Connect with us

Foreign News

UNDP Grants Nigeria $30m For North-East Development

Published

on

un
Share

The UN Development Programme (UNDP), has released 30 million U.S. dollars to Nigeria from the regional stabilisation facility for the humanitarian crisis in the North East.

UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr Mohamed Yahya disclosed this on Friday, in Abuja at the first inaugural meeting convened on the way forward in actualising the ‘Nigeria window’ of the Regional Stabilisation Facility.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Regional Stabilisation Facility was launched in July in Niamey, Niger at the second Governors Forum to contribute support to the affected regions of Nigeria,

NAN also reports that the project was expected to be implemented between Sept.

1, 2019, and Aug. 31, 2021.

Governors from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and regional stakeholders attended the meeting in Niamey under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

Those who pledged to deploy funds in Niamey to support the project, which will be monitored by the UNDP and the African Union (AU), include the governments of Sweden and Germany and the regional governors from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe (Nigeria), Lak, Hajder-Lamis (Chad), Diffa (Niger) and Far North and North regions in Cameroon.

NAN reports that the UNDP is expected to provide seed funds to run the facility yearly.

He said the regional stabilisation facility is aimed at providing rapid response to support immediate stabilisation in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe affected by insurgency.

He also said that the ‘Nigerian window’ was expected to receive over 30 million USD which would facilitate recovery and stabilisation interventions including; livelihood support for communities, massive civil engineering works and strengthening of local security structures.

Yahya, said that the board had two years to provide work of stabilisation in the affected states.

He said that the entire facility might not work if there was no local authorities such as the military and the police, adding that more work needed to be done in terms of coordination.

Also speaking, Minister of Finance,Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed said that the government of Nigeria was optimistic that the facility would support in addressing the immediate stabilisation needs in the newly liberated areas.

She said this would also sustain development in the region and allow the return of Internally Displaced Persons to their various permanent place abode.

According to her, the facility will in no doubt assist the government to demonstrate its value to the citizens in providing resilience and stabilisation for the population affected by Boko Haram insurgency in the north east.

She said that the Ministry would collaborate with UNDP, the three affected states and all relevant stakeholders to ensure accountable utilisation of the stabilisation facility fund.

Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), Amb. Mamman Nuhu expressed the Commission’s readiness to provide strategic regional guidance for the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy at the national and state level through the facility.

He said the commission would provide enabling environment by mobilising regional support to ensure coordinated approach yo the challenge.

“Our transboundary mandate provide us the requisite platform to mobilise the political and strategic spaces available across the region for the success of the regional stabilisation strategy.

” Our objective is to ensure local, national and regional ownership in the implementation of the regional stabilisation strategy through the regional stabilisation facility.

” We urge all national partners to ensure consistent coordination with the Lake Chad Basin Commission through the Secretariat of the regional stabilisation strategy” Nuhu said.

According to him, Nigeria is the worst hit country, with the biggest humanitarian and development needs of all the four affected countries.

“It is therefore expected that Nigeria should demonstrate not only in the fight against boko Haram but also in ensuring that the thousands of people affected across the three front line states are supported to live a life of dignity” he said.

The Governors expressed their readiness to ensure effective implementation of the regional stabilisation facility.(NAN)

Foreign News

Russian Army Fires Ballistic Missiles at Kiev from Crimean Peninsula

Published

on

Share

The Russian Army has hit the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with ballistic missiles, injuring four people and damaging an uninhabited three-storey building, according to officials.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said  that two of the injured  people were in a central neighbourhood and  had been taken to hospital.

Rocket debris also fell in two other neighbourhoods.

According to the Ukrainian air force, two ballistic missiles were fired at the city of millions, from the Russian-controlled Crimea Peninsula.

Both were shot down.

Half a dozen explosions from anti-aircraft missiles had previously been heard in the city centre.

The air raid warning was only triggered a few seconds beforehand, it said.

Ukraine has been facing  Russian invasion for over two years.

Since then, the Ukrainian air defence system has been massively reinforced with Western systems. (dpa/NAN)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Cambodia Arrests 2 Foreigners for Smuggling 2.27 kg Narcotics

Published

on

Share

Cambodian customs police at the Phnom Penh International Airport said they have arrested two South Korean nationals for an attempt to smuggle 2.27 kg narcotics to South Korea.

The duo, a man and woman, were caught Sunday night while they checked in for a ZA215 flight bound for Seoul.

The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia said in a news release on Monday.

