News
‘30% Of Women Between 15-49 Years Experience Gender-Based Violence’
Thirty percent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years experience one form of sexual gender-based violence, a women’s rights advocate, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, has said.
Akiyode-Afolabi, who is the founding director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), also said in order to make the monitoring and evaluation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) successful, “a much sharper focus is needed on enhancing the roles and capacities of Civil Society Organisations particularly women’s rights organizations and movements by building their capacity to fulfill their critical responsibilities.”
Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, at a one-day training for CSOs and women advocates on monitoring and assessing SDGs benchmarks, the gender rights advocate regretted that the sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) were prevalent in Nigeria but that lack of access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), by women was a major development challenge in the country.
According to her, “Research has shown that 30% of women between the ages of 15-49 years experienced one form of sexual gender-based violence.”
She explained that the one-day training was part of the joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative project.
“The spotlight initiative is a global multi-year partnership between the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030,”she said.
She explained that, “The interventions focus on six mutually reinforcing pillars. WARDC is implementing pillar six in Lagos and FCT which focuses on promoting an empowered civil society and autonomous women’s movement.”
She further said, “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global Agenda for Sustainable Development that was adopted by world leaders in the 2015.
“Six years later, attention has shifted towards the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of this global agenda. In order for the SDGs to be successful, every level of governance will be counted on to benchmark to assess progress on each goal.
“The activity aims to Train women’s rights advocates and CSOs to enhance their skills to monitor and assess Nigeria’s progress towards Institutional SDGs Benchmarks for SGBV, HP and SRHR.
“Our goal is to strengthen CSOs in tackling all forms of discrimination, build capacity to demand accountability on VAWG/SGBV/HP/SRHR and advocate for policy reforms and actions that would eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls.”
WARDC, she explained, “is a non-governmental, not for profit human rights organization that is committed to the protection and promotion of women’s rights through advocacy, research, documentation and litigation.”
The Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) has urged the Federal Government to take urgent steps to forestall economic hardship occasioned by the recent increase in pump price of petrol.
The President of NIM, Dr Christiana Atako, made the call in a statement by the institute’s registrar, Mrs Taiwo Olusesi in Lagos.
Atako said that it was important to mitigate the harsh effects of the latest increase in the price of fuel on both the economy and Nigerians.
She said that the long fuel queues that resurfaced in various cities had attendant consequences on Nigerians whose cost of living was shrinking by the day.
“The Institute supports the current efforts by the Federal Government to kick-start the nation’s weak economy and put it on a good footing.
“However, NIM is an organisation committed to promoting good governance and sound management practices.
“We believe that government should do everything within its power to give the nation’s economic policies a human face,” she said.
The NIM president urged the Federal Government to continue working with the greater interest of Nigerians at heart by taking more proactive measures to impact the welfare of the citizenry.
She called on government to, especially, address fuel scarcity, the hunger in the land, as well as tackle the myriad of economic issues facing the country.
“The Institute concedes that the decision to remove fuel subsidy has come with some pains,.
“It is, however, a necessary step towards the nation’s economic stability as it will help to curb the mismanagement of scarce resources
“It will also reduce corruption in the oil sector, and ensure that the benefits of government spending are felt by all Nigerians.
“Since the removal of subsidy is a difficult decision with significant impact on the masses, it is essential that the Federal Government implements measures to mitigate its effects,” she said.
Atako suggested measures like providing a safety tax net for those who would be most impacted by the subsidy removal, greater government intervention in agricultural produce, public transportation and youth employment programmes.
She also enjoined Nigerians to be patient with the Federal Government, and called for more understanding.
She said that the NIM believed that the nation would soon turn the bend and start reaping the benefits of the present sacrifices.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed over 100,000kg of cannabis spread across 51 hectares of farm land in Ekiti State.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Mr Femi Babafemi yesterday, in Abuja.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday Sept. 3 and Wednesday Sept. 4 stormed three camps inside the Ise-Ekiti forest reserve, in Ise/Orun Local Government Area of the state.
He named the affected areas to include: Aba Saalaja with 23 hectares; Aba Paanu with 12 hectares and Aba Arogunmatidi with 16 hectares, all within Ise-Ekiti forest reserve.
He also said two suspects: were arrested on the Toro-Jos road, Kaduna with 305kg cannabis (Indian hemp) concealed in false compartment of a J5 boxer bus marked YLA 682 XM.
Babafemi said that another suspect was arrested in possession of 18 kilograms of same substance at Makarfi town.
“Two other suspects others: were arrested on the Zaria- Kaduna highway in possession of 1300 tablets of Tramadol, all same day,”he said.
Also, in Jigawa state, a 30-year-old man was nabbed with 32.6kg of cannabis (Indian hemp) at Koran Shehu.
Babafemi said that operatives in Kogi intercepted 77,300 pills of Tramadol, Diazepam and Exol-5 with 1,230 bottles of Codeine in a commercial bus driven by Attai Okolo, 68, along Aloma – Ejule road, Ofu LGA, Kogi.
“Another was nabbed on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja expressway with 42.400kg cannabis (Indian hemp) coming from Lagos enroute Kano.
“NDLEA operatives in Borno arrested a 40-year-old man at Ramat area of Maiduguri with 13,100 pills of Tramadol.
“Also, operatives in Kano nabbed a man with 25.8kg cannabis and 3,000 pills of Diazepam along Kano – Daura road,”he said.
The NDLEA spokesman said that no fewer than 87,790 pills of Tramadol were recovered from Musa Adamu, 30, when he was arrested in Zing, Taraba state.
Babafemi said that a raid on the home of a drug kingpin, Mayowa Abayomi Awe (a.k.a Bishop) in Ilesa, Osun state led to the seizure of 43grams of crack cocaine, 23grams of Methamphetamine, 17.126kg cannabis and a locally made pistol.
-
Rivers3 days agoOdili Makes Case For Teachers Training College In Rivers
-
Oil & Energy2 days agoNavy Nabs Six Oil Thieves, Dismantles Illegal Refining Site
-
News3 days agoFubara Promises To Deliver Standard General Hospital For Obio/Akpor
-
Sports2 days ago
AFCON 2025: S’Eagles Have Quality To Beat Any Team – Eguavoen
-
Business2 days agoNMDPRA Issues Licence To Construct Floating LNG
-
Featured12 hours agoLP crisis: I’m Disappointed, Not Surprised, Obi Replies Abure
-
Rivers3 days agoOnne Port, Used As Destination For Dangerous Illicit Cargo – Comptroller General
-
Opinion2 days agoRespecting The Traditional Institution