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UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall on Saturday led some prominent women activists in a march on major streets of Nigerian capital city of Abuja to demand for the end of violence against women.
The march was part of activities marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV) celebrated worldwide.
During the march which was organized in Abuja by the UN Women in conjunction with Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), Medicaid Cancer Foundation, the UN Resident Coordinator alongside the women carried placards demanding for an end to violence against women and spoke against what they termed crime not only against women but humanity.
Addressing the media after the long walk, Mr. Fall said there was urgent need for an end in violence against women, girls and boys, insisting that everyone needs to be involved in the campaign as it affects the entire human race.
He lamented that the statistics of violence against women is still very much alarming and showed that it needed to be approached with all round strategies that would make people to know its harm and get offenders no hiding place.
Fall said there is still much told be done by government, law enforcement agencies and leaders in all sectors to build awareness against violence against women and to expose it for what it is: crime against humanity.
Speaking on the need to put an end to the crime, the former First Lady of Kebbi State and Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Dr Zainab Bagudu said with the law against violence against women in place, there is still need to fight on until the society shows it does not tolerate violence against women.
She said after the law, “then the next step becomes the implementation and general awareness, the mindset of the average, person from our environment, is that they don’t even understand what constitutes abuse. So we need to educate them, to make them aware, and most importantly, to combine the facilities that they need if abuse should take place, we focus on women and young adolescent girls, but boys are also victims of abuse, and they can turn out to be perpetrators once they have been abused.”
She said “there is continuous need
to organize educational classes in schools and different places, so that we can educate our boys and they can prompt be supportive.”
She noted that there is need for much more efforts at ending the violence against women, insisting that: “Well, it’s (campaign) never enough. We’re a very large country. The population is high, so we know the challenges that we have and different conflicting priorities. So it’s important that we don’t get tired, and one of the advocacies that we do, to call on government to provide more resources, and donor partners, to help us. The task can be quite big, and the police can sometimes not be as responsive as we would like them to be, due to other reasons, but we hope that they will be more acute to the trauma that this causes to women, children and some men when it happens, and that’s why we keep on advocating so it’s not enough. We need to have more. We need to have more action. We need to have more understanding. There are also programmes that focus on educating our security forces so that they really understand how they should be reacting. Every police station should have a desk against gender based violence and women should have the confidence, or abused victims should have the confidence to approach these desks, make their point without fear of stigmatization.”
On her part, the Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, said the campaign was on in all parts of the Federal Capital Territory to drive the message to the grassroots.
She noted that: “We need to keep aggregating and scaling like what is happening today. We need to have more of this advocacy. We need to have more of the intentionality of collaborations between governments and private, public individuals, people who are able to invest and engage not just the interest, but in terms of the action and bringing interventions from messaging to the place of invested empowerment, of the mindsets of cultural traditional practices.”
Project Manager of WARIF, Adeola Potts-Johnson, on her part, said the campaign has been a success so far for it has grown from just being held in a city to many important cities of Nigeria and prominent cities across the globe.
She said WARIF would continue to push the bar until violence against women becomes history.
UN Resident Coordinator Leads March Against Violence Against Women in Abuja
News
Zulum Appoints Prof. Bukar Usman as Pioneer Chairman of Zakkat, Waqf Commission, Names New Secondary Education Board Member
Zulum Appoints Prof. Bukar Usman as Pioneer Chairman of Zakkat, Waqf Commission, Names New Secondary Education Board Member
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the appointment of Prof. Bukar Muhammad Usman as the pioneer Executive Chairman of the newly established Zakkat and Waqf Collection and Distribution Commission.
The Commission, which became operational in 2025 following the passage of its enabling law by the State Assembly and the Governor’s subsequent assent, is mandated to oversee the collection, administration, and equitable distribution of Zakkat and Waqf across the state.
The appointment of the Executive Chairman is in accordance with the powers conferred on the Governor under Section 4 (1) and (2) of the Commission’s Law, 2025.
Prof. Bukar Muhammad Usman, a Professor of Arabic Literature and a distinguished Islamic scholar, brings to the role expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and academic leadership.
He began his academic career at the Nigerian Arabic Language Village, Gamboru Ngala, where he served as a lecturer from 2006 to 2018. Following the completion of his Ph.D., he joined the Department of Arabic at Yobe State University, where he currently holds the rank of professor.
Before his appointment, Prof. Bukar served as Head of the Department of Arabic at Yobe State University and was a member of both the university’s Senate and Council. He also served on the editorial board of Al-Nur Journal, a scholarly publication of the Department of Arabic.
He participated in numerous seminars, workshops, and conferences both nationally and internationally. He has published several scholarly papers in reputable local and international journals and also supervised many Master’s and Ph.D. theses across various institutions.
