National News
UN, FG Sign Framework to Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
UN, FG Sign Framework to Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations (UN) and Nigeria have signed the Cooperation Framework to address some of the greatest challenges in the country.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale explained that the Cooperation Framework can be seen as the UN’s response to the Government’s plea to support it in addressing Nigeria’s greatest challenges which have been laid out in the current National Development Plan.
He said for instance, by 2025 the Government aims to create 21 million full-time jobs, lift 35 million people out of poverty, and get 5.5 million out-of-school children back into education.
Schmale said: “Your challenges are our challenges, so supporting the Government to overcome these are the focus of our ambitious package of Transformative Initiatives. This is all about synergy, meaning working together in a way that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately.
He added that: “We must remember that the Charter of the UN starts with “We the Peoples of the United Nations”, which means that we must meet the development aspirations of Nigerian people where they are. We must work on translating the general framework into impactful results for people at local levels.”
He explained that: “What the UN brings to the table to address these challenges is its convening power – including providing safe space for dialogue -, its knowledge base, and its ability to attract some investment.
“The Cooperation Framework unifies our UN agencies’ individiual missions and mandates into a single vision. The aim is to bring the full capacities of the System together to better address the Government’s priorities and the people’s needs.”
He noted that: “The 19 UN agencies who are signatories to the Cooperation Framework must work as efficiently and collectively as possible. This will require sharing resources for the collective good and enhancing our role as a go to trusted advisor for Government and others.”
Schmale asked the Steering Committee which was inaugurated that: “the Cooperation Framework is the main point of reference for our duties of oversight, accountability, and guidance.
“With the Committee set to meet regularly throughout the five-year implementation period, Committee members and the four or more Results Groups reporting into it can reach for this document when assessing progress towards the SDGs, checking alignment with national plans, or identifying gaps in programming. To keep us on course we need your steady hand on the wheel, and, in the Cooperation Framework, you have the map of our route.
“As it stands, we all need to accelerate our current efforts because Nigeria is not on track to achieve the 2030 Agenda. After the disruptions and difficulties caused by COVID-19 and war in Ukraine, we need to quickly begin implementing the new Cooperation Framework.”
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Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba said the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework was a strategic framework that would assist Nigeria in addressing development and humanitarian challenges, leveraging UN leadership, comparative advantages and capacity assessment.
According to him, “Nigeria is presently in the fifth and final year of the current United Nations Sustainable Development Partnership Framework,” adding that, “with 2023 on the near horizon, it is time to look to the next stage of our development journey.”
Agba noted that United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027) had been conceived to support the Government and people of Nigeria in their development aspirations for the next five years.
“It is heartwarming to note the extensive collaboration in the development of the framework with valuable inputs from our Ministries, Agencies and Departments, as well as UN Agencies, Academia, Civil Society, the Private Sector, and other key stakeholders.
“The preparation of the document passed through an open and transparent process which inspires confidence and ensures that we are all rowing in the same direction.
“The all-inclusive engagements are akin to those undertaken in the development of Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021-2025) which the about-to-be-signed-Cooperation-Framework, fits into.
“The avowed mantra of the United Nations to ‘leave no one behind’ is in tandem with the objective of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision to lift hundred million Nigerians out of poverty.”
UN, FG Sign Framework to Tackle Nigeria’s Challenges
National News
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria is not taking lightly the shooting of an immigration officer at a Chinese firm in Jos, Plateau State.
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who narrated the story,
The federal government has threatened a serious diplomatic row with the Republic of China over maltreatment of a Nigerian Immigration Service officer shot by a Chinese company in Nigeria for asking for the company’s expatriate list.
Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who narrated the story on Thursday in Abuja at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa policy 2025, said Nigeria is not handling the matter with kid gloves as it would be taken up as a diplomatic issue.
Tunji-Ojo lamented that the development alone is an attack on Nigeria. It will never be condoned.
He said the Immigration officer, who was on official duty, had visited the Chinese company in Jos, Plateau state, to check the list of the company’s expatriates, but the owner of the company ordered a security officer in the premises to shoot the government official.
Tunji-Ojo said: “I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world.
“These officers put their lives on the line. These officers serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and ask them to shoot them in their fatherland.
“It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company, we (Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business permit Nigeria and declare them illegal.”
He wondered how it had become an offence for an Immigration officer to visit a foreign company and demand to see their expatriate list.
He said: “It will not happen again. So we’re going to be very hard. We will not stop your business. We will not overburden your business. But don’t make us inferior in our own land. No, please.
“And we’re going to be very tough on this. Because talking to you, I’m not just talking with passion on this topic, I’m talking with a lot of anger, because that guy that was shot is a Nigeria that we all swore to protect by virtue of the laws of Nigeria, by the constitution. That Immigration guy was not shot by a terrorist, is a father, he is a son to somebody. He is a husband to somebody. That cannot happen anywhere in the world.
“We will not tolerate it. Please, no agent, no company is above the law,” the Minister declared
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar has led a high-level delegation on a tour of UROVESA—a renowned Spanish manufacturer of military and industrial vehicles.
The visit focused on exploring potential collaboration in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology for powering Nigeria’s defence and industrial vehicle fleets.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by key figures including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Presidential CNG Initiative representative, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi; Engr. Henry Oki; and the Special Assistant for Gas Business and Investment to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), where they all engaged in detailed discussions with UROVESA executives.
During the visit, Tuggar emphasized the longstanding trade ties between Nigeria and Spain, noting that Spain remains one of Nigeria’s top trading partners, with Nigerian crude oil exports reaching $3.64 billion in 2023.
He lauded UROVESA’s innovative approach to producing all-terrain, armoured, tactical, and logistical vehicles, and expressed Nigeria’s growing interest in and implementation of CNG-powered solutions.
Tuggar also highlighted Nigeria’s business-friendly economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which have positioned the country as a prime destination for investment in clean energy technologies. The discussions provided a valuable platform for further exploration of future collaborations between UROVESA and Nigeria’s Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) in CNG-powered vehicle production and supply.
According to a statement by the foreign affairs minister spokesman, Alkasim AbdulKadir, the engagement not only reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to a green energy future but also laid the groundwork for modernizing the nation’s defence and industrial fleets with environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions.
He said the promising outcome of the discussions sets the stage for a strategic partnership that is expected to foster sustainable innovation and drive economic growth for both Nigeria and UROVESA.
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
ECOWAS Hands Over Drug Rehabilitation Centre to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has handed over a drug rehabilitation center to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in North West Nigeria to enhance drug related treatments.
Handing over the facility, the Director Humanitarian and Social Affairs, ECOWAS Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, represented by Head of ECOWAS Drug Prevention and Control Division Dr. Daniel Amankwaah expressed the commitment of ECOWAS in fostering regional cooperation and providing technical and financial assistance to member states in tackling substance abuse.
He explained that, the renovated and equipped facility stands as a symbol of ECOWAS shared responsibility to protect public health, promote human dignity, and offer a second chance to those struggling with drug dependence.
He said: “As ECOWAS officially hand over this facility which was funded through ECOWAS own resources, we reaffirm our commitment to expanding access to quality drug treatment services and strengthening the resilience of our communities across West Africa.”
According to him, the ECOWAS Commission, under its drug prevention and control programme launched the support to its Member States to build or renovate their drug treatment centres.
He said: “the project targets all Member States to have at least one national drug treatment centre. So far, 8 centres in 6 Member States have been completed. Additional 12 centres are currently at various stages of construction. In Nigeria, 4 centres have been completed and additional 3 are at various stages.”
He expressed confidence that, the the facility will contribute to improving social functioning, by reducing the harmful effects of substance use, and enhancing the quality of life for people who use Drugs (PWUDs).
The Chief Medical Director Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Professor Abdurrahman Abba -Sheshe while thanking ECOWAS for the projects, described drug addiction and substance abuse as a pandemic that requires the support of the regional body.
He expressed confidence that, the well equiped facility will transform lives of addicts.
“I commend the NDLEA for their efforts in the fight against drug abuse not only in Kano state but the entire country. It requires all to achieve the desired results.”
The Commander of Narcotics National Drugs Laws Enforcement Agency NDLEA Kano State Ahmad Idris, informed the gathering that, the Kano command successfully counseled and rehabilitated over 100 in clients in 2024 representing a 43% increase from 2023 with significant increase in the campaigns against drug abuse
He noted that, the intensified War Against Drug Abuse WADA activities have contributed to the growth in the rate of client counseling.
“As ECOWAS continues to work towards its vision of a united, prosperous West Africa, its efforts in combating drug addiction will be critical in creating a brighter, healthier future for the region.”
ECOWAS Hands Over Drug Rehabilitation Centre to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
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