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Hand Washing Day: UNICEF Urges Nigeria Govts To Invest In Hand Hygiene

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The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on both the Federal and state governments to invest in hand hygiene for improved public health and to strengthen economic resilience in Nigeria.

UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Bauchi, Mr Tushar Rane, made the call in Bauchi on Monday at the commemoration of the 2022 Global Handwashing Day.

According to him, governments, development partners, private sector, academic institutions must join hands to advocate for, and to make handwashing a centerpiece of healthy practices beyond the 15th of October of every year.

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He appreciated Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State for assenting to a bill to convert the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) units into WASH departments in the state.

READ ALSO: UNICEF Seeks More Investment In Girl-child Education

The UNICEF boss said this would institutionalise and support funding for WASH-related activities in Bauchi state.

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He further revealed that Bauchi state was among the leading states in the implementation of WASH related interventions in Nigeria, adding that the state presently has seven LGAs that had attained the status of Open Defecation Free (ODF).

Rane added that UNICEF was optimistic that the Bauchi state government would support the full implementation of the state’s ODF road map designed to end open defecation by 2025, and subsequently contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals related to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.

“To encourage development partners to sustain funding support for WASH interventions in all the 20 LGAs of Bauchi State, we would like to suggest that the state government should consistently release project capital cost to provide WASH facilities for all communities, schools, and primary health centres.

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“The state government should also facilitate monthly release of project LGAs operational fund to the LGA WASH departments by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to sustain project implementation at the LGA and community levels,” he said.

Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Ahmad Jalam, said this year’s commemoration has become more important as the simple and effective practice of hand washing with soap and clean water had been shown to be the first line of defence against the spread of coronavirus and cholera among other diseases.

Represented by Mr Adamu Ali, Director, Water Supply, Ministry of Water Resources, the commissioner said that WASH is one of the key priorities of governor Mohammed, adding that significant progress had been made in the improvement of access to safe water supply and effective sanitation in the state.

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READ ALSO: World Toilet Day: 46 Million Nigerians Still Practice Open Defecation – UNICEF

“I want to assure you that this government is resolutely committed to sustaining and accelerating progress in access to safe water supply, effective sanitation and good hygiene practices for the continued betterment of the lives of our people,” he said.

The theme of this year’s hand washing day is ‘Unite for universal Hand Hygiene’.

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October 15 is Global Handwashing Day, which is a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives.

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Delta-billionaire Lawuru To Grace Ijaw Media Conference As Guest Of Honour

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The President of Egbema Brotherhood, Alaowei Promise Lawuru, is expected to grace the forthcoming Ijaw Media Conference 2025, as a guest of honour.

The event is scheduled to hold on December 3rd, 2025, in Warri, Delta State.

The annual media conference organised by the Ijaw Publishers Forum with the theme ‘Safeguarding Niger Delta’s Natural Resources for Future Generations,’ is second edition of the series.

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Lawuru, youthful politician and businessman’s willingness to appear as guest of honour was made known
when a delegation of the Central Working Committee led by Pastor Arex Akemotubo paid him a visit to inform him of the forthcoming event and his expected role.

READ ALSO:IPF Holds Annual Ijaw Media Conference December

In his presentation, Akemotubo explained that this year’s theme was chosen out of concern for the growing strain on the region’s land and waters.

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The Publisher of WaffiTV stressed that the forum wants to strengthen public understanding, support honest reportage, and encourage leaders to protect what the Niger Delta holds for the next generation.

He addex that Lawuru’s history of service and steady involvement in community work made him a natural choice for the role.

READ ALSO:IPF Commends Tompolo’s Commitment To Security In Delta, Nigeria

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Chief Lawuru welcomed the invitation and spoke warmly about the need for shared responsibility among stakeholders and groups such as the IPF.

He commended the forum for using the media to defend the region’s interests and promised full support for the conference.

Lawuru further urged other stakeholders across the Ijaw nation to lend their weight to efforts that safeguard the environment.

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Senate Recommends Death Penalty For Kidnappers

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The Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, stipulating that an amendment to the Terrorism Act be made to impose the maximum penalty of death.

The resolution was made during plenary on Wednesday.

Under the new law, according to the upper legislative arm, once a kidnapping conviction is established, the death penalty must be applied.

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Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.

READ ALSO:Senate Uncovers $300bn Unaccounted Crude Oil Sales

In response to recent kidnappings and attacks by terrorists, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State.

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Series Of Abductions

Bandits had struck the Isapa community of the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents.

The attack came about two weeks after and 38 worshippers were abducted from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community of the state.

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Terrorists also attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting more that 300 school children and staff in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country.

READ ALSO:Bill To Establish Federal Oil And Gas Hospital In Delta Scales Second Reading In Senate

In the same week, 24 schoolgirls were taken from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State, but regained freedom on Tuesday.

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At least 50 taken from St Mary’s Catholic school also managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held.

Nigeria’s high-profile mass kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, when Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories in the North-East region.

More than a decade later, man of the Chibok girls are still missing.

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FG Threatens To Seize Dana Air Assets

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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the Federal Government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation with the theme: “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services”.

According to him, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.

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He revealed that the Authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.

READ ALSO:NCAA Petitions IGP Over KWAM 1’s Unruly Conduct In Abuja Airport

“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.

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“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”

According to him, “I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.

“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.

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READ ALSO:NCAA Seeks K1 De Ultimate’s Arrest, Petitions AGF, IG

We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.

“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”

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