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NHRC Insists Violation of Human Rights by Military in the Northeast must be Punished

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NHRC Insists Violation of Human Rights by Military in the Northeast must be Punished
… Compensations Paid to Victims

By: Michael Mike

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said Nigerians must not lose sight of the fact that significant human rights violations did occur in the ongoing military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast which calls for punishment for perpetrators and compensation to victims.

Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the Civil-Military Forum on the Recommendations and Findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in North-East Nigeria, the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Salamatu Husseini Suleiman insisted that that the military was not found involved in the forced abortion of over 10,000 pregnant women in the crisis torn Northeast region as reported by Reuters did not mean it never violated human rights of the people of the area.

Suleiman, who was represented by another member of the NHRC board, Kemi Asiwaju-Okenyodo noted that the purpose of the forum was to foster an open and constructive dialogue between the Nigerian Armed Forces, the National Human Rights Commission, and key stakeholders, and
work toward implementing the findings and recommendations of the Special Independent Investigative Panel (SIIP) on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in North-East Nigeria.

She also noted that: “The findings of the SIIP North-East, which were guided by a commitment to thorough investigation, impartiality, and transparency, have brought to light serious concerns regarding the conduct of military operations in the region. These concerns include, but are not limited to, the killing of civilians in Abisari, Borno State, and allegations of forced and illegal abortions and other grave violations.

“While some of the most serious allegations, including systematic abuses, were not substantiated by the panel’s investigation, we must not lose sight of the fact that significant human rights violations did occur. The killing of civilians in Abisari remains a grave violation that demands justice, accountability, and immediate action.”

She insisted that: “These are not abstract issues. These are real lives, real families, and real communities whose suffering must be acknowledged and addressed, “ adding that: “The recommendations of the panel provide a roadmap for addressing these violations, holding perpetrators accountable, and ensuring that similar violations do not occur in the future.”

Among the panel’s key recommendations are include Compensation for the victims of the Abisari killings with the Federal Government ensuring that the families and communities affected are provided adequate reparations; the prosecution of those responsible for these heinous acts through a Court Martial and the referral of retired officers for prosecution by the Attorney General of the Federation; Reforms aimed at strengthening accountability mechanisms within the military, including improved training on human rights and the development of standards for military engagement that prioritize civilian protection.

She said: “As we discuss these recommendations today, let us remember that the ultimate goal is not just to address past wrongs, but to ensure a future where the Nigerian military conducts its operations with full respect for human rights. We must work toward a military that is not only capable in its fight against insurgency but also committed to protecting the dignity and rights of every Nigerian, particularly those in conflict zones.”

She added that: “As we embark on these discussions, I urge all of us here today to reflect deeply on the findings and recommendations, and to think about the practical steps we can take to move from dialogue to action. We must be prepared to implement reforms, hold individuals accountable for violations, and build a culture of respect for human rights within the military.”

Suleiman noted that: “Together, we can ensure that justice is done, that victims are compensated, and that we pave the way for a future where human rights are safeguarded in all aspects of our military operations.”

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Tony Ojukwu, on his part, explained that in the light of the findings by the panel, “this forum serves as a platform for us to engage in meaningful dialogue and explore ways to address these concerns. Our primary goal is to bring together the Nigerian military and the NHRC — to collectively reflect on these findings and discuss practical steps for the implementation of the panel’s recommendations.”

He said: “At the NHRC, we believe that upholding human rights is not just the responsibility of the government or human rights organizations; it is a shared duty among all of us. As the National Human Rights Commission, we are committed to promoting human dignity, ensuring accountability, and strengthening the rule of law. This forum will help guide our collective efforts toward ensuring that such violations are addressed, and that we build a military that respects the rights and dignity of all civilians in conflict zones.”

He noted that: “issues we are addressing today are not only about past violations but about ensuring that we create a future where human rights are central to the operations of the Nigerian Armed Forces. This will require commitment, transparency, and the willingness to learn and grow from our past experiences.

