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  • United Nation ends air service in Nigeria

    United Nation ends air service in Nigeria

    The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has ended its fixed-wing air service in Nigeria due to lack of funding.

    Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, disclosed this during the noon press briefing at the UN Headquarters in New York.

    UNHAS, which is operated by the World Food Programme (WFP), had to end their fixed-wing air service in Nigeria last week due to a lack of funding.

    “For nine years, the service has transported humanitarian staff, medical supplies, and critical cargo to and from the epicentre of the crisis in Borno and Yobe states,” Dujarric said.

    “In a country that has experienced unending conflict for the past 16 years of conflict, road transport remains extremely dangerous and air transport is essential.”

    Read Also: Tinubu: reforms working, Nigeria now accorded respect globally

    WFP had warned that it might be compelled to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria at the end of July.

    WFP Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Margot van der Velden, while briefing UN Correspondents in New York, painted a dire humanitarian situation in Nigeria.

    Velden said WFP urgently needed 130 million dollars to sustain emergency food and nutrition operations in Northeast Nigeria for six months.

    She said “due to the severe funding cuts that the World Food Programme is facing, we have exhausted our food and nutrition resources”.

    “And at the beginning of August, we will have to face the heartbreaking reality of having to suspend our operations for the populations in northeast Nigeria.

    “And so our teams will have to tell the population that they no longer will receive aid, not because there is no need but because there are no resources for that assistance.

    She expressed concerns that if life-saving assistance ended, millions of vulnerable people could face impossible choices.

    Velden added that the vulnerable would have to endure increasingly severe hunger, migrate or even risk possible exploitation by extremist groups in the region.

  • UN seeks media support toward fostering gender equality, ending violence

    UN seeks media support toward fostering gender equality, ending violence

    The United Nations (UN) on Monday called for collaborative support from media organisations toward promoting gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.

     Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said this in Abuja at the maiden UN Nigeria Media Partners Conference 2023.

     Theme of the conference was “Escalating Media action for women’s empowerment ending violence against women and girls”.

     The event was part of activities lined up  by UN Women Nigeria to commemorate the 2023 16 days of activism.

    She decried gender inequality and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) which, according to her, contribute to all forms of poverty and underdevelopment in the society.

    She said although Nigeria is a country of people with the best brains and rich qualifications, GBV is still prevalent.

    “We have to handle it as serious as we are handling other agencies, we believe that Media is very powerful.

    “We believe that the media can accelerate our work. We believe that the media can play a key role in it.

    Read Also; Tomato Jos cascades a violent December

    “So, this conference is aimed at bringing us together so that collectively we can access efforts being made so far, in bringing women issues to the front burner to change the narrative about myths and social norms that are barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

    “The question here is, has the media done enough to change the negative gender perception?

    “Have we done enough to pressure the government into adopting gender-responsive policies?” she asked.

    She, therefore, urged media professionals to initiate ideas and create relevant awareness as a way of creating opportunities and empowerment for women.

     Speaking, Aisha Ibrahim, National President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) described the conference as an event organised in the right direction.

    “Our role as members of the fourth estate is clearly cut-out for us, which is to lend voice to the voiceless and act as unbiased umpire in driving awareness about violence against women and girls.

    “This conference is very dear to us. As NAWOJ, we are strategically placed and we have a critical role to play to ensure that all forms of violence are reduced to the barest minimum.,” she said.

    Also speaking, Dr Lawrence Agbubuzu, Chairman, Southeast Traditional Rulers Council, commended the media for information dissemination, but said should be done to make gender inequality and GBV thing of the past.

    “People need to know that the government in Nigeria has made commitments to ensure gender equality and fight against GBV.

     “As you write to and speak, know you have the backing of the traditional rulers,. Every Nigerian comes from a community.

     “There is no community in Nigeria that does not have a traditional ruler, if all of us are backing you, you should be bold enough to demand full full right to our privileges” Agbubuzu.

    High-point of the event was discussion centered on challenges and opportunities in advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and girls in Nigeria.

  • Two-thirds of world’s hungriest people live in Nigeria, others, says UN

    NIGERIA is one of the eight countries that accounted for two thirds of the millions of people that suffered severe hunger in 53 countries last year, a United Nations (UN) Report has said.

    According to the Global Report on Food Crisis 2019, no fewer than 113 million people experienced high levels of food insecurity in the world’s most severe food crises in 2018.

    The report, which was released yesterday in Brussels, Belgium, warned that these food crises were primarily driven by conflict and climate-related disasters.

