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Stakeholders Launch Social Accountability Toolkit for Structural SGBV Intervention

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By Prosper Okoye

Stakeholders in the battle against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) have unveiled a social accountability (SAC) toolkit and mentoring manual to facilitate a structural approach to SGBV interventions in Nigeria.

During the launch on Monday, Yemisi Nathaniel, Senior Executive Programs Coordinator at Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), informed journalists that grassroots organizations from FCT, Adamawa, and Sokoto states, gathered through the Spotlight Initiative pillar partnership, would utilize the toolkit as a guide for advocacy and accountability mechanisms in their respective communities.

Angela Muruli, the Technical Coherence Officer of United Nations Women, shared a goodwill message expressing her joy and pride.

She stated that the project, spearheaded by WRAPA, has finally come to fruition.

“UN Women, through their EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, is delighted to have partnered with WRAPA for the past four years on this flagship program. In 2017, the EU recognized that ending violence against women and girls is crucial for sustainable development. Consequently, they launched an ambitious grant of nearly 500 million Euros, the largest funding ever provided by a global entity to address violence against women and girls. UN Women and the UN country teams were entrusted with rolling out the EU Spotlight Initiative project.

“Thus, we embarked on the Spotlight Initiative with six main outcome areas, which many of you are familiar with. These areas include legislation, strengthening institutions, prevention services, data, and, of course, the women’s movement, which WRAPA has championed beautifully.

“The Spotlight Initiative has achieved significant milestones, such as the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAAP) Act in over 90 percent of the states in Nigeria. More recently, we successfully advocated for the passage of the sexual harassment bill, and I want to applaud WRAPA for this achievement. We have also championed the establishment of one-stop centers and galvanized a strong women’s movement, instrumental in driving the passage of gender bills, as witnessed in March last year in the National Assembly.

“I have had the privilege of getting a sneak peek into the toolkit. For those who haven’t seen it yet, let me assure you it is impressive. It is rich with experiences and serves as a practical tool to empower all of us in this room to champion the cause established by your esteemed organization…” Angela, who represented Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, conveyed to the audience.

Furthermore, stakeholders, while sharing their success stories on the project, expressed frustrations encountered during the interventions. One of their primary complaints was the attitude of the Nigerian Police Force when a case is reported to them.

“Whenever you report a case, they expect you to pay for a pen, files, transportation for the victim, the accused, and even for the police officer handling the case. You have to foot practically every expense, and this discourages us and most of the victims from pursuing justice,” lamented Farah James of ASWHAM, Adamawa State.

Afam Kasim of TAF Africa, representing the organization’s Director, Jake Epelle, advised that increased advocacy could help address most of the challenges.

“Identifying the individuals who can bring about change in the areas you are working in can be helpful. I remember around 2015 or thereabouts, individuals with Albinism were dying in the national hospital due to skin cancer, and we were seeking funding. We identified that there was something known as a service-wide vote, so we approached Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as an organization. These are Nigerians; they did not develop skin cancer by choice but rather due to the unique nature of their skin. When we presented our case to her, she had no reason but to release 17 million Naira to the National Hospital, all because we knew whom to approach,” he said.

However, Daniel Johnson of the African Youth Union Commission raised concerns about the significant reduction in recent budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Women Affairs, an agency of the government tasked with intervening in cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) affecting women and girls.

“Our organization conducted a fact-finding mission at the National Assembly to assess the readiness of the budget, particularly the gender-responsive bill and other issues concerning women and girls. To our shock, the 2022 budget for the Ministry of Women Affairs was approximately 35 billion Naira. However, in 2023, it was reduced to 17.1 billion Naira, representing a reduction of about 54 percent. We have been urging them to explain the reason for this cut. Does it imply that women do not face any problems? Moreover, this has also impacted the allocation for SGBV interventions,” he stated.

Kaneng Rwang-Pam, SAC Toolkit Design Consultant, emphasized the comprehensiveness of the kit in addressing practical issues that may arise in the field. She encouraged participants to have an open mind and adapt the solutions provided in the book to overcome their specific challenges.

“The Social Accountability Toolkit is dedicated to achieving tangible results. It involves engaging critical stakeholders who make decisions that propel our communities forward. The toolkit comprises mechanisms and strategies for gathering information and involving stakeholders to advance gender equality, eliminate discrimination against women and girls, and end violence in all its forms.

“Furthermore, the toolkit is versatile and can be applied in various contexts. In this particular instance, it supports efforts to end violence against women and girls, which aligns with SDG 5 as the primary target.

“In essence, it strives to achieve equity in our homes, communities, states, and nation at all levels, encompassing the fair distribution of state resources. This impacts sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and every aspect of the daily lives of women and girls in Nigeria.

“The toolkit includes a case study that highlights the negative impact on women’s lives in a specific community where a lack of accessible healthcare centers forces them to travel long distances. Pregnant women, for example, face complications and higher mortality rates. Advocacy efforts were undertaken to address this issue and find a solution.

“In another case, a particular local government failed to allocate sufficient resources, unaware of the need for increased funding for a primary health center to ensure community members, especially women, can access quality healthcare. The toolkit provides practical methods to facilitate such changes and more,” she explained in an interview with DAILY ASSET.

