Month: April 2024

The Federal Government has vowed to deepen efforts to tackle climate change and its attendant effects to accelerate sustainable development.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, gave the assurance at the closing ceremony of the 2024 edition of the Regional Climate Outlook Forum for West Africa and the Sahel.

In a closing remark, the minister assured that the Federal government would deploy climate-smart predictions and warnings to enhance socio-economic development of the citizens.

Specifically, he said the government would continue to take seriously the issuance of disaster early warnings for its citizenry, to de-risk sectorial activities and avert losses.

The minister recalled that the Government through NiMet had a public presentation of the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) early in the year.

According to him, SCP is an early warning tool that highlights vital Weather and Climate information that may affect socio-economic activities in air, land and water transportati
on.

He said the SCP also gives useful information on agriculture, water resources, disaster management and mitigation, health, tourism, sports, power and energy.

‘A similar event was recently held by the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) where the Annual Flood Outlook was released to Nigerians,’ he added.

He said the reports would help to forestall the reoccurrence of flood disasters witnessed in the country in 2022.

‘In 2022, we had one of the worst cases of flooding in decades.

‘For weeks, the movement of people and goods between the northern and southern parts of the country was severely disrupted.

‘After the flood period, millions of people had lost their homes and livelihoods, properties worth millions of Dollars had been destroyed.

‘Investments in farms and other agricultural products had disappeared, and lives had been lost,’ he said.

Keyamo said the outcome of the regional climate outlook forum would be a great planning tool for governments and policymakers across the region.

‘Exp
erts and researchers in meteorology and climate sciences from across the West African sub-region and Sahel had dedicated their energy and intellect to develop a comprehensive forecast for the region, targeting the coming rainy season.

‘Just as the general airspace is a continuum in aviation, weather and climate events are also trans-boundary, hence the need for us to work together irrespective of boundaries.

‘ We should downscale the outcomes of this forum to our local and rural communities to achieve the United Nations’ target of Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) by 2027,’ he said.

The minister assured that Nigeria would continue to support regional efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and encourage weather and climate-smart sustainable development.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A then 10-year-old Ronald Lamola watched with joy as his parents went to cast their votes in South Africa’s first democratic elections in April 1994.

‘I also saw on the television long queues of people ushering in our new freedom when they were voting,’ Lamola said on Saturday.

Fast-forward to today and Lamola is South Africa’s Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.

The Minister’s comments come as hundreds of people gathered at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to celebrate the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s democratic dispensation following the country’s first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.

President Cyril Ramaphosa led the National Freedom Day celebrations at the Union Buildings under the theme ’30 Years of Democracy, Partnership, and Growth.’

Reflecting on growing up in apartheid South Africa which oppressed the majority of its population at the time, the Minister said as a young boy who grew up on a farm in Komatipoort in the then Eastern Transvaal which today is known as Mpumalanga
province, he could not attend the same schools as the white children on the farm.

‘We could not play or … have the same dreams of being engineers, astronauts or being lawyers. Today, I stand before you as an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) graduate of the University of Venda who was funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). Our country’s biggest breakout of generational poverty.

“I speak with conviction when I say I am a Tintswalo. Every household in this country has a Tintswalo. Freedom made the dreams of many black kids like myself possible to be whoever we wanted to be. [Whether it be] engineers, astronauts, etc which was not possible under apartheid,’ the Minister said.

First referred to by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in February, Tintswalo is a child born at the dawn of freedom in 1994. Tintswalo grew up in a society that was worlds apart from the South Africa of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.

As a child who went to university in a
democratic South Africa, the Minister completed his studies with the assistance of the NSFAS which provides financial aid to South African students using funds provided mainly by the government.

‘Freedom made it possible for many black kids like me to be whoever we wanted to be… The sky is the limit. Freedom came through the blood and sweat of our struggle heroes. On this day 30 years ago, a new dawn was ushered in through the first democratic elections. Some of the freedoms that we take for granted today were reserved for only white people before 1994,” the Minister explained.

Nation building

He said nation building was at the core of the vision and a central piece to the democratisation of South Africa.

“This was reaffirmed by our 1996 Constitution, which is the supreme law of our country that affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality, and freedom.

‘It placed on the state the obligation to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights that are enshrined within our Bill of Rights.
We moved from parliamentary sovereignty to a constitutional democracy.

‘We now have the freedom to love whoever we want to love. We now have the freedom to go wherever we want to go. We now have the freedom to study whatever we want to study and we now have the freedom of trade.’

He said these freedoms came at a ‘sacrifice’.

‘As a country, we have a responsibility to continue to fight against injustice anywhere in the world.’

While the country had previously been under 300 years of colonial rule, government has laid a solid foundation to build a better life for all.

With South Africa due to hold its seventh democratic elections on 29 May 2024, Lamola has encouraged citizens to exercise their democratic right to vote.

‘In our country, our appreciation for freedom has seen growth in our electoral participation and uncensored voices…space for civil society has been maintained and should be commended as progress.’

‘[However,] we must ensure [to exercise our right to freedom of speech] with responsibility.
We should ensure that the polls that are coming now are credible, non-partisan and aimed at enhancing our democracy.

‘Democratic participation should therefore be embraced and enforced by all citizens, we must all go and vote on 29 May to build on our transformatory journey and to build on our freedom.’

This year’s Freedom Month celebrations hold special significance as they also coincide with the 28th anniversary of the enactment of the South African Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

“With this freedom, the 1996 constitution envisaged a country that is sovereign, a democratic state that is guided by principles of constitutionalism, the rule of law, democracy and accountability, separation of powers and checks and balances [as well as] cooperative governance,” the Minister said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says Federal Government is employing a dual-pronged approach to combating illegal mining in the country.

Alake stated this while declaring open a two-day ministerial stepdown retreat, organised for the staff of the ministry and its parastatals on Friday in Abuja.

The theme of the retreat is ‘Delivering on the Eight Presidential Priorities.’

The retreat is geared towards ensuring that the workers performed their duties diligently in line with the eight presidential priorities of the Tinubu’s administration, particularly in unlocking energy and natural resources for sustainable development.

Alake said that the dual approach comprised both coercive and persuasive measures, being concurrently to get the desired result.

He explained that the persuasive method involved formalising artisanal and illegal miners into cooperatives, where they could attract adequate funding and be easily identified for incentives and other interventions.

‘Their business wi
ll become enhanced and they can attract funding from financial institutions.

‘They can increase their profits then government can identify with them and obtain the necessary royalties, taxes and revenue that have been lost before,’ he said.

According to the minister, within three months of the policy, no fewer than 70 cooperatives have been established.

He said that part of the coercive approach was the establishment of the Mining Marshal Corp who were recently deployed to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to secure the mining environment.

The minister said that Africa possessed more than 60 per cent of the worlds natural resources and should take advantage of the resources to develop its economy by demanding value addition for its mineral resources.

He reiterated that approval for licences would only be given to mining companies that would comply with value addition to mineral resources.

Alake pointed out that Nigeria has the critical minerals needed for the global energy transition in co
mmercial quantities but required the cooperation of its workforce to assist in marketing the products and sanitising the sector.

He said that the government was marketing its solid minerals to attract foreign direct investment, create jobs, support small and medium-sized companies, and foster sustainable economic development.

The minister said that the retreat was a period for the workers to reflect on their performance and make necessary adjustments, as productivity was key to achieving the presidential priorities areas.

He added that it was an opportunity for the workers to engage in fruitful discussions, especially towards the ministry’s seven-point agenda, shared best practices, and identifying innovative strategies to actualise the presidential priorities.

‘The importance of delivering on this priority area (energy and natural resources) cannot be over emphasised.

‘The Nigerian economy is in dire need of rapid economic growth through the solid mineral sector, given the limitless value this sector ca
n provide.

‘I believe with the efforts of everyone in this room, the Nigerian Economy can be positively catalysed,’ he said.

The minister maintained that good character and the right mental capacity were required to achieve the ministry’s seven-point agenda.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday again visited the family of one of those who died in the stampede which occurred during the distribution of palliative rice in Lagos in February.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NCS delegation was led by Hammi Swomen, an Assistant Controller-General of Customs (ACG) and Zonal Coordinator Zone A.

Commiserating with the deceased’s family at Empire Area of Lagos, Swomen expressed the condolences of the Customs Comptroller General, Mr Wale Adeniyi, to the family.

‘We came to pay a condolence visit to one of victims of government rice palliative distribution and this is the second time we are checking on their welfare.

‘You remember the unfortunate incident that happened when customs got approval of President Bola Tinubu to support Nigerians by selling 25kg par boiled rice at a reduced price of N10,000.

‘Unfortunately, we had a stampede outside our premises after the exercise and that led to the incident; right now, we have confirmed four family ar
e affected.

‘We are here on behalf of the Comptroller-General, Mr Bashir Adeniyi, to continuously show our support to this family.

‘ We have been here before, this is our second time of coming and the deceased family has visited our office too,’ Swomen said.

He said that the service was not unmindful of the effect of this loss, adding that customs had pledged to support the four deceased families continuously.

Swomen said they decided to continuously check on the family to ease the trauma they were going through.

He assured that the Customs management would continue to engage in concrete terms with the families of the victims.

Michael Odulaja, the husband to the deceased, commended the moral support given by the customs management.

Odulaja, in tears, recounted the vacuum his wife, late Susan Odulaja, had left for the family.

‘She left five children. It is not easy to loose a caring and understanding wife.

‘ Since she had died, I have never been myself.

‘My wife was too helpful because I don’t know h
ow much a man can give a woman, woman is still the owner of the house.

‘ Since her death, we could not get ourselves because she had been there for her family, ‘ Odulaja said.

‘ I thank God and I also thank the Customs Service for their continuous support,’ Odulaja said.’

