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Insurgency: Omo-Agege Advocates Trauma-informed Education For Children

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2021

Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, has said trauma-informed education will help children recover from the menace of insurgency, banditry, brigandage and other social vices bedeviling the country.

He spoke at the International Conference of the Association of Professional Counsellors in Nigeria (APROCON) in Abuja on Tuesday.

He described the theme of the event, ‘Trauma informed Education in Nigeria’ as apt, as it is coming at a time the country is faced with challenges of insecurity.

Represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Ms Lara Owoeye-Wise, Senator Omo-Agege said: “In recent times, trauma-informed education has become recognised in many nations that are forward looking and moving with the times.

“This has been made even more relevant, given the ever increasing tension spots in the world. Countries, especially in Africa; particularly sub-Saharan and the Sahel region have become hot spots of terror and all the trauma that go with it.

“Little wonder Trauma-Informed Counseling Interventions for IDPs is part of your sub-theme this year. This is no doubt in recognition of the fact that a lot of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are driven by events that create these IDPs.

As we know, in the past 12 years, Nigeria has been battling in many fronts against insurgency, banditry, brigandage and other sundry violent maladies that have impacted negatively on many children, further driving the need for us to take this form of special education more seriously.

“But beyond that, we as a people, have also been confronted by other growing events that underline social disorders in the system. For instance, not long ago the newspapers were awash with the growing concern that more marriages were tending towards failing than succeeding when they reported the alarming numbers of divorce cases in Lagos and Abuja courts.

“No doubt, such a scenario where families are dislocated, has an adverse effect on the children, particularly the young ones, of such homes. What we have ultimately would be subtle trauma, especially psychological that manifest in many ways. These may include withdrawal syndrome on the part of such children, peer ridicule, stigmatisation and even victimization, bullying sometimes and even rejection. At the end we find that such children would begin to tend towards falling into the “special needs” category, and needing special education techniques, methodology and methods.

“Another factor that causes subtle trauma is the generally growing gap between the rich and the poor; a situation that is fast becoming a serious issue in these sub-Saharan African countries referred to earlier. This is why Nigeria has taken the initiative to put programmes in place to lift 100 million people out of poverty in the next ten years. Studies have shown that when a child feels threatened by extreme social or economic conditions such as poverty, there is a range of traumatic events he or she is highly susceptible to”.

He threw his weight behind the group’s bid for a legislative framework to professionalise Counselling in Nigeria.

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12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

22 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

22 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

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Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

22 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP