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Zulum Targets Construction of 85,000 New Houses for 66 Communities in Borno

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Zulum Targets Construction of 85,000 New Houses for 66 Communities in Borno

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, said his administration is targeting the construction of 85,000 new houses in 66 communities in the state aimed at resettling IDPs and other victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

Zulum stated this on Thursday when he received a delegation under the northeast ambassadors’ group comprised of high commissioners, ambassadors, and developmental and humanitarian partners.

Zulum explained that each of the proposed resettlement communities will have schools, clinics, police posts, marketplaces, stalls, boreholes, secure farmlands and vocational training centres where appropriate.

The governor said Borno State Government would commit 15% of its annual budget to the solution pathways for the resettlement of IDPs while expanding Maiduguri city along six entrances to accommodate people who may choose to integrate into the city.

According to Zulum, the solution pathway requires Borno to raise 2.7 billion US dollars for implementation.

He said: “I am committed to resettling our people into decent homes in secure areas, supporting them to reintegrate into communities or relocate to another place as they wish, respecting their choices and dignity.”

The governor added that “Implementing the durable solutions pathway for IDPs will also significantly reduce the recruitment of jobless young men by ISWAP, which is a threat to national and international security.”

He explained to the delegation his administration’s policies of rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement, highlighting solutions to internal displacement.

The governor noted the significant progress in security achieved by his administration since 2019 and gave assurance of consolidating the gains recorded.

He expressed gratitude to all the development partners for supporting the regional stabilisation facility and one UN offer, which has greatly impacted the lives of the people affected by insurgency in the Lake Chad region.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the chairman of the delegation of the Northeast Ambassadors Group and the high commissioner of the UK to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, commended Governor Zulum for his commitment towards improving the lives of the Borno people.

He said: “I think I can say on behalf of the whole team that we are delighted and we are also united in recognising that you have made the commitment and showed dynamism in your leadership that we really appreciate. Also by showing the way you want to make a difference for your people and putting in place both the short-term plans and the 25 years Borno State development plan and vision.”

The northeast ambassadors’ group expressed commitment to support Borno in achieving durable solutions addressing the challenges of improving the livelihood of internally displaced people.

Zulum Targets Construction of 85,000 New Houses for 66 Communities in Borno

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At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement

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At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement:

President Tinubu Walking Hand In Hand With Nigerians Through Critical Reforms, Says VP Shettima

  • Adds: Administration prioritising dialogue, flexibility in tax reforms, fuel subsidy removal, others

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said that instead of governing Nigeria from a distance, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is walking hand in hand with the people through critical national reforms.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration to inclusive governance and responsive policymaking rooted in wide-ranging public engagement and empathy.

Senator Shettima, who stated this on Tuesday in Kaduna at a 2-day interactive session on Government – Citizens Engagement, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, said the Nigerian leader has demonstrated time and again that his administration is “neither crafting policy in solitude nor assuming that technocracy alone delivers results.”

Represented by the Special Adviser to The President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, the Vice President, declared that the Tinubu administration is convening conversations and institutionalising listening.

“It is always a privilege to gather under the luminous legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello; his memory reminds us that leadership is not simply about occupying office, but about shouldering the burden of service. What we nurture today is not just a government of the people but a government with the people,” he said.

VP Shettima highlighted several reforms of the administration where public input significantly shaped final outcomes, including tax policy, education access, and economic relief measures following the removal of fuel subsidies.

On the student loan law, which was initially passed as the Access to Higher Education Act, the VP said in response, the administration repealed and reenacted the law, “removing income ceilings and guarantor barriers that had become symbolic walls between ambition and opportunity.”

Vice President Shettima reiterated the government’s belief that “no student should be disqualified for being born on the wrong side of poverty.”

On tax reforms, Senator Shettima said the administration established a Presidential Tax and Fiscal Reform Committee, which engaged stakeholders from across the country to address grey areas in the reforms.

“When objections arose from governors and citizens alike, the President did not dismiss them. He welcomed their candour and ensured tax bills passed through public hearings. Even unpopular taxes inherited from past regimes, like the 10% single-use plastic levy and telecom tax, were suspended after critical review,” he stated.

The VP also spoke about the contentious issue of fuel subsidy removal, saying the Tinubu-led federal government acknowledged the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians and accompanied the policy with strategic responses.

He continued: “We met with labour unions not with threats, but with empathy. We offered palliative packages, increased wages, waived diesel taxes, and introduced alternatives like CNG buses to cushion transport costs. We were not merely reacting. We were responding.”

The Vice President said the reforms in other sectors of the economy followed the same pattern of engaging with the people and making necessary adjustments to the original propositions where necessary.

He further noted that every step of the way, President Tinubu showed concern for the people and emphasised the point that “governance is not a theatre of perfection but a process of correction and a government that listens is a government that learns. And a government that learns is a government that leads.”

He applauded the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation for sustaining the legacy of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, describing it as “a torch of civic dialogue that must never be extinguished.”

