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DG Harps on Discipline, Patriotism as TAC Deploys Volunteers to S’Leone

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DG Harps on Discipline, Patriotism as TAC Deploys Volunteers to S’Leone

By: Michael Mike

Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, Rt.Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub has called on the Corps’ Volunteers to always abide by the laws of the country where they have been deployed to serve.

He said it is by so doing that Nigeria as a big-brother country will continue to retain the respect and admiration of their host countries wherever the Volunteers have been deployed.

The TAC DG, who made the call on Saturday in Abuja during the ceremony for the deployment of 18 Volunteers to Sierra Leone, thanked President Tinubu for his continuous support for the 37-year-old programme since assuming office in 2023.

Buba added that the Volunteers were Ambassadors of the Nigerian nation and were, therefore, expected to exhibit the highest form of discipline, decorum and obedience to constituted authorities.

He said: “Just as you have been informed, the Technical Aid Corps was established 37 years ago as a flagship programme for the advancement of our nation’s Foreign Policy goals through the deployment of technical support to our brothers and sisters in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps has deployed over 35,000 professionals and experts in various fields of learning to these countries over the past 37 years.

“The Government of Nigeria places great interest and value on this foreign policy tool. This is why you go out there with our official passports. And just as our Ambassadors, you are expected never to do the don’ts of the country in which you are going to serve. You must keep in mind that what you are involved in is volunteer service. So, no matter the opulence of your home, if you are quartered in a 1-room apartment, do not forget what took you there.

“Over the last 37 years, all those who have served everywhere in this Scheme, have done so with dignity and honour, and nothing less is expected of you. I congratulate you on being successful among the thousands of those who applied for this opportunity and wish you well in the journey ahead of you all.

“I also like to add that, while in Sierra Leone, the High Commission of Nigeria there remains your guardian, while we here are your parents. Whatever you want to do, please, remember to follow the rules in the Country Agreement and the tripartite agreement the Federal Government through TAC has signed with you and the Government of Sierra Leone. Endeavour to study these rules and regulations in order not to fall foul of any of the provisions. For us, as an Agency, we will ensure that all responsibilities towards you are followed to the letter”

Earlier speaking while presenting the Volunteers to the DG, Director of Programmes in the Agency, Amb.Zakari Usman, explained that the new Volunteers had arrived from across the country and had since undertaken various processes in the bid to prepare for deployment. He thanked the DG for his support at ensuring that the processes were easy and seamless.

Among the 18 health professionals, who belong to the first batch of the Volunteers scheduled for Sierra Leone, are very experienced nurses and Medical Doctors that have served Nigeria in various communities and public institutions.

The Volunteers who also spoke to journalists during the exercise also expressed readiness to commit to the ideals of the TAC mandate and make Nigeria proud through hard work and obedience to the authorities of the host country.

It will be recalled that the Agency has since last month commenced the deployment of Volunteers to The Gambia, Uganda and now Sierra Leone. It is expected to carry out more deployments in the weeks ahead to different ACP countries.

DG Harps on Discipline, Patriotism as TAC Deploys Volunteers to S’Leone

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5th ASWAN: Zulum calls for multifaceted approach to address crisis in the Sahel

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5th ASWAN: Zulum calls for multifaceted approach to address crisis in the Sahel

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum has called for a comprehensive and multifaceted strategy, hinged on broader regional cooperation, to tackle the escalating security and humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region.

Zulum made the appeal while delivering a keynote address at the roundtable discussion of the 5th Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development held in Aswan, Egypt.

The governor, whose state has been at the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin, argued that a purely military solution has proven insufficient. He emphasised that lasting peace can only be achieved by simultaneously addressing the root causes of the conflict.

He said: “The crises of instability, terrorism and displacement that plague the Sahel cannot be solved by kinetic means alone,” stating that: “We must look beyond the battlefield. There is an urgent need for a multifaceted approach that combines security, development, and humanitarian assistance in a synchronised manner.”

Zulum also called for broader cooperation among countries in the Sahel region. He stressed that extremist groups and other criminal networks operate across borders with impunity, and the response must be equally transnational.

He said: “In the Sahel context, you cannot address the challenges by just looking at two or three countries. You need to look deeper into the political region of the Sahel as defined by the United Nations Strategy, which covers 10 countries, including Mauritania, Gambia and Guinea, among others. Collaboration among the larger Sahel communities is paramount.”

Beyond security collaboration, the governor called for improved development in the Sahel countries. He identified poverty, lack of education, and climate change-induced scarcity as key drivers of recruitment for armed groups.

“For the last 15 years, we have had many interventions in Borno State, but humanitarian support is not a sustainable solution. There is a need for longer-term sustainable solutions. We received many donors, partners, and non-governmental organisations, but most of them engaged in short-term humanitarian solutions.”

“There is a need for sustainable solutions, including development. The nexus between peace, development and security need not be overemphasised. If there is no development, there cannot be peace or security.”

The roundtable features other African leaders representing various countries, including H.E. Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration, and Egyptian Expatriates; H.E. Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and African Integration, Republic of Mali; and H.E. Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Burkinabes Abroad of the Republic of Burkina Faso.

5th ASWAN: Zulum calls for multifaceted approach to address crisis in the Sahel

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MOTiON Condemns Violent Attack on Protesters in Abuja

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MOTiON Condemns Violent Attack on Protesters in Abuja

…Calls on Government, Judiciary and Security Agencies to Stop Weaponising Citizen Dissent

By: Michael Mike

The Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON) has expressed outrage at what it termed brutal suppression of peaceful free Nnamdi Kanu protesters in Abuja.

The group in a statement on Tuesday, alleged that citizens exercising their constitutional right to dissent were shot at, tear-gassed, chased and arrested, in a chilling display of state hostility toward free expression.

In a statement jointly signed by its Convener, Hauwa Mustapha, and Co-Convener, Chris Isiguzo; the group said eyewitnesses and media reports confirm that security agents deployed heavy-handed tactics to crush a lawful assembly instead of protecting the rights of Nigerians.

The group said security agencies must be reminded that when citizens take to the streets to demand justice, reform, accountability or welfare, their duty is to safeguard and not silence them, stressing that only a few weeks ago, protesters demanding improved welfare for police and retired officers were not treated as adversaries because their demands favoured the same security institutions. Yet this week, citizens voicing dissent against perceived injustice were met with force and contempt. This double standard exposes a dangerous politicisation of the right to protest.

MOTiON asserted that the courts and government must stop framing citizen protests as illegitimate attempts to destabilise the state, insisting that such narratives embolden repression, obstruct reform dialogue, and erode democratic confidence.

It stated that judiciary must refuse to rubber-stamp blanket bans on assembly, and the executive must refrain from treating civic space as a political battleground.

The group said: “We further call on lawmakers to rise above partisan silence and defend the sanctity of citizens’ constitutional freedoms. They must use its oversight powers to ensure that: A public guarantee is issued that peaceful assemblies will never again be treated as criminal acts; All court injunctions restricting protests are reviewed to prevent their misuse as tools of intimidation under the guise of “security”; and Security agencies adopt and enforce a human-rights-compliant protest management protocol, and the Nigeria Police must commit to protecting citizens during protests, and ensure Nigerians are never treated as enemies simply for raising their voices.”

MOTiON said it stands in unwavering solidarity with all Nigerians exercising their right to peaceful protest, whether they are workers, students, retirees, or ordinary citizens. “We will not stay silent while legitimate dissent is criminalised and voices for justice are violently silenced.”

MOTiON is a collective force of Nigerians from mass democratic organisations, workers’ organisations, pro-democracy movements, movements for social justice, women groups, citizens groups, NGOs, academia, students and youth groups, and climate action groups.

According to it, it is a movement of movements channeling shared anger, frustration and aspirations of Nigerians into purposeful action. Through concerted, strategic effort, engaging in citizens’ actions to address and overcome the root causes of Nigeria’s current state: elite capture, ineffective leadership, institutional corruption, insecurity, and the pervasive culture of impunity.

MOTiON Condemns Violent Attack on Protesters in Abuja

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Hunter mistakenly kills woman he mistook for a monkey in Boki forest

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Hunter mistakenly kills woman he mistook for a monkey in Boki forest

By: Zagazola Makama

A hunter in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a woman he mistook for a monkey while hunting in a forest.

Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident occurred on Monday at Basam Osokom community, when the hunter, identified as Otu Goodness Kanang, reportedly fired at what he believed to be a monkey perched on a tree.

According to the sources, Kanang said he heard a human cry after taking the shot and later discovered that he had mistakenly hit a woman identified as Victoria, whose other names were yet to be ascertained.

Detectives visited the scene, and with the help of community youths, evacuated the body to the residence of a local chief in Bansam for further action.

The suspect has been taken into custody as investigation into the incident continues.

Police said normalcy has been restored to the area and the Command remains calm.Hunter mistakenly kills woman he mistook for a monkey in Boki forest

By: Zagazola Makama

A hunter in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State has been arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a woman he mistook for a monkey while hunting in a forest.

Zagazola Makama learnt that the incident occurred on Monday at Basam Osokom community, when the hunter, identified as Otu Goodness Kanang, reportedly fired at what he believed to be a monkey perched on a tree.

According to the sources, Kanang said he heard a human cry after taking the shot and later discovered that he had mistakenly hit a woman identified as Victoria, whose other names were yet to be ascertained.

Detectives visited the scene, and with the help of community youths, evacuated the body to the residence of a local chief in Bansam for further action.

The suspect has been taken into custody as investigation into the incident continues.

Police said normalcy has been restored to the area and the Command remains calm.

Hunter mistakenly kills woman he mistook for a monkey in Boki forest

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