National News
ECOWAS COURT AND UNHCR UNVEIL JOINT WORKPLAN FOR 2025
ECOWAS COURT AND UNHCR UNVEIL JOINT WORKPLAN FOR 2025
By: Michael Mike
The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Abuja Office, on February 7, 2025, held a coordination meeting at the Headquarters of the Court in Abuja, Nigeria to finalise and adopt a joint workplan for 2025.
The Collaboration, rooted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in July 2022, is aimed at strengthening key areas including refugee protection, statelessness, judicial capacity-building, human rights across the ECOWAS region.
The meeting opened with a review of the 2024 joint workplan, which allowed both institutions to evaluate its success and ensure it met their mutual goals. Following the assessment, the Court and the UNHCR presented and officially adopted the 2025 workplan, reinforcing their continued partnership in tackling the challenges faced by displaced persons and stateless individuals.
Key to the discussions were the proposed initiatives for the year, which include partnership coordination meetings, capacity-building initiatives, legal awareness campaigns, and joint advocacy activities. The adoption of the 2025 workplan reinforces the shared commitment of the ECOWAS Court and UNHCR to promoting access to justice and enhancing legal protections for vulnerable populations particularly displaced persons and stateless individuals in West Africa.
Highlights of the 2025 joint workplan include:
- Partnership Coordination Meetings: Regular bi-monthly meetings to monitor the implementation of joint activities and share updates on court cases relevant to UNHCR’s mandate.
- Statelessness Initiatives: Support for the implementation of international and regional instruments on statelessness, including a regional training course in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and an annual coordination meeting for statelessness focal points.
- Capacity Building and Sensitization: Joint awareness campaigns in ECOWAS Member States, training sessions for legal practitioners, and consultations on a moot court programme designed by the ECOWAS Court.
- Humanitarian Field Assessments: Fact-finding missions to refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to gain firsthand insights into the humanitarian situation in the region.
- Judicial and Legal Framework Support: Information sessions for UNHCR country offices, NGOs, and partners on the mandate and procedures of the ECOWAS Court, as well as the development of a roster of lawyers for capacity building initiatives.
- Resource Support: Legal resources including donation of legal books to the ECOWAS Court Library and specialised training for Court staff on refugee and international humanitarian law.
Dr Yaouza Ouro-Sama, Chief Registrar of the Court, and Mr Hervé Kuate, UNHCR Senior Liaison Adviser, ECOWAS/ECCAS, both reaffirmed their commitment to working together to protect the rights of displaced persons and stateless individuals across West Africa.
The adoption of the 2025 joint workplan marks another milestone in their shared mission to provide legal protection and assistance to vulnerable populations in the region. The meeting was attended by participants from various departments within the ECOWAS Court and UNHCR. - ECOWAS COURT AND UNHCR UNVEIL JOINT WORKPLAN FOR 2025
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Four Nigerian soldiers have sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba State.
The accident occurred on Thursday while the troops were moving across the mountainous terrain of the area, Zagazola reports.
The Emir of Mambilla, Dr. Shehu Audu Baju, was said to have personally joined in the rescue operation to ensure that the soldiers received prompt assistance.
Following the rescue, the injured personnel were evacuated to the 20 Battalion Barracks in Serti for urgent medical care.
Community members and traditional leaders in the area have expressed sympathy and prayed for the speedy recovery of the soldiers, while also calling for the safety of other security operatives on duty.
Four Soldiers Injured in Vehicle Accident on Mambilla Plateau
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), in partnership with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) have wrapped up a major national initiative to support State-led electricity market reforms.
The State Learning Workshop Series focused on Electricity Market Development, Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) and energy modelling software.
Workshops in Lagos, Calabar, Kano and Jos have been successfully completed, drawing participants from all the 36 States and the FCT and setting a strong precedent for what lies ahead.
These sessions equipped policymakers, regulators and stakeholders with the tools to design robust, sustainable and investor-ready electricity markets at the State level, in line with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
Reflecting on the significance of this initiative, the Director-Legal/Head Power Desk at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mr. Chijioke Chuku,, stated that: “Nigeria’s electricity future depends on the capacity of our States to lead with vision, clarity, and technical precision. Through the workshop series, we are equipping States not just with knowledge, but with the confidence to take charge of their electricity markets. The NGF is proud to partner with UKNIAF in ensuring that the promise of the Electricity Act 2023 becomes a lived reality across the country.”
The sessions in the State Learning Workshops covered: The legal and regulatory pathways for setting up State Electricity Markets; Commercial models for private sector investment; Integration of State plans into Nigeria’s National IRP;
Practical training on the software platform for energy modelling.
The initiative drew from lessons learned in the course of UKNIAF’s work supporting the Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Oyo State Governments—early movers in electricity market development—in setting up their markets.
It also drew from experience gained in the course of UKNIAF providing technical support to the Federal Ministry of Power in drafting both the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Nigeria’s first National Integrated Resource Plan, both of which were approved very recently.
With States now empowered by the Electricity Act 2023, this series is a timely and strategic effort to ensure capacity, coordination, and sustainability in Nigeria’s decentralised energy landscape.
UKNIAF, NGF Advance Electricity Reform with Nationwide Workshop Series
Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have killed three persons and injured three others in an attack on Galadi town, Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara.
Sources confirmed the incident saying the attack occurred at about 10:50 p.m. on Aug. 27.
The sources said the bandits stormed the town, shooting sporadically, which resulted in the deaths and injuries.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilised to the scene. The corpses and injured victims were evacuated to Galadi Primary Health Care Centre for autopsy and treatment.
Meanwhile, a manhunt for the fleeing culprits has been intensified, as the bandits escaped before the arrival of the joint forces,” the sources said.
Three killed, others injured in bandits’ attack on Zamfara community
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