Business
CISLAC trains stakeholders on Community based Early warning, Early response system
From Chinelo Kodilichukwu Enugu
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with Open Society Foundation (OSF) has trained stakeholders on Community based early warning and early response system.
The One day training which took place at Bons Sunshine hotel, Enugu on 4th April 2024 with theme ” Community Security Architecture Dialogue on Early Warning and Early Response”, brought together Civil Society Organizations, Security Actors, Media and local Government Officials who were trained on Community based early Warning and early response system.
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Mr Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanji in his address emphasized that the Community based early warning and early response system is designed to build communication, coordination and synergy within the community and response institutions that can respond to distress signals.
Rafsanji represented by the Communication specialist Jimoh Abubakar, during the training said that Community based early warning and early response (CBEWER) will enable the community, State actors and non State actors to understand their responsibility, familiarize among themselves to respond to signals and incidents.
In his lecture on “stakeholders and their roles in community based early warning and early response system”, Freedom Onuoha, said that timely picking of the signal exposes dangers and crises ahead, while early response to crises or dangers before it occurs is very important.
He advised the Stakeholders to always report threat signals before it leads to serious incidents.
In a Communique issued at the end of the program, It noted that to achieve community based early warning and early response (CBEWER) system, that government and policy makers should provide adequate resource allocation to response institutions and well remunerated personnel to facilitate coordination and efficiency in response process.
At constituency levels, there should be fully operationalized constituency office to the early warning and early response systems, to encourage vertical information provisions on early warning and early response through bottom- top reporting of signals and timely top- bottom respond.
It recommended Consistent recruitment of qualified human resources across Defence and security sector to bridge existing gaps in early response system. Decentralization control of police force to State and community levels to ensure timely response to early warning signals and maximum accountability.
It noted that the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) needs to be more proactive rather than reactive in early warning and early response systems, through improved funding and provision of necessary infrastructures for conflict prediction, mitigation and prevention, in line with global best practices at subnational level, full operationalization of State Emergency Management Agencies.
Proactive policies must be institutionalized to integrate the peculiar needs of women in every conflict prediction and response system, structure and process for inclusive intervention.
It also noted that continued collaboration among relevant security agencies, community observers, traditional community/Religious leaders and the media must be encouraged and supported to facilitate conflict, sensitive reporting to prevent harm, loss of lives and properties and de escalate crises.
The Communique further call on Civil Society Organizations (CSO”s) to increase their advocacy in sensitizing government at all levels and increase their oversight roles on responsible agencies, so as to promote accountability and responsibility.
The Community based organizations to continue to monitor, observe and collect data that will be useful in conflict prevention and mitigations, also operates within communities and have closer relationship with Communities and their stakeholders for timely report of early warning signals to respective agencies.
The Communique further call on media as the key stakeholders to contribute to the maintenance of peace and reconciliation by reporting conflicts and crises within the context of the code of ethics based on credible, factual, balanced and objective reporting.
Business
Varsity to collaborate with traditional doctors to refine trado-herbal practices in Nigeria
Orji Obinna Charles, Calabar
A private university known as Arthur Jarvis University has vowed to collaborate with traditional doctors to refine all known traditional herbal practices in Nigeria and beyond.
They said they will collaborate with traditional medicine practitioners and similar experts to make trado-medicine much more affordable and acceptable.
Chancellor of Arthur Jarvis University, Arthur Archibong, said the National University Commission has already authorized what they called Complimentary and Alternative Medicine among courses for faculty of Allied Medical Sciences.
He said they will train students on how to integrate traditional medicine into National Health Care system.
Jarvis said the decision to establish and launch the trado medical centre is a result of three years of consistent research into traditional medicine.
“We shall deeply delve into researching all African herbal practices with a view to refining them for wider consumption. We will collaborate with traditional herbal experts. Already before delving to establish the trado-medical centre we have array of experts and researchers.
“We want to demystify misconceptions held against traditional herbal practices that they are not occultic.
“All the herbs around us have healing properties. And all about our University community has rich endowments of herbs and roots. So we will maximally make use of them.
“We’ll harness them to cure some of the life-threatening illnesses like hemorrhoids (pile), prostate, diabetes, asthma, kidney stone, cancer, fibroid, epilepsy, bone fracture or dislocation..”
He said venturing to establish the trado-medical centre is in line with federal government vision of establishment of the Department of Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.
“Our aim is to promote the development and commercialisation of indigenous Nigerian traditional medicine”, he said.
From Chinelo Kodilichukwu Enugu
The Commissioner for transport Enugu State, Obi Ozor have said that Enugu State government will complete the proposed site for the Enugu State central Station dual terminal park in 12 months.
He said that governor Peter Mbah’s administration have compensated the 29 legal tenants of railway cooperation along holy ghost axis where the terminal will be constructed.
The Commissioner who made this known while speaking with Journalists in Enugu during an inspection at the proposed site, added that the State government had reached an agreement with Nigerian railway and federal ministry of transportation to lease the place for the construction of the proposed terminal.
He noted that work will commence in the terminal this month and will be completed and delivered in 12 months.
According to him, “the Enugu State government started this Journey since September 2023 and the government has engaged all the stakeholders from the ditch crushers to the Agberos, to the legal tenants and to the federal government. Notices were given on 13th October 2023 and after 7 months, the government has come to clear the place for immediate commencement of the terminals”.
“Compensation has been paid to the legal tenants, and some tenants have not submitted their accounts to railway, because some of them believe they are above the law or that government cannot do work for the benefit of the people. “I believe that after yesterday’s action, they will reach out to railway and will submit their account for immediate payment.
He pointed out that the government since last year prepared befitting relocation site at new market and old UNTH for the motherless babies. “We have made all arrangements and they have a committee responsible for allocating spaces to different transporters”.
“We are also building the same type of terminal in Garriki, Abakpa and in Nsukka making it for phase 1 of the transport infrastructural project. The phase 2 will now be looking at places like nine mile and other critical places. So the government wants to build this infrastructures in an equitable manner to drive efficiency, affordability and sustainability of transportation sector in Enugu. The management of this will be driven by private sector for sustainability.
Responding, the former Chairman, Ezeagu local government area and Special Adviser to the former governor, Fred Ezinwa in an interview with Journalists commended Governor Peter Mba for embarking on this project saying that it takes a Governor with political will to do that.
“What he is building here is an edifice, a legacy project that will outlive him. It had dual advantage, by giving a massive security in Enugu. If you have a central park anchoring all the vehicle coming to Enugu, you will know who came in to Enugu and who left Enugu. The economy of Enugu will be consolidated in terms of IGR” he stated
By Lovina Anthony, Akwa-ibom
An integrated marketing communications network, MediaFuse-Dentsu Nigeria, has announced its sponsorship of the Uyo Book Club, a community of book lovers based in Akwa-ibom State, Nigeria.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of MediaFuse-Dentsu Nigeria, Emeka Chris Okeke, described the sponsorship as another way of supporting initiatives that foster reading culture and promote literacy.
This is coming a few months after the company donated computers to Army Children Senior High School in Ikeja, Nigeria to empower students with the necessary tools for the digital age and improve their chances of success.
“MediaFuse-Dentsu Nigeria is excited to partner with the Uyo Book Club and help them continue to provide a platform for people to connect and explore the literary.
“At MediaFuse-Dentsu Nigeria, we believe in the power of stories to inspire and educate. We are committed to supporting initiatives that foster creativity, education, and community engagement.”
Responding to the sponsorship, the Founder of the Book Club Initiative in Akwa Ibom State, Udeme Nana, commended MediaFuse-Dentsu for sponsoring the book reading session.
He said, “Uyo Book Club, a community service initiative based in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria, seeks to bridge the yawning gap observed in the reading habit of Nigerians.
“We are delighted to have MediaFuse-Dentsu Nigeria on board in the mission to re-awaken the culture of reading and also promote it among Nigerians.” he noted.
Business
Collapsed mast: we can’t renege from fixing the damaged Methodist church property in Calabar -Bank MD
From Ene Asuquo, Calabar
The Management of Ekondo Microfinance Bank has said that the bank can’t renege from fixing the damaged property of the Methodist church Nigeria, Ikot Omin Eno Abasi Circuit, caused by a collapsed mast.
The Bank management said that they can’t be insensitive to the plight of the church, especially after the telecommunication mast of the bank collapsed on the manse of the minister in charge of the Church.
The Managing director of the bank, Mr. Austin Agbesoyin who spoke to newsmen at the corporate headquarters of the bank, Murtala Mohammed Highway Calabar, said that the bank is ready to fix back the damaged property of the
church.
The Nations News Nigeria reports that the bank’s mast Crashed and destroyed Methodist Church Manse at 8 Miles Calabar.
The MD, Agbesoyin said: “We are mindful of our corporate social responsibility. We were there to inspect the place, were about doing all of those things before we were stopped.
“It’s not as if we were lackadaisical about the whole thing. We had an intention to restore the damage within 24 hours, so that the minister in-charge can begin to use that place, but we were stopped.
“Our insurance company got there for them to assess the extent of the damage so that they can fund it, but were stopped by the church.
“Our intention was to put that place back in shape, but we were surprised by the reaction of the church. We were surprised that they went to the press.
“We have had meetings with them twice. As I speak nothing is happening in our branch bank. Our staff at the 8 miles branch had just been there directing customers to our head office.
“Apart from the lost integrity, the branch had so far lost about N200m. We gave the bishop bill of quantity by certified engineers who were eager to fix the damage within one week, but they refused. What they don’t understand is that, they are unaware that we too had lost
something. It’s the reason we have been in a hurry to fix the damage property.
“They have gone to the scene of incident and done their assessment, and eager to fix the damage, but church refused. We were ready to fix the structure for them and they said they don’t want it” The MD lamented
PIBCID partners NUJ to end violence against women, girl child in Kogi
By Odimayo Olatunde Fredrick, Kogi
A Non-Governmental Organization on the platform of ‘Participation for Behavioral Change in Development’, PIBCID, has entered into partnership with the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to end all forms of violence against Women and the Girl Child in Kogi State.
The Executive Director of PIBCID, Rachael Remileku Akande who led members of his team for an advocