Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: ActionAid

  • Int’l Peace Day: Culture Promotion, Panacea To Insurgency, Banditry In Nigeria – ActionAid

    Int’l Peace Day: Culture Promotion, Panacea To Insurgency, Banditry In Nigeria – ActionAid

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Actionaid Nigeria Resilience Programme Coordinator, Anicetus Atakpu on Wednesday in Lokoja described promotion of Culture as a panacea to insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping and banditry ravaging the country.

    Atakpu who made the call on Wednesday in Lokoja at a cultural peace fiesta in commemoration of the 2021 global peace day, called on the Government to device a new structural approach to promote Nigeria culture in a bid to put an end to criminality.

    He lamented that Nigeria Culture has been relegated to the background, stressing the need to promote harmonious cohabitation through culture if the country must overcome the growing spate of insecurity bedevelling the nation today.

    He said ”Tribalism has played a very strong role in promoting violence extremism and building conflicts in Nigeria. The most recent is the farmers, herders conflict, that has led to so many deaths which we are out to finding the solution to the problem.”

    Culture according to him is a good way of building harmony, and peaceful coexistence adding, “We have been having this peaceful fiesta for the past three years, and we have come to restructure it. Rather than just gather youths to play, dance, we need to pass a message with it.”

    ”This year we have launch the cultural peace fiesta demonstrating our cultural diversity and making our youths and our teaming population understand that we have diversity in culture, and our looks but we are still one. We are passing a message that will make people appreciate the oneness in us despite our cultural diversity.”

    “ If the government could come up with a new model towards promoting our culture, the issue of Kidnapping, insurgency, armed robbery will be a thing is the past”.

    In her speech, Actionaid Nigeria country Director, Ene Obi who was represented by the organization Director, Social Mobilization Mr
    Adewale Adeduntan traced the neglect of Nigeria culture to the importation of foreign culture in the society.

    According to her, ”Am not in any way antagonizing foreign culture in our system, but I am bold to say that some of this culture brought to our country is drilled with hypocrasy, hatred, violence and many more that does not reflect Nigeria Culture. Our culture preaches peace, and peace we must maintain if we want to move forward”

    Earlier in her opening remarks, the Executive Director, Participation Initiative for Behavioral Change in Development, (PIBCID), Halima Oiza Sadiq admitted that cultural diversity has a great role to play in promoting peace and harmonious coexistence looking at the ethnic diversity of Kogi State.

    “As such, the 2021 peace fiesta (Cultural Fiesta) is an occasion for us as peace ambassadors from diverse ethnic groups, to reflect on how aspects of this culture including music, dance, attire, craft and cultural expression can be exploited to enrich the lives of the people of Kogi and our country as a whole.

    The cultural peace fiesta to mark the 2021 International peace day with the theme ” Promoting harmonious cohabitation through culture” was organised by Actionaid Nigeria, in collaboration with the Participation Initiative for Behavioral Change in Development, (PIBCID), and funding from Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF).

  • ActionAid Enjoins Nigerian Youths To Obtain PVCs, Shun Violent Extremism

    ActionAid Enjoins Nigerian Youths To Obtain PVCs, Shun Violent Extremism

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Mrs Ene Obi has urged Nigerian youths to register and obtain their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to enable them vote in the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country.

    In a release, The Country Director, made the call at the passing out parade and graduation of 500 Peace Ambassadors of the 2021 Youth Peace Camp held in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Friday.

    Mrs Obi urged youths to register and collect their PVCs, saying it was the only way they can participate in the decision making process of the country.

    She admonished them not to allow themselves to be used as agents of election violence, especially as the 2023 general elections draw near but work in the area of promoting peace and unity in the state and the country and at large.

    “Your registration is your participation in the governance process and your voting makes you contribute because governance is for the people by the people and for the people.”

    “One of the essence of being a peace ambassador is to look at the value of life and so when a life is lost, a mother is hurt. So ActionAid Nigeria believes in the quality of the human lives. We believe that we are all equal,” she said.

    The country director noted that her organisation has trained a total number of 1,500 Peace Ambassadors within three years as part of its System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) Project through capacity building and skills acquisition to enable them become self reliant.

    Mrs Obi therefore, charged the youth to be transparent and shun any behaviour that will lead to violent extremism in the state.

    In a remark, the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Kassim Suleiman, represented by the Director Youth, Mr Abukakar Umar, advised the peace ambassadors to always preach the language of peace among their families, communities and the state at large.

    He commended ActionAid Nigeria and her partners for prioritising the needs of the youth and assured of the state government’s commitment to developing the youths, in order to make them employers of labour.

    Earlier, the Executive Director, Global Peace Development, Mr Ebruke Esike said the purpose of the 2021 youth peace camp was to create the culture of peace among youths and ensuring that they have capacities of mitigating conflict in their communities.

    Mr Ebuke noted that the programme was in line with the United Nations Resolution 2250, aimed at building a strong youth force that will contribute to peace processes and conflict resolution both at local, national, regional and international levels.

    The one-week youth peace camp with the theme: ‘Shaping Peace Through Harmonious Cohabitation’ was organised by ActionAid Nigeria, in partnership with Global Peace Development and Beacon Youth Initiative, with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

    Participants of the 2021 peace camp consist of youths from 12 communities in six local government areas of the state, where the SARVE II project is being implemented.

  • 2023; ActionAid Secures £1.3m To Mobilise Women, Youths For Governance

    2023; ActionAid Secures £1.3m To Mobilise Women, Youths For Governance

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    Towards 2023 general elections, ActionAid Nigeria has secured a £1.3 million grant from the United Kingdom through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to increase women and youths’ participation in politics and governance in Nigeria.

    The Women-Youth Project (We-You), which runs from September 3, 2021, to August 31, 2023, is geared at campaigning for women and young people in governance across Rivers, Kaduna, and Kano states.

    The project will, among others, mobilise a critical mass of young people and women leading issue-based campaigns towards translating citizens’ demands into policy action in the benefiting states.

    While Nigeria currently ranked 146th out of 152 countries in the global gap index on political empowerment, in the legislature, only 4.5 per cent are women.

    Specifically, women comprise 7.3 per cent in the Senate, while the House of Representatives only has 3.1 per cent.

    The ActionAid County Director, Ene Obi, at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the British High Commission, in Abuja, and made the release available to the press, noted that the overall goal of the project was to contribute to the all-inclusive democratic process and enhance citizen-led action towards the improvement of good governance in the country.

    Head of Governance, British High Commission, Nigeria, Sam Waldock, said UK has been supporting Nigeria for robust democracy since 1999 to the tune of £50 million.

  • Kogi, Kwara, FCT, 3 Others Performs Low On Agric Extension Services – ActionAid

    Kogi, Kwara, FCT, 3 Others Performs Low On Agric Extension Services – ActionAid

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Food and Agriculture Programmes Coordinator for ActionAid Nigeria, Azubike Nwokoye has rated Kogi, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Delta, Kwara and the Federal Capital Territory low in its recent assessments of agricultural extension service performance.

    The Coordinator who presented outcome of his findings to farmers in Abuja, according to ‘Kogi Report’, lamented that poor funding and lack of sufficient training of extension workers were some of the factors militating against food surplus in the country.

    Nwokoye who also gave fair pass marks to Gombe and Ondo States
    further identified lack of mobility and transport allowance to enable extension workers move around as snags affecting the sector.

    The Programmes Officer called on the federal, states and local governments, to pay more attention to extension service providers so as to scale up food sufficiency and increase the country’s earnings.

    He added: “The essence of this gathering is actually to show the latest data we have on the level of access extension services in Nigeria. And the challenges of poor funding of the extension services and the components of agriculture for us to push for increased funding.”

    He called on relevant authorities to incorporate women farmers into extension service providers adding that extension services is the fulcrum of agricultural productivity. “Over the years, farmer agent ratio has been very poor; there is a wide gap and some of the statistics are showing that in Nigeria you have one extension agent to 2,500 family farms.”

    “In some situations, one extension agent to ten thousand farms. Latest, people that have done it are saying ten thousand extension agents to eighteen thousand family farms.”

    “So, the gap is wide. There is also in existence the challenge of low recruitment, lack of mobility and transport allowance and lack of training and low number of female extension agents across Nigeria.”

    “The aim of this conversation is to make sure the poor funding situation is addressed within this budgetary process that is currently ongoing in the 2022 agriculture budget.” he added.

    “We believe that it is a waste of our common wealth if government, both at the federal and state levels have extension agents that they cannot provide them with motorcycles and transport allowance to do their job.”

    “It means that when they pay them at the end of the month without providing them money for operation, government is wasting our common wealth.”

    “It is better for government not to waste our common wealth by ensuring that trainings and retraining are provided for extension agents and that they are provided with proper mobility to be able to deliver this services to the farmers.”

    “Across Nigeria, we have a lot of technological research that are lying on the shelves. Because of the low funding of extension services, these technologies are not distributed to farmers.”

