News
EU-ACT, British Council Call for Govt, CSOs Collaboration to Create Enabling Laws and Increase Compliance
EU-ACT, British Council Call for Govt, CSOs Collaboration to Create Enabling Laws and Increase Compliance
By: Michael Mike
The European Union and the British Council have urged Civil Society organisations in Nigeria to collaborate with the government in mapping out an enabling environment for the sector.
The National Programme Manager, Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation (ACT) Programme, Damilare Babalola said the European Union and the British Council through the ACT programme aim to facilitate the relationship between government, CSOs, and regulatory agencies to promote mutual understanding, enabling environment and sustainable development programmes across the country
The European Union-funded ACT Programme was inaugurated in Nigeria on September 24, 2019, to contribute to inclusive, effective, responsible, and gender-responsive development in the country.
Babalola said this on Thursday in Abuja during a knowledge share fair with the theme: “ Nigerian CSOs Translating Knowledge to Capacity and Impact.”
While lamenting the gap in the nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, he said: “There are misconceptions that civil organisations are not regulated but the fact is that they are well regulated but there are issues around compliance but ACT seeks to promote compliance “

He also explained that: “We also notice weak capacity in some CSOs. Civil society is part of the mechanism used to drive sustainable development globally. They are involved in policy advocacy and policy engagement at different levels hence we need them to have a strengthened capacity. They need to put the internal governance in place, HR policies, account policy to aid their functionalities.”
He said the government needs to understand the space before setting laws and regulations.
“Regulatory agencies should come out and sensitize civil society organizations on the need for regulations. The FIRS should come out and enlighten CSOs more about the taxes and the consequences of not complying. PENCOM should enlighten actors in CSOs the government shouldn’t make laws on assumption,” he noted.
In his remarks, Executive Director, of Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGO), Oyebisi Oluseyi said CSOs are interested in regulations that enable smooth operations but kick against those that shrink civic space and stand against them performing social responsibilities to the communities they are meant to reach
He said: “We don’t want laws that will not allow us to do our work effectively. There’s a myth that nonprofit organizations are not regulated, but experience from what we have done showed that there are 54 existing laws that guide our operations.
We don’t want a law that will not allow us to help the common man. If government policy is not working and we spark up, we don’t want a situation where the law will be used to arrest us. We also want to carry out projects in communities without government shrinking resources meant for community development projects.”
Senior Director for Advocacy, Centre for Civilians in Conflict, The Hague, Netherlands Udo Ilo,, said CSOs must focus on sustainable programs, in line with the government policies, and will impact the Nigerian community.
He emphasized the need for CSOs to strengthen internal governance and control for accountability, public confidence, and trust. He also urged Civil societies to engage with the government for more understanding.
While commending the European Union and the British Council for the ACT Program, Mina Ogbanga, chief operations officer, of Rivers Network of NGOs said Regulatory agencies should make policies easy for compliance and not make processes unnecessarily cumbersome especially when it comes to registration.
EU-ACT, British Council Call for Govt, CSOs Collaboration to Create Enabling Laws and Increase Compliance
Military
Troops neutralise four ISWAP logistics suppliers in multiple ambushes in Borno
Troops neutralise four ISWAP logistics suppliers in multiple ambushes in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four Boko Haram/ISWAP logistics suppliers in a series of coordinated ambush operations conducted across multiple locations in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources revealed on Monday, that the ambushes were part of Operation Desert Sanity IV/Diligent Search.
The sources said that the troops carried out three separate ambushes on October 25, 2025, at different terrorist crossing points around Kukauku, Delta Company Kawuri, and Alou Dam, all within Konduga axis.
“At about 11:35 a.m., troops of 222 Battalion conducted an ambush at Kuka Uku crossing point in Delta Company Kawuri, where one terrorist logistics supplier was neutralised,” the report stated.
It added that another ambush team positioned ahead of Charlie Company in Konduga LGA successfully neutralised one more terrorist logistics supplier.
“In a separate operation, an ambush team lying in wait at a crossing point in Alpha Company, Alou Dam, neutralised two additional terrorist logistics suppliers,” the sources said.
The operations were conducted without any casualties on the part of the troops, while the four neutralised suspects were confirmed to be affiliated with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The sources added that the general security situation in the area remained calm but unpredictable, with troops maintaining high morale and combat readiness.
The sources further noted that the coordinated ambushes were part of ongoing clearance and interdiction operations aimed at cutting off terrorists’ supply routes and denying them freedom of movement within the North-East theatre.