    One of the key findings of the report showed that nearly two-thirds of those facing acute hunger were in just eight countries.

    The other seven countries are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

    The report said: “The worst food crises in 2018, in order of severity, were: Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Sudan, South Sudan and northern Nigeria.

    “These eight countries accounted for two thirds of the total number of people facing acute food insecurity – amounting to nearly 72 million people,” according to the report.

    Similarly, short-term outlook of food insecurity for 2019 showed that “Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Sudan, South Sudan and northern Nigeria are expected to remain among the world’s most severe food crises in 2019.

    “Large segments of populations in most of these countries risk falling into Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity,” it stated.

    The report further added: “In the 16 states of northern Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, the number of people in ‘Crisis’ and ‘Emergency’ decreased by 40 per cent between June and August 2017 and 2018 to 5.3 million.

    Read also: Insurgence: United Nation must help West Africa now

    “At the peak of the lean season, three million were acutely food insecure in the three north-eastern states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency where protracted conflict and mass displacement disrupted agriculture, trade, markets and livelihoods, and pushed up food prices,” said the report.

    Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s Director-General, José da Silva, said in spite of a slight drop in 2018 in the number of people experiencing acute food insecurity, “the figure is still far too high.”

    “We must act at scale across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to build the resilience of affected and vulnerable populations. To save lives, we also have to save livelihoods,” he added.

    World Food Programme Executive Director, David Beasley, also said: “While critical to saving lives and alleviating human suffering, humanitarian assistance does not address the root causes of food crises.”

    Beasley highlighted the importance of “attacking the root causes of hunger: conflict, instability, the impact of climate shocks.”

    “Boys and girls need to be well-nourished and educated; women need to be truly empowered. Rural infrastructure must be strengthened in order to meet that ‘Zero Hunger’ goal.

    “Programmes that make a community resilient and more stable will also reduce the number of hungry people,” he said.

  • Nigerians storm streets of New York , urge United States, United Nations to back Buhari

    Barely 24 hours after some concerned Nigerians trooped out en mass in the United Kingdom to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight, their counterparts in the United States of America have followed suit.
    These Nigerians, under the auspices of Restore Nigeria Coalition (RNC) were spotted in the streets of Washington, chanting ‘Sai Baba’ as they urged the Donald Trump-led government and the United Nations to support President Buhari in flushing out corruption.
    Cosmas Collins, President of RNS, speaking on behalf of the group, believes Nigeria has made tremendous progress in the anti-corruption fight as witnessed in the case of embattled Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen.
    “They are sufficing to note that since 2015, the present administration has initiated measures aimed at reducing corrupt practices in the conduct of government business at all tiers of governance. This effort has yielded positive results to the admiration of the bulk of Nigerians and the consternation of a select few that have benefited from the rot in the system,” he said.
    “Undeterred, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has carried on with enthusiasm and a determination to see that structural defects are fixed to curb the rot in the system for the betterment of Nigeria as a country.
    “You may also wish to note that the bane of underdevelopment in Nigeria is as a result of the lackadaisical attitude of previous governments in the fight against corruption that has resulted in the wanton disregard for accountability and transparency in the conduct of government businesses and by extension governance in Nigeria.
    “Since 2015 when the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari took over the affairs of the state in Nigeria, Nigeria has recorded tremendous progress in governance evident in the dividends of democracy trickling down the ladder.
    “However, the present administration has encountered numerous challenges from individuals and organisations that have subverted the system through nefarious ways and means all in the quest to portray the Muhammadu Buhari administration in poor light in an attempt to pitch the populace against the government to fulfil their personal agenda of causing unrest and disaffection in the country.

    Read Also:I am not corrupt, Buhari tells Nigerians

    “The recent case of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen who violated the law in declaring his assets as stipulated by the law has further emphasized the level of rot in the system.
    “A particular segment of the Nigerian society has cried wolf where none exist and painted a picture of political persecution, forgetting that Nigeria was on the brinks of imminent collapse due the activities of a few that have benefitted from the rot in the system.
    “We are through this medium soliciting for assistance from the United States and United Nation in the war against corruption in Nigeria as initiated by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in recent times.
    “A vivid example can be seen in the instance where the Chief Judicial Official in Nigeria, either by omission or commission failed to declare a part of his assets running into millions of dollars.
    “The Chief Justice of Nigeria as the number one judicial officer in the country for inexplicable reasons did not declare a part of his assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau in Nigeria. The CJN cited “forgetfulness and mistake” as the reasons for the non-declaration.
    “The non-declared items are bank accounts with balances that runs into millions of pounds sterling and dollars.  This is too much to be right in our considered opinion. As the number one judicial officer in the country, it is wholly untenable for such an excuse, unless for deliberate reasons.”

