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Tag: UNIC

  • Nigerians should make themselves happy, says UN

    The UN Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos on Wednesday enjoined Nigerians to imbibe the culture of always making themselves and others around them happy, no matter the situation.

    UNIC’s National Information Officer, Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, gave the advice in Lagos at an event to celebrate this year’s UN International Day of Happiness in Nigeria.

    The theme of the day, jointly organised by UNIC, the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board and the Woman Child Wellness Foundation, was “Happier Together’’. “The UN underscores the importance of happiness hence it set March 20, every year, for the celebration of the International Day of Happiness.

    “We must, therefore, know that we should not always strive to make only ourselves happy, but to also make others, especially children and the physically challenged happy at all times.

    “There is a lot for Nigerians to learn from Bhutan, where the goal of Gross National Happiness is promoted, just like a National Economic Product,’’ he said.

    Soremekun said that the UN Sustainable Development Goals that sought to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet would lead to people’s well-being and happiness.

    He said that the day was the UN’s commitment to making people realize the importance of happiness with people and in any situation.

    READ ALSO: ‘Why I pound yam at Mama Afrika Restaurant, Newark’

    The Founder of Woman Child Wellness Foundation, Ms Labisi Orkeh, said that her organisation decided to celebrate the day with about 500 pupils of the Agidingbi Primary School, Ikeja, to make them happy.

    Orkeh said that it was imperative for every Nigerian to always prioritise children’s happiness and well-being, because they were the future of Nigeria.

    “We strongly want to describe today as a special day to show love to these children. We are celebrating today with these children to give them hope and make them happy.

    “We have decided to focus on children because they are the future of this country and the world,’’ she said.

    The children, who danced to different music, savoured different delicacies, were on circus train rides, and a farmhouse obstacle course, among others.

    The International Day of Happiness, which is celebrated worldwide every March 20, was conceptualised and founded by a philanthropist, activist, statesman, and a prominent UN Special Adviser, Jayme Illien, to inspire, mobilise, and advance the global happiness movement.

    The day has been observed annually since 2013.

    NAN

  • UNIC to state govts: create bicycle tracks in cities

    UNITED Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria Director Mr Ronald Kayanja has urged state governments to integrate bicycle corridors into city transport infrastructure planning and design.

    Kayanja made the call in Lagos during the World Bicycle Day, organised by UNIC and Cycology Cycling Club, saying: “This will protect and promote safety of pedestrians and cycling mobility, to improve health, particularly the prevention of injuries and non-communicable diseases among the people.”

    He advocated the use of bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding and respect and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace.

    Addressing over 50 male and female cyclists at the flag-off at the Ikoyi Office of UNIC, Kayanja said: “Cycling empowers people. Cycling promotes peace and development, Cycling promotes good health and wellbeing. Cycling will reduce urban transport emissions if encouraged in the cities. Cycling is an enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    The director noted that the General Assembly resolution on the World Bicycle Day was an acknowledgment of the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, “which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, fostering environmental stewardship and health”.

    He added that the commemorative event of June 2 might probably be the first in the world because “tomorrow,  June 3 is the actual day and we are probably the only one marking the day on June 2.”

    Cycology Cycling Club Captain, Ms Bimpe Olufemi, commended the UN for declaring every June 3 as the World Cycling Day. This she said, would encourage people to imbibe the culture of cycling which will further enhance the wellbeing of the people. However, she called for infrastructural development that would make cycling safe and enjoyable.

    The UN Resolution on World Bicycle Day, among others, “invites all member-states and all other relevant stakeholders to cooperate in observing World Bicycle Day, to celebrate the day and to promote awareness of it”, among others.

  • UNIC to state govts: create bicycle tracks in cities

    UNITED Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria Director Mr Ronald Kayanja has urged state governments to integrate bicycle corridors into city transport infrastructure planning and design.

    Kayanja made the call in Lagos during the World Bicycle Day, organised by UNIC and Cycology Cycling Club, saying: “This will protect and promote safety of pedestrians and cycling mobility, to improve health, particularly the prevention of injuries and non-communicable diseases among the people.”

    He advocated the use of the bicycle as a means of fostering sustainable development, strengthening education, including physical education, for children and young people, promoting health, preventing disease, promoting tolerance, mutual understanding and respect and facilitating social inclusion and a culture of peace.

    Addressing over 50 male and female cyclists at the flag-off at the Ikoyi Office of UNIC, Kayanja said: “Cycling empowers people. Cycling promotes peace and development, Cycling promotes good health and wellbeing. Cycling will reduce urban transport emissions if encouraged in the cities. Cycling is an enabler of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

    The director noted that the General Assembly resolution on the World Bicycle Day was an acknowledgment of the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, “which has been in use for two centuries, and that it is a simple, affordable, reliable, clean and environmentally fit sustainable means of transportation, fostering environmental stewardship and health”.

    He added that the commemorative event of June 2 might probably be the first in the world because “tomorrow,  June 3 is the actual day and we are probably the only one marking the day on June 2.”

    Cycology Cycling Club Captain, Ms Bimpe Olufemi, commended the UN for declaring every June 3 as the World Cycling Day. This she said, would encourage people to imbibe the culture of cycling which will further enhance the wellbeing of the people. However, she called for infrastructural development that would make cycling safe and enjoyable.

    The UN Resolution on World Bicycle Day, among others, “invites all member-states and all other relevant stakeholders to cooperate in observing World Bicycle Day, to celebrate the day and to promote awareness of it”, among others.

     

     

  • UNIC marks Holocaust with poster exhibition, others

    UNIC marks Holocaust with poster exhibition, others

    To  mark this year’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos, has organised a poster exhibition, entitled: The butterfly project: Remembering the children of the Holocaust.

    It was part of activities on  January 27, to draw attention to the lessons on the danger of extremism and the prevention of genocide.

    The event, which also featured film screening, entitled: The Path To Nazi Genocide, and a quiz competition on the Holocaust and the United Nations (UN), was observed last Thursday. It was indeed a profound learning experience in tolerance, seeking peace and shunning prejudice and hatred for 500 secondary school pupils and 96 teachers from the Education District 1 in Lagos.

    With this year’s theme as ‘Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility’, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, observed that: “All of us have a responsibility to quickly, clearly and decisively resist racism and violence. Through education and understanding, we could build a future of dignity, human rights and peaceful coexistence for all.”

    Mr Guterres acknowledged in his message, delivered in Lagos by the Director of UNIC Lagos, Mr Ronald Kayanja, that decades since the Second World War, “we see the persistence of anti-Semitism and an increase in other forms of prejudice.” He said: “We must stand together against the normalisation of hate. Whenever and wherever humanity’s values are abandoned, we are all at risk.”

    It would be recalled that in rejecting any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event, either in full or in part, the General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/60/7) by consensus condemning “without reserve” all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, whenever they occur.

    Explaining why the UN was commemorating the Day, Mr Kayanja said that it was one of the saddest moments in human history and that was why the UN General Assembly decided that every January 27; the world should remember the saddest event so that it would not happen again. “We are talking to the students because we do not want a future where a human being kills another human being just because they are different from him or her or they are of different tribes or religions.” He added.

    Speaking, the Tutor General/ Permanent Secretary of Lagos Education District 1, Dr Abiose Ayandele, urged everyone to treat each other as fellow human beings and learn to live in peace and make the world a better place. The Tutor General who was represented by the District’s Director of School Administration, Mrs Akor, added that “We are all one created by one and the same God. No one is superior to the other.”

    The pupils displayed a brilliant demonstration of knowledge of the Holocaust and the lessons derived from the presentations. For Daniel Idulagbe (10 years old) of Meiran Community Junior High School, the experience taught him to steer clear of any form of racism, anti-Semitism, prejudice or hatred against anyone. While explaining his lessons learnt, 12 years old Akinfewa Boluwatife of Alimosho Junior Grammar school), said: “We should not discriminate against anyone or any religion or belief. There should be no room for intolerance.”

    Curating the poster exhibition, the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, explained that the Poster Exhibition showed what happened to young people, and what happened to their hopes and dreams, during a very difficult time in world history known as the Holocaust.  “The Nazis were racist and anti-Semitic. The Nazis were anti-Semitic because they were prejudiced against Jewish people. The Nazis believed that people were born inferior or superior depending on the colour of their skin or their religious beliefs,” he said.