  • ActionAid Nigeria decries increase in electricity tariff for Nigerians

    ActionAid Nigeria decries increase in electricity tariff for Nigerians

    …laments impending poverty effect on masses

    By Joyce Remi- Babayeju

    ActionAid Nigeria, AAN,. has decried the alleged new astronomical increase in electricity tariff resolution by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, directing all 11 Electricity Distribution Companies, Discos to increase their tariffs from today Wednesday, 1st September, 2021.

    In a press statement issued by AAN, it posits that the increase in electricity tariff will further erode the purchasing power of Nigerian workers in formal and informal sectors and will further impoverish more Nigerians.

    Speaking in Abuja, the Country Director, Ene Obi lamented that the increase in electricity tariff is not only ill timed but insensitive to the precarious plight of Nigerians whose lean disposable incomes are already decapitated.

    The Non Governmental Organization, NGO, position it said is hinged on the premise that previous hike in electricity tariffs had not translated to effective and regulatory strategies to manage the impact of such hikes on macro-economic indices affecting end-users that are currently economically crippled and trapped.”

    Obi who condemned the tariff move also reminded the Federal Government that more than a hundred million Nigerians are living below the poverty line.

    nstead of this tariff hike, NERC should compel all the actors in Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to ensure increased efficiency in the power sector including managing energy loses to make erratic power supply a thing of the past as a way of boosting productivity and Nigeria’s GDP, she said.

    “We urge NERC to rescind this decision and ensure that the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry improve its performance before considering a tariff increase.”

    The statement said, ” If this purported decision is not reconsidered, the cost of production of basic items produced in the country will increase and this may also lead to job losses in the already ailing medium and small-scale industries in Nigeria. Investors who rely largely on power supply will obviously not be able to break even. To remain afloat, they will have to shift the burden of increased cost of production to the final consumers of their products and services in an economy already choked by inflation.”

    ActionAid Nigeria therefore calls on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and the Federal Government, to halt the planned electricity tariff increment and uphold its values of transparency, fairness, and accountability by ensuring continuous consultation with the masses while protecting consumer rights.

  • IYD: Implement Policies That Encourages Youths Participation in Agriculture – ActionAid Nig

    IYD: Implement Policies That Encourages Youths Participation in Agriculture – ActionAid Nig

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Resillience Programme Coordinator with ActionAid, Team Lead of the SARVE 11 Project, Mr. Anicetus Atakpu, has called for the implementation of policies that would encourage Youths engagement in Agriculture.

    Atakpu made the call at the 2021 Youth Summit on Preventing Violent Extremism in Kogi State, with the theme: Youth Innovation in Peace Building Through Climate Change Mitigation.

    According to him, the Summit was in commemoration with the 2021 International Youth Day (IYD) stressing that youths encouragement in agriculture could be achieved through increased budgetary allocation and creating an enabling environment for the sector to thrive.

    He said ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), held the Youth Summit under the “System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF).

    Mr. Anicetus who described unemployment as a critical factor that aggravates violent extremism, pointed out that Government’s proactive measure in creating and implementing policies that would encourage young people’s engagement in agricultural practices remains the Panacea to reducing the unemployment gap in the country.

    The Programme Coordinator
    described Agriculture as the Nation’s economic mainstay adding that the sector has the capacity to reduce unemployment, poverty and preventing Violent extremism if well harnessed.

    He called for the creation of an enabling environment for Agriculture to thrive so as to close the unemployment gap and curbing social vices in the prevention of violent extremism in the country.

    In his remarks, the Council Chairman of Kogi Local Government, Hon. Isah Abdulkareem, described Youth engagement in Agriculture as cardinal adding that his administration has not only created farms for youths, but has equally assisted them with four tractors to encourage their participation.

    Similarly, the Chairman, National Youth Council, Kogi Local Government Chapter, Comr. Isah Abubakar Adah Abu, lauded the Initiatives of Actionaid Nigeria, expressed optimism that the agricultural sector has the propensity to check unemployment and Youth restiveness.

    Earlier, the Resource Person at the Summit, Hajia Zainab Musa, described Kogi LGA as an agrarian area in nature and urged the youths to embrace farming escape unemployment crisis bedeviling the country.

  • International Youth Day: ActionAid commences training of youth on Agricultural technological innovation in Nasarawa

    International Youth Day: ActionAid commences training of youth on Agricultural technological innovation in Nasarawa

    From Abel Leonard, Lafia

    ActionAid Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) has organised a one-day summit in Nasarawa State on agriculture innovations, aimed at empowering the youth against restiveness and violent extremism.

