National News
IOM, Northeast Govs to Build Permanent Homes For Displaced Persons

IOM, Northeast Govs to Build Permanent Homes For Displaced Persons
By: Michael Mike
Governors of the northeast states have agreed to continue the partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an agency of United Nations, and other stakeholders to build more houses for people who were displaced from their homes following the prolonged Boko Haram insurgency.
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, made the commitment on behalf of his two colleagues, whose states of Adamawa and Yobe along with his state were the most affected by the insurgency.
Zulum, in his remarks during the presentation of awards to winners of the inaugural Housing Design Competition tagged “Home After Crisis” in Abuja on Thursday, said the states were ready for the collaboration to get those affected by the crisis get a place they can truly call home.

The governor told reporters in an interview that the security situation in his state has improved by 90%, adding that there are many safe areas to construct more affordable housing units for the displaced person.
He said the governors of the northeast states “will provide the political leadership to partner with the IOM and the other organisations to build more homes for displaced communities.”
Zulum while commending the IOM, which has so far constructed housing units to accommodate 9,000 people in the region, stressed that the effort is aimed at restoring dignity and stability to those that went “through unimaginable hardship.”
On his part, the IOM Chief of Mission to Nigeria, Laurent De Boeck, in his address said the aim of the project is to deliver life-saving responses that support the transition of vulnerable communities out of humanitarian assistance and towards development programmes.
He said: “Since 2015, the northeast of Nigeria has faced escalating violence, leading to an unprecedented housing emergency. As of 2023, an estimated 3.5 million people had lost their homes or lived in precarious conditions.
“Nigeria currently experiences an acute housing deficit, estimated at around 23 million, requiring the construction of one million housing units annually for the next 20 years. At the IOM, we commit to support the government and the people of Nigeria to increase the current production rate of housing construction with the private sector.”
He noted that to address this, IOM Nigeria is actively working to overcome the shelter emergency with a durable housing strategy, adding that the objective is to move beyond merely providing housing units and embrace the concepts of providing a home in line with the IOM Strategy for Nigeria 2023-2027.
The “Home After Crisis” brought together 1600 designers, architects and engineers from across 100 countries and a quarter of them were Nigerians. The experts have developed 250 design proposals for low-cost and innovative housing.
The Housing competition targeted the housing challenges linked to Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and aim to provide access to affordable housing units, built with the goal of delivering climate-proof housing with local materials.
Laurent De Boeck said: “It paves the way to engage the world in addressing these challenges. They provide a route towards integrating development programmes with humanitarian response. Above all, it is crucial that it ensures that No One is Left Behind, as we transition away from crises where safety and conditions prevail.
“It provides those affected by displacement with a home that is integrated with their natural environment and the stepping stones to engage with local and national development plans. It respects the culture and the social fabric which makes the society a safe haven, where communities live peacefully together, linking generations, persons interacting with each other,” he said.
IOM Strategy for Nigeria 2023-2027 emphasizes that “Nigeria’s overall strategic objective is to support the Government of Nigeria and relevant actors in governing migration effectively to maximize its positive impact while minimizing its potential costs on all migrants and society”.
The 2023 “Home After Crisis” design competition, funded by the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF), produced three main winners( First, Second and Third) and others who went home with cash prizes totaling 12,000 Euros.
The First Prize of 5,000 Euros went to the group that designed ‘New Home New Beginning’ the second prize of 3,000 Euros went to the group that designed ‘Zuhura Zuhair’ while the third prize of 2,000 Euros went to the group that designed ‘Homing Scheme’.
IOM, Northeast Govs to Build Permanent Homes For Displaced Persons
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
-
News1 year ago
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions3 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year ago
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns1 year ago
Army University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year ago
A History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions1 year ago
Tinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics10 months ago
Kashim Shettima: Of Sentiments, Their Opinions, and the 21 billion Naira VP’s Official Resident