At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement

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LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

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LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

By: Michael Mike

Liberia’s 178th Independence Day celebration on the 26th of June 2025 served as a powerful tribute to regional unity and peacebuilding, with a spotlight on the enduring role of ECOWAS and ECOMOG in Liberia’s journey through civil conflict and reconciliation.

The ceremony welcomed high-level dignitaries from across West Africa, including the Presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, along with senior officials from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, symbolizing Liberia’s strong ties within the sub-region.

In recognition of ECOWAS at 50, Liberia honored contributing member states of ECOMOG – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone with awards presented by H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of Liberia. Special honors were also given to past Executive Secretaries of ECOWAS who played pivotal roles during Liberia’s crisis, including H.E. Lansana Kouyate, H.E. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, and H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

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GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRFCAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

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GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

By: Michael Mike

From the 22nd to 24th of July, 2025, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DAHS), in close collaboration with other relevant directorates and agencies, the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, as well as the ECOWAS Women, Peace and Security Regional Steering Group (WPS-RSG), successfully organized a national capacity-building workshop in Bissau.

The three-day workshop, aimed at stakeholders and focal points of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, focused on the application of the African Union’s Continental Results Framework (CRC-UA), simplified and adapted to the West African context by the ECOWAS Commission for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the WPS Agenda.

This initiative is part of ECOWAS’s ongoing efforts to strengthen national accountability
mechanisms and data systems, in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions. It is implemented with the technical and financial support of the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG), co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) and carried out with the support of GIZ.

In her opening speech, Her Excellency Maria Inácia Có Mendes Sanhá, Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, underlined Guinea-Bissau’s ongoing commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in peace-building processes. She reaffirmed the government’s support for the WPS Agenda, citing several national policies and legal frameworks, including the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity (PNIEG), the Parity Law, as well as laws on gender-based violence and human trafficking.

Mrs. Cristina da Silva Pedreira, Director General of Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS National Unit at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, welcomed the participants, stressing that the workshop offered a platform for adapting continental frameworks to the local level and strengthening the role of women in sustain-
able development and peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.

She reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to supporting ECOWAS processes in national institutions.

Directorate of Communication
Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Her Excellency Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, Dr. Aishatu Morido Yanet praised the collaborative spirit that had animated the workshop and encouraged participants to take full advantage of the training to fill the data and coordination gaps, as highlighted in the first ECOWAS regional WPS report (2024).

She stressed that the CRC is not just a technical tool, but an essential accountabil-
ity mechanism ensuring the visibility and impact of women’s contributions to peacebuilding.

On behalf of the ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, Program Manager for the Social Dimensions of Human Trafficking, stressed the importance of the CRC in institutionalizing monitoring and reporting on the WPS.

He pointed out that the Guinea-Bissau workshop is the ninth of its kind organized by ECOWAS, following similar initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, Togo, Senegal and Ghana.

“Women and girls must be visible actors in peace and governance,” he said, adding that the CRC’s simplified tool is a crucial step in ensuring evidence-based implementation and monitoring of national WPS commitments.

Speaking on behalf of the German government, Mr. Carsten Wille, Head of the Liaison Office of the German Embassy in Dakar and Guinea-Bissau, reaffirmed Germany’s strong commitment to feminist development cooperation and inclusive peacebuilding. “We areproud to support national actors through the EPSG project. Guinea-Bissau’s adherence to this CRC training demonstrates its willingness to strengthen its institutional response to
the gender dimensions of peace and security,” he asserted.

The workshop, led by Ms Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, Integrated Expert on Women, Peace and Security for the EPSG Project at the ECOWAS Commission, and Ms Edineusa Lopes José da Cruz Figueiredo, President of the Institute for Women and Children, brought to-
gether over 35 participants from ministries, security institutions, civil society organiza-
tions, academia and the media. Through participatory exercises, group work and technical presentations, the workshop strengthened participants’ ability to use the CRC tool and its complementary questionnaire, enabling better monitoring of WPS indicators in line with national and regional frameworks.

At the close of the workshop, five gender assessment reports were officially handed over to the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau and to the ECOWAS National Office. During the presentation of the reports, Ms. Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, the EPSG Project’s Integrated Gender Expert at the ECOWAS Commission, provided a summary of the main findings and practical recommendations for strengthening national coordination and policy responses.

She stressed the importance of transparency and collective ownership, pointing out that the reports are now publicly available via the ECOWAS website, to serve as a resource for advocacy, research and evidence-based decision-
making. Participants hailed the workshop as a timely initiative and called for further training, institutionalization of the CRC in national monitoring systems, and enhanced collaboration between stakeholders. They also expressed their willingness to contribute to the next national WPS reporting cycle using the simplified CRC tool.

The workshop concluded with a strong call to action: to take the Women, Peace and Security Agenda beyond political declarations, towards concrete and measurable impacts for women and girls in Guinea-Bissau and West Africa.

GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

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