NAN reports that The Nigeria Customs Service suspended its rice disposal initiative following a stampede that claimed seven lives on Feb. 23.

The incident was during the distribution of 25kg bags of rice at its Zonal Headquarters, Yaba, Lagos State.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Vice-Chancellor of Trinity University, Yaba, Lagos, Prof. Clement Kolawole, has urged parents to show more commitment to the general activities of their children in their academic pursuit.

Kolawole in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said this would go a long way in enhancing their children’s success in their studies.

According to him, it is not enough to pay their children’s tuition and provide other requirements; parents must also check their activities.

He said that aside the major requirements, such as school fees, personal needs and other academic materials, parents should pay attention to the behaviours, attitudes and academic performances of their children.

‘This is more realistic and obtainable in private universities like ours, and the idea is for us school management and parents to work together to help these young minds to achieve their potentials.

‘We expect parents to link up with us so that we can work together to monitor, get the students on the right track and focus on
the reasons they are here on campus.

‘I have some parents that call me from to time to make inquiries about their children’s academic performances and behaviours on campus; that is the collaboration we are soliciting for.

‘On our part, we try to monitor the students and where we find any form of misbehaviour, we invite their parents to relate to them before sanctioning them, and some parents will be shocked,’ he said.

According to the vice-chancellor, students must know their obligations and rights, and be expressive. They must also ensure that they portray and uphold the good image of the institution.

‘We encourage them to open up where they are having difficulties, even among their peers, because some of them hide to do some funny things.

‘With such information, we will be able to respond swiftly,’ he said.

Kolawole, however, identified financial constraints as the major challenge facing the institution, adding that the management had been working within the limited resources available.

He said that
in spite of the challenges, the institution still allowed payment by installments from parents, irrespective of the courses and the stipulated fees.

According to him, the institution has facilities to accommodate about 85 per cent of the students on campus, adding that management is working within the limit of its resources so as not to add to the financial burden.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Alhaji Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Bishop Mathew Kukah, Founder of the Kukah Centre, have urged Nigerians to work toward building a united nation.

The duo made made the call at the National Integration Conference with the theme: ‘Revisiting the National Question: Nigeria’s Elusive Search for National Integration’, organised by the Kukah Centre.

The conference, which was held in Abuja on Friday, was organised with support from Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO).

Tajudeen, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, said that Nigeria’s pluralism and its vast diversity in ethnicity, language and religion, remain a valuable asset to the nation.

He said that embracing and leveraging its pluralism would propel Nigeria towards a more unified and prosperous future where the collective strengths of its diverse population would be fully harnessed.

‘Our diversity should be our strategic advantage, making us more resilient, innovative and cohesive as a natio
n.

‘Our ongoing constitutional amendment process also aims to strengthen these mechanisms, promoting a more inclusive, fair and just society.

‘As your representatives, we pledge to continue promoting policies that foster integration, celebrate our diverse heritage and build a stronger and more united Nigeria.

‘I challenge us all, as a people, to reject bigotry of any kind and embrace tolerance, empathy, and unity,’ he said.

Tajudeen said that by so doing, a Nigeria, where every citizen is valued and empowered, would be built.

‘Let us work towards a future united by the bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood in one strong, indivisible nation,’ he said

Tajudeen spoke further: ‘Although Nigeria is a diverse country, the central challenge remains in balancing diverse interests in a way that promotes national unity while respecting the identities and rights of all constituent groups.

‘The burden of fostering national cohesion and effectively managing diversity rest on leaders across all facets of our society.
The challenge is for government, religious organisations, traditional institutions and families.

‘Holding government accountable, promoting economic empowerment, inclusive governance and education are important tools in fostering national unity,’ he said.

He called for the review of the primary and secondary school curricular to ensure that young Nigerians understood the various cultures and religions in the Nigeria.

Kukah, while stressing the urgent need for nation building, urged all Nigerians to stop the blame game and unite for the good of the country.

‘Building our nation is not about apportioning blames. It is about the urgency of national integration.

‘National integration doesn’t necessarily mean everybody must be the same. It is for us in Nigeria to understand the intricacies of managing diversity.

‘National cohesion is important because without it, it is impossible for us to grow.

‘This country is increasingly in recession. So, the urgency of national cohesion is a call that we must make and
continue to make,’ he said

Kukah said that anybody, who called himself or herself a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, should believe in the Constitution and build Nigeria.

Mr Annup Vyas, Head of Conflict, Stability and Security, FCDO, in a remark, said that as a partner in Nigeria’s democracy, UK is pleased to be supporting efforts to build a stronger and more resilient Nigeria.

Vyas said that integration and the democratic institutions that promote unity usually face many challenges.

He, however, expressed confidence that with the discourse and the important decisions that came from it, the nation had the potential to identify new ways to overcome such barriers .

‘Unity, purpose and national cohesion can help unlock Nigeria’s potential and generate inclusive growth for all.

‘So, I hope this discussion will pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous future for all,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria