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ActionAid Describes 2024 IMF/World Bank Meeting, A Damp Squib, Falling Short of Addressing Issuing for People Living in Poverty

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ActionAid Describes 2024 IMF/World Bank Meeting, A Damp Squib, Falling Short of Addressing Issuing for People Living in Poverty

By: Michael Mike

ActionAid has said the 2024 International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual meetings in Washington, D.C., were a damp squib that fell short of addressing the bread-and-butter issues for people living in poverty.

The IMF’s forecasts of high debt and slow growth, especially among Global South countries, and its recommendations for even more fiscal adjustments, public sector wage rationalization,and the social acceptability of structural reform are testament to their continued failure and inability to show relevance for the global majority in the 21st century.

The Global Economic Justice Lead at ActionAid International, Roos Saalbrink, said: “We see once again how the IMF is not fit for purpose and unable to offer real solutions to the economic crises they helped to create. The decision to stick to old ways and pursue harmful policies, such as public sector wage cuts, is a blatant disregard for decades of evidence that has shown that this does not work and for rapidly growing inequality.”

He added that: “The IMF seems unable to see reality outside its econometric models. Sadly, the lack of meaningful action to arrest the debt crisis and put an end to austerity could spell doom for the global majority, whose voices demanding a break from the failures of the past are yet again ignored.”

On her part, the Policy Specialist at ActionAid UK, Jessica Mandanda, said:
“It has been 80 years, and we find ourselves, yet again, at odds with the International Financial Institutions, with consistent contradictions in what they say and what they do. What is crystal clear is that the IMF is completely out of touch and disconnected from the lived realities of billions across the world who are suffering because of austerity and bad policy advice.

“The calls for austerity, or fiscal adjustments or restrictions as the IMF is calling it, will increase the burden among vulnerable communities, especially women, who bear the brunt of cuts in spending on essential services such as health, education, and other support sectors.

“In so many ways, we have seen even more this past week that the IMF is willing to let people especially women be collateral in the pursuit of economic growth. After 80 years, we expected the IMF to take responsibility for their failed policies and be open to changing their ways of operating. Their decision to stick to business as usual will doubtlessly reverberate negatively on vulnerable and poor communities, in the Global South.”

ActionAid noted that metrics like Gross Domestic Product growth hide the real impacts of economic policies, as well as in whose interests this endless growth is pursued. It is a continuation of a colonial system enabling the extraction of wealth and resources into the hands of a few, fueling extreme inequality. The increased climate crisis stems from this unquestioned pursuit of GDP growth that is driving extractivism and has pushed the planet beyond its limits.

The Women’s Rights Programme and Policy Advisor for ActionAid International, Lina Moraa, said: “While the IMF preaches ‘reform’ it is clear that they have failed to deliver on this for the past 80 years. The fund is still deeply entrenched in neoliberalism and happy to perpetuate a system that fuels inequality and suffering. We demand a radical departure from this failed model and a new era of economic justice for all.”

She noted that the time is up for outdated economic policies, systems, and rules, that disproportionately impact women and girls. As part of international financial architecture reform, governments must take debt negotiations and sustainability assessments away from the IMF to a new UN democratic and representative debt workout mechanism to function at the Fourth UN Financing for Development conference in 2025 hand in hand with a UN Convention on International Tax Cooperation.

ActionAid insisted that there is an urgent need for a collective resolution to the global debt crisis anchored on debt cancellation, radical debt renegotiation, reparations, and bold action for progressive, gender-responsive, and climate-sensitive tax reforms to allow governments to invest in quality public services.

Global Lead on Economic Justice and Public Services at ActionAid International, Roos Saalbrink said: “The blatant unwillingness of global north governments to change the current governance structure of the IMF and World Bank is striking. The IMF itself also seems adamant to keep the system as it is, holding itself at the center of economic decisions continuing the endless cycles of debt, reforms, and cuts in government spending. Debt cancellation simply is not in the IMFs interest, it might put it out of business. So, we should see its outdated recommendations for what they are; a deliberate attempt to maintain its relevance and power.”

ActionAid Describes 2024 IMF/World Bank Meeting, A Damp Squib, Falling Short of Addressing Issuing for People Living in Poverty

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Govt Namadi Awards Special Scholarship to 801 PWDs, Destitute Children

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Govt Namadi Awards Special Scholarship to 801 PWDs, Destitute Children

By: Aminu B Dutse

No fewer than 801 People Leaving With Disabilities (PWD), PWDs and other destitute children students studying in various tertiary institutions across the country got special scholarship in addition to general scholarships from Jigawa State governor Malam Umar Namadi.

Speaking while launching the programme, governor Malam Umar Namadi at Banquet Hall at government house, said the programme is under the “Danmodi Students Care” initiative where the beneficiaries drown from 27 local government areas of the state.

Malam Umar Namadi explained that the initiative complements the state’s annual local and foreign scholarship program, which benefits over 36,000 of students from the state.

He revealed that in 2024, his administration reviewed and increased the annual scholarship allowance by 150%, ensuring it covers at least 50% of undergraduates’ registration fees.

Governor Namadi emphasized his administration’s commitment to investing in human capital development, particularly in education and empowerment, which are fundamental to achieving sustainable growth and development.

According to him “Education is a key pillar in our 12-Point Agenda, and we will continue to invest in our students, who are the future assets of our dear state, he said.

At the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Student Affairs and President of “*Danmodi Students Care”, Comrade Salisu Muhammad Seeker, explained that the special scholarship targets students studying Medicine, Health Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, and selected Arts and Social Science courses.

“Additionally, students under the ‘Women for Health’ program” , selected from rural areas, are among the beneficiaries,”* he said.. “The scholarship will support them from admission until graduation, subject to annual academic performance reviews based on the program’s criteria.” Comrade Salisu stated.

He noted that the initiative aligns with Governor Umar Namadi’s agenda to ensure access to education for every child in the state, regardless of their parents’ socioeconomic status.

Comrade Salisu further stated that, For the 2024/2025 academic session, Danmodi Student’s Care assisted over 1,000 students to gained admission into various universities and tertiary institutions, with 400 of them qualifying for this scholarship.

He revealed that “Danmodi Students Care” is an initiative designed to support rural and underprivileged students in securing tertiary education admission while providing comprehensive welfare and academic support to enhance their performance.

Govt Namadi Awards Special Scholarship to 801 PWDs, Destitute Children

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Police Conduct Raids Across Abuja, Arrest 62 Suspects for Criminal Activities

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Police Conduct Raids Across Abuja, Arrest 62 Suspects for Criminal Activities

By: Zagazola Makama

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested 62 suspects during a series of coordinated raids on black spots and uncompleted buildings across various areas in Abuja.

Police sources confirmed that the raids took place on the night of April 17 at around 11:40 p.m. Police operatives from multiple divisions, including Kubwa, Nyanya, Kabusa, Lokogoma, Utako, Gwarinpa, and Bwari, participated in the operation targeting criminal hotspots in their areas of responsibility.

The police recovered a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, as well as illicit drugs, from the locations raided.

“The arrested suspects are currently in custody and undergoing screening and interrogation at their respective divisional offices. Those found to be involved in criminal activities will be charged to court,” the sources stated.

Police Conduct Raids Across Abuja, Arrest 62 Suspects for Criminal Activities

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Joint Nigeria–Niger Airstrikes Target Terrorist Enclave in Lake Chad Region

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Joint Nigeria–Niger Airstrikes Target Terrorist Enclave in Lake Chad Region

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Air Force, in a coordinated operation with its Nigerien counterpart, on Friday launched a series of precision airstrikes on suspected terrorist hideouts along the Nigeria–Niger border in the Lake Chad region.

The joint operation, which reportedly lasted for over four hours, was based on actionable intelligence gathered by Nigerien air surveillance units. The intelligence guided Nigerian fighter jets to specific locations believed to be used by terrorists for cross-border attacks.

According to initial field reports, the targeted area, described as a strategic terrorist enclave, was suspected of housing a mix of fighters, women, and children. The location had been under sustained observation for its alleged role in coordinating operations across the tri-border region of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad.

Following the bombardment, over 50 individuals were reportedly seen fleeing towards Fefewa, a remote village within the Lake Chad basin. Some of the escapees, according to unverified accounts, may have been attempting to regroup with a larger armed faction said to be fortified in nearby forested zones.

Although the casualty figures remain unclear, sources monitoring the operation, including Phantom Eye Hub, confirmed that investigations are underway to ascertain the impact and full extent of the strikes.

The joint air campaign underscores the increasing regional collaboration between Nigeria and Niger in countering insurgency threats.

Joint Nigeria–Niger Airstrikes Target Terrorist Enclave in Lake Chad Region

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