In a related development, Governor Zulum has also approved the appointment of Malam Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad as a member of Borno State Senior Secondary Education Board, representing Southern Borno.
The appointment follows the demise of Alhaji Ibrahim Sarki in January 2026 and is in line with the provisions of Section 4 (1)(a) of the Borno State Senior Secondary Education Board (Amendment) Law, 2024.
Until his appointment, Malam Muhammad Ibrahim Muhammad was a lecturer at the College of Education, Gashua, and holds a Master’s degree in Fundamentals of Religion.
Governor Zulum congratulated the appointees and urged them to deploy their experience, integrity, and commitment toward strengthening their respective institutions.
Both appointments are for an initial term of four years and are subject to confirmation by the Borno State House of Assembly.
Zulum Appoints Prof. Bukar Usman as Pioneer Chairman of Zakkat, Waqf Commission, Names New Secondary Education Board Member
Zulum elated by Tinubu’s approval of 3 federal institutions for Borno in 3 years
.. Says Borno will reciprocate the gesture in 2027
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving three major federal institutions for the state within three years of assuming office.
Zulum made the commendation on Sunday in Bama, shortly after a sympathy visit to residents affected by a devastating windstorm that struck part of the town last week.
Zulum specifically noted that since President Tinubu took office, he has approved the take-off of three vital federal institutions, including the Federal College of Education, Gwoza; the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Azare; and the Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, Bama.
He expressed delight that the institutions would directly transform the lives of the people of Borno through job creation, improved access to quality education, and specialised healthcare delivery.
Zulum commended President Tinubu for his sustained attention to Borno’s recovery and development needs, noting that the three federal institutions would significantly accelerate post-insurgency reconstruction and economic revitalisation.
“I want to draw your attention to the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, Bama, by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, just two days ago.
“The pioneer principal officers were appointed. This is a remarkable achievement, and we want to hail the President for what he has done.”
“The take-off of the Federal College of Education, Gwoza, and the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Azare, was achieved under the administration of President Tinubu; therefore, I want to commend him and assure him that the people of Borno State will reciprocate the kind gesture at the appropriate time.”
Zulum had last year announced the handover of Umar Ibn Ibrahim El-Kanemi College of Education, Science, and Technology, Bama, for the immediate commencement of academic activities at the newly established Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, Bama. The Governor also approved one billion naira for the immediate take-off of the University.
The Governor has consistently offered similar support to the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno; Federal College of Education, Gwoza; and National Orthopaedic Hospital, Azare, approving over N5 billion to facilitate a seamless take-off.
The Governor also inspected ongoing construction work for the 19 Brigade headquarters in Bama, underscoring his administration’s determination to consolidate security gains and restore full civil authority around the Bama general area.
Zulum elated by Tinubu’s approval of 3 federal institutions for Borno in 3 years
Gov. Lawal Commends Troops Over Successful Operations Against Bandits in Zamfara
By: Zagazola Makama
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has commended troops of the Joint Task Force (North West) Operation Fansan Yamma for recording significant operational successes against armed bandits across parts of the state.
The governor gave the commendation following a series of coordinated military operations conducted in Kaura Namoda, Birnin Magaji and Shinkafi Local Government Areas of the state.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the governor described the renewed military offensive as timely and strategic in disrupting activities of terrorist groups operating within Zamfara and neighbouring states.
According to the statement, troops of Operation Fansan Yamma launched coordinated offensives in the early hours of May 7 in Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji LGAs, leading to the neutralisation of three bandit kingpins.
The troops also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, including one AK-47 rifle, one machine gun, one locally fabricated pistol, seven rifle magazines and 571 rounds of ammunition.
The statement further disclosed that troops achieved another major breakthrough on May 10 following intelligence reports indicating that several notorious terrorist commanders had gathered at a hideout in Tumfa village, Shinkafi LGA, to coordinate attacks on communities within the state.
According to the governor, the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma carried out a precision airstrike on the identified location, destroying the structure used as the terrorists’ meeting point and disrupting the planned attacks.
Lawal said the sustained operations have demonstrated the commitment and resilience of security forces in tackling insecurity across the North-West region.
He reiterated the Zamfara State Government’s continued support for the military and other security agencies through the provision of logistics and operational assistance aimed at restoring lasting peace in the state.
The governor also urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with credible intelligence to aid ongoing operations against criminal elements.
Gov. Lawal Commends Troops Over Successful Operations Against Bandits in Zamfara
Zulum Appoints Prof. Bukar Usman as Pioneer Chairman of Zakkat, Waqf Commission, Names New Secondary Education Board Member
Zulum elated by Tinubu’s approval of 3 federal institutions for Borno in 3 years
Gov. Lawal Commends Troops Over Successful Operations Against Bandits in Zamfara
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