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Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites

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Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites

By: Michael Mike

Scavengers activities have been restricted in and around the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to dumpsites as they have been warned against moving around either during the day or at night in the city.

The present ban followed the criminal activities of some scavengers popularly known as ‘baba nbolas’ in the area.

They have been alleged to be involved in carting away critical infrastructure especially manholes from the expressways in the city.

Parading 36 scavengers who were arrested with dangerous weapons and vandalized items, the Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Dr Olusola Odumosu, said scavengers who roam the streets of FCT, indiscriminately, perpetrate all forms of criminal activities under the guise of scavenging.

According to him, the move by the FCT Administration was necessitated by the need to nip vandalism of public infrastructure such as manhole covers, streetlights, solar panels, armoured cables, and so on, in the bud.

Items recovered from the 36 suspects include four daggers, three jack knives, two chisels, three knives, two pinches and 10 bottles of codeine syrup.

Others are 45 wraps of indian hemps, thrash bags, pieces of iron rods and narcotic drugs.

The scavengers, he explained, go about the nooks and crannies of the city and satellite towns; house-to-house, estate-to-estate, scavenging for plastics, scrap metals and irons.

He said: “But from previous arrests, interrogations and investigations, we have realised that their real business is to vandalise and remove our road infrastructure such as: manhole covers, flood drain covers, streetlights, armoured cables, rail sleepers, iron rods for bridge enforcement and the likes, which would fetch them good money.

“The public also needs to know that some ‘Baba Nbolas’ now disguise to rob innocent commuters and bystanders as they go about with dangerous weapons to attack and disposes them of their personal belongings especially at night. Our record shows that many who dared to challenge them in the past had met their untimely deaths while others are maimed in various parts of the Federal Capital Territory” he said.

Many residents of the FCT and environs, Odumosu noted, have experienced sudden disappearances of many of their household items like generators, cooking pots, stoves, pressing iron, air conditioners, compressors, car batteries, security light panels, iron drain covers and so on.

“Scavengers are major suspects to most of such disappearances and they carry out these activities whenever they notice that there is no one in sight, but not without wielding dangerous weapons in case they are busted by the house owners.

“The most vital is that many of them work as informants for armed robbers, kidnappers, hired assassins, terrorists, bandits a#nd all sorts of criminal gangs. Many families have fallen victims of kidnapping, abduction for ransom, murder, assassination and the likes because they give information about your family, the number of children you have, the types of cars you drive, where you work and by extension, keeping tabs on your movement.

“They (baba nbola) also assess and profile you through the kind of household waste products you dispose which, in most cases, reveal your status and lifestyles.

Unfortunately, and in most cases, many of us perceive these miscreants and criminals as ordinary innocent, poor Nigerians, hustling for their daily bread so they move about unchecked and unquestioned by anyone, some of us even sympathise with them, by extending alms to them, whereas, they are responsible for the various crimes happening around you.

“Owing to these revelation and credible intelligence at our disposal, it is therefore imperative that citizens and residents join hands with the corps and other security agencies to flush out these dangerous elements in the FCT by chasing scavengers away whenever you see them in front of your houses, your streets, neighbourhood or estates.

“The public should note that, although, they appear innocent, armless and vulnerable, most of them are extremely dangerous, their activities are criminal in nature and they constitute threats not only to the safety and security of lives, property and infrastructure in the FCT but to Nigeria’s national security architecture as a whole” he noted.

The commandant used the occasion to advise FCT residents to dispose their refuse properly and stop patronising the Baba Nbolas for the sake of their own safety and that of their family members.

Scavenging Outlawed on Abuja streets, activities restricted to dumpsites

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Women Farmers Say Nigeria Faces Severe Hunger with Proposed Budget to AgricultureAdvocate for 10% of Budget to Agriculture

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Women Farmers Say Nigeria Faces Severe Hunger with Proposed Budget to Agriculture
Advocate for 10% of Budget to Agriculture

By: Michael Mike

The women under the umbrella body of Small-scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) have called for an upgrade in the proposed budget for agriculture, noting amount proposed for 2025 recorded a decline of 36.19% from N996.901 billion in 2024 to N633 billion.

They noted that it may further drive the country into hunger and a let off from President Bola Tinubu’s promise to alleviate poverty and hunger in the country.

