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West Africa’s Insecurity, Food Challenges, Scientific Solutions to be Evolved
West Africa’s Insecurity, Food Challenges, Scientific Solutions to be Evolved
By: Michael Mike
Scientific solutions are to be evolve to solve challenges of insecurity, food shortage and other development issues currently affecting the West Africa.
This was the resolution at the the three- day Constitutive General Assembly of the West African Network of the National Academies of Sciences (WANNAS) in Abuja, where a Nigerian scientist, Professor Oyewale Tomori was elected as the Bureau chairman.
In an interview with journalists after his election, Tomori said the group’s main objective is to begin to bring scientific solutions to challenges of insecurity, food shortage and other development issues currently affecting the region.
While explaining the rational for priorities given to the sectors, Tomori said agriculture and security will help to improve the lives of the citizens and make them even more productive.
He said: “I think the areas of concern for us in Africa and West Africa in particular, the health area, the issue of food, agriculture, and even security and safety, those are the areas that science can come in.”
“That is why I am really glad that together, instead of doing it individually as an academy in our different countries we are working together, because our problems are common, our problems are the same, and therefore when we bring all talents in the region we will look at these problems and solve them.
“We will be working together as a region, learning from each other, some countries have solved their problems, others have not, we are going to work together as a region.”
Tomori had served as the regional Virologist for the World Health Organisation Africa Region from 1994 to 2004 before he was appointed as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Redeemers University in Ogun State, South West Nigeria, a tenure that ended in 2011.
Others elected as officials of the WANNAS Bureau were Senegal’s Professor Moctar Touré, as 1st Vice Chairman; while Ghana’s Professor Benjamin Ahunu, was elected 2nd Vice Chairman.
Professor Makalé Traoré of Guinea was elected 3rd Vice Chairman, Professor Crépin Bipene of Ivory Coast emerged as Bureau Secretary-General, Burkina Faso’s Prof. Pare Afsita, was elected as Treasurer.
The General Assembly also elected Professor Holo Théodore of Benin and Prof. Gumedzoé Mawuena of Togo as co-authors.
The General Assembly also established the headquarters of WANNAS in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
According to the adopted report of the WANNAS General Assembly at the end of its meeting, the West African scientists made various recommendations for ECOWAS.
These included the recommendation that ECOWAS should encourage collaboration among the National Academies of Sciences in ECOWAS member countries and facilitate the Roadmap’sWest Africa’s Insecurity, Food Challenges, Scientific Solutions to be Evolved
Scientific solutions are to be evolve to solve challenges of insecurity, food shortage and other development issues currently affecting the West Africa.
This was the resolution at the the three- day Constitutive General Assembly of the West African Network of the National Academies of Sciences (WANNAS) in Abuja, where a Nigerian scientist, Professor Oyewale Tomori was elected as the Bureau chairman.
In an interview with journalists after his election, Tomori said the group’s main objective is to begin to bring scientific solutions to challenges of insecurity, food shortage and other development issues currently affecting the region.
While explaining the rational for priorities given to the sectors, Tomori said agriculture and security will help to improve the lives of the citizens and make them even more productive.
He said: “I think the areas of concern for us in Africa and West Africa in particular, the health area, the issue of food, agriculture, and even security and safety, those are the areas that science can come in.”
“That is why I am really glad that together, instead of doing it individually as an academy in our different countries we are working together, because our problems are common, our problems are the same, and therefore when we bring all talents in the region we will look at these problems and solve them.
“We will be working together as a region, learning from each other, some countries have solved their problems, others have not, we are going to work together as a region.”
Tomori had served as the regional Virologist for the World Health Organisation Africa Region from 1994 to 2004 before he was appointed as the pioneer Vice Chancellor of Redeemers University in Ogun State, South West Nigeria, a tenure that ended in 2011.
Others elected as officials of the WANNAS Bureau were Senegal’s Professor Moctar Touré, as 1st Vice Chairman; while Ghana’s Professor Benjamin Ahunu, was elected 2nd Vice Chairman.
Professor Makalé Traoré of Guinea was elected 3rd Vice Chairman, Professor Crépin Bipene of Ivory Coast emerged as Bureau Secretary-General, Burkina Faso’s Prof. Pare Afsita, was elected as Treasurer.
The General Assembly also elected Professor Holo Théodore of Benin and Prof. Gumedzoé Mawuena of Togo as co-authors.
The General Assembly also established the headquarters of WANNAS in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
According to the adopted report of the WANNAS General Assembly at the end of its meeting, the West African scientists made various recommendations for ECOWAS.
These included the recommendation that ECOWAS should encourage collaboration among the National Academies of Sciences in ECOWAS member countries and facilitate the Roadmap’s implementation by mobilising funding for WANNAS success. implementation by mobilising funding for WANNAS success.
West Africa’s Insecurity, Food Challenges, Scientific Solutions to be Evolved
News
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have recovered a cache of ammunition during a fighting patrol in Mallam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted at about 7:30 a.m. on April 18 by troops of 68 Battalion deployed in the area.

The patrol was carried out ahead of the troops’ defensive location toward a suspected withdrawal route used by insurgents following an earlier attack on March 18.
During the operation, troops recovered 166 rounds of PKT linked ammunition and one bandolier.
No contact was made with any terrorist elements during the patrol.
They added that the general security situation across the theatre remains calm but unpredictable, while troops continue to maintain high morale and operational effectiveness.
Hamza Suleiman NAN: Troops recover ammunition during patrol in Borno
News
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intensified their crackdown on drug trafficking networks, intercepting cocaine ingeniously concealed in food flasks and cannabis hidden in snack packs, while arresting multiple suspects including a Lagos-based fashion designer.
The agency in a statement on Sunday by its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.8 kilogrammes were uncovered at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Babafemi said the illicit consignment, bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight, was discovered in the false bottoms of food flasks on April 9.

