lagging far behind.”

    Gates added that India is already serving as a model for other countries.

    The foundation’s Campaign Award was presented to Aya Chebbi, the first African Union Youth Envoy, for her work promoting youth empowerment, peace building, and non-violent mobilisation in Africa.

    Chebbi said: “We live in a world where politicians fuel xenophobia and violence and violate national and international laws, and even censor the only space we have to breathe, the internet.

    “We live in a world where it has become acceptable to trade human rights for sanitary projects; the reality we live in is dangerous. But you know what, a wise man told me the power of the people will always be more powerful than people in power.

    “When young people promise, young people deliver; the world we want is borderless and the future we want is about dignity and freedom, and our generation will continue to be radical, disruptive and challenge the status quo.”

    The foundation’s Changemaker Award was presented to youth activist Payal Jangid for her fight against child labor and child marriage in India.

    The Progress Award went to Gregory Rockson, co-founder and CEO of mPharma, for his work to increase access to high-quality drugs across community pharmacies in five African countries.