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‘Sound Policies, Conducive Environment, Key Ingredients In Ending Migration’

Good socio-economic policies coupled with emplacement of conducive environment are key ingredients in ending migration in sub-Sahara Africa, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has said.
UNESCO’s observation came as a foundation under the aegis of Art for Humanity Foundation, advised against illegal migration, noting that migration without legal documentation posed great risk to migrants.
The global organisation, which advocates peace through education, sciences and culture, noted that providing only quality education without good socio-economic policies besides conducive environment for citizens cannot solve migration crisis.
The Officer-in-Charge, UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Regional Office in Abuja, Mr Lamine Sow, who spoke at a photo exhibition organised by the foundation to retell migration stories, attributed migration to given environment, policies, economy, social values and norms.
To this end, he urged authorities to emplace quality education, socio-economic policies and plans with a view to effecting a conducive environment for investment, importation, exportation and strategies that encourage sound development.
He posited that, “Providing them (youths) with some hope and a better future, part of which is also making sure that they get good and decent jobs”, could end migration.
“Most of the time, if you try and understand the root cause of immigration among youths, it has to do with a lot of things — unstable environment, the policies, the economy, social values, social norms, it’s a combination of multi-dimensional effects of their lives,” Sow said.
He explained that the exhibition, tagged, “En route’’, which had ten photojournalists trained on art photography, was meant to retell stories on immigration in an ethical and unbiased way.
Explaining the choice of the exhibition, he said, “Art exhibition tells a lot, sometimes, images and expression can tell louder than words, express ideas in a better way, in more compelling way than words.”
The project, which saw 10 young Nigerian photojournalists put on rigorous training, he explained, is supported by UNESCO Abuja and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The retelling of migration stories through photo exhibition, according to the UNESCO representative, was aimed at disabusing the minds of people who got wrong information about migration, thus negatively impacted on harmonious and peaceful living among people in the societies.
Noting that the youth make up greater portion of the region’s population in the sub-Sahara region, he regretted that migration was having a heavy toll on its development.
Hear him, “When we talk about immigration, we talk about our youths and our youths are the most valid portion of our population and youths in this region are assets in the sub-Saharan Africa. The youth can also be a menace or threat depending on how we build their capacity.
“If the youth leave our country and our region when they are well trained, because families and the state have invested in building the capacity of the youth, it is brain drain. That kind of brain drain resulting from that phenomenon will affect the long term development of our region.”
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

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
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

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.
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