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HOMEF’s Nnimmo Bassey Receives Wallenberg Medal for Humanitarian Contributions

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HOMEF’s Nnimmo Bassey Receives Wallenberg Medal for Humanitarian Contributions

By: Michael Mike

Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has celebrated with her Executive Director, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, on the prestigious honour of the 2024 Wallenberg Medal.

Bassey is the first Nigerian and the fifth African to have received the award. He joins the ranks of other giants like South Africa’s Helen Suzman (1992), Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2008), Rwanda’s Paul Rusesabagina (2005), and Congo’s Denis Mukwege (2010). Bassey’s long list of accomplishments is celebrated as he accepted this prestigious recognition.

According to a statement on Wednesday by HOMEF, the award took place on 10 September 2024, at the Ross School of Business Robertson Auditorium, at the University of Michigan. The Wallenberg Medal is a tribute to outstanding humanitarians who have gone above and beyond to protect the vulnerable and oppressed, much like Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during World War II, whom the award was named after.

At the occasion, the Swedish Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Urban Ahlin, extolled the virtues of Raoul Wallenberg and enjoined the audience to dedicate their lives to the cause of humanity so that they may be remembered just as Wallenberg was being recognized. Other speakers included the Chair of the awards committee, Professor Sioban Harlow and the provost of the university, Professor Laurie McCauley.

In his acceptance speech and lecture title: “We Are Relatives,” Dr Nnimmo Bassey stressed “love, humility, dignity, and respect” as core to his vision of a livable future for all beings.”

He stated that as an environmental justice advocate whose work has been based on the understanding the polycrisis confronting us, we have a duty to always seek to uncover the roots of the crises rather than treating the symptoms.

He said: “Seeking out those roots helps us avoid superficial responses and pursue real solutions, some of which may be unattainable in our lifetimes. One of our key struggles has been understanding the mindset that permits inequalities in our societies. The mindset that elevates might over care and love. The mindset that promotes the individual rather than the community. The mindset that refuses to understand that we are relatives. The mindset that grabs, trashes, and feeds on the misery of others. The mindset that permits environmental racism.

“Understanding the roots of polycrisis helps us to see the phenomenon of expanding sacrifice zones in our world today. It also placed on us the duty of standing with the oppressed to halt the expansion of sacrifice zones in Nigeria, in Africa, and elsewhere by seeking to overcome the energy and other hegemonic transitions that sacrifice nature and are driven by colonial extractivism built on embedded geopolitical power imbalances.”

Bassey further stated that: “Climate action and inaction provide pictures that help us see the difficulties we face in trying to build a consensus that the climate crisis is a global crisis and not a national crisis. It also shows that the world is not yet ready to make the hard decisions by accepting that the pursuit of infinite growth on a finite planet is a false dream.”

Director of Programmes at Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Joyce Brown, on behalf of the organisation, applauded the executive director for his outstanding performance, stating that Dr. Bassey’s exceptional work and contributions have led to undeniable global recognition. It was also a veritable opportunity to showcase the work that HOMEF does and show the key place that cultural tools like poetry play in healing a hurting world.

Besides being an environmental activist, Bassey’s work includes significant environmental books like To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and The Climate Crisis in Africa (2012), and Oil Politics: Echoes of Ecological War. His poetry, including We Thought It Was Oil But It Was Blood (1998), I Will Not Dance to Your Beat (2010), and the latest I See the Invisible (2024), continue to inspire the spirit of resistance and hope in all who read or listen to him.

HOMEF’s Nnimmo Bassey Receives Wallenberg Medal for Humanitarian Contributions

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State Actors Grumble Over Operational Allowances Within the Hadin Kai Theatre.

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State Actors Grumble Over Operational Allowances Within the Hadin Kai Theatre.

By: Bodunrin Kayode

There is a quiet grumble within the ranks of the Joint Security team in the Hadin Kai theatre with an allegation that some forward operational bases are paid discriminatory allowances.

Some sources within the non military rankings who spoke with this reporter claim that their military colleagues in some forward operational bases (FOB) are actually paid higher than the rest of them by the pay masters who are supposed to release these funds.

This has actually led to a silent outcry by some of the security personnel within the ranks of the Hadin Kai theatre who have decried what they described as the unnecessary disparity between their operational allowances and that of the military.

“There has been some underground grumbling within the ranks of the uniformed personnel in the Hadin Kai theatre over allowances and I am talking about the para military and the police who are in the team in this very sector one.

” From our investigation, it has never happened before and that makes it strange and we believe it is not known to the theatre commander (TC) who we all know as a just man who wants all of us to be happy.

” And that is why we are passing this injustice through you people because you are equal partners in the battles we are fighting against our common enemy because we believe the wrong will be reversed as soon as he gets to hear.

“At our own FOB for now, I can say the drilling for crude oil has stopped but we are pinning the ground against the criminals. And I must tell you, the main challenges here is water we don’t have enough water and the food served is not that good.

“we have only been allocated two bags of water for one week in this hot weather and the allowance given is 31,000 naira while the military is 45,000 naira sir.

“So why is there a difference in the money while both of us are working in the same assignment. Before the allowance was N45,000 and was equal to that of the Army but now they have reduced non military to N31,000 and they expect us to pay returns of 5,000 inside the same N31,000” Said the angry operative.

Operatives of operation Hadin Kai are made up mostly of the entire military, Federal Police, immigration, customs, Civil defence, custodial service, vigilante and the civilian jtf.

In spite of all these collaboration among services which includes the state security services sometimes, the war has gone on for almost 17 years with no sign of a true, seize fire, table negotiations or a total end of the hostilities between the country and non state actors.

State Actors Grumble Over Operational Allowances Within the Hadin Kai Theatre.

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Grumble within ranks in joint security team in Borno

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Grumble within ranks in joint security team in Borno

By: Bodunrin Kayode

There is a quiet grumble within the ranks of the Joint Security team in the Hadin Kai theatre with an allegation that some forward operational bases are paid discriminatory allowances.

Some sources within the non military rankings who spoke with this reporter claim that their military colleagues in some forward operational bases (FOB) are actually paid higher than the rest of them by the pay masters who are supposed to release these funds.

This has actually led to a silent outcry by some of the security personnel within the ranks of the Hadin Kai theatre who have decried what they described as the unnecessary disparity between their operational allowances and that of the military.

“There has been some underground grumbling within the ranks of the uniformed personnel in the Hadin Kai theatre over allowances and I am talking about the para military and the police who are in the team in this very sector one.

” From our investigation, it has never happened before and that makes it strange and we believe it is not known to the theatre commander (TC) who we all know as a just man who wants all of us to be happy.

” And that is why we are passing this injustice through you people because you are equal partners in the battles we are fighting against our common enemy because we believe the wrong will be reversed as soon as he gets to hear.

“At our own FOB for now, I can say the drilling for crude oil has stopped but we are pinning the ground against the criminals. And I must tell you, the main challenges here is water we don’t have enough water and the food served is not that good.

“we have only been allocated two bags of water for one week in this hot weather and the allowance given is 31,000 naira while the military is 45,000 naira sir.

“So why is there a difference in the money while both of us are working in the same assignment. Before the allowance was N45,000 and was equal to that of the Army but now they have reduced non military to N31,000 and they expect us to pay returns of 5,000 inside the same N31,000” Said the angry operative.

Operatives of operation Hadin Kai are made up mostly of the entire military, Federal Police, immigration, customs, Civil defence, custodial service, vigilante and the civilian jtf.

In spite of all these collaboration among services which includes the state security services sometimes, the war has gone on for almost 17 years with no sign of a true, seize fire, table negotiations or a total end of the hostilities between the country and non state actors.

Grumble within ranks in joint security team in Borno

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EU Commits €235 Million to Tackle Escalating Humanitarian Crises in West and Central Africa

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EU Commits €235 Million to Tackle Escalating Humanitarian Crises in West and Central Africa

By: Michael Mike

The European Commission has unveiled a €235 million humanitarian aid package aimed at addressing the deepening crises across West and Central Africa, where conflict, hunger, displacement, and climate shocks continue to devastate millions of lives.

The funding will target the region’s most vulnerable populations, including those affected by armed conflicts, food insecurity, forced displacement, and communities cut off from essential services. A significant portion—€75 million—has been earmarked for the Central Sahel, widely regarded as the epicentre of the region’s instability.

Other allocations include more than €72 million for Chad, €33 million for Nigeria, €22 million for the Central African Republic, €16.6 million for Cameroon, €4.8 million for Mauritania, and over €6 million for coastal countries. An additional €6.4 million will support region-wide humanitarian initiatives.

Announcing the intervention, Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, described the situation as a convergence of multiple emergencies.

“West and Central Africa is facing a storm of humanitarian crises, driven by conflict, poverty, hunger, instability, and climate shocks,” she said, recalling firsthand encounters with displaced families during a visit to Chad.

According to Lahbib, the aid will provide critical relief, including food, clean water, healthcare, shelter, and access to education for children whose lives have been disrupted by violence and displacement.

The region’s humanitarian situation remains dire, with conflicts in the Central Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin continuing to spill across borders, intensifying instability in coastal nations and triggering widespread displacement. The ongoing crisis in Sudan has further strained resources in eastern Chad, while separate emergencies persist in north-western Nigeria, parts of Cameroon, and the Central African Republic.

The European Union reiterated its commitment to acting as a reliable humanitarian partner, emphasizing that the intervention is designed not only to save lives but also to restore dignity and hope for affected communities.

EU Commits €235 Million to Tackle Escalating Humanitarian Crises in West and Central Africa

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