Troops neutralise four ISWAP logistics suppliers in multiple ambushes in Borno
News
Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme- Otuaro
Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme- Otuaro
By: Michael Mike
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Otuaro has expressed his unwavering commitment to ensuring that more indigent students and communities of the Niger Delta benefit from the PAP scholarship scheme.
He stated this while explaining what informed his decision to expand the scheme and increase formal education opportunities for poor students, and to build a huge manpower base in the region.
Otuaro spoke during an interactive session in London on Saturday with the beneficiaries of the scholarship initiative deployed for undergraduate and post-graduate programmes in universities across the United Kingdom.
The engagement, which was at the instance of the PAP boss, provided an opportunity for the Office and the scholarship students to discuss issues pertaining to their welfare and challenges with a view to addressing them.
Otuaro said that while in-country scholarship deployment was 3800 in the 2024/2025 academic year, the figure increased to 3900 in the 2025/2026 and foreign scholarships were about 200.
He attributed the increase in deployment to the massive support of President Bola Tinubu and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Otuaro stressed that he was greatly encouraged by the President and the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and that he knows how impressed both of them are concerning the PAP initiatives, which align with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He reiterated his call on the students to justify the huge investment in their education by the Federal Government by studying hard to make good grades.
He also urged them to conduct themselves and be responsible ambassadors of Nigeria while in the U.K, stressing that “you will be adding value to your families and communities when you complete your programmes successfully.”
The PAP helmsman said, “We want the scholarship programme to impact more students and communities in the Niger Delta. That’s why we have expanded it and increased formal education opportunities.
“We want you to take this opportunity very seriously so that the government, too, will be encouraged. I know how much support His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu GCFR, gives to the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
“Mr President and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, are very impressed with what we are doing. On your behalf I would like to, once again , thank His Excellency and the NSA for giving you this life-changing opportunity. We are confident that Mr President and the NSA will continue to support us.
“The knowledge you are receiving in your institutions today is to enable you plan yourself and prepare for the future. Whatever knowledge you gain cannot be taken from you.
“So as PAP scholarship students, we expect responsible and good behaviour from you. Government is investing heavily in you and you have the obligation to justify the investment. Be agents of change and avoid acts of mischief while in the U.K.”
Why We Expanded Presidential Amnesty Scholarship Scheme- Otuaro
News
Rumbles in the Borno health sector as workers continue their grumbling for better packages
Rumbles in the Borno health sector as workers continue their grumbling for better packages
By: Bodunrin Kayode
For the second month running some health workers in the Borno State health sector have continued their grumbling over the discriminatory wages dished out to them by the government.
They are frustrated that in spite of their lingering protests, the lopsided salary payment continues among the Borno State Health team believed to be one of the best in the country.
They argued during a recent chat with this reporter that “nurses and junior doctors with lesser certificates and qualifications are being paid and rewarded higher than others just because they belong to trade unions that have perfected the act and practices of trade union melancholy, greediness and selfishness.”
The aggrieved workers who preferred to remain anonymous posited that the Borno health workforce are working at crossroads with suspicion, envy and hatred adding that there is total lack of trust and love among their ranks since such virtues are seemingly lost.
The professionals maintained that Pharmacists, Laboratory Scientists, Radiographers, Physiotherapists and other allied Specialists are obviously frustrated even as they work with deep grudges against the system showing so much apathy to them.
They wonder why nurses and junior doctors with lesser qualifications, experience or skills were better renumerated, given quarters to stay and enjoy other broader privileges while they are treated like trash.
“The leadership of the Health sector made up of three Professors of medicine for reasons best known to them continuously misadvice the highly rated executive Governor of Borno State and have succeeded in reducing the once agile and effective Borno State Health service to it’s lowest ebb.” One of them said.
Speaking further, they regretted that pregnant women despite the free maternal drug program set up for them by the government, they still suffer neglect and abuse by some care givers who are disgruntled.
They added that sadly, in spite of all the efforts of the government, “majority of citizens stay on endless queue waiting for several hours to access basic medical service especially in our secondary healthcare facilities.
“Laboratory orders and medical investigations are conducted by Ill motivated staff with disenchantment.
“Drugs are being prescribed indiscriminately to citizens without drug-drug or drug-food interaction screening and safety checks by certified Pharmacists because of the very few numbers of Graduate Pharmacist Staff in employment.
“His Excellency, the best achieving Governor in the History of Nigeria and also known worldwide should not allow His envious records of sub regional governance job perfection to be dented by bad and self seeking advisers and gluttonous union officials” The concluded.
Borno is suffering from a huge deficit of health workers but recently the Government has been doing all it can to lay the foundation for the correction of this lapse.
Rumbles in the Borno health sector as workers continue their grumbling for better packages
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