Nation

Group Seeks Better Future For Nigerian Children

Published

4 years ago

March 21, 2022

A child’s rights group, Splendour Child Empowerment Foundation is to host political stakeholders in Abuja, to discuss child’s rights issues as the countdown to the 2023 general elections begins.
The founder of the group, Miss Splendour Joe-King, The Tide source in Abuja yesterday that the event would be used to discuss child’s rights issues in the emerging political dispensation.
According to her, the group will host a dinner to bring key political actors together to discuss the future of the Nigerian child.
She said the event, whose exact date had not been fixed would also seek ways to engender peace and harmony among political players, to make the country conducive for kids.
Joe-King described the planned peace dinner as an off-shoot of a peace project she had earlier initiated, to educate children and youths on the need to sustain peace in society.
She, therefore, pleads for the support and funding of the event, which she tagged: “Nigerian Children Call for Peace.
“As a kid, if you have a mindset of peace you will not want to join any terrorist group because it is extremely bad for the future of children.
“The peace campaign is because if you look at our world today, we are not hearing news that give us joy we are hearing about war and killings.
“We are hearing of death of children in schools. Are these things giving us peace? No. So that is why this peace project is coming at this point in time.
“As the 2023 elections is coming, youths would want to involve themselves in violent activities that is why this peace project is coming to tell them that violent activities are extremely dangerous.
“Sustaining peace and harmony will be the greatest legacy this administration and all lovers of Nigeria will give to us as children.
“We are appealing to our father, President Muhammadu Buhari, the vice-president, governors and other stakeholders to join us in this campaign.
“If America can do it we can do it too.
“America has diverse cultures and peoples from different parts of the world yet they still came together, keeping their differences aside to see that American unity is upheld.”
The peace ambassador said that she wanted to speak to the conscience of Nigerian leaders to understand that election was not a do-or-die affair.
Speaking on partnerships being made by the group, Joe-King said that she had taken her campaign to schools nationwide, establishing peace clubs in schools.
“I would also want international agencies like UNICEF, UNESCO and other organisations to partner with me.
“I’m establishing peace clubs in schools all over Nigeria, so I need volunteers to join me and I also need funding because I’m just a child, trying to carry out a big project.
According to her, I want the project to go far. I want people to see it and I want people to understand the message I’m bringing out.
“But, I cannot do that alone without funding from people. We need to see that our peace campaign gets to every school in every community.”
Joe-King, who is16 years old, says she hopes to study law to enable her carry out her advocacy and humanitarian activities, noting that she also wants to build a hospital and a school for less-privileged kids.
She said that the foundation had also been sensitizing kids on the need to curb violence by speaking up when they notice violent acts against others because when they keep quiet they allow violence to grow and spread.

Nation

Firefighters battle New Year Day inferno in Abuja, several states

Published

1 day ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Federal Fire Service FFS entered the New Year on full operational alert, tackling multiple fire outbreaks across the country from midnight into the early hours of January 1, 2026, in what officials described as one of the busiest festive-season deployments in recent years.

The intensified nationwide response followed a December 2025 directive issued by the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, Olumode Samuel Adeyemi, who had ordered that no firefighter should proceed on leave throughout the holidays.

According to a statement by the National Public Relations Officer and Head of Corporate Services of the FFS, DCF Paul Abraham, the no-leave policy proved critical as the Service moved swiftly to contain fires in several states.

The Federal Capital Territory FCT recorded its first fire incident of the year barely twenty-three minutes after midnight when flames erupted at Cake Hot Restaurant located within River Plate Park, Wuse, Abuja.

Abraham said fire crews from the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service arrived promptly and were able to stop the blaze before it could spread through the popular recreational centre.

While a section of the garden area was destroyed, no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded.

Officials said property worth an estimated ?1.5 billion was saved, although losses were placed at about ?500 million.

“Preliminary findings suggested that the fire was triggered by objects thrown during New Year celebrations, reinforcing long-standing warnings over the dangers posed by fireworks during the harmattan season”, the Service said.

The Controller General had repeatedly urged Nigerians to avoid fireworks, candles and open flames indoors, warning that the dry winds characteristic of the season allow fires to spread rapidly.

He also warned the public about electrical faults and power surges and advised that electrical appliances be switched off and unplugged when not in use or when occupants leave their homes, stressing that overloading sockets and extension boxes remains a significant cause of domestic fires.

Nation

Enugu North LG chairman presents ?10.8bn 2026 Budget, prioritises roads …Security, Healthcare, Human Capital Development

Published

1 day ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area in Enugu State, Dr. Ibenaku Harford Onoh, has presented a Ten Billion Eight Hundred Million Naira (?10.8bn) 2026 budget to the legislative council of the local government.

The budget, tagged “Budget of Continued Growth and Consolidation,” was presented on Wednesday during a plenary session attended by councillors, department heads, and other stakeholders.

Dr. Onoh explained that the 2026 budget is designed to consolidate achievements recorded in 2025 while scaling up development across the council’s 13 wards. Priority areas include road infrastructure, grassroots security, healthcare delivery, youth empowerment, and digital governance.

He also reviewed the 2025 budget performance, highlighting significant revenue growth and successful completion of key projects. Notably, the council’s internally generated revenue more than doubled, attributed to the introduction of digital revenue collection platforms and other innovative measures.

Among the 2025 achievements, Dr. Onoh mentioned the reconstruction of major roads at European Quarters, Hilltop, Coal Camp, and Ukwa Street, Ihewuishi, as well as the upgrade of the local security architecture through the reorganisation of the neighbourhood watch into “The City Watch.”

On the 2026 budget, the chairman stated that projected revenue would come from statutory allocations, VAT, internally generated revenue, and counterpart funding through public-private partnerships.

He noted that capital expenditure would take the larger share of the budget, with over half allocated to the economic sector. Planned projects include:

Completion of transport terminals at Aria Market

Construction and reconstruction of urban roads

Establishment of two sports centres

Healthcare interventions

Youth skills development programmes.

Dr. Onoh emphasised that the projects, policies, and programmes outlined in the budget are aimed at complementing the initiatives of Governor Peter Ndubisi Mbah, who is setting standards for local government councils to follow.

Responding, the Leader of the Legislative Council, Rt. Hon. Chizoba Nnamani, said the budget would be carefully scrutinised in the interest of residents before its passage.

Nation

Christians Convert To Islam or die As ISWAP burns down Christian village

Published

1 day ago

January 2, 2026

The Tide

Christians in Adamawa have been asked to Convert to Islam or die as commanded by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

.The ISWAP forcedly burnt down Christian village in Adamawa Nigeria as reported on January 1, 2026.

The Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, has continued to wreak havoc on Christian communities in the Northeast, Nigeria.

This comes as ISWAP burned down a Christian village in Adamawa State.

A security expert, Brant Philip, disclosed this on Thursday in a viral video released by the terrorists.

“ISWAP released an image of one of the Christian villages in Adamawa State burning, alongside a statement saying that all Christians in Nigeria are legitimate targets, and they have an opportunity to “spare their blood” by converting to Islam or paying the jizyah tax to ISWAP,” Brant Philip wrote on X.

The move is perceived as retaliation for recent joint airstrikes by the Nigerian and United States military against a terrorist enclave in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Recall that five days ago, United States President Donald Trump announced that the US military launched airstrikes against terrorists in Sokoto State.