News
UN Women Asks for Prioritization of Funding for War Against SGBV
UN Women Asks for Prioritization of Funding for War Against SGBV
By: Michael Mike
United Nations Women has called for prioritization of investment by all stakeholders in financing development plans towards ending violence against women and girls, even as it pleaded for strategic policy development aimed at putting a stop to the scourge.
The call was made at the weekend by the UN Women Deputy Country Represntative to Nigeria. Mr. Lansana Wonneh at a Joint Symposium on Prevention of Violence Against Special Need Groups in Nigeria; with the theme: “Tackling Multi-forms of Vulnerability and Violence through Improved Policies, Programmatic and Funding Mechanisms”.
Wonneh, who was represented by the National Programme Officer UN Women, Mrs. Patience Ekeoba, said that despite many countries passing laws to combat violence against women, weak enforcement and discriminatory social norms remain a significant problems.
He said: “Being able to stop violence from occurring in the first place is critical to achieving the goal of ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) because if violence does not occur all the other GBV responses will not be necessary. VAWG is preventable; we need to continue to invest in transforming social norms, addressing unequal gender power relations, strengthening essential services for survivors, and enabling safer environments. I call for more attention to gender responsive budgeting, ensuring that budget circulars have definite allocations to gender equality and women empowerment including budget for addressing violence against women and girls.”
Wonneh explained that women with special needs and other groups experience violence differently because of their vulnerability and special needs, hence the need for stakeholders engagements to mobilize support and raise awareness to end the menace.
He added that: “The symposium provides opportunity for ASWHAN and the other special need groups to share their experiences of violences, their survivor stories and make demand for increased prevention interventions and response. It will also allow all relevant government agencies, the UN System, development partners, civil society gather here today to listen, discuss and advance prevention strategies and funding mechanism to enhance prevention and mitigation services and actions for the targets groups. So I call on you to participate actively so that at the end of today’s interactions we will all come up with practical strategies towards reducing and eliminating violence that affect this critical groups in our society.”
Also speaking, the Acting Director, Policy Planning and Coordination, Nation Agency for the Control Aids (NACA), Dr. Yinka Anoemuah, noted that the agency will continue to work with partners to achieve the desired goal of ending all forms of violence.
“We have so many vulnerable population that experience vulnerabilities and that is why we will continue to partner with the UN system and partners to find ways to bring an end to all the challenges that people are facing in the communities. We recognize very much the relationships between Gender Based Violence (GBV) and HIV, and that is why to the key area of strategic engagement that we have over the years, because if we want to control the virus, and end the epidemy by 2030, we need to bring to a stop all forms of violence, be it emotional, psychological, physical, then we have to work together to make that happen. Without resources, without people, without investment we will not be able to do it, but with collaborations and partnerships we will achieve a lot”. She noted
On behalf of people with disabilities, the President Women With Disabilities, Lois Auta, called for an increase in budget allocation on disabilities issues.
“Women with disabilities are much more vulnerable to issues of GBV, these violence could be in different forms such as issues of economic empowerment, issues of health, issues of institutional barriers and infrastructural Barriers. We have legal frameworks and these frame works are not implemented. The big issues is lack of funding, with need to come together and collaborate and activate the goal 17 of SDG, by working together. We need to insert a budget plan in all the MDAs for issues of women and girls with disabilities.
She said: “We need to talk to National Assembly to increase the budgets allocation on issues of disability as well as increase awareness on GBV in the rural areas.”
According to the Head Health Desk, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Marian Shuaibu, the ministry takes priority in the wellbeing of all women. Noting that approval to establish a mobile court to deal with the perpetrators of GBV has been gotten, as well as development of a policy on mental health.
This year theme, “UNiTE!; Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women & Girls” is apt as it focusses on investment and financing of strategies and programmes that will help prevent violence from happening in the first place against women and girls.
The symposium was put together by UN Women, NACA, UNAIDS, Association of Women with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, (ASWHAN) and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
UN Women Asks for Prioritization of Funding for War Against SGBV
FG to Collaborate with Traditional Institutions to Protect and Preserve Environment
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal has stated that the Federal Government will continue to collaborate with the traditional institutions in the country, especially in protection and preservation of the environment through discouraging tree felling and promoting clean cooking.
The Minister disclosed this when the Emir of Nasarawa and former Minister of Environment, His Royal Highness, Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry on Thursday.
Balarabe stated that the Ministry is doing alot in tackling environmental challenges such as plastic waste, erosion and flood, desertification, drought control and other climate change challenges.
He assured the visiting monarch that being the former Minister of Environment, he would build on his legacy and achieve the mandate of the Ministry in line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda on environment.
Earlier, the Emir of Nasarawa and former Minister of Environment, his Royal Highness, Alh. Ibrahim Usman Jibrin commended the staff of the Ministry for tackling environmental challenges in the country and assured the Minister of the Traditional institutions unalloyed support to achieve the mandate of the Ministry.
The Emir enjoined the Ministry to work as a team to promote environmental sustainability, emphasizing that “environment is the only one we have, so let us make it conducive”
In another development, the Honourable Minister received in audience the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Nigeria, H. E Salem Saeed on an official working visit to the Federal Ministry of Environment where important bilateral discussions where centred on Environmental issues such as the Just concluded COP28 held in Dubai, UAE last year, plastic pollution challenges, desertification control, tree planting, erosion and flood control among others.
The Minister commended the UAE for hosting the event and also appreciated the President of COP28, Sultan al-Jabar who provided the outcome of the discussions with an agreement that signal the ” beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, unpinned by deep emissions cuts and scale up finance.
Balarabe further revealed that there are alot of areas of collaborations between Nigeria and UAE, most especially on the outcome of decisions reached during COP28.
He also commended President of UAE for resuming flight tickets to the County and the starting issuance of visa to Nigerians starting from 1st October, 2024.
Earlier, the Ambassador of UAE to Nigeria, H. E Salem Saeed congratulated the Honourable Minister of Environment on his well deserved appointment and disclosed that the Ministry is doing very well most especially the participation of Nigeria in Conference of Parties (COP28) In Dubai last year.
Saeed stated that Nigeria and UAE would continue to collaborate and partner on areas of mutual interest on environmental sustainability.
It would be recalled that United Arab Emirates (UAE), last year hosted the COP28 in Dubai with the slogan:UNITE, ACT, DELIVER.”
FG to Collaborate with Traditional Institutions to Protect and Preserve Environment
Chinese envoy advocates harmony as driver of development
By: Michael Mike
The Chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, Mr Zhang Yi has emphasized the need for Nigeria to embrace harmony as key driver towards national development.
Zhang stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a Seminar: “Promoting Harmony Through Mutual Learning” organised by the Chinese Embassy in collaboration with China Alumni Association and the University of Abuja.
The envoy drawing parallels with China’s own journey towards economic prosperity, shared insights on how embracing diversity while prioritizing harmony had been instrumental in China’s growth story.
According to him, the concept of harmony from Longman dictionary is when people live or work together without fighting or disagreeing with each other.
“
He said: “Harmony is more emphasised by the Chinese people in our culture. At the level of man and nature, we advocate harmony in coexistence; at the level of family and society, we advocate harmony in integration.
“At the level of nation and civilization, we advocate harmony in diversity: at the level of state and governance, we advocate harmony in development.
“We believe that fostering harmony among various ethnic groups, fostering political stability, and prioritizing infrastructure development were crucial steps towards unlocking Nigeria’s full potential.
“In short, our ultimate goal is to create a harmonious world with peaceful development of mankind.
“As we know, friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations, and our cultures can build the friendship bridge connecting China and Nigeria,”he said.
Zhang reiterated China’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s development efforts through strategic partnerships, technology transfer, and infrastructure investments.
He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two nations in key sectors such as energy, transportation, and telecommunications to drive economic growth and create opportunities for both countries.
Head of Political Science and International Relations Department University of Abuja, Prof. Sheriff Ibrahim, on his part, said that the seminar comes at a critical juncture for Nigeria, as the nation grapples with issues of insecurity, economic challenges, and social tensions.
Chinese envoy advocates harmony as driver of development
Agreement Signed for Deployment of Electric Motorbikes in Lagos
By: Michael Mike
Swap Station Mobility Limited has signed partnership agreement with Glovo and Siltech World to deploy electric motorbikes, smart swappable batteries, and a network of quick interchange stations across Lagos State.
The Partnership will provide Glovo couriers with 2-wheel electric motorbikes that offer lower cost, clean mobility alternative to the internal combustion engine (ICE).
The Electric Vehicles (EVs) are provided on a lease-to-own model whilst also offering riders a unique “pay as you ride” or “weekly subscription” to access SSM’s battery swap and charging facilities, technical support and cover for insurance, licensing, and routine maintenance services. In order to increase adoption, Swap Station intends to build out a network of solar powered automated quick interchange battery stations along major demand routes and logistics bases starting in Lagos and surrounding states over the next twenty-four months.
Blackaion Capital and FundCo Capital Managers who are the co-sponsors of Swap Station Mobility, believe the operational cost of battery swapping per kilometre (km) will remain substantially lower than the fuel cost per km for the ICE counterpart. “This is the main value driver which has been catalysed by the Federal Government’s near elimination of fuel subsidies.
The products developed or distributed by Swap Station are designed to exceed the performance of petrol alternatives whilst significantly improving CO2 emissions, local air quality, and cost efficiency for users over the life of the asset,” said the Director at Swap Station and Partner at Blackaion Capital, Obiora Okoye,
Okwu Njoku who sits on the Board went on to say, “We are very excited about signing with Glovo who operate one of the most prolific food delivery platforms in Nigeria. Our EVs and swappable batteries are in-country, and Siltech World, one of our key technology and technical partners, supported us with the procurement, testing, and certification of the EVs, and so, we are now ready to start operations. We plan to spend the next few months securing additional swap locations, building our technology platform, and expanding our team.”
Abiodun Oni, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FundCo Capital Managers, and former Regional Sales Director, Energy, for Tesla, stated, “e-mobility is critical to our sustainable infrastructure investment strategy, and this agreement with our partners enables us to kick start that process”.
On his part, Head of Operations at Glovo, Ify Adah stated, “ By 2030, our goal is to have about half of our orders delivered by non-combustion vehicles. So, we are very excited and look forward to working with Swap Station, and supporting our couriers with cleaner and more cost-effective transport solutions.”
Swap Station is an integrated EV financing and battery charging infrastructure development company that has built a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) platform that provides access to electric 2-wheel and 3-wheel vehicles, swap station infrastructure, swappable batteries, and a hub for repairs and maintenance services to fleet owners, businesses, and users operating in the logistics and last mile connectivity in Nigeria.
Blackaion Capital is a West Africa focused infrastructure advisor, developer, and asset manager with offices in Lagos, Abuja, and Mauritius. Blackaion’s mission is to create exceptional long-term value for all stakeholders by developing and capitalising tech-enabled and climate-friendly infrastructure projects and companies.
FundCo is a specialised Alternative Asset Manager for sustainable infrastructure-related funds across critical economic sectors. These are selected industries providing essential services to the society, with domestic geographic diversity, have secure cash flows, are recession resilient, and ideally, offer some inflation protection. FundCo is duly registered with and licensed by Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a portfolio/fund manager in line with the SEC rules.
Agreement Signed for Deployment of Electric Motorbikes in Lagos
FG to Collaborate with Traditional Institutions to Protect and Preserve Environment
Chinese envoy advocates harmony as driver of development
Agreement Signed for Deployment of Electric Motorbikes in Lagos
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
Army University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
News2 months agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
News2 months agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns3 months agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS3 months agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions2 years agoTHE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions3 months agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Opinions2 months agoUMTH:…and the testimonies of patients and patient relations
-
National News2 months agoFraud and Mismanagement Rock INGO’s IDP Cash Assistance Effort in Bama
