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NAPTIP: Activities of Orphanages Are Being Investigated Nationwide

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NAPTIP: Activities of Orphanages Are Being Investigated Nationwide

By: Michael Mike

Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi has revealed that many orphanages in the country are presently having their activities investigated for likely child trafficking.

She made the revelation during a one-day community dialogue and advocacy on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) organised by the agency for stakeholders in Gwagwalada local council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The NAPTIP DG said some orphanages commit a lot of infractions that can be categorised as human trafficking, noting that: “We are investigating a lot of orphanages around the country, NAPTIP is currently prosecuting some of these orphanages.

“The agency is witnessing a lot with these orphanages. No orphanage has the right to conclude the adoption of children. NAPTIP comes in when there is an element of human trafficking.”

She warned operators of orphanages to be careful about their mode of operation, adding that Nigerians should avoid adopting babies from such homes.

In February, the federal capital territory administration sealed the Priesthood Orphanage in Karon Majigi village, Abuja, for allegedly trafficking 23 children whose ages range from one to 14 years.

The children, who were rescued from the orphanage, were alleged to have been trafficked from Plateau State.

The NAPTIP head also condemned the act of child molestation, lamenting that it has become a rampant issue facing the young one today.

She said: “Issues of sexual and gender based violence happens mostly at the community level and we must all create solutions that deals directly with this problems and the solutions can only come from you as stakeholders. The grievous offenses like, infliction of injury, female genital mutilation should not be settled at the community level. These are very serious offenses that deserves legal action and settling this kind of issues at the community level is just blatant injustice to the victim”.

She added that: “So protecting offenders, intimidating witnesses, hinders justice and leads to a lot of withdrawal of cases. also notes that it is a serious crime to tamper with evidence. You tamper with evidence that can help law enforcement investigations, intimidation, threats, blackmailing, or when you give the witness money. All these are serious offenses that someone can be arrested for, It is also a crime to obstruct any law enforcement officers from doing their job”.

Earlier, the Chairman of Gwagwalada area council, Alhaji Abubakar Jibrin Giri speaking to at the event said: “One of the major problems we have in our society today is gender based violence in Which has become a phenomenon in our society. And thank God that people are coming in to join hands with the governments to see how we can eradicate or at least bring to the minimum the menace in society.”

He added that: “Our youth is our future leaders, and the way we take care of them is how they will be tomorrow.”

NAPTIP: Activities of Orphanages Are Being Investigated Nationwide

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At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement

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At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement:

President Tinubu Walking Hand In Hand With Nigerians Through Critical Reforms, Says VP Shettima

  • Adds: Administration prioritising dialogue, flexibility in tax reforms, fuel subsidy removal, others

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said that instead of governing Nigeria from a distance, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is walking hand in hand with the people through critical national reforms.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration to inclusive governance and responsive policymaking rooted in wide-ranging public engagement and empathy.

Senator Shettima, who stated this on Tuesday in Kaduna at a 2-day interactive session on Government – Citizens Engagement, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, said the Nigerian leader has demonstrated time and again that his administration is “neither crafting policy in solitude nor assuming that technocracy alone delivers results.”

Represented by the Special Adviser to The President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, the Vice President, declared that the Tinubu administration is convening conversations and institutionalising listening.

“It is always a privilege to gather under the luminous legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello; his memory reminds us that leadership is not simply about occupying office, but about shouldering the burden of service. What we nurture today is not just a government of the people but a government with the people,” he said.

VP Shettima highlighted several reforms of the administration where public input significantly shaped final outcomes, including tax policy, education access, and economic relief measures following the removal of fuel subsidies.

On the student loan law, which was initially passed as the Access to Higher Education Act, the VP said in response, the administration repealed and reenacted the law, “removing income ceilings and guarantor barriers that had become symbolic walls between ambition and opportunity.”

Vice President Shettima reiterated the government’s belief that “no student should be disqualified for being born on the wrong side of poverty.”

On tax reforms, Senator Shettima said the administration established a Presidential Tax and Fiscal Reform Committee, which engaged stakeholders from across the country to address grey areas in the reforms.

“When objections arose from governors and citizens alike, the President did not dismiss them. He welcomed their candour and ensured tax bills passed through public hearings. Even unpopular taxes inherited from past regimes, like the 10% single-use plastic levy and telecom tax, were suspended after critical review,” he stated.

The VP also spoke about the contentious issue of fuel subsidy removal, saying the Tinubu-led federal government acknowledged the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians and accompanied the policy with strategic responses.

He continued: “We met with labour unions not with threats, but with empathy. We offered palliative packages, increased wages, waived diesel taxes, and introduced alternatives like CNG buses to cushion transport costs. We were not merely reacting. We were responding.”

The Vice President said the reforms in other sectors of the economy followed the same pattern of engaging with the people and making necessary adjustments to the original propositions where necessary.

He further noted that every step of the way, President Tinubu showed concern for the people and emphasised the point that “governance is not a theatre of perfection but a process of correction and a government that listens is a government that learns. And a government that learns is a government that leads.”

He applauded the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation for sustaining the legacy of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, describing it as “a torch of civic dialogue that must never be extinguished.”

At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement

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LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

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LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

By: Michael Mike

Liberia’s 178th Independence Day celebration on the 26th of June 2025 served as a powerful tribute to regional unity and peacebuilding, with a spotlight on the enduring role of ECOWAS and ECOMOG in Liberia’s journey through civil conflict and reconciliation.

The ceremony welcomed high-level dignitaries from across West Africa, including the Presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, along with senior officials from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, symbolizing Liberia’s strong ties within the sub-region.

In recognition of ECOWAS at 50, Liberia honored contributing member states of ECOMOG – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone with awards presented by H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of Liberia. Special honors were also given to past Executive Secretaries of ECOWAS who played pivotal roles during Liberia’s crisis, including H.E. Lansana Kouyate, H.E. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, and H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

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GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRFCAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

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GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

By: Michael Mike

From the 22nd to 24th of July, 2025, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DAHS), in close collaboration with other relevant directorates and agencies, the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, as well as the ECOWAS Women, Peace and Security Regional Steering Group (WPS-RSG), successfully organized a national capacity-building workshop in Bissau.

The three-day workshop, aimed at stakeholders and focal points of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, focused on the application of the African Union’s Continental Results Framework (CRC-UA), simplified and adapted to the West African context by the ECOWAS Commission for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the WPS Agenda.

This initiative is part of ECOWAS’s ongoing efforts to strengthen national accountability
mechanisms and data systems, in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions. It is implemented with the technical and financial support of the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG), co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) and carried out with the support of GIZ.

In her opening speech, Her Excellency Maria Inácia Có Mendes Sanhá, Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, underlined Guinea-Bissau’s ongoing commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in peace-building processes. She reaffirmed the government’s support for the WPS Agenda, citing several national policies and legal frameworks, including the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity (PNIEG), the Parity Law, as well as laws on gender-based violence and human trafficking.

Mrs. Cristina da Silva Pedreira, Director General of Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS National Unit at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, welcomed the participants, stressing that the workshop offered a platform for adapting continental frameworks to the local level and strengthening the role of women in sustain-
able development and peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.

She reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to supporting ECOWAS processes in national institutions.

Directorate of Communication
Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Her Excellency Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, Dr. Aishatu Morido Yanet praised the collaborative spirit that had animated the workshop and encouraged participants to take full advantage of the training to fill the data and coordination gaps, as highlighted in the first ECOWAS regional WPS report (2024).

She stressed that the CRC is not just a technical tool, but an essential accountabil-
ity mechanism ensuring the visibility and impact of women’s contributions to peacebuilding.

On behalf of the ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, Program Manager for the Social Dimensions of Human Trafficking, stressed the importance of the CRC in institutionalizing monitoring and reporting on the WPS.

He pointed out that the Guinea-Bissau workshop is the ninth of its kind organized by ECOWAS, following similar initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, Togo, Senegal and Ghana.

“Women and girls must be visible actors in peace and governance,” he said, adding that the CRC’s simplified tool is a crucial step in ensuring evidence-based implementation and monitoring of national WPS commitments.

Speaking on behalf of the German government, Mr. Carsten Wille, Head of the Liaison Office of the German Embassy in Dakar and Guinea-Bissau, reaffirmed Germany’s strong commitment to feminist development cooperation and inclusive peacebuilding. “We areproud to support national actors through the EPSG project. Guinea-Bissau’s adherence to this CRC training demonstrates its willingness to strengthen its institutional response to
the gender dimensions of peace and security,” he asserted.

The workshop, led by Ms Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, Integrated Expert on Women, Peace and Security for the EPSG Project at the ECOWAS Commission, and Ms Edineusa Lopes José da Cruz Figueiredo, President of the Institute for Women and Children, brought to-
gether over 35 participants from ministries, security institutions, civil society organiza-
tions, academia and the media. Through participatory exercises, group work and technical presentations, the workshop strengthened participants’ ability to use the CRC tool and its complementary questionnaire, enabling better monitoring of WPS indicators in line with national and regional frameworks.

At the close of the workshop, five gender assessment reports were officially handed over to the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau and to the ECOWAS National Office. During the presentation of the reports, Ms. Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, the EPSG Project’s Integrated Gender Expert at the ECOWAS Commission, provided a summary of the main findings and practical recommendations for strengthening national coordination and policy responses.

She stressed the importance of transparency and collective ownership, pointing out that the reports are now publicly available via the ECOWAS website, to serve as a resource for advocacy, research and evidence-based decision-
making. Participants hailed the workshop as a timely initiative and called for further training, institutionalization of the CRC in national monitoring systems, and enhanced collaboration between stakeholders. They also expressed their willingness to contribute to the next national WPS reporting cycle using the simplified CRC tool.

The workshop concluded with a strong call to action: to take the Women, Peace and Security Agenda beyond political declarations, towards concrete and measurable impacts for women and girls in Guinea-Bissau and West Africa.

GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

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