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Victims of SGBV have been given Access to Needed Care in Sokoto- Aliyu

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Victims of SGBV have been given Access to Needed Care in Sokoto- Aliyu

By: Michael Mike

Sokoto State Governor, Dr Ahmed Aliyu has said survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the state have been given access to the care they needed to rebuild their lives.

The governor made the declaration at the weekend at the close out ceremony of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls in the state.

Aliyu while acknowledging the contribution of EU-UN towards the success of the state government’s intervention, said the state government has enhanced service provision for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

He said: “We have enhanced service provision for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and ensured that women and girls had access to the care they needed to rebuild their lives.”

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Aliyu Dikko, the Governor emphasised that: “The state has tirelessly worked to guarantee that women and girls have seamless access to the necessary care, facilitating their journey to rebuild their lives after traumatic experiences.”

He reiterated the state’s commitment to eliminating violence and harmful practices against women and girls, and emphasized the significant progress made by
the Spotlight Initiative, which he described as a comprehensive program designed to ensure that every woman and girl in Sokoto State can live free from violence and harmful practices.

The governor added that: “The government has diligently worked to establish laws and policies that protect women and girls, creating an environment that enforces accountability and justice for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Sokoto State.”

Chief Child Protection, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ibrahim Sesay, who represented the United Nations at the event said: “Over the past five years, in collaboration with the Sokoto State Government, the Spotlight Initiative has made notable strides in addressing the root causes of gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices against women and girls.”

He highlighted some key achievements of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and included the domestication of child protection and violence against persons’ laws, establishment of a One-stop Centre for survivors of GBV, and the successful graduation of over 9,000 out-of-school women and girls from the Accelerated Second Chance Education Program.

Sesay emphasised the prevalence of harmful social norms such as child marriage and female genital mutilation in Sokoto State, while Nigeria, according to him, continued to grapple with significant numbers, including 26 million child brides and 19.9 million survivors of female genital mutilation.

“This close-out ceremony serves as a call to action for all stakeholders to commit to upholding the rights of women and children in Sokoto State. It also urges the government to allocate resources and prioritize stable financing for child protection and for the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.

The Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Hajiya Hadiza Ahmed Shagari said that the protection of women and girls was very essential in Sokoto state and that was the reason why an organisation like Nana Kadija Centre, was established.

The Commissioner, represented by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Aisha Mohammed, noted, “We have successfully and effectively worked with all partner MDAs, NGOs and CSOs who have made themselves accessible and committed to the various activities on Gender-Based Violence and child protection issues in Sokoto state”.

Chief Judge of Sokoto state, Hon. Justice Muhammad Sifawa, represented by Hajiya Mariya Haruna, expressed the appreciation of the Sokoto State Judiciary to the European Union and the United Nations for their support since the project’s inception in 2019.

He said, “The judiciary commits to persisting in its efforts to ensure swift dispensation of justice on cases about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and related vices. This is to assure the women and girls that there is a safe space for them to reach out to anytime they need the support they require”

The joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, aimed at eliminating violence against women and girls and harmful practices in Nigeria, has generated significant impacts since inception in 2019. The initiative was actively implemented in five states: Adamawa, Cross-River, Ebonyi, Lagos, and Sokoto, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Victims of SGBV have been given Access to Needed Care in Sokoto- Aliyu

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.

The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.

“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.

“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.

“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.

The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).

He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.

Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

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