NEWS
Group Charges Cross River MDAs on GBV Prevention
From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
A nongovernmental organization( NGO), Centre for Gender Economics (CGE Africa), has charged.
Cross River State government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) have been charged to formulate policies and budgets that would respond to gender based violence (GBV), prevention, empowerment and mitigation.
A non Governmental Organization (NGO) gave the charge yesterday in Calabar during a training workshop for top Government functionaries in the State.
The group which advocates institutional support in promotion of women’s access to economic activities across all ages, canvassed for innovative solutions for achievement of economic equality and security for women across the six geo-political zones of the nation.
Speaking yesterday at the workshop in Calabar, the executive director, Centre for Gender Economics (CGE Africa), Uchenna Idoko, while giving insight on the topic of the training workshop of 46 participants drawn from Cross River State government ministries, departments and agencies MDAs charged participants to use knowledge gained at the workshop to be innovative in the formulation policies and budget that will prevent, empower and mitigate gender based violence.
Idoko who spoke on the workshop title; Gender Responsive Budgeting ( GRB) for Gender Based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Mitigation in Cross River State averred that by so doing, the state and nation at generally stand the chance to secure safe families and society that can build tomorrow’s leaders.
“This is why the government must begin to budget to prevent violence against men, women, boys and girls, because of their gender, by doing so, we will have a safer state, we will have children, and have normal humans, we will have safe families that can raise our leaders of tomorrow.”
“Like we said during the training, prevention is better than mitigation. Mitigation can lead to war. A lot of People are going through violence in different ways, and the government is just seeing the number as just numbers without knowing that there are people behind the numbers.”
“My expectation from participants at the end of this training is that every MDA, especially the ones that are here, is to start having budgets that respond swiftly to GBV prevention, empowerment and mitigation.
“To participants, I urge you to join hands with your chief executives to develop a programme,within your budget threshold which you already have not even increased ,but prioritize and allocate money on GBV prevention, empowerment and mitigation.
“I want to see that the ministry of education is responsive to GBV by their training. Even if it is in schools, a lot of gender based violence is ongoing even in primary schools . If they can kick-start a process budgeting for that responsiveness without waiting for international agencies. It would be fine.
“Women are in IDP camps being raped, because even where they shower is not enclosed, men see women while they are taking their bath. I urge you to make some changes, construct men toilets, let there be toilets for females, keep them in safe conditions and not in tarpaulins that can easily be pulled down by children.” he cautioned”.
Idoko stressed that why they are targeting Government functionaries is because they are the key budget officials who in the workshop maintain that the government budget should not be gender neutral , but gender responsive to do the needful.
She stressed that the top government functionaries equipped with skills on how to tackle GBV issues, can make a difference for a safer society and build tomorrow’s leaders for egalitarian society.
Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike has directed government hospitals to provide free treatment to the people that sustained injuries during a stampede at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja.Wike gave the directive in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Mr Lere Olayinka, in Abuja on Saturday.
No fewer than 10 people including children lost their lives while 10 others sustained injuries to the stampede, during the distribution of food items to less privileged and the elderly by the church. The sad incident occurred around 6:30 a.m on Saturday.Wike said that the FCT Administration would ensure that the injured received adequate medical attention.The minister, who commiserated with the victims, also directed that henceforth, police permission should be obtained by individuals or organizations planning public distribution of palliatives, either food items or cash.Describing the incident as “painful”, Wike prayed for the repose of the souls of the lives that were lost and fortitude for their families to bear the irreparable loss.He commended the Police and other security agencies for their prompt intervention, saying, “the promptness in which security agencies responded to the incident was commendable.”In a related development, the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), equally commiserated with the victims of the stampede.The acting Director General of the department, Mr Abdulrahman Mohammed, in a statement said that nine out of the 10 injured persons earlier taken to Maitama District Hospital, have been treated and discharged.Mohammed also appealed to organisations that intended to give out food items to the less privileged to involve security agencies or FEMD for adequate planning to ensure safety of beneficiaries.He also advised the use of coupons and segregation of the beneficiaries into groups to avoid crowd and rowdiness that could lead to stampedes.Similarly, the Police Command in the FCT has ordered organisations, religious bodies, groups, or individuals to notify the police when planning public events, charitable activities, or large gatherings in the territory.In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, said that the notification was to enable the police to deploy adequate security measures for public safety.According to her, failure to comply with the directive will result in the organisers being held liable for any incident or loss of life resulting from negligenceMeanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has issued a warning against the unorganised distribution of palliatives and funfairs, which have led to stampedes and fatalities among vulnerable citizens.The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, gave the warning during a media briefing on Saturday in Abuja.Adejobi explained that the warning came in response to the increasing number of stampedes resulting in injuries and deaths, particularly during palliative distributions. (NAN)
The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), says it has recorded a lot of successes in military training and academic activities in 2024.