“I am confident that the discussions and decisions that will take place today will contribute to the reforms needed to ensure greater accountability within the military and to establish stronger protections for civilians in the North-East and other conflict areas of the country.”

NHRC Insists Violation of Human Rights by Military in the Northeast must be Punished

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DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS

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DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS

By: Bayo Onanuga

We have read the alarming claims of disgruntled opposition figures, some partisan human rights crusaders and emergency defenders of democracy over recent defections of key members of opposition parties into the governing All Progressives Congress.

The seismic shift caused by Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno’s open declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu, the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the former vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and the principal political actors in Delta and Rivers States certainly threw the opposition and their sympathisers into disarray.

While the opposition elements are understandably heartbroken over the failure of their fabled grand coalition to gain traction, we find it disturbing that they resorted to peddling false allegations of promoting a one-party State against President Bola Tinubu, who is working very hard to reverse decades of economic mismanagement in our country.

Contrary to the false claims in the propaganda materials in circulation across mainstream and social media, democracy is not under any threat in Nigeria. Accusations that the administration is moving towards authoritarianism are baseless and exaggerated.

We must add that no policy, official action, or directive from the Presidency seeks to “dismantle democracy” or “weaken opposition or create a one-party state.” Accusations of bribery, blackmail, and the weaponisation of state institutions only exist in the idle minds of politicians and their agents who have failed in their assigned role of opposition and are fishing for scapegoats.

The opposition cannot blame President Tinubu and the governing APC for their poor organisation, indiscipline, and gross incompetence in managing their affairs. It is certainly not part of President Tinubu’s job to organise or strengthen opposition parties.

We find it curious that those who celebrated the defection of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the formation of a regional grand coalition with the sole aim of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election are the same people shedding crocodile tears over Nigeria’s so-called drift to a one-party state and authoritarianism.

While the latter-day defenders of democracy raised no anxious voice against the disgruntled politicians cobbling an anti-Tinubu, anti-APC coalition along dangerous regional lines, even before INEC blows the whistle for party politicking, they are quick to ascribe the political shifts in some states to “bribery, blackmail, and coercion” without any shred of evidence.

Without any equivocation, freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of choice are part of the cherished ideals of democracy. When politicians and citizens cannot freely join any association or political party of their choice or cannot openly express their views, democracy is imperilled. Those opposed to the Tinubu administration should understand that they can issue diatribes, without fear, against the government because we practice a thriving democracy.

It is hypocrisy writ large when opposition politicians and their collaborators in the ‘human rights’ movement desire that the party of the President should implode so they can gain electoral advantage and cry wolf when their wish does not materialise.

We want to state that democracy is not threatened or undermined simply because politicians exercise their rights to freedom of association. Nigerians migrating to the APC and expressing support for Tinubu are doing so out of their free will, based on the belief that the reforms being executed are in the interest of Nigerians and the unborn generation. It is a gross disservice to democracy in itself for these emergency defenders of democracy to delegitimise the political choices of some Nigerians while upholding the choices of others to form a coalition against Tinubu and APC.

Under President Tinubu, democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered. His administration remains resolutely committed to upholding and strengthening the democratic foundations upon which our Fourth Republic has stood since 1999

Politicians changing party affiliation is not new or peculiar to Nigeria. In more advanced democracies, there are ready examples of notable politicians, statesmen and women who changed their parties.

President Tinubu and the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, deserve commendation for making the ruling party viable and attractive to all Nigerians willing to participate in the democratic process.

President Tinubu is an avowed democrat and a firm believer in multiparty democracy. His political activism and democratic credentials in galvanising and strengthening opposition platforms as a force that defeated a sitting President and the then ruling party attest to his credibility as a tested defender of multiparty democracy.

We urge all Nigerians to join hands with the administration in protecting our democracy by respecting our people’s choices and giving alarmists, who draw their narratives from the pool of fiction, a wide berth.

DEMOCRACY STRONG AND ALIVE IN NIGERIA; IGNORE ALARMISTS

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At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

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At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

** Calls for evidence-based interventions, stronger global partnerships in education, health, labour sectors

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for stronger international collaboration to advance Nigeria’s Human Capital Development 2.0 (HCD 2.0) strategy.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to positioning human potential at the heart of national development.

Speaking virtually at a high-level roundtable on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, VP Shettima said the success of HCD 2.0 will hinge on data-driven, evidence-based interventions and sustained political will.

The HCD 2.0 programme is designed to elevate Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and equip Nigeria to face both national and global challenges, including climate change and digital transformation.

The Vice President pointed out that the meeting was necessitated by the urgency to invest in the Nigerian people and by the recognition that true national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

“This meeting, for us, is not just another item on our global agenda. It is a continuation of a journey whose beginnings I had the privilege of witnessing about seven years ago. True national wealth is found not in natural resources, but in human potential.

“We will offer our HCD 2.0 Strategy the political backing it deserves to be the priority of our nation, and His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has never wavered on this,” he said.

The session featured key stakeholders from the World Bank, including Executive Director, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Regional Director for Human Development in the Western and Central Africa, Trina Haque; Senior Social Protection Specialist and Regional Task Team Leader, Africa West & Central region, Tina George, and Chief Economist for Human Development in the World Bank Group, Norbert Shady.

The Nigerian delegation included the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President/ Chair of the HCD Core Working Group, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia and Special Adviser to the President on National Economic Council & Climate Change/National Coordinator of HCD programme, Rukaiya El-Rufai.

VP Shettima reiterated the federal government’s determination to ensure the continuity and deepening of the HCD agenda.

“Government is a continuum. Nowhere is this truer than in programmes that demand patience, vision, and long-term commitment—programmes such as our Human Capital Development programme,” he noted.

He revealed that under HCD 2.0, six priority indicators from the health, education, and labour force sectors have been selected as “quick wins” to guide policy interventions and track measurable progress.

“We have carefully curated priority indicators and an HCD Dashboard to track them. This allows us to make informed policy decisions and measure our progress against tangible benchmarks,” Senator Shettima said.

The Nigerian Vice President also reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to remain transparent and results-oriented to achieve measurable outcomes.

“We will continue to hold ourselves accountable and press forward toward our bold goal to elevate Nigeria among the top 80 countries in Human Capital Index rankings,” he said.

Senator Shettima also called on the World Bank and other development partners to support the availability of disaggregated, state-level Human Capital Index (HCI) data to enable more targeted interventions.

Stressing the need for equity and inclusiveness in implementing the HCD 2.0 strategy, he said, “We are leaving no sub-national in Nigeria behind. Some of the states have already set a template for the others, having localised the HCD strategies to align with the peculiarities of their people while, of course, aligning them with the national strategy.”

The World Bank representatives at the meeting committed to strengthening the bank’s partnership with Nigeria to improve the country’s Human Capital Index and proposed senior-level stakeholder engagement to identify optimal areas for technical support.

There were also several speeches from representatives of Nigerian state governments, including Akwa Ibom and Lagos, as well as representatives of other local and international development organisations.

At World Bank/IMF Spring Meeting, VP Shettima Pushes For Nigeria’s HCD 2.0 Agenda

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VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

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VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

** Says bank has shaped narrative of what African institutions can become

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has extolled what he termed the staying power of the United Bank of Africa (UBA Group) in the past 75 years, describing the financial institution as a pacesetter in innovation, emerging markets and generational ambition.

“Seventy-five years is not something you pick up at a supermarket. It is earned. It’s through risks and calculations, through storms and sunshine, through mergers and acquisitions, and through the brainpower and courage of those who believe in its promise of a new world. That is what leadership means,” he declared.

Senator Shettima, who spoke on Friday evening during the UBA 75th Anniversary Dinner at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, noted that the celebration of an institution like UBA “that has outlived generations and still pulses with the vibrancy of youth” is not something that happens everyday.

He said, “The United Bank for Africa, or simply UBA, is not what it is because of the age of its ideas. It is what it is because of the attention it pays—attention to innovation, attention to emerging markets, attention to shifting dreams, and attention to the changing contours of generational ambition.