He disclosed that two cargo agents—Ama Ufeim, 33, and Ogabi Akorede, 39—were arrested at the point of interception, with subsequent investigations leading to the arrest of the alleged sender, 52-year-old freight forwarder Agoro Moninuola.
In a related operation a day earlier, NDLEA operatives at the airport’s import shed intercepted 2.9 kilogrammes of “Loud,” a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in snack packs arriving from the United States aboard a Delta Air Lines flight.
He noted that initial arrests of cargo clearing agents Animashaun Adetunji and Mercy Oluwasegun paved the way for the apprehension of the consignee, Saheed Adegoke, a 29-year-old fashion designer, who was later tracked and arrested in Ogba, Lagos.
Beyond the airports, NDLEA operations extended across several states with significant seizures recorded. Along the Kaduna-Zaria highway, operatives intercepted a cement-laden trailer transporting 847 kilogrammes of skunk. The driver, Umar Garba Haruna, was taken into custody.
In Cross River State, a joint operation involving NDLEA officers and security personnel led to the destruction of 15,000 kilogrammes of cannabis cultivated on six hectares of farmland in Uwet community, Akamkpa Local Government Area. A suspect, Alice Udoh, 53, was arrested, while 119 kilogrammes of the substance was recovered.
Similarly, in Edo State, operatives raided a cannabis camp in Ovia North East Local Government Area, destroying over 2,281 kilogrammes of the drug and arresting three suspects. Additional arrests were made in Delta State, where over 87 kilogrammes of skunk and cannabis seeds were seized.
In Lagos, NDLEA officers intercepted a shipment of 11,900 tramadol capsules and 400 ampoules of phenobarbital injections along the Mile 2–Badagry expressway, with the consignment reportedly destined for Ghana. A separate raid on a two-storey building in Lagos Island yielded 95.8 kilogrammes of skunk.

Meanwhile, the agency sustained its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign nationwide, conducting sensitization programmes in schools, religious centres, and communities across states including Niger, Cross River, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, and Lagos.
Commending the operatives, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised the balance between aggressive enforcement and preventive education, urging officers to maintain the current momentum in the fight against drug trafficking and abuse.
NDLEA Busts Drug Rings, Intercepts Cocaine Hidden in Food Flasks, Arrests Fashion Designer, Others
News
Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah
Honouring a Fallen Shield
Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah
A Tribute to Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah
Issued by the Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers of the Ashlee Momoh Foundation Abuja, Federal Capital Territory 
To the family of the late Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah
To the Government and People of Edo State, And to the gallant Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is with heavy hearts and profound sorrow that the Ashlee Momoh Foundation joins the nation in mourning the loss of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, who paid the ultimate price following the midnight attack on the 29 Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh. His passing, alongside the brave officers and soldiers who fell beside him, leaves a silence that words can scarcely fill.
A Life Defined by Service
General Braimah was more than a soldier. He was a shield for the vulnerable, a steady hand in moments of crisis, and a living testament to the courage that defines the Nigerian spirit. His leadership inspired those under his command, and his devotion to duty protected countless lives he would never meet. To lose a commander of such calibre, together with his courageous troops, is a grief that travels far beyond the frontlines — into the homes, hearts, and hopes of a grateful nation.
To His Family
We recognise that while the nation mourns a General, you mourn a husband, a father, a son, and the quiet pillar of your home. The cost of service is borne most heavily by those left behind, and no public tribute can ease that private weight. We acknowledge the enormity of your sacrifice. The absence of such a man creates a stillness that only time, faith, and love can gently soften. In this dark hour, please know that you do not grieve alone.
To Edo State and Nigeria
Our nation has lost a strategic mind and a fearless protector. His absence will echo in the ranks of the military and in the hearts of every citizen who has slept soundly because of men like him. His death is a solemn reminder of the ongoing cost of our peace — and of the urgent, continuing duty we all share to honour that price through action, unity, and care for those who stand on the frontlines in our name.
Our Commitment
The Ashlee Momoh Foundation was established on a simple, enduring principle: no hero’s sacrifice should result in the neglect of those they loved. Our mission places military families, widows, and vulnerable communities at the centre of our welfare, advocacy, and humanitarian work. We believe the legacy of men like General Braimah must be honoured not only in the words spoken today, but in tangible support sustained across years — in the education of their children, the dignity of their spouses, and the security of the communities for which they gave everything.We stand for a Nigeria where the blood of our heroes becomes the seed of a more secure and compassionate society. We remain firmly dedicated to strengthening the structures that care for our veterans, their dependents, and the families left in the wake of their service, so that the flame of their sacrifice is never allowed to dim.
A Final Word
May the soul of Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, and the souls of the gallant soldiers who fell with him, rest in perfect peace. May the Almighty comfort his family, strengthen his comrades-in-arms, and grant our nation the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss — and the resolve to be worthy of his sacrifice.
With deepest sympathy and abiding respect,The Board of Trustees, Management, and Volunteers Ashlee Momoh Foundation Restoring Hope, Rebuilding Lives
Ashlee Momoh Foundation Leads Heartfelt Tribute to Fallen Hero Brig. Gen. Braimah*
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