The Commandant of NDA, Maj.-Gen. John Ochai, said this at the Nigerian Defence Academy Social Activities (NDASA), held at the headquarters of the academy Afaka on Friday in Kaduna.
Ochai said the essence of NDASA was to end training activities of the year.
He said the 2024 NDASA was unique because the academy marked 60 years of existence from 1964-2024.
Also of significance, Ochai said, NDA had passed out the largest number of officers commissioned into the Armed Forces of Nigeria in 2024.
Equally, he said, in the same year (2024), the academy had the largest number of officers trained outside the country.
He emphasised that the NDA does not only train leaders for the Nigerian Armed Forces, but those for the Nigerian nation and humanity at large.
“After five years of training, we imbibe in officers leadership qualities that are everlasting.
”The traditions, ethos, characters that we instill in our cadets follow them forever and become very useful in all spheres of human endeavors,” Ochai said.
Mr Martins Amaram, Country Security Manager, Nigeria Breweries, PLC , who was the Special Guest of Honour, said the event fostered unity, cultural awareness and comradeship among the cadets and the larger community.
Amaram said, “The academy has always been a beacon of excellence in producing military leaders for integrity, resilience and capacity to face in a dynamic and complex world .
“Beyond academics and military training the academy still values cultural respect and social engagement, recognising the diversity of our great country. Nigeria.”
He commended NDA for creating the platform where cadets can appreciate the rich cultures and build bonds that transit borders.
Amaram added, “The Armed Forces of Nigeria are playing a critical role in ensuring the stability and progress of our nation. “
He urged the academy to continue to record more successes in its mission of excellence and service to the nation.
Report says that awards were given to deserving soldiers who distinguished themselves in 2024.
report says that 22 soldiers were decorated from Warrant Officer(WO) to Master Warrant Officers(MWO). (NAN)
A Corps member serving in Katsina State, Blessing Ene-Ameh, has distributed free delivery kits to 50 pregnant women in Mani town, Mani Local Government Area of the state
The corps member distributed the delivery kits to the expectant mothers in Mani on Friday as part of her personal Community Development Service (CDS)project.
Eneh-Ameh said that she visited a hospital in the area during one of her group CDS programmes and observed that the hygiene of women in the antenatal and children’s wards was not too good.
The corps member also stated that she had noticed that the turn up of pregnant women for antenatal care was very low.
She said, ”This attracted my attention to the need to educate pregnant women on its importance.
“There is also the need for them to keep themselves and their surroundings very neat to avoid infections for themselves and their babies.
“The aim was also to educate them on the importance of planning for the future of the baby.
”They also need to be staying clean to reduce the risk of contracting infections and other diseases by both the mothers and children, as well as the community in general.
“The training will empower the women to be able to handle and bring up children for the family,” Eneh-Ameh explained.
The NYSC Coordinator in the state, Alhaji Sa’idu Ibrahim, commended the corps member for her ingenuity and magnanimity to carry out the project.
Represented by the Local Government Inspector, Alhaji Abdulrazak Ismail-Tsiga, the coordinator urged the corps members serving in the state and other parts of the country to emulate her. (NAN)
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