News

Emir Urges UNICEF To Use Traditional Institutions In Implementing Programmes

Published

1 year ago

January 26, 2023

Editor

Our Correspondent, Bauchi

The Emir of Dass in Bauchi State, Alhaji Usman Othman has urged UNICEF to make use of traditional institutions for proper dissemination of its programmes.

Othman, also a first class emir made the call in Bauchi at a meeting aimed at addressing health and education related issues between the traditional rulers in the state and UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Ms Christian Munduate.

He said that this was because the people, especially in the Northern part of the country revere the traditional leaders as they had so much trust in them.

The royal father stressed the need for the participants to chart a way forward in tackling challenges on maternal health, child survival and out-of-school children.

“Looking at the successes achieved by UNICEF after collaborating with traditional institutions, there came an initiative to expand the scope of the activities.

“We have six emirs across the 20 local government areas in the state, and next in the line of hierarchy are the District Heads who do supervise the village heads and the village heads also supervise the Ward Heads who oversee the cluster of households at the grassroots.

“You could see the chain of communication from top to bottom and bottom up approach, and this trust between the traditional institutions and the people in the community is so much that they do accept and agree to whatever we introduce to them.

“They have that trust that we can’t do anything that will be against their wish and that will destroy their lives or their means of livelihood.

“So, if you come to the north here, whatever you want to introduce, any new innovation that you have, it’s much easier to follow this channel of communications to our people than going alone to execute whatever you feel like doing,” he said.

Responding, Munduate said it was good to heard, learnt and understood the actual situation from the traditional leaders in the state.

She, however, assured them of UNICEF technical support, adding that each Emirate Council would have comprehensive reports of the locations of every school and primary healthcare facility in their domains.

According to her, this will help in identifying whether there are enough teachers and health workers in the facilities to enable the UN agency to come through collaboration with the state government in addressing the anomalies.

News

Man, 35, Docked For Allegedly Forging Oyo Govt Hackney Permit

Published

11 mins ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The police on Monday docked Mr Samuel Oyetayo, 35, in an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, for allegedly forging the Oyo Government hackney permit and ticket.

Oyetayo, whose address was not provided, is standing trial on a count charge bothering on forgery of the Oyo Government hackney permit.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, Insp Toyin Ibrahim, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 1, around Dugbe, Ibadan.

Ibrahim said that the defendant, on the said date and place, forged the Oyo Government hackney permit and ticket without the government’s consent.

He said the offence contravened Section 467 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The magistrate, Mrs Kausarat Ayofe, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case until June 24 for hearing.
(NAN)

News

PIND, Niger Delta Ministry Validate Regional Peacebuilding Strategy

Published

27 mins ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), the Ministry of Niger Delta Development (MNDD) and other stakeholders in the region have validated the Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy (NDRPS).

PIND’s Executive Director, Tunji Idowu, disclosed this at a validation workshop held on April 18 in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

He said the document co-designed by PIND and the MNDD, will provide the framework for the implementation of a regional peacebuilding apparatus in the Niger Delta.

Idowu, who was represented by PIND’s Peacebuilding Manager, David Udofia, said: “This apparatus will apply a multistakeholder approach, where all stakeholders focused on peacebuilding and conflict management and resolution in the Niger Delta will join resources to ensure the effective prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in the region.”

Mr. Idowu noted that the validated NDRPS document had passed through due process and was very participatory.

“To ensure that the resulting strategy addresses conflict management holistically, we solicited inputs from various stakeholders at the community level, civil society organizations, government institutions, unions, and social groups,” he said.

“On January 23, 2024, PIND, the MNDD, representatives from various security agencies, academia, civil society and multinational organizations, traditional institutions, and other relevant stakeholders reviewed the final draft,” he added.

He explained that the development of the NDRPS was based on a presidential directive to the MNDD in 2021 to guarantee an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

“The NDRPS highlights the importance of establishing an outfit that is not just security-focused but also serves the needs of the people through effective conflict prevention, resolution, and management through multi-stakeholder and inclusive approaches necessary for conflict resolution and management.”

In his remarks, the Minister of the MNDD, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, commended the commitment of all the stakeholders involved in the process.

The Minister who was represented by Gorah Ayuba, Deputy Director of Community Development of MNDD said: “Your inputs are not in vain as the finalized NDRPS framework will be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for approval and necessary action.”

Participants at the validation workshop included representatives of security agencies, states’ Ministries of Planning and Budget, civil society organizations, academia and other stakeholders from across the nine Niger Delta states.

During the technical session, which also included breakout sessions, the stakeholders provided valuable input to update the NDRPS document.

The Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akwa Ibom State Command, Emmanuel Peter, emphasized promoting citizenship sensitization for inclusiveness and peaceful coexistence.

Dr. Emmanuel Maman, the Director of Conflict Resolution, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja, while commending PIND and its partners for its peacebuilding efforts, congratulated them on organizing the validation workshop and proposed enhanced inter-agency collaboration as a panacea for conflict mitigation in the region.

On his part, Dr. Iboro Nelson of Silverline Development Initiatives noted that since youth unemployment was a major driver of conflict, a system of economic empowerment as a peacebuilding approach should be included in the document.

At the end of the validation process, PIND officially handed over the NDRPS document to the MNDD, marking a significant milestone in the process.

The launching of the strategic document is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024.

News

JUST IN: Ikeja DisCo Slashes Band A Tariff

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company has slashed the tariff payable by its Band A customers to N206.80 per kilowatt-hour from the N225/kWh approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The spokesperson for the IKEDC, Olufadeke Omo-Omorodion, disclosed this to our correspondent in a notice on Monday.

According to the notice, the downward tariff review of the Band A customers would take effect from Monday, May 6, 2024.

The DisCo, while guaranteeing a minimum of 20-hour daily power supply for those on Band A feeders, noted that the tariffs of customers on other bands remain unchanged.

“Dear Esteemed Customers, please be informed of the downward tariff review of our Band A feeders from N225/kWh to N206.80/kWh effective 6th May 2024 with guaranteed availability of 20-24hrs supply daily.

“The tariff for Bands B, C, D, and E remains unchanged,” the IKEDC stated.

Recall that on April 3, the NERC revised the electricity tariff for Band A customers from N68 per kilowatt-hour to N255/KWh, saying other customers were not affected by the tariff hike.

Since the release of the supplementary Multi-Year Tariff Order, consumers categorised as Band A have been groaning that the rise in electricity tariffs weighs heavily on their finances, calling on the Federal Government to reverse the policy.

However, while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power at an investigative hearing over the tariff hike last week Monday, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, warned that there would be a total blackout in the country in the next three months if the electricity tariff hike was not implemented.