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Be Supportive, Sensitive To Gender Matters- NYSC Urges Nigerians

Published

4 years ago

October 13, 2021

Editor

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on Wednesday, called on Nigerians to be more supportive and sensitive to gender matters in the country.

The Director-General of the NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, made the call in Alkaleri Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi State, during the flagging off of the maiden edition of the corps’ Grass Roots Gender Sensitisation and Advocacy Campaign in rural communities.

Ibrahim, who stated that the sensitisation programme is taking place simultaneously in all the Northern states of the federation, explained that the programme is a well thought-out initiative of the ‘Reforms Unit’ of the NYSC.

Represented by Mr Paul Amoba, Assistant Director, NYSC North-East Area Office, Bauchi, Ibrahim added that the programme was implemented on the platform of the corps’ Gender Vanguards with the aim of exposing the ills of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

He stated further that the NYSC is one of the organizations fighting against GBV and inequality through the activities of the Corps’ Gender Vanguards.

“Today, we are here to emphasize that no individual, man, woman, boy or girl should be denied the opportunity to realize their potential.

“Thus, we are appealing to the conscience of community members, religious institutions, Local Government Administrators, Principals/Head Teachers of schools, Guidance and Counselling Officers, Corps Employers and parents to be more supportive, protective and sensitive to gender matters.

“I am pleased to state for the record that the NYSC is one of the foremost organisations fighting against Gender Based Violence and inequality through the activities of the Corps’ Gender Vanguards.

“The Vanguards, who have been equipped with the necessary skills, carry out awareness campaigns and support activities in our rural communities.

“Amongst other strides, they help in the formation of Gender Clubs in schools as well as provide linkages to victims of gender abuse through the GBV toll free line, 08031230651, provided by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs,” he said.

The D-G assured that the NYSC would continue to work with relevant stakeholders toward the success of gender mainstreaming in the country.

He, however, appealed to the general public to support the NYSC Gender Vanguards through the provision of an enabling environment for greater impact.

In his address, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulkadir, the Village Head of Alkaleri community, appreciated the NYSC for selecting the community as one of the beneficiary communities of the campaign.

Abdulkadir, who was represented by Alhaji Bala Shehu, a traditional title holder, promised that the community would give its maximum cooperation and support towards the development of the programme.

Also speaking, Mrs Dalaki Cynthia, Gender Desk Officer, NYSC, Bauchi, said that the campaign was also meant to advocate for support from all stakeholders to support the Sensitisation programme, saying it was important for all stakeholders to be able to stop all forms of abuse against children.

Some activities that graced the occasion included drama to discourage Gender Based Violence, money marriage as well as the display of placards to condemn GBV by students.

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Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

Published

14 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.

“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.

AFP

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20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

Published

16 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.

The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.

He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.

Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.

Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.

The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”

“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.

It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”

According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.

The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.

According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.

The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

Headline

South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

Published

17 hours ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.

The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.

“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.

Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.

The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.

South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

AFP