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Groups To Present Nigeria’s Security Crisis To UK Parliament
Two Nigerian charities based in the United Kingdom (UK) will submit a report on the current security situation in Nigeria to the UK Government and Parliament on March 19.
The report was developed by academics at King’s College, London.
It is to be presented at the UK Parliament by the two organisations, Ibironke Adeagbo Foundation (IA-Foundation) and the International Organisation for Peace Building and Social Justice (PSJ), UK.
The Chief Executive Officer of IA-Foundation, Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo, told newsmen in a telephone interview on Saturday in Abuja, that the report was meant to keep the UK Government abreast of the current security crisis in Nigeria.
She said that the report had detailed and analysed “the nexus between education and insecurity in Nigeria.’’
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and a former British colony, has been at the receiving end of relentless abductions of school children, mainly in northern Nigeria.
On March 8, some 287 school children were kidnapped in a school in North western Kaduna State and 15 more were abducted in Sokoto State days later.
The recurring abductions, which started since 2014, have forced about 20.2 million children out of classrooms, disrupted homes and forced millions out of their farms.
Adeagbo said that the report entitled “Illiteracy and Insecurity-an Unholy Marriage’’, highlighted and appraised the relationship between education and insecurity across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT.
“Education has been a key sector hit both directly and indirectly with direct attacks on learning institutions and student populations with kidnappings, killings, destruction of infrastructure and sowing of fear.’’
She said that the report would also be presented to Nigerian envoys and diplomats in the UK, to make them to have better grasp of the security issues at home.
Adeagbo, who has been at the forefront of tackling Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis, said that the report was being presented at a time Nigeria and the UK had renewed their Security and Defence Partnership Pact.
According to her, the pact seeks to address and eliminate all forms of terror and insecurity in Nigeria for the long-term benefit of the West African country and its former colonial master.
She said that the report presentation was also coming at a time when the Federal Government showed resolve to tackle the problems with the appointment of retired Gen. Ja’afar Isa as the Executive Director of the Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Commission.
Adeagbo said that government was beginning to act on the recommendations made by the foundation on how best to tackle the out-of-school children crisis.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of PSJ UK, Mr Ayo Adedoyin, said that the report also looked at the causes, trends and implications of the high rate of insecurity on the development of education at all levels in Nigeria.
According to him, the absence of peace has been a national tragedy and, particularly so in the Northern and Middle belt parts of Nigeria.
He said that the development had caused severe disruptions in various sectors of the Nigerian economy, including agriculture and transportation.
“This must be tackled comprehensively now otherwise, it will mess up our collective future,’’ he added.
Adedoyin said that the two charities would develop a “Draft Action Plan’’ to be presented to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Office of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser for implementation.
The Chief Executive Officer of Halogen Group, Mr Wale Olaoye, is also scheduled to make a presentation on the insecurity challenges in Nigeria during the report presentation.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.