The group which briefed alongside the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a non-state actor, noted that the country is currently in a precarious situation that needs great investment rather than reduction.

The groups therefore urged President Bola Tinubu to address what they called insufficient allocation to the agricultural sector to address food security and hunger in the land.

They argued that the current proposed budget represented 1.28 percent of the entire proposed over N53 trillion budget.
They said the 2025 budget proposal for the sector therefore represents 36.19% decline. The sector got 2.84% allocation in the 2024 budget with N996.901 billion.

The group stressed that: “You can’t be increasing the national budget and also be reducing the agricultural budget. And we are clamouring for security in the sector.
The government should give more money to agriculture to support farmers, especially women and small-scale farmers. The government should also plan better to make sure that the agricultural sector plans are aligned with the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy.”

They urged that the government should declare a state of emergency in the agricultural sector, stressing that every government pronouncement or policy pronouncement also has economic implications.

They said: “We are calling on the government to declare a state of emergency and also that the allocation for the sector is poor.

“We are trying to draw their attention. We are not trying to put the blame on anybody but the necessary departments that are working on the budget should be able to draw the attention of the Federal Government and say that the allocation for this sector on key farmers that are practising in the field is unacceptable. And that is why we are here to say let them look at it the second time before they do the final passing, which there is still room for that.”

They called for 10% of the budget to be set aside for agriculture. “These are what we are advocating for in accordance with the Maputo declaration.

“So, against the 10%, we are not even moving close. We are moving far away from the 10% allocation that we want the president to even start, not to even talk about more.”

The group made the following demands from the government for the country to be able to address food insecurity and hunger in the country.

“ There is a need to increase the budget allocation to the FMAFS in the 2025 budget of the federal government of Nigeria. This is necessary as funding gaps were observed in critical areas of investment, ranging from extension services and access to farm inputs to investment in smallholder women farmers, as well as in addressing the various aspects of climate change and agroecology that are affecting the optimal performance of the agricultural sector. The need for enhanced funding is also necessitated by the 1.28% of the total federal government budget committed to the sector against the 10% that is recommended by the Maputo Declaration. This will enhance the capacity of the ministry to coordinate and support actions to attain food and nutrition security in Nigeria. Engagement with subnational governments in this direction to shore up their funding efforts will also be essential.

“Whereas every programme and project of the FMAFS should feed into the implementation of the NATIP, evidence from the projects and programme provided for in the 2025 budget proposal of the ministry shows only 34% alignment in this direction.

“There is a need for the FMAFS to ensure that planning for the sector is anchored on the NATIP policy. This will ensure a strong plan-budget link that will deliver on the overall goal for the sector, including attaining the SDG 2.

“Budgetary allocations should be increased and should go to strategic areas of investments which include Extension Services, Access to Credit, Women in Agriculture, Youth in Agriculture, Appropriate Labour-Saving Technologies, Inputs, Post-Harvest Losses Reduction Supports (processing facilities, storage facilities, trainings, market access, etc.), Irrigation, Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA)/Agroecology, Research and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Coordination.

“The allocation to the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) should be increased as NADF is an important aspect of the NATIP and also vital for the overall development of the agricultural sector, but 97% of its capital should not be allocated for the Renewed Hope Fertilizer Support Program. Allocation for capital expenditure for NADF should be targeted to achieving the commitments in the President’s declared state of emergency on the food security situation in the country, therefore should focus on Extension Services, Access to Credit, Women in Agriculture, Youth in Agriculture, Appropriate Labour-Saving Technologies, Inputs, Post-Harvest Losses Reduction Supports (processing facilities, storage facilities, trainings, market access, etc.), Irrigation, Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture (CRSA)/Agroecology. It is also vital to ensure timely and total releases to the NADF.”

Women Farmers Say Nigeria Faces Severe Hunger with Proposed Budget to Agriculture
Advocate for 10% of Budget to Agriculture

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Yobe State Govt. Seeks Sabbatical, Exchange Programmes in Moroccan University

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Yobe State Govt. Seeks Sabbatical, Exchange Programmes in Moroccan University

By: Mamman Mohammed

Yobe state government has initiated partnership with Mohammed VI University, Ben Guerir, Morocco, to secure sabbatical and school exchange programmes for staff and students.

The state delegation made the proposal on Thursday during a visit to the university.

The corporate Communications Director Lamia Idbilti, said the institution is currently running 160 partnership programmes and would be glad to add Yobe state.

She explained that, the university offers staff and students direct sponsorships and exchange programmes for first degrees, Masters and Doctorate programmes.

Lamia added that the prospective beneficiaries have opportunities to study agriculture, Medical Sciences, Computer Engineering, Architecture, Green technology, Humanity and Hospitality among others.

The Director said the partnership would also benefit the state in Science Energy and Nano Engineering to develop green energy.

“As a developing economy, Yobe State has to start investing in this regard because it is the issue of the moment that needs proactive measure”.

Baba Malam Wali, Secretary to the State Government and head of the delegation, said Yobe state government would explore the opportunity to support staff of higher institutions in the state to enjoy sabbatical programmes in the University.

“Government would strive to meet the required conditions for our lecturers to go on sabbatical and for the students to enjoy the exchange and sponsorship programmes” he said.

The state Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Mohammed Bello Kawuwa, described the partnership as an excellent opportunity for capacity building of our staff and students.

“These are mostly entrepreneurial courses that are marketable with Prospects for direct employment generation and wealth Creation” Prof. Kawuwa said.

Alh. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara- Gombe, Chief Executive Officer of the consulting firm, African Network Center, said the firm was moving ahead of time to complete the partnership procedures.

“We have no time to waste, we are moving fast to solidify the dialogue to set the partnership in motion.

“It is the ambition of all parties to see that this partnership materialises in earnest to secure the admission for both the staff and students to commence the programmes” Ahmed said.

Yobe State Govt. Seeks Sabbatical, Exchange Programmes in Moroccan University

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EU Funds Programmes to Develop Competencies, Politics

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EU Funds Programmes to Develop Competencies, Politics

By: Michael Mike

The European Union (EU) is complementing the efforts of the Nigerian government to improve and strengthen democracy across the country by supporting programmes that build the capacity of young people in politics and governance.

The E.U. through the Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme has funded the Yiaga Africa’s Constituency Office Internship Programme.

According to a statement on Saturday, the 3-month programme, which started in December 2024, and is expected to end in February this year, provides an excellent opportunity for young individuals committed to democratic development and eager to deepen their understanding of legislative processes and effective constituency engagement, to gain hands-on experience in the operations of constituency offices and legislature-constituent relations.

The statement read that by placing these interns in the constituency offices of lawmakers, the programme not only offers them the chance to understand the legislative process, but provides an opportunity for them to engage with lawmakers, contribute meaningfully to policy discussions, and be part of constituency engagement.

According to the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Zissimos Vergos, the EU’s belief is that a thriving democracy is built on responsible leadership and active citizens engagement.

He said: “Young people, therefore, play very significant roles in developing Nigeria’s democracy by actively participating in the electoral and governance processes, and contributing to guidelines, policies, and frameworks that ensure free, fair, credible, and transparent elections.

“Hence, it is important to provide platforms for these young and vibrant minds to actively engage and be a part of the country’s governance process. The time for making excuses is over. The moment people start making excuses not to act ethically, democratic institutions are undermined. Rather than criticising democracy, we must focus on ethical decisions that shape its practice.”

Highlighting the impact of the programme in strengthening the relationship between lawmakers and their constituencies, Yiaga Africa’s Programme Manager, Yetunde Bakare said, “The Constituency Office Internship Programme encourages youth participation in the democratic process, ensuring that young people are involved in shaping policies that affect them.

“We would like to say thank you to the EU for the support that we receive that enables us to do the work that we do, which allows us to deploy young people to constituency offices. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the EU and the young people who continue to apply and take advantage of opportunities like this.”

One of the interns, Olaiya Oluwadamilola, while expressing passionately about how the programme has shaped both her professional and personal life, said, “This internship has not only enhanced my communication skills and boosted my confidence, but it has also inspired me to give back to my community and pursue a career in politics.”

Another intern, Salihu Gode,, praised the EU’s vision for inclusive governance, and harped on the importance of mentorship, which she believes is essential for her career development and political ambition. “With the skills and knowledge I’ve acquired, I’m confident that I can drive meaningful change in my community and contribute to Nigeria’s democratic growth,” she said. Gode also expressed her commitment to empowering women and promoting female participation in politics—an area the EU actively supports.

EU Funds Programmes to Develop Competencies, Politics

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