Security

Sudan Crisis: FG Rolls Out Emergency Numbers for Stranded Nigerians

By Web News 391

By Nafiu Busari

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development have expressed concern over the situation in Sudan.

Through the ministers, the Federal Government has published emergency numbers for the coordination of the evacuation of Nigerians stranded in the country.

A joint statement by the ministers in charge of both Ministries, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama and Hajia Sadiya Faruk urged parents to advise their wards to be calm as concerted efforts are being made to evacuate all Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

The joint statement signed by the Permanent Secretaries of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management and Social Development, states that Nigerian students are also advised to maintain constant communication with the Nigerian Embassy in Sudan for further directives.

Furthermore, the statement also advised all Nigerian nationals to guard against undertaking the treacherous journey to the borders on their own, in view of the dangers involved.

The statement adds that the Nigerian Embassy officials in Sudan can be reached through the following numbers: +2348035866773, +249961956284, +2348063636862, +249961956274, and +2349066663493.

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Education

Home-Grown School Feeding: Oyo takes Delivery of Feeding Utensils

By Web News 888

In a bid to improve its National Home-Grown School Feeding programme, the Federal government has handed- over more than 62,000 feeding utensils to Oyo state.

Delivering the items comprising plates and spoon to the Oyo state government at the secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq explained that Nigeria has recorded over nine million pupils being fed by 100,000 cooks in the home grown school feeding programme.

Hajia Umar-Farouq who was represented by the Director of Social Development in the ministry of humanitarian affairs, Mr Taiwo Bashorun said the benefit of the programme among other things would address the issues of hunger, malnutrition and poverty.

The minister said an operational review on the initiative was underway to ensure that the programme succeed in its objectives and benefits such as women empowerment, supporting Girl-child education, creating employment and improving inter-governmental collaboration

While receiving the items on behalf of state government, Oyo state Programme manager of National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Adejoke Adewunmi lauded the federal government for the items and promised judicious use of the utensils.

In an interview, the secretary of the Oyo State Home Grown food vendor and Public Relations Officer, Olorundare Omolola and Sarah Makinde appreciated the federal government noting that before now, the pupils were being served with different plates.

The over 62,000 feeding utensils have been distrubuted accoss the 33 local government in Oyo state. Iyabo Adebisi

Security

We shall continue to tackle human trafficking vigorously – Humanitarian Minister

By Web News 766

The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouk, has promised that the Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to provide the necessary support and resources to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in a bid to adequately address the issue of human trafficking and other associated humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Minister stated this in her office while receiving the newly appointed Director General of NAPTIP, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim who was on a courtesy visit to the minister.

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development is the supervising Ministry for the Agency.

It would be recalled that Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has assumed duty as the new Director General of the Agency on December, 21st 2020.
The minister who described the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, as a foremost agency of government whose mandate is critical in mitigating human trafficking and all forms abuses across Nigeria, urged the Director General to build on the successes recorded by the agency in the past and ensure evidence based activities that will further increase the visibility of the agency.

While urging her to reach out to partners and other line ministries in order to secure full cooperation of the entire Nigeria, the Minister charged the NAPTIP boss to ensure that her programmes and activities clearly align with mandates of the ministry.

Earlier in her address, the NAPTIP Director General had reminded the minister that “NAPTIP is the creation of Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (TIPPEA), 2015 as re-enacted, in response to addressing the scourge of trafficking in persons in Nigeria and its attendant human rights abuses in its entire ramification.”

“It is also a fulfillment of the federal government’s international obligation under the Trafficking in Persons Protocol supplementing the United Nations Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC)”

She promised that NAPTIP is fully committed to the prevention of all forms of human degradation and exploitation through the coordinated use of the nations crime prevention and law enforcement resources to stamp out human trafficking and to liberate and uplift the vulnerable, especially women, children and youths, from dehumanizing and exploitative employment and usage, with the deployment of the Five P Approach such as policy development, prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnering with stakeholders to ensure their rehabilitation and effective reintegration of victims into the society.

“However, the agency is inundated with challenges and draw backs that are hindering our growth and development. These challenges have affected the smooth running of our operations towards achieving our statutory mandate. Some of the challenges observed in the course of the review of reports from departments, units and zonal commands of the agency are largely administrative and operational. The agency requires adequate funding to effectively execute its day-to-day operational activities. More so, there is the need for vehicles for administrative and operational purposes. We are equally incapacitated in the areas of inadequate office structure, and funding for operations such as surveillance, raids operations, investigations, and activities leading to the prosecution of perpetrators of the Human Trafficking crime”, the NAPTIP boss said.

She however assured the minister of the determination of the agency to continue to fulfil her mandates.

The visit was the first courtesy visit embarked by the Director General since her assumption of office.

Adekoye Vincent
Press Officer

Economy

3,826 CCT beneficiaries have received 48.72M Naira – Minister

By Web News 1159

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouk says 3,826 beneficiaries under the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, programme have received forty-eight point seven two million naira since its inception in six Local Government Areas of Ondo State.

Hajia Farouk disclosed this during the launch of cash grant to rural women in Akure.

She explained that the payments slated for September to December last year stopped due to the problem with the Payment Service Provider (PSP). 

The minister gave an assurance that the programme would resume in earnest following the president’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda, including the realization of the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

She said 20,000 naira grant would be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Earlier, governor of Ondo State, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu expressed delight in the initiative, which he said would empower rural women as a social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda.

A beneficiary, Mrs Tolulope Kumuyi from Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo LG thanked the federal and state governments for the initiative.

Olorunferanmi Odofin