    The quiz competition started with 200 pupils from 99 schools out of whom 20 from 10 schools qualified for the finals. At the end of the finals, Chigozie Ndubusi and Mosimiloluwa Adebisi (Shasha Senior Community College) emerged first place winners; Barakat Adekanbi and Jessica Opara (Ipaja Junior College) came second; while Augustine Valentine (Stadium Junior Grammar school) was third place winner.

     

  • Orange the world: Women’s rights are human rights – UNIC

    Orange the world: Women’s rights are human rights – UNIC

    It was an onset of the harmattan season on a dusty December morning in Zaria, Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria. The students, all girls, arrived in droves, eager to participate and host an educational briefing on the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence in their school, Government Girls Secondary School, Fada Zaria City. The educational briefing was organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos in collaboration with UN Women and Arewa Women And Youth Empowerment (AWAYE) Foundation.

    Excited by the gift of thousands of orange scarfs and a few branded T-shirts to ‘Orange the world’, the students, numbering over 2,500, assembled and carved out a space for their drama presentation on ending violence against women and girls. They set the ball rolling quickly and set the stage on fire as they highlighted, through drama presentation, issues of domestic violence, sexual harassment in school, girl-child labour, and challenges of girls’ health, among others. In all these, the importance of the traditional institution was emphasised as the Emir’s scene was constantly on the front burner.

    “Women’s rights are human rights. When a woman’s rights are violated, then her human rights have been infringed upon. Today we bring the message of ending violence against women & girls.” The National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, took the cue from the drama presentations. He emphasised that domestic violence was not a family affairs but a human rights issue.

    He noted that the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence started on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and would end on 10 December, the Human Rights Day. Explaining the 2017 theme, ‘Leave No One Behind: End Violence Against Women and Girls’, Dr Soremekun said that it ‘reinforces the UNiTE Campaign’s commitment to a world free from violence for all women and girls around the world, while reaching the most underserved and marginalized, including refugees, migrants, minorities, indigenous peoples, and populations affected by conflict and natural disasters, amongst others, first.’

    According to him, leaving no one behind, specifically women and girls that are threatened by or are suffering violence, or have been subjected to it in the past, requires resources, policies, commitments and programmes that focus on reaching the most marginalized communities. To end violence against women and bring change, the National Information Officer urged the students to raise their voices and speak out against any act of gender-based violence.

    Speaking, Ms Iris Nxumalo, representing UN Women, highlighted the need for determination to speak out and bring change. She urged everyone, “Let’s Say ‘NO’ and UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls during and after the 16 days of activism period.”

    Addressing the students, the Principal of Government Girls Secondary School, Fada Zaria, Hajiya Safiya Abdul, thanked the UN team for the educational programme and informed the students that all women and girls deserve to live a life free from violence and fear. She implored them to report any act of gender-based violence directed at them.

    In her remarks, the Founder of AWAYE, Hajiya Laila Muhammad urged the students to speak out against gender-based violence. The 16 days started on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, the Human Rights Day.

  • UNIC to youths:Acquire vocational skills

    UNIC to youths:Acquire vocational skills

    The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Nigeria National Information Officer Oluseyi Soremekun has urged youths to acquire vocational skills to complement their education. This, he said, would make them marketable, employable and to sustain themselves economically.

    He spoke at the 2017 World Youth Skills Day observance organised by Yes-I-Believe Academy (YIBA), in collaboration with UNIC.

    Expressing concern at the high number of unemployed youths, the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2014, designated July 15, as World Youth Skills Day.

    The theme for this year’s observance was “Skills for the Future of Work”.

    World Youth Skills Day, Soremekun observed, is in recognition of the fact that fostering the acquisition of skills by youths would enhance their ability to make informed choices with regard to life and work, and empower them to gain access to changing labour markets.

    He explained that education and training are key determinants of success in the labour market. Skills and jobs for youth feature prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 4.4 calls for a substantial increase in the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills.

    “Everyone has inborn skills. No one is empty and useless. Identify your passion, your skill area and seek help to develop it and be a master of your future. Your future lies in your hands. Acquire a skill today.

    “One reason for youth unemployment is structural unemployment, a mismatch between the skills that workers in the economy can offer and the skills demanded of workers by employers. Structural unemployment affects all regions around the world and it impacts not only economies but also hampers the transition to equitable and inclusive societies envisaged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he said.

    Stressing the importance of skills acquisition, the President of YIBA Mr Niyi Adekunle, declared that no vocational skill is demeaning. He urged the participants who were mainly students of Yaba College of Technology, not to treat vocational skills training with contempt as it might be a saving grace for some even after their graduation from other fields.

    A makeup expert, Mrs Nneoma Effanga, urged the youths to shun idleness and develop their talents which might not be related to their course of studies. Such a step, she said, might be that which would secure their future.

    The programme also featured exhibition of vocational skills products and some practical sessions featuring wire-works, shoes, make-up kits and application, art-works and soft-furniture among others.

    Facilitators of the practical session included Mr Akinwande Ademosu (Motivational Speaker); Mrs Oreoluwa Solana (Crystal Design); Mr Gbenga Ogundimu (Shoe Maker); Mrs Oyebola Jennifer (Art work) Ms Opeyemi Olowoporoku (Beads Making) and Mrs Busola Oluwatimileyin (Interior Design).

  • Shun modern slavery, says UNIC

    Shun modern slavery, says UNIC

    The Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria, Mr Ronald Kayanja, has called on Nigerians to shun every form of slavery, saying human beings were born free and equal.
    He spoke at the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, held by UNIC Lagos and the Cross River State Government for pupils in the capital city, Calabar.
    While addressing over 200 pupils from 10 high schools, Kayanja, who was represented by UNIC National Information Officer, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, condemned slavery, saying it is a crime against humanity. He noted that forced migration, forced labour and human trafficking are forms of modern day slavery.
    “The right to liberty and security,” he said, “is a fundamental human right that must be respected and no one should hold anyone in slavery or servitude.
    “Those in position of power and influence at all levels, including the family unit, should desist from exploiting and taking advantage of the vulnerable ones who are not in position to withhold consent to servitude.”
    Speaking on this year’s theme, Remember slavery: Recognising the legacy and contributions of people of African descent, the UNIC director explained that it focused on the ways in which enslaved Africans and their descendants influenced and continued to shape societies around the world, including technology and culture; as well as the persistent spirit and innovation of the people in communities affected by the transatlantic slave trade.
    Declaring the International Day open, Cross River Governor Ben Ayade, represented by the Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, Hon Francis Ettah, said Calabar was qualified to host the event due to its strategic role as a slave port during the slave trade.
    He thanked the UN for picking Cross River when it decided to take the anniversary out of Lagos for the first time.
    He said when the UN General Assembly established the ‘Remember Slavery’ Programme in 2007, the state government also established the Calabar Slave Museum, indicating that the state government and the UN were thinking alike.
    Ettah urged the pupils not to allow themselves to be lured into slavery under the pretext of greener pastures.
    The briefing was preceded by an awareness rally led by the Commissioner MIDC, Ettah, Permanent Secretary of MIDC, Dr Gabriel Akpeke, and Soremekun.
    The rally, spiced up by music with intermittent messages on slavery, started from the government secretariat and ended at WAPI School, the venue of the event.
    The pupils were treated to a film screening entitled: Queen Nanny: The Legendary Maroon Chieftainess; a poster exhibition and a rendition by the WAPI school choir after which 30 pupils, who answered correctly, questions drawn from the film, were taken to the Slave History Museum at Marina Resort, Calabar.
    Sharing her experience, Magdalene Francis, a 17-year-old pupil of WAPI School, said: “I was touched. I felt bad and it was as if I was the victim.”
    “I learnt a lot today. I want to thank UNIC and Cross River State Government for the opportunity to learn about Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade,” Christopher Edet, a 17-year old student of WAPI, said.
    UN General Assembly, in December 2007, declared March 25 the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to be observed annually.

  • Preventing genocide, a shared responsibility – UN Secretary-General

    Preventing genocide, a shared responsibility – UN Secretary-General

    As the world marked the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda at the weekend, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has noted that preventing genocide and other monstrous crimes is a shared responsibility of all and a core duty of the United Nations.

    “The only way to truly honour the memory of those who were killed in Rwanda is to ensure that such events never occur again.” He said in a video message watched by 300 students and parents who had gathered in Abuja to mark the Day.

    [quote font_size=”18″ color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddaf6a” bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]The world must always be alert to the warning signs of genocide, and act quickly and early against the threat. History is filled with tragic chapters of hatred, inaction and indifference – a cycle that has led to violence, incarceration and death camps – Mr Guterres.[/quote]

    The Secretary-General, therefore, urged everyone to learn the lessons of Rwanda and work together to build a future of dignity, tolerance and human rights for all.

    Welcoming the audience to the educational briefing event organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos in collaboration with the Rwanda High Commission and Start-Rite School, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, the National Information Officer of UNIC, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, explained that “We are observing the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda to educate on the lessons of the genocide in Rwanda in order to help prevent similar acts happening anywhere in the future.”

    The Drama by students of Start-Rite School Abuja.
    The Drama by students of Start-Rite School Abuja.

    He enjoined the students and other participants to see all tribes and religions as equal and complimentary of one another with none inferior to the other. ‘Tribes and tongues may differ’ Mr Soremekun continued, ‘but you must stand together in peace and unity.”

    The Second Counsellor, Rwanda High Commission, Mr Protogene Nsengumuremyi, in his keynote address drew attention to the UN Security Council Resolution 2150 which condemns without reservation, any denial of the genocide and calls upon States that have not yet ratified or acceded to the Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide to consider doing so as a matter of high priority.

    The programme featured film screening, reading of survivors’ testimonies and a drama sketch performed by students of Start-Rite School, Abuja. The programme was attended by students from seven schools including the host school, Start-Rite.

    April 7 every year is the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda.

  • UN medal: 140 Nigerian peacekeepers honoured in Mali

    UN medal: 140 Nigerian peacekeepers honoured in Mali

    No fewer than 140 Nigerian Blue Helmet peacekeepers on a mission in Mali have been honoured by the United Nations with a medal. 

    The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos, Nigeria disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday.

    The Chief of Operations of the United Nations Police (UNPOL), Amadou Camara, Divisional Commissioner, representing the UNPOL Commissioner, decorated 140 elements of the Formed Police Unit (FPU) including 22 women.

    Decorated with the United Nations Medal on March 29 in Timbuktu, Mali, the honourees are members of the Nigeria Mobile Police Force who are keepinf peace in Mali.

  • Emotions flow as UNIC Lagos screens Holocaust film

    Emotions flow as UNIC Lagos screens Holocaust film

    A picture is worth more than a thousand words’, goes a popular idiom. The import of this saying manifested on Wednesday 26 January 2016, when scores of students and a few adults went emotional after watching the Holocaust film, ‘The Path To Nazi Genocide’ and afterwards taken round the Holocaust Posters Exhibition.

    This was during the Day-One of the 2016 observance of the International Day of commemoration in memory of the victims of the holocaust organised by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos and Education District III of the Lagos State Ministry of Education.

    Attended by 140 participants comprising of 111 students from 5 different secondary schools; 12 NGOs representatives and 5 representatives of media organisations and 12 others, the film screening and Poster exhibition started with a briefing session. Speaking, the Tutor General and Permanent Secretary of Education District III represented by Mr Dele Obaba, a Director in the District, advised the students to stand-up in support of Human Dignity and stay away from political and social prejudice.High Table 1

    Delivering the message of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Director of UNIC Lagos, Mr Ronald Kayanja noted that with this year’s theme, “the Holocaust and Human Dignity”, the UN links Holocaust remembrance with the founding principles of the United Nations, as expressed in the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  ‘As we do, we are reminded of our shared obligation to assure everyone the right to live free from discrimination and with equal protection under the law,’ he added.

    Contributing during the interactive session that succeeded the film screening, the Health Prefect of Ireti Senior Grammar School, Miss DorathyOnaji, became emotional when she observed that ‘Adolf Hitler manipulated the whole country and spearheaded the killing of about 6 million Jews.

    Curating the Poster Exhibition, the National Information Officer of UNIC Lagos, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun, explained the good life enjoyed by the Jews in the pre-war Europe; the persecution, the state-orchestrated discrimination, the final solution according to Nazi Germany; the end of the Holocaust and the birth of the UN as well as the efforts of the UN in ensuring that the events that led to the Holocaust never happens again anywhere in the world.