Additionally, Precious Anslem, FCT WRAPA Spotlight Initiative Project Officer, encouraged participants to assess their progress through regression analysis and realize the significant achievements made. Therefore, he urged them not to lose faith in their cause due to challenges.

“While you may have set out to achieve five things, even accomplishing one is progress,” he said.

Chief Dauda Dogo of Karomajigi community in Abuja, the Chief Launcher of the toolkit, issued a resounding call for increased collaboration in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence targeting women and girls. He passionately urges both the government and society to actively promote and utilize the tool.

NEWS

Tinubu Approves Management Unit for Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.A statement on Friday by his spokesman, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, said the unit would ensure efficient, transparent and accountable management of external grants mobilised towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).

Ngelale said SCO-PMU would report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister, including the Minister of State, Permanent Secretary; Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and relevant development partners.
“The SCO-PMU will serve as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII and is to be headed by a national coordinator (NC).“The functions of the SCO-PMU include programme management, monitoring and evaluation, engagement and supervision of Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) for NHSRII programmes and fiduciary management, among others.“Consequently, the President has approved the appointment of Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Coordinator of SCO-PMU,” he said.

Report says that Sadiq has over 17 years of experience in public health, impact investing, investment banking, energy, and climate financing across the health, finance, climate and energy sectors.He had served as Head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria.He also served as Head of the Nigeria Energy Transition Office and Private Sector Engagement Adviser at the World Bank. (NAN)

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Education

FG Denies Slash in Students’ Allowances

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The Federal Government says it has no plan to slash scholarship students’ allowances as recently projected in the media.The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Abuja on Friday.

Report says that there was a report that the ministry, through the Federal Scholarship Board, announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria among others.

The slash in scholars’ allowances under the federal government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship (BEA) was attributed to the economic crises.Mamman said that there was no slash in scholars` allowances but rather an adjustment due to Foreign Exchange fluctuations (FOREX).
“We want to clarify what has been in the media on allowances paid to scholars under the Bilateral Scholarship Agreement.“We want to place it on record that the ministry and the Federal Government for that matter have not slashed the allowances due to students.“What happened is some adjustments in the amount due to them because of FOREX fluctuations, and as soon as we get the balance we have applied for, we will pay them.“But for now, what is in the budget is what we can pay. So, there is no slash, we will even be happy to increase, so this is what has led to the adjustments,” he said.(NAN)

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NEWS

Planned Protests: CAN calls for calm and patience

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By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Friday, has urged Nigerians to calm and patient with Federal Government and should give the the government more time to address these pressing concerns.In a statement issued by CAN and signed by Archbishop Daniel Okoh ,President, CAN and made available to journalists in Abuja.

CAN also urged all Nigerians to consider alternative means of expressing their grievances.
He however said CAN stands in solidarity with the citizens of nation during these challenging times of economic hardship and pervasive hunger. The statement reads in part, “As we navigate this period of crisis, it is imperative to uphold the constitutional rights of every Nigerian to peacefully protest and express their grievances.
The right to assemble and voice discontent is a cornerstone of our democracy and must be protected and respected by all. Peaceful protests are a powerful tool for civic engagement, allowing the populace to communicate their concerns and hold leaders accountable. However, the anxiety related to the impending protests is heightening, especially given the volatile experiences in countries like Kenya and Pakistan.”We must also draw from our recent history. The #ENDSARS and #RevolutionNow protests, though rooted in genuine grievances, were marred by tragic incidents where miscreants hijacked the process. This led to widespread looting, destruction of properties, and unfortunate loss of lives. These experiences have shown us that mass demonstrations can quickly degenerate into chaos if not properly managed and coordinated.” In light of the planned protests scheduled to commence on 1st of August, CAN urges all Nigerians to consider alternative means of expressing their grievances. We recommend giving the government more time to address these pressing concerns. This period should be used to explore other legal avenues that will not easily give hoodlums the opportunity to hijack the exercise to destroy our national assets or endanger lives and properties. Dialogue, petitions, and town hall meetings are viable options that can yield positive results without the risk of disorder.”We call on the government to cut the cost of governance and expedite its efforts to alleviate the hardships in the land. The opulent lifestyle of political office holders must be addressed to demonstrate the sincerity of those in government to improve the living conditions of the people. Likewise, it is imperative that the government implements the newly approved national minimum wage to provide immediate relief to struggling families.”Furthermore, specific measures must be taken to put an end to kidnappings, banditry, and mass killings that have plagued various parts of our country. The security and well-being of every Nigerian should be paramount, and urgent action is required to restore peace and order.”We also call on the government to expedite its efforts to alleviate the hardships in the land. There is an urgent need for more refined and effective policies that address the root causes of the economic challenges we face. The government must deepen its consultations with stakeholders, including religious leaders, to create a more inclusive and comprehensive approach to problem-solving. By working together, we can devise sustainable solutions that reflect the needs and aspirations of the people.”In these trying times, let us all remember the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). As we seek to bring about positive change, let us do so with a spirit of peace, love, and unity. Our strength lies in our ability to come together, support one another, and work collectively toward a better Nigeria.”We pray for wisdom and discernment for our leaders, resilience and hope for our citizens, and divine intervention to guide us through these difficult times”.

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