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Borno: Stakeholders advocate inclusion of underage in Budget 2022

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Borno: Stakeholders advocate inclusion of underage in Budget 2022

Borno: Stakeholders advocate inclusion of underage in Budget 2022

Stakeholders in Borno state on Thursday advised the government to make adequate budgetary allocations that will ensure underage children are taking-off the streets.

The stakeholders stated this during a town hall meeting in preparation for the 2022 Financial Appropriation in the state

The Town Hall meeting which is the third in it series organised by the Ministry of Finance , Budget and Economic Planning where the commissioner , Hon Adamu Lawan said the 2022 budget will be prepared with ” total collaboration of our various communities demand and inline with our 25 years development plan and 10 years strategic master plan framework .”

The stakeholders also requested the government to prioritize vocational training for the many jobless teenagers and youths roaming the streets of towns and villages in the state. 

“This is very important. We need to give these children also both quranic and western education, lest they become a time bomb as we have already witnessed in the state the ills that illiteracy has done in the last 12 years.” The stakeholders observed 

This was part of the submissions of the stakeholders drawn  from various segments on the society in Borno State which include Politicians, Religious bodies, Traditional Rulers, Labour Union , Women Group , Nigeria Union Of Journalists (NUJ)and People Living With Disabilities ( PLWD) who converged at Multipurpose  Hall of the  State Government House

A retired Permanent Secretary in the state Civil Service, Alhaji Zanna Mahdi who spoke at the occasion stated that the government must act fast to make budgetary provisions to accommodate the needs of many street children with a view of preventing them from any antisocial vices.  

Also Read: Nigeria, Saudi Arabia to Improve Relationship and Collaboration 

Mahdi noted that many Street children who  were  roaming the streets since the advent of Boko Haram in 2009  are now teenagers without  jobs ” neither do they have Quranic nor Western education .

”  These children were between 5 ,6 and 7 years old when the insurgency began but they  are all grown up now and idle. The state government must make  financial appropriation that will capture these children before they become time bomb\

“The government must identify these children in all local government areas, give them quranic and western education and also engage them in skills acquisition ” Mahdi said   

Mahdi  added  that ” most of these children can  be easily identified in many Internal Displaced Persons  (IDPs) Camps while some are walking on the streets. ” 

Another speaker at the occasion, The District Head of Dusuman Community  Alhaji  Abba Kyari who represented other communities in the state stressed  the need for  the government to prioritize  education of the  Street children. 

” If street children are left unattended, it may portend serious security problems to society in the future. ” Kyari said adding  that ” the communities noted the abysmal low enrollment of children in schools ”  

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, represented at the occasion by the Chief of Staff, Prof Isa Marte Hussaini  assured it will implement inputs made by stakeholders towards the preparation of the  2022 budget. 

The government also promised to prioritize the needs of the people , stating that education, health and job creation will be given top priority. 

” If you look at the budget of last year and the year before , you  will find out that Education and Health received the lion’s share.  I hope and pray the same thing will be applied for the 2022 budget .  

“Other critical areas are job creation and wealth creation, because if we have idle youth, youths that are not employed, they are panacea for destruction.  ” He said

Borno: Stakeholders advocate inclusion of underage in Budget 2022

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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