In their body searches, our customs officials found many packs of drugs wrapped around their waists, the news release said.

“As a result, some 1.29 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 0.98 kg of ketamine were seized from the two suspects’ possession.’’

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker.

Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grammes of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.

According to the country’s Anti-Drug Department (ADP), Cambodia nabbed 3,899 drug-related suspects, including 106 foreigners, in 1,659 cases from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2024.

According to the report they confiscated a total of 2.79 tonnes of narcotics.

Most of the seized drugs were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. (Xinhua/NAN)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

February Ends with Extreme Heat – WMO

Published

on

Share

The UN weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), says February saw more extreme heat and unusually high temperatures in both hemispheres.

Summarising the state of the climate, it said the month ended with extreme heat in the southern hemisphere where it is summer, while high temperatures atypical of the northern hemisphere winter prevailed.

Parts of North and South America, northwest and southeast Africa, southeast and far eastern Asia, western Australia and Europe all saw record-breaking temperatures, either on a daily basis or for all of February.

“The anomalous heat is consistent with the persisting warming observed since June 2023, with seven consecutive new global monthly temperature records, including January 2024,” Alvaro Silva, a climatologist working with the WMO, said in a statement.

Global sea surface temperatures were record high. While the El Niño weather pattern “has stoked temperatures in some parts of the world, human induced climate change is the long-term major contributing factor,” he added.

Conversely, a large part of northwestern Canada, central Asia – and from southern central Siberia to southeastern China – witnessed exceptional cold during the last week of the month.

The meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere finished officially at the end of February.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) raised increasing concern on Friday that more refugees would cross into Chad from Darfur in the coming weeks amid a worrying lack of food and other essentials.

Almost a year since the start of the civil war between rival militaries in Sudan, neighbouring Chad urgently needs more humanitarian aid and significant development investment, the agency reported, especially in its eastern areas which are hosting the refugee influx.

This investment will allow the country to continue its generous open-door stance towards refugees.

“Chadian officials are concerned that many more hungry Sudanese families will come in the next weeks,” said Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, who is in the country to review the relief operation.

“The country is committed to keeping its borders open, despite the fragility of this region.

“But, doing so will put even more strain on Chad, which has so graciously been hosting refugees from Sudan’s war – now raging almost a year – and other refugees still here from earlier emergencies.” (NAN)

Continue Reading

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS3 mins ago

Insecurity: Govt to Begins Boundary Demarcation Between Benue, Cameroon, others in April 

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi The federal government is to commence the boundary demarcation between Benue, Taraba, Cameroon, Ebonyi and Nasarawa...

NEWS6 mins ago

Gov Alia  Swears in BSIEC Chairman, other Commissioners

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi  The Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on Thursday swore in the newly-appointed chairman of...

NEWS10 mins ago

Gov Alia shuns APC National Leadership  Peace moves in Benue, Inaugurates parallel State Secretariat, Excos 

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress,APC in Benue State, on Thursday took another dimension...

Metro18 mins ago

Wike Approves Deployment of FCTA’s Pioneer Perm. Secs

ShareThe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the deployment of the 10 pioneer Permanent...

NEWS31 mins ago

MTN, Tier-1 Banks’ Stocks Lift NGX Gains by N157bn

ShareRenewed interest in MTN Nigeria, alongside sustained interest in Tier-one banks’ stocks on Thursday further raised the equity market higher...

NEWS35 mins ago

Naira Falls Against Dollar by 0.7%

ShareThe Naira experienced a slight depreciation at the official market, trading at N1,309.39 to a dollar on Thursday. Data from...

dailyasset-greetings dailyasset-greetings
BUSINESS39 mins ago

CBN Unveils New Minimum Capital Requirements For Banks

ShareGives Them 24 months To Recapitalise By Tony Obiechina, Abuja   Days after urging Nigerian banks to expedite action on the...

NEWS42 mins ago

ShareNAFDAC Intercepts Psychoactive Drugs, Bursts Beverage Factories in Southeast The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has...

NEWS18 hours ago

FCT HOS: Why President Tinubu Extends Atang’s Tenure By 6 Months

ShareBy Laide Akinboade, AbujaPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the extension of Atang Udo Samuel, as the the Head of...

NEWS18 hours ago

FGGC Benin Emerges Winner of 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’ Debate

ShareBy Tony Obiechina, AbujaThe Federal Government Girls College, Benin has emerged overall winner of the 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc