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Govts, Organisations Urged To Include Persons With Albinism In Intervention Programmes

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By Joseph Ebi Kanjo 

Government at all levels, private organisations and individuals have been urged to include persons with albinism especially women and girls in their programmes – political office; Gender Based Violence (GVB) Intervention Programmes, etc.

Joy Odigie, Executive Director, Initiative for Advancement of the Albinism Cause (INAAC), who made the appeal during a day Sensitisation Workshop for Civil Society Organisations and media practitioners in Benin, said the inclusion will go a long way in alleviating the plights of persons with albinism who, according to her, experience GBV due to lack of awareness about their skin colour.

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INFO DAILY reports that the sensitisation workshop was to create awareness about albinism and the need to include persons with albinism especially women and girls with albinism as well as mothers of children with albinism in Gender Based Violence Intervention Programmes.

According to Odigie, due to lack of awareness on how albinism comes about cum myth about albinism, persons with this special skin face a lot of challenges in the society including decriminalisation, sexual violence targeted at women with albinism, etc, insisting that persons with albinism are just like every other creature.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC Alerts Nigerians On Consumption Of Artificially Ripened Fruits

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“Isolation and expulsion from the community is also commonplace due to the belief that the child with albinism is a curse on the community.

“Self-removal from the community by mothers of children with albinism also takes place in some cases to avoid hostility and exclusion from community members.

“Women with albinism are often targets of sexual violence. This is frequently due to fetishes, myths and misbeliefs that result in rape and sexual assaults.

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“In some part of Nigeria, it is also due to the prevalent myths that sexual intercourse with women with albinism can cure HIV and can confer good luck. These myths continuously expose these women to violence and increase their vulnerability to unwanted pregnancies and to contracting various sexually transmitted infections,” the Executive Director lamented.

Odigie therefore tasked the media to promote interventions as well as communicate understanding of albinism with a view to correcting the misconceptions about persons with albinism and the challenges they face in the society.

READ ALSO: EDO 2024: Oba of Benin Extends Good Wishes For APC Aspirant On Gov’ship Ambition

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She added: “This is important in reducing the violence. The key message should be that people with albinism are humans who have rights, so the whole community should treat them well.

“The media, owe the duty to demystify the misconceptions and myths that have been propagated and sustained in the mass media against persons with albinism. While we are quick to announce that “Black Lives Matter,” we mustn’t hesitate to also push that “The Lives of Persons with Albinism Matter.”

In her presentation, Agatha Osieke, Executive Director, The Women, Youths and Children Advancement Programme, said the discrimination against persons with albinism and non-inclusion of them in government programmes is violation of their fundamental human rights, insisting that they are no less human

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The legal practitioner said: “Chapter four of the Nigeria Constitution on fundamental human rights never discriminated against anyone. Not even based on colour, heath status or biological makeup. Therefore, any form of discrimination against persons with albinism is unconstitutional, and anyone who discriminate against them has violated the provisions of all fundamental human rights documents including the Edo State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2021.”

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She added: “It should be noted that persons with albinism are not ghost but human.

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“Women and girls with albinism and mothers of children with albinism are not different from any other women or girls in the society. (Sic)

“Persons with albinism are no less human. They have equal rights of association. They can also lead. They should be allowed to exhibit their God given talent.”

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‘We Cure Madness With Madness’: Five Things To know About Taye Currency

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The name ‘Taye Currency’ has continued to trend on social media following the Fuji music artiste’s performance at the coronation of the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, on Friday.

Taye Currency, during his performance at the coronation event which took place at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, rendered a line in Yoruba, “Were la fi n wo were,” which translates to “we cure madness with madness.”

The line, which seems not to have sat well with many Nigerians, particularly those of Yoruba heritage, has continued to generate a lot of criticism, with many opining that such lyrics were not befitting for the occasion, which had in attendance dignitaries including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, governors, ministers, traditional rulers, and other crème de la crème of society.

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Reacting to the development, the Olu of Kemta Orile in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Adetokunbo Tejuosho, criticised Taye Currency for what he described as “classless and unbefitting lyrics.”

According to him, the musician failed to accord the coronation its due respect, describing his lyrics as unbefitting of the sacred ceremony.

READ ALSO:Ogun Monarch Slams Taye Currency Over Performance At Olubadan Coronation

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He said, “The throne of our ancestors is not a stage for mockery, nor the coronation of a great monarch a subject for careless entertainment.

“Kingship is sacred, adorned with honor and guarded by tradition. It demands reverence, dignity, honor, class and the utmost respect from all who stand in its presence.

“Listening to the musician (Taye Currency), who was invited to render music before the Crown, as a matter of fact before the entire world, to serenade the audience and sing in a way to express admiration, singing songs like (were lafi n wo were) We use madness to cure madness.

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“Such lyrics were classless and unbefitting of such occasions, it is insulting to the sacredness of the gathering.”

While Taye Currency is well known among Fuji music lovers, especially those from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, his performance at the Olubadan coronation has made people want to know more about him.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Ladoja Crowned 44th Olubadan, Set To Receive Staff Of Office

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In this article, Tribune Online takes a look at five things to know about the trending Fuji musician.

1. Full Name and Age

His full name is Taye Akande Adebisi. Apart from his popular stage name, Taye Currency, he is also known as ‘Apesin.’ He celebrated his 50th birthday on December 17, 2024.

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2. Appointment as Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, appointed him as Special Adviser on Culture and Tourism in 2019 during the governor’s first tenure.

READ ALSO:Olubadan Unveils Economic Plan For Ibadanland

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3. Father of a Lawmaker

In 2019, Taye Currency’s son, Yusuf Oladeni Adebisi, was elected into the Oyo State House of Assembly to represent Ibadan South-West Constituency 1, which earned Taye Currency another nickname, ’Baba Honorable’ (Honourable’s father). He was re-elected in 2023 as a lawmaker on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

4. Financial Setback

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In April 2025, Taye Currency publicly lamented that he lost N10 million to CBEX, a crypto/investment scheme many now regard as a collapsed Ponzi platform. He explained that he was convinced to invest by close associates, only to see the scheme crumble shortly after.

5. Affiliation with Pasuma

Taye Currency has often maintained that although he never learnt Fuji music from his senior colleague, Wasiu Alabi Odetona, popularly known as Pasuma, whom he first met in 1993, he still considers him a boss.

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JUST IN: PENGASSAN Strike May Trigger Nationwide Blackout, Thermal Plants Shut Down

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Nigerians may face a nationwide blackout from Monday as power generation companies have raised the alarm over an imminent shutdown of thermal plants following directives from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of the Association of Power Generating Companies, Joy Ogaji, raised the alarm over the imminent blackout in a WhatsApp message on Sunday.

She revealed that gas suppliers had issued notices to halt supply to thermal power stations in line with PENGASSAN’s strike resolution.

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READ ALSO:Why We Rejected Govt’s Plan To Sell Assets – PENGASSAN President

Good day, all. Thermal GenCos have received notification from our gas suppliers to shut down our thermal power plants following directives from PENGASSAN. The Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company has specifically requested GenCos to comply,” Ogaji said in the post.

She warned that the development could plunge the country into darkness, as hydroelectric dams alone cannot sustain the national grid.

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Please all be notified of the imminent darkness, as hydros alone cannot sustain the system,” she added.

READ ALSO:PENGASSAN Shuts OML-18 Over Labour Dispute With NNPC Subsidiary

The warning comes hours after PENGASSAN announced that it would commence a nationwide strike on Monday to protest the dismissal of over 800 workers at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

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The oil workers’ union, after an emergency National Executive Council meeting on Saturday, directed its members in all oil and gas installations to down tools until the sackings were reversed.

The action could cripple crude production, fuel supply, gas distribution and now electricity generation, worsening the hardship faced by Nigerians.

With thermal stations accounting for more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity supply, industry experts say the shutdown will trigger widespread outages, stretch hydro plants beyond capacity and heighten the risk of a nationwide system collapse.

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Customs Launches One-stop-shop To Cut Cargo Clearance To 48 Hours

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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has officially introduced its ‘One-Stop-Shop (OSS)’ initiative aimed at reducing cargo clearance time to 48 hours.

NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Maiwada said the initiative was unveiled recently during a meeting between NCS management and Customs Area Controllers, chaired by the Comptroller-General (C-G), Adewale Adeniyi, in Abuja.

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He said the meeting deliberated on the service’s modernisation agenda and the role of leadership in driving reforms across commands.

READ ALSO:10 Things Candidates Should Know About Customs Recruitment CBT Exams

Maiwada quoted the C-G as describing the OSS as a “transformative shift” which aligned with global best practices and the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy.

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Adeniyi said the reform was designed to sanitise operations, reduce duplication of efforts and ensure predictability in customs procedures.

The OSS initiative will not only shorten clearance time from 21 days to 48 hours, but it will also strengthen trader confidence, restore transparency and make our operations more business-friendly,” Adeniyi said.

The C-G acknowledged the role of technology in customs operations but also emphasised the importance of physical engagement with officers.

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READ ALSO:Customs Seize N905m Rolls Royce, Other Contrabands In Ogun

As much as technology has helped us, it has its limits. There are moments when physical presence, coming together under one roof, adds weight and value to our deliberations,” he said.

The NCS boss said the reform would be piloted at Apapa, Tin Can Island and Onne Ports before being rolled out nationwide.

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He added that the initiative was constitutionally supported by the NCS Act 2023 and aligned with the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

This is not just a policy. It is a statement of intent that reflects our determination to build a modern, transparent and trader-friendly Customs Service,” he said.

READ ALSO:Customs Intercepts N5.1b Illicit Drugs From India, Canada At Lagos Airport

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The spokesperson said that under the OSS framework, all customs units would work jointly on flagged declarations, eliminating multiple checks and reducing delays.

According to him, consignments cleared under the OSS will not be subject to re-interception, thereby reducing costs and enhancing trade facilitation.

He said the meeting also provided a platform to review the NCS accountability framework, including a new central dashboard that tracks clearance times, interventions and stakeholder satisfaction.

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