  • Insurgence: United Nation must help West Africa now

    UNITED Nations should act now to prevent humanitarian crisis in West Africa. Military operations are on in some regions in Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria. Niger, Chad, Cameroun and others. This is the time to avoid humanitarian disaster in West Africa.  The war on terrorism in West Africa should be fought on many fronts: diplomatic, intelligence, covert action, economic sanctions, law enforcement as well as military. Diplomacy, intelligence, covert action, and economic sanctions have historically served as auxiliary measures in wartime. Economic sanctions, in particular, have routinely foreshadowed or accompanied broader war efforts. There is need for sanctions against Islamic countries that are exporting terrorism to West Africa. In the 21st century it is dishonest for members of the United Nations Security Council to pretend that they do not know the Islamic countries that are exporting terrorism to West Africa. Members of United Nations Security Council know the Islamic countries that are supporting Boko Haram in Nigeria.

    A lot depends on the amount of international support that will be available for Mali, Nigeria and the regional G5 Sahel Force. Currently, there are serious shortfalls and this poses future problems. A failed Nigeria, Mali and others are a danger not only for its neighbors, but for a region stretching from the Sahel, across the Mediterranean and deep into Europe. Containing the terrorist problem is better than dealing with its effects. The UN Security Council should authorize peace operations in Nigeria and other West African countries.  United Nations should focus on duties, such as ensuring security, stabilization and protection of civilians; supporting national political dialogue and reconciliation; and assisting the reestablishment of State authority, the rebuilding of the security sector, and the promotion and protection of human rights in the countries terrorized by Boko Haram and ISIS in West Africa.

    There should be a wide array of sanctions against Islamic countries exporting terrorism to Nigeria and other West African countries which include arms embargoes, targeted sanctions on individuals, restricting trade of commodities that support combatants, and travel restrictions. We need sanctions from the UN, the European Union (EU), and the U.S. against Islamic countries that are exporting terrorism to West Africa in the name of Boko Haram and ISIS. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.

    In accordance with paragraph 13 of resolution 1822 (2008) and subsequent related resolutions,  the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee makes accessible a narrative summary of reasons for the listing for individuals, groups, undertakings and entities included in the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.

    Leaders in Africa and within the UN should play a larger role in securing peace and stability on the continent. While the UN has a regular peacekeeping budget, the AU must continually seek out donors, such as the UN, the EU, and the United States, to fund its missions.

    The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has said 2018 was a challenging year for the Nigerian military. He also said experienced and skilled fighters of the Islamic State terrorists dislodged from Syria, relocated to the North-East of Nigeria.

    The air chief added that the military’s helicopter gunships were adapting to emerging threats and making good progress to take out terrorists. Abubakar stated this on Monday in his New Year message to the troops, made available by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola.  The air chief said the war against Boko Haram insurgency had been enhanced by the acquisition of new aircraft platforms and reactivation of existing ones. He noted that the military must also prepare for the 2019 General Elections, remain apolitical and “firmly resist any entreaties against the interest of our beloved country.”

    Abubakar said, “The out-gone year 2018 was indeed marked by both challenges and opportunities; however, the NAF, with the vital support of all stakeholders, was able to exploit the opportunities while overcoming the challenges encountered along the way.

    “In the fight against the Boko Haram, we saw the emergence of new tactics as well as the introduction of highly experienced and skilled fighters and technology, as ISIS elements, dislodged from Syria, relocated to the North-East of our country. Our fighter and helicopter gunship pilots are adapting creditably to these emerging nuances and making good progress, despite the recent setbacks.

    United Nations should provide international financial support for Nigeria and the G5. The G5 is tasked with fighting terrorist movements and organized crime in the Sahel region and help protect the civilian population. But its financial situation is insecure.

    Mali’s own soldiers are taking part in the fight against regional instability but are in great need of better equipment and better pay. Until they receive those things, Mali will depend heavily on foreign forces to protect its borders and its people.

    To defeat Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa we need targeted economic sanctions which will become the preferred form of sanctions. That is because broad sanctions on a country that affect imports of vital products, restrictions on investment and trade, and other broad economic sanctions, have had a disproportionate impact on the population, less on the regime or rebels. Targeted sanctions, particularly financial ones and travel bans, have become steadily more sophisticated and effective, especially when enforced by the U.S. and its specialists in the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury and other parts of the U.S. government.

    United Nations and African Union should pay attention to 1994,report by Robert Kaplan when he wrote a controversial Atlantic article, “The Coming Anarchy,” warning of West Africa’s ungoverned spaces, disease-ridden slums, weak borders, and impoverished masses. Kaplan declared: “we ignore this dying region at our own risk.” In 2004, Douglas Farah and Richard Shultz published a Washington Post op-ed that picked up the argument where Kaplan had left off. West Africa had become a terrorist sanctuary. Three years after the 9/11 attacks, the authors proclaimed, “weak and corrupt governments, vast, virtually stateless stretches awash in weapons, and impoverished, largely Muslim populations make the region an ideal sanctuary…The now-identifiable presence of al Qaeda in other countries shows that these once-marginal wars and regions matter. We ignore the warnings at our peril.”

    History has not borne out this “coming anarchy” of terrorism, and West Africa is not rife with international extremism. Alas, the region is not beyond terrorism’s grasp either. This means several longstanding arguments about extremism in West Africa need to be carefully revisited. Many observers perpetuate the image of West Africa as a blank slate for counterterrorism experiments. Yet efforts have been ongoing for decades, and international, regional, and local frameworks already exist. UN Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) established the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) in an effort to stop terrorism in all of its forms. UN Security Council Resolution 1624 (2005) is designed to improve border security and encourage member countries to submit updates to the CTC.

    • Inwalomhe Donald writes from Benin City

  • World still on ‘red alert’ but there’s hope – UN chief

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has restated the “red alert” he issued on Jan. 1, 2018 over a range of dangers confronting the world, which “still persist” as 2019 looms.

    The UN chief said in his message for the New Year that “these are anxious times for many, and our world is undergoing a stress test”.

    He reiterated one of his calls during 2018 over climate change, saying it was still “running faster than we are,” and that deepening geo-political divisions are making conflicts more difficult to resolve”.

    He said record numbers of people were moving in search of safety and protection, inequality is growing and “people are questioning a world in which a handful of people hold the same wealth as half of humanity”.

    Moreover, he said that intolerance was on the rise while trust was also declining.

    “But there are also reasons for hope, notably in Yemen where breakthrough talks have created an opportunity at least, for peace,” the Secretary-General said.

    Guterres also cited the September agreement signed in Riyadh between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which eased long-running tensions and brought improved prospects to an entire region as cause for optimism.

    Likewise, he pointed to the agreement between warring parties in South Sudan which had revitalised chances for peace, “bringing more progress in the past four months than in the previous four years”.

    The UN was also able to bring countries together in Katowice, Poland, to agree on a programme to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change.

    “Now we need to increase ambition to beat this existential threat, it’s time to seize our last best chance to stop uncontrolled and spiraling climate change,” Guterres said.

    The UN chief said in recent weeks, the UN also oversaw landmark global agreements on migration and refugees, “that will help to save lives and overcome damaging myths”.

    And people everywhere are mobilising behind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which he called “our global blueprint for peace, justice and prosperity on a healthy planet.”

    “When international cooperation works, the world wins,” the UN chief stressed.

    He maintained that in 2019, the UN “will continue to bring people together to build bridges and create space for solutions,” keeping up the pressure for change.

    “As we begin this New Year, let’s resolve to confront threats, defend human dignity and build a better future – together,” Guterres said, wishing the world a peaceful, prosperous and healthy 2019. (NAN)

  • 360,000 adolescents expected to die of AIDS by 2030 -UNICEF

    Some 360,000 adolescents are expected to die of AIDS by 2030 if investment in HIV prevention is not ramped up, according to a UNICEF report released on Thursday.

    The figures show the world is “off track’’ in its goal to end AIDS among children by 2030, UNICEF’s executive director, Henrietta Fore, said.

    Projections show there will be a decline in the number of children and young people infected with HIV and dying from AIDS-related causes.

    But the UN children’s fund warned progress is notably slower among adolescents – defined by the UN as those between ages 10 and 19.

    For example, AIDS-related deaths are projected to decrease by 57 per cent among children below the age of 14 by 2030, compared with 35 per cent among those aged 15 to 19 years.

    Read Also: Boko Haram Insurgency: President Buhari heads to Chad

    “Programmes to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to babies are paying off but haven’t gone far enough.

    “Programmes to treat the virus and prevent it from spreading among older children are nowhere near where they should be,’’ Fore said.

    The report blames slow progress in preventing HIV among young children, along with a failure to address structural and behavioural drivers of the epidemic.

    For example, many young people do not know they have HIV, and those who do often fail to stick to their treatment plans.

    UNICEF is pushing for more family-centred testing and diagnostic technologies, as well as targeted outreach programmes and a greater use of digital platforms to improve knowledge of HIV among adolescents.

  • Civilians killed, injured during Afghanistan election – UN

    Taliban attacks on the Afghanistan parliamentary elections left no fewer than 56 civilians dead and 379 wounded, the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report on Tuesday.

    The majority of the casualties, 52 dead and 339 injured were attacked on Election Day, October 20.

    According to the report, those figures are higher than those recorded in four previous elections held in Afghanistan.

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    “Taliban militants fired rockets and mortars, dropped grenades and used improvised explosive devices on polling stations throughout the country,’’ the UN said.

    Taliban militants, before elections, issued no less than three statements calling participation in the election a sin and a crime.

    They vowed to do anything in their power to dismantle the election and asked tribal leaders, teachers and mullahs, or Islamic leaders, to hinder the electoral process.

    Preliminary election results are set to be announced at the end of the month.

  • Ethiopia’s parliament approves first female president

    Ethiopia’s parliament has approved senior diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde as the country’s first female president, proceedings on state television showed, cementing another shift in the country’s political system from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

    Zewde is at present UN under-Secretary-General and special representative of its Secretary General to the African Union.

    She replaces Mulatu Wirtu, who tendered his resignation to parliament earlier on Wednesday.

    The president’s post is a ceremonial one in Ethiopia. The prime minister, who is the head of state, holds executive power.

    “In a historic move, the two Houses has elected Amb. Shalework Zewde as the next President of Ethiopia.

    “She is the first female head of state in modern Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Abiy’s chief of staff, said on Twitter.

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    “In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a female head of state not only sets the standard for the future but also normalizes women as decision-makers in public life.”

    Recently, when the prime minister reshuffled his cabinet, he appointed 10 female ministers, making Ethiopia the third country in Africa, after Rwanda and Seychelles, to achieve gender parity in their cabinets.

    “When there is no peace in the country, mothers will be frustrated. Therefore, we need to work on peace for the sake of our mothers,” Zewde told parliament after her approval.

    Wirtu, who had held the office for five years, departed one year ahead of his term ending, saying he wanted to be part of change and reforms.

    Zewde became the fourth president since the ruling EPRDF coalition came to power.

    Since his appointment in April, Abiy has presided over a raft of reforms that have turned the region’s politics on its head, including the pardoning of dissidents long outlawed by the government.

    Earlier, the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses in a joint extraordinary session on Thursday approved the resignation request by Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome.

    Teshome, who has been the East African country’s head of state since October 2013, on Wednesday submitted his letter of resignation as the Ethiopian parliament’s two houses are scheduled to consider his resignation.

  • Stop TB Partnership appoints Adewole board member

    The Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has been appointed into the Board of Stop Tuberculosis Board Partnership, the United Nation High Level Decision body making on TB.

    The Board has the responsibility of building awareness at the highest level, identifying critical barriers in the TB space and facilitating consensus on strategy and policy –making.

    It also oversees the effective implementation of the stop TB partnership’s Operation Strategy and Global Plan to end TB 2016-2020.

    Adewole’s appointment is a reflection of his excellent leadership towards eliminating TB in Nigeria.

    A strong advocate of TB detection and treatment, the minister recently initiated strategy toward ending TB menace in Nigeria. At the recent concluded National Council on Health meeting in Kano, the Minister recommended Tuberculosis (TB) screening as pre- medical test to newly employed public servants in both Federal and State Governments level and newly admitted students into Secondary and Tertiary Institutions in the country.

    Read Also: Adewole and Buhari’s health status controversy

    “I wish to advocate that mandatory TB screening be offered to both those who seek health care with or without symptoms/signs compatible with TB and those who do not” Adewole said.

    Responding to the appointment, the Adewole said that “as I am honored to join the Stop TB Partnership’s Board, I will make sure the voice of high-burden countries and their people are heard and put all my energy in the efforts to stage a historical and game changing United Nation High Level Meeting on TB, as a turning point in the fight to end TB in Nigeria”

    The appointment of Nigerian Minister of Health was alongside with the Minister of Health Kazakhstan, Dr. Elzhan A. Birtanoy. The two Ministers are to represent countries affected by TB in the Stop TB Partnership’s Board.

    Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, National TB and Leprosy Control Programme in Nigeria, Dr. Adebola Lawanson has hailed the appointment, saying that it is a recognition of his hard work as well as support to TB control efforts / ending TB epidemics in Nigeria and globally.