“UBA has remained a pacesetter because it is led by people who do not just manage capital, but manage curiosity”.

Applauding UBA for outliving all its contemporaries, VP Shettima attributed its staying power to its passion for relevance, even as he described the bank as a quintessential specimen of what an African institution could become by institutionalizing excellence.

His words: “UBA’s staying power is owed to its pursuit of relevance. It has stood as a reward for new thinking, expanding not just across geography, but across ideas.

“It serves millions, it shapes economies, and it influences the narrative of what an African institution can become when excellence is institutionalised and when well-intentioned dream-makers are in charge.”

The Vice President did not celebrate UBA without acknowledging the leadership ability of the bank’s Chairman, Mr Tony Elumelu, whom he described as one of the finest sons of the African continent, just as he observed that no institution writes its history without the signature of those who believe in it.

According to him, Elumelu has “become a bridge between the old and the new, between the outdated and the emerging,” adding that he “has won the trust of even the Gen Zs, or whatever this brilliant, digital generation calls itself.”

The Gen Zs, VP Shettima noted, have absolute trust in Elumelu “not because of the era he was born in, but because of the attention he pays to theirs,” observing further that he is being heard across generations because he listens across generations.

He continued: “Tony Elumelu is not a dreamer. Dreamers are those who are stuck in the bubble. Mr Elumelu is a dream-maker. He has made true the imagination of those who wish for an empire from the comfort of their homes. He has taught us that it is possible to build without breaking, to lead without losing touch, and to dream without borders.

“One thing that has amused me about Mr Elumelu over the years is that he has cracked a code many still struggle to decipher—the delicate art of balancing the boardroom with the living room, of being a captain of industry and still a commander at home.

“Not many men have managed a balance between building empires and building families, between saving the world and being present at Christmas in their village. But this man, this maverick, this dream-maker, has shown us that you can help move the continent forward without losing touch with home and family.”

The VP also lauded Elumelu’s wife, Dr Awele Elumelu, saying she is not just a spouse, “but an Amazon—a matriarch who gathers the kith and kin under her warm canopy,” as well as the quiet strength behind the force that is her husband.

Earlier, Group Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu expressed profound gratitude to the Vice President while acknowledging the bank’s foundational history.

“This is a night of celebration, gratitude to God and to customers and shareholders who have made it possible,” Elumelu stated.

The Chairman emphasised the importance of honouring those who established UBA’s foundation, saying, “We all today are under the shields because someone planted the tree. The foundation of UBA was laid by people before us, we are only taking it further.”

Looking toward the future, Elumelu expressed confidence in the bank’s continued success, tying it directly to Nigeria’s economic environment.

“On the vision of the next 75 years, just keep transforming our domestic economy as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing, and UBA will keep roaring,” he affirmed.

In his welcome address, UBA’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Oliver Alawuba, expressed gratitude to attendees while highlighting the bank’s remarkable journey since its inception.

“75 years ago, UBA commenced operations at Kakawa Street in Lagos as British & French Bank (BFB),” he said.

The GMD emphasised UBA’s impressive expansion over the decades, noting the bank now operates in 24 countries with 1,000 business offices, over 25,000 staff members, and a customer base exceeding 45 million people.

Dr. Alawuba shared financial metrics demonstrating the bank’s robust performance, including a profit after tax of N766.6 billion and total assets reaching N30.4 trillion.

He said shareholders have been rewarded with a dividend of ₦5 per share, representing a dividend yield of 14.5% – the highest among industry peers.

He also pointed out that the group’s shareholders’ funds rose significantly to N3.419 trillion in 2024 from N2.030 trillion in December 2023.

“The 2024 financial performance demonstrated the bank’s continued focus on driving earnings growth, preserving asset quality, expanding business operations and deepening market share,” Alawuba said.

Looking to the future, the GMD outlined an ambitious vision for UBA to establish a presence in every African country and expand to over 100 countries worldwide within the next 75 years.

VP Shettima Extols UBA’s Dedication To Innovation, Emerging Markets At 75

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