    Speaking at the summit on Thursday in Lafia, Mr Adewale Adedutan, Social Mobilisation Manager, ActionAid Nigeria said it was also in commemoration of the 2021 International Youth Day.

    Adedutan said the summit with the theme: “Youth Innovation in Peace Building Through Climate Change Mitigation”, was geared towards sensitising youths to look inward using smart innovations to engage themselves in agriculture to become self reliant.

    “Agriculture is still the largest employer of labour.

    “We are saying that we can mop the huge number of unemployed youths in Nigeria by making agriculture smarter, greener and more attractive to these youths thereby increasing our GDP.

    “But if we still go by way of the subsistence farming that our forebearers are used to, youths will never be attracted to agriculture,” he said.

    Adedutan explained that the organisation had already trained 24 young persons who were expected to train 50 youths each in 12 communities across the state on using technological innovations to engage themselves in agriculture, engender food security and curb herders/farmers conflict.

    “We are talking about investment in technology in agriculture to attract the youth.

    “The young people we have trained are in 12 communities spread across Nasarawa state.

    “They are stepping down the knowledge and skills they have acquired to their peers in the communities to see how we can bridge the gap between food insecurity and violent extremism, to see how to conscientise young people in the communities,” he said.

    According to him, the 12 selected rural communities spread across the three senatorial of the state had concerns with issue of agricultural productivity.

    “These are some of the communities where we have been having farmers/herders clashes. So we want to ensure that we sensitise young people on the smart agriculture pattern to adopt in a such a way that the clash between farmers and herders can be reduced,” he said.

    Also speaking, Mr Ayuba Ewuga, the facilitator for Azuba Bashayi community said the use of innovation in the agriculture sector would reduce restiveness and insecurity as the youths would be productively engaged.

    Also Mr Yakubu Isiaka, a participant said the summit had exposed them to new ideas that would help them succeed in agriculture.

    He added that the summit had also changed their orientation and perception about agriculture being a dirty job for the poor, but rather a fortune earner.

    The summit is part of ActionAid Nigeria’s System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) project in the state.

    The project is being implemented in partnership with Global Peace Development and Beacon Youth Initiative with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, GCERF.

  • ActionAid Nig. Lauds President Buhari’s Quest For Education Budgetary Increase

    ActionAid Nig. Lauds President Buhari’s Quest For Education Budgetary Increase

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, on Friday
    commended President Muhammadu Buhari over his commitment to increase education spending.

    In statement issued by ActionAid country Director, Ene Obi and made available to the press, Pointed out that the commendation was sequel to President Buhari’s commitment revealed at the Global Education Summit in London which was co-hosted by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

    Obi noted that ActionAid Nigeria is looking forward to the next steps and actions to back up the President’s commitment, to address the numerous challenges confronting the education sector.

    “Nigeria is a signatory to many international instruments on the delivery of quality education, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as such, we expect to see a directive to all relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prioritize and commence the process of incremental budgeting to actualize the commitment.”

    She applauded the commitment responds to the call for Governments to take actions to increase the SHARE of funds allocated to and spent on free, quality, inclusive public education, stressing that it is very critical for the transformation of the sector and will help in placing the country on the path to sustainable education for all.

    She noted that, following the trend analysis of the Federal Government Budget by ActionAid Nigeria over the years, the allocation to education has declined relatively.

    “Whereas the size of the Federal Government budget has increased since 2016, the allocation to education has been on the decline, although the allocation to education in the overall 2021 FGN budget increased from 5.61% in 2020 to 5.68% in 2021, it was lower than the 7% attained in 2016, 2018 and 2019.” She noted.

    “It is no longer news that Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is home to the highest number of out-of-school children in the world (estimated at around 10.5 million) and evidence has shown that the Covid-19 pandemic and insecurity is increasing this number, hence the commitment of the President couldn’t have come at a better time.”

    ActionAid Nigeria, therefore, called on all arms of government to collectively push forward this commitment and ensure that necessary steps are taken to actualize the commitment.

    Obi stressed the need for Government to ensure that it works with relevant organizations to enable greater scrutiny of future allocations by publicly publishing education budget and expenditure.

    According to president Buhari, the government is to increase education spending by 50% over the next two years and up to 100% by 2025 adding that the objective of the increase is to reach the global benchmark of 20% of public allocation and expenditure to the education sector.

  • ActionAid Tasks States To Emulate Religious Tolerance Exemplifies In Kogi

    ActionAid Tasks States To Emulate Religious Tolerance Exemplifies In Kogi

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Resilience Programme Coordinator of Actionaid Nigeria Mr. Anicetus Atakpu on Tuesday in Lokoja called on religious leaders and stakeholders in the country to maintain religious tolerance as exemplified in Kogi State.

    The none governmental organizations Coordinator, Atakpu, Worried by the growing spate of insecurities across the country, traced some of the problem of insecurities in the country to lack of religious tolerance.

    Mr. Anicetus Atakpu made the call on Tuesday at a one day religious dialogue meeting organized by Actionaide Nigeria in collaboration with Participation Initiative For Behavioural Change in Development, (PIBCID) with funding from Global Community Engagement and Resilience Funds.

    He described religious leaders as a strong catalyst for the Prevention of violent extremism in the country, stressing the need for the usage of their strong influences on their followers in strengthening peace building and preventing violence in the country.

    Atakpu who disclosed that the aim of the program was for community resilience strengthened against violent extremism in Kogi and Nasarawa state , however, commended the people of Kogi State for tolerating each other irrespective of their religion adding that, over the years, Kogi State have not recorded any religious crisis.

    He said the program was to further prevent any action that is inimical to the peace of the state stressing that, Actionaid Nigeria through it’s SARVE II Project in the last two years has engaged and integrated over 20,000 youths across the State.

    According to him, within the year in review, ActionAid Nigeria has been able to achieve community response team to identify any point of conflict to avoid escalating.

    The Programme according to him is also centred on changing the mentality of youths towards violence extremism adding that when conflict occurs, Women and Children suffers the major casualties.

    Earlier in her welcome address, the Executive Director of Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development, (PIBCID), Halima Oiza Sadiq, explained that the Religious Dialogue Meeting under the SARVE II Project was aimed at reducing vulnerability and risk of young men and women.

    , The Dialogue’s aims according to the Executive Director is to intensify actions towards improving enabling environment as well as supporting communities against injustices and inequalities through building tolerance to mitigate against violent extremism.

    Speaking at the event, the Kogi East zonal coordinator of Jamaatu Nasril Islam, (JNI) Alhaji Mohmmed Idris admitted that the European over the years have misled the government stressing that Christian and Islamic religion should be made compulsory for admission to tertiary institutions.

    In a related development, the Kogi State Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Assistant Secretary Rev. Frank Paul Oluwatimileyin maintained that the two major Religion in Nigeria shares major ideologies which are symbols of peace, love, humanitarian service and respect each others religion.

  • Job Creation, Youths Empowerment, An Antidote To Violent Extremism – ActionAid

    Job Creation, Youths Empowerment, An Antidote To Violent Extremism – ActionAid

    By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Resillience Programme Coordinator with ActionAid, Mr. Anicetus Atakpu, on Monday in Lokoja said that implementation of budgetary Provision towards job creation and empowering young person’s is an antidote to violent Extremism in kogi state.

    Mr. Atakpu, the Team Leader of the Serve 11 Project for ActionAid, in Conjunction with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development, (PIBCID) and funding from Global Community Engagement and Resilience Funds, made the disclosure at a one day Policy Dialogue with Civil Society Organizations and the Media in Lokoja.

    He pointed out that judicious budget implementation could reduce unemployment geared towards addressing infrastructure gaps, human and capital development would be useful disincentives to violent extremisim.

    “It’s worrisome that Governance took a large chunk of the Kogi State 2021 budget with 18.06% as against 3.24% allocated to Entrepreneurship and Youth Engagement who are key drivers of Violent Extremism.” he expressed.

    Akpatu also lamented that a N100m allocation for Project for Youth Development under the Governor’s Office in Kogi State in the 2021 budget, wondered why the funding was not in the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

    “So much was allocated to the renovation work in the Governor and Deputy Governor’s Office in 2021, while allocation to women and youths in 2021 is a paltry 1.32% of the total budget as against 1.79% renovation work in the offices of the Governor and his Deputy.”

    He therefore called for citizens’ Participation in budget preparation and involvement to ensure proper monitoring and accountability to address socio economic ills that are the persistent cases of violent extremism rather than placing emphasis on construction, establishment and rehabilitation of centres.

    He therefore called for budgetary provision for the physically challenged persons who according him are drivers of violent extremism, adding that engagement by the media should go beyond the ceremonies, urged for oversight to help assist the fight against violent extremisim.

    Earlier in a welcome remarks Halima Oiza Sadiq, Executive Director of Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development, (PIBCID), said the one day Dialogue aims at budget funding, tracking allocation, and spending geared towards preventing extremism in Kogi State.