Day: August 14, 2023

An NGO, Focusing on Women and Girls Initiative for Positive Change (FOWGI for positive change),

has called for the implementation of laws that will protect and promote adolescent girls’ rights to end child marriage.

Mrs Rifaku Ademola-Bello, the Founder and Executive Director, FOWGI, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

Ademola-Bello described child marriage as any formal or informal union between a child (boy or girl) under the age of 18 and an adult/another child where

they live a partner as though they’re a couple.

She attributed the cause of child marriage to cultural, economic and social forces prevalent among Nigerian’s poorest, rural households and uneducated population.

The Executive Director stressed that implementing laws and policies, as well as domesticating them such as the Child Rights Act will address the prevalence of child marriage and encourage girl-child education.

“ Without strong regulatory protections for girls, child marriage is a common practice in Nigeria rooted in traditional, economic, religious, and legal conditions that disproportionately affect girls and women.

“Also, it is used to avoid the social stigma over teen pregnancy.

“ Child marriage is also reinforced by unequal gender roles. Girls have very little access to decision-making power, bodily autonomy, or rights as it is of the belief that girls and women are inferior to boys and men,’’ she said.

She added that child marriage was a form of violence against children that reflects the low value accorded to the human rights of girls.

“Child marriage often violates children’s rights and compromises a girl’s development and wellbeing by placing them at a high risk of violence, exploitation, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and social isolation.

“Through limited education vocational advancement and employment opportunities.

“ Girls are vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS, and early pregnancy, cervical cancer and obstetric fistulas while their offspring are at increased risk for premature birth and death as neonates, infants, or children.

“Beyond the increase in the number of females that are out of school, there are also health implications, especially child mortality as most married girls are denied a safe dwelling, and often do not have access to adequate health care.

“Child marriage constitutes a gross violation of human rights, leaving physical, psychological and emotional scars for life’’ she said.

She, therefore stressed the need to promote girl-child education, promote community dialogue and social mobilization, health and support use of robust data and evidence to inform policy and programming, track progress and document lessons as strategies to end child marriage.

“Empower girls with information, skills and support networks; Provide economic support and incentives to girls and their families; Educate and rally parents and community members; Enhance girls’ access to a high-quality education; Encourage supportive laws and policies,’’ she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) arrested at least 281,421 traffic offenders nationwide between January and June.

Its spokesman, Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Bisi Kazeem, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday that those arrested committed 307,554 offences.

He listed the offences to include driving with worn-out or expired tyres, dangerous driving, use of phones while driving, over-speeding, route violation, overloading and failure to use seatbelt.

“The Corps arrested no fewer than 281,421 for committing 307,554 offences across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT,’’ he said.

ACM Kazeem also told NAN that the use of body cameras by FRSC’s operatives since 2021 had helped it to leverage on technology to improve its field operations.

The technology, he added, had also helped to curtail violations of traffic rules and regulations and had been effective during patrol and surveillance operations.

“The impact of the device on general operations of the Corps cannot be overemphasised.

“It helps in the area of traffic monitoring, rescue operations, and real time information gathering for decision-making.

“The device is also relevant in keeping operatives focused and determined while delivering service with dignity,’’ Kazeem said.

He warned motorists to ensure strict compliance with traffic rules and regulations and to maintain their vehicles properly before taking them to the highways, stressing that there would be no waiver on violations.

The FRSC spokesman maintained that only compliance with best practices of road use would guarantee the safety of all road users.

“Road traffic crashes are avoidable if motorists adhere strictly to traffic rules,’’ Kazeem told NAN.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), says 19 states and 56 communities across the country are likely to witness heavy rainfall that can lead to flooding within the month.

Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, Lagos Territorial Coordinator, NEMA, said this in a statement on Monday in Lagos

Farinloye listed the states and communities as: Delta: Aboh, Ekiti State; Ado Ekiti, Ondo State; Akure, Idanre, Ifon, Iju Itaogbolu, Ogbese, Owo, Owena, Ondo

Others he said included:Lagos State; Apapa, Badagry, Eti Osa, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Ikoyi, Lagos Island, Ojo Lagos, Surulere; Anambra; Atani; Ogun; Ifo, Ota, Sagamu; Nasarawa State; Lafia, Wamba and Cross River; Ikom, Ogoja

Farinloye also listed Bauchi State: Jamaare , Misau, Azare, Itas ,Kafin Madaki,Kari, Kirfi, Tafawa Balewa, Katagum; Jigawa; Hadejia, Miga; Osun State; Ilesa, Oshogbo and Kwara; Kosubosu.

The rest he said are Zamfara; Anka, Bungudu, Gusau; Sokoto State; Goronyo; Adamawa; Numan, Shelleng; Taraba: Serti; Benue; Ito, Katsina-Alan, Vande-Ikya; Imo State: Oguta, Orlu and Abia State; Ugba.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Dutse, The Jigawa chapter of Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), has commended the state government for empowering 2,500 entrepreneurs and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as part of its palliatives to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

NASSI’s Secretary in the state, Mr Danlami Haladu, gave the commendation in a statement in Dutse on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Jigawa government, in its State Executive Council meeting on Aug. 10, approved several palliatives to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy among the people in the state, including Small- and Medium-Scale Business (SMEs) operators and entrepreneurs in the state.

According to the state Commissioner for Information, Youths, Sports and Culture, Mr Sagir Musa, who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the meeting,the breakdown is as follows.

“An empowerment programme for 1,500 young entrepreneurs running existing businesses across the 27 local government areas of the state, where each of the beneficiaries will receive N50,000 to enhance their businesses.

“Approval to support 1,000 SMEs with N100,000 each, under its J-Cares, a World Bank-supported programme.”

The commissioner, however, pointed out that only those SMEs that made the World Bank’s criteria of being registered, has bank accounts, BVN and have at least two employees, will get the grants.

“The association wishes to commend the effort of the state government for approving empowerment programmes for 1,500 young entrepreneurs and 1,000 SMEs across Jigawa,” the secretary said.

NASSI’s Secretary, Haladu, also commended the state and the Federal Governments for their efforts to supply 10 trucks of rice for distribution to less privileged people in the state cushion the effects of subsidy removal, which caused hire in prices of food items and other commodities.

NAN also reports that while the Federal Government sent five trucks of rice for distribution to people in the state, to cover more beneficiaries, the state government procured another five trucks at the cost of N134,665.

The association, however, advised the state government to ensure that the palliative distribution has reached the down-trodden and is done for the betterment of all and sundry across the state.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, wife of Ondo State governor, has said that her initiative, BEMORE, trained no fewer than 3,000 young girls on various vocational skills in the past six years.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu made the disclosure at the opening ceremony of the BEMORE Summer Bootcamp 2023 held on Monday in Akure.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 350 young girls are attending the two weeks BEMORE SUMMER BOOTCAMP 2023, drawn from all the 18 local government areas of the state.

The governor’s wife, who declared opened the camp virtually, said that the initiative was to close the widened gender gap in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and entrepreneurship(STEM+E).

She explained that activities at the bootcamp were designed to empower young Nigerian girls in critical areas of science and technology while creating opportunities to help them improve on their lives and make meaningful contribution to the socio-economic development of their respective communities.

“In the last six years, I have treasured this moment and it’s bounty harvests. It affords me the chance to yearly re-give myself to a new set of sterling Nigerian girls through this credible platform.

“This, for me, is an exceptional opportunity to build these promising girls into confident, competent and worthy women who, in the fullness of time, will rewrite the narrative around womanhood.

“We have had five outstanding editions of BEMORE Boot Camps with great successes. We have given to the world rare gifts of female champions who are making waves as solar energy queens, ICT experts and sought-after young entrepreneurs .

“Through BEMORE, we have successfully raised about 3,000 girls as ‘ special breed without greed’,” she said.

Mr Lucky Ayedatiwa, the Acting Governor of the state, applauded Mrs Anyanwu-Akeredolu for empowering the girl-child and womenfolk across the state since 2017.

Ayedatiwa, who was the chairman of the occasion, said that the initiative would bring huge signature revolutionary impact on the society at large.

“You have championed a whole crusade that is committed to building a society free from abuses and prejudice against the girl child and women, using strategic tools of advocacy, education, empowerment and engagement in nation building.

“You have also built core competencies in teamwork, problem-solving, social and leadership skills, solar energy, information and communication technology for Nigerian girl child and womenfolk,” he said.

Ayedatiwa, therefore, charged the participants to take the training seriously, saying the training programme would help them unleash their energies and potentials by bringing out the best and taking bold steps about their life.

Dr Mbang Kooffreh-Ada, Senior Lecturer and Chief Consultant, University of Calabar, called on parents to improve the nutrition status of their girl-child for them to have positive impacts and contribute to national development.

Kooffreh-Ada, who presented a paper on “Addressing Nutrition and Food Security in Nigeria- A Call to Action”, also called on governments, NGOs and other relevant agencies to make policy reforms and target the root causes of malnutrition and food insecurity in the nation

Source: News Agency of Nigeria