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ECOWAS engages stakeholders on GBV, TIP protections in Nigeria

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ECOWAS engages stakeholders on GBV, TIP protections in Nigeria

ECOWAS engages stakeholders on GBV, TIP protections in Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has commenced building the capacity of stakeholders on protecting the rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups in Nigeria.

The three-day workshop, organised by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to ECOWAS commission, aimed at building the capacity of multi-stakeholders, senior government officials in charge of International Human Right Law (IHL), Gender-based Violence (GBV), trafficking in person (TIP), media, as well as representatives of Civil Society Groups (CSOs) and other non-state actors.

At the end of the workshop, the participants are expected to present their views in relation to the implementation of ECOWAS texts for the elimination of gender-based violence and trafficking in persons as well as the promotion of child rights and the enhancement of international humanitarian laws.

Declaring the workshop open on Wednesday, the Nigerian Permanent Representative to the ECOWAS, Amb. Musa Nuhu, said that building the capacities of these relevant stakeholders, through increased awareness, coordination and commitment to holistic protection of all persons in vulnerable situations will contribute to the improvement of human security in Nigeria and the whole region.

Nuhu said, to successfully address the concerns: “We must identify the root causes. We must address impediments to human survival and find lasting solutions to dwindling livelihoods as well as improve the dignity of the human persons, first in Nigeria and then, in the ECOWAS sub-region. 

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“It is my view that without a clear and coordinated plan of action, achieving our goals will be far-fetched. Therefore, the needed approach must be people centred, comprehensive, context-specific and contain prevention-oriented responses with potential to strengthen the protection and empowerment of all Nigerians.”

Director, Humanitarian and Social Affairs, ECOWAS Commission, Dr Sintiki Ugbe explained that the advocacy is a new approach of the ECOWAS Commission to ensure a holistic approach to safeguard citizens of member states.

Ugbe, who was represented by Hajiya Raheemat Momodu, Head, Human Security and Civil Society Division, ECOWAS Commission said the policies once adopted by government will create a more precise roadmap for implementation.

“This is the fifth country that ECOWAS is undertaking this advocacy and capacity building. It is a new advocacy binging together multiple stakeholders who share the mandate of creating, and strengthening protection.

“It aims at bringing as many stakeholders as possible that have shared responsibilities to deliver on protection and human security of the individual.

 “It is an intervention that is going round our member states and the idea is to promote and institutionalise a government whole approach, society whole approach to protection and human security. 

“The idea is for us to see protection and human security as a collective responsibility of all of us in our little corner, so there is a bigger picture of what we are contributing to.”

 He added that: “We are in a time where we need to approach human security from the individual perspective, the safety of the individual, the protection of the individual, rather than see it as hardcore, very operational and tactitcal.

 “But the end result is for all of us to feel safe, secured and to know that whether it is government, or individual, we all have a shared responsibility.”

 Ugbe said that the second component of the intervention will follow the advocacy workshop where recommendations from experts will be taken to the highest level of government, noting that for the Nigerian government, it will be taken to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

He explained that this will enhance coordination mechanism where the ECOWAS Commission can subsequently interface with rather than reaching out to individual MDAs or CSO.

Ugbe said that a seed funding for the operationalism of the intervention has also been made available by the ECOWAS Commission which will be given to the government as soon as the roadmap is signed.

In a goodwill message, the UNICEF Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Peter Hawkins, commended the ECOWAS Commission for its timely intervention, noting that now more than ever a lot has to be done to guarantee human security.

Hawkins who was represented by Ms Adebisi Ariye, UNICEF Partnerships Manager (ECOWAS) said that social protection is now recognized globally as a strategy to reduce poverty, inequality and social exclusion.

ECOWAS engages stakeholders on GBV, TIP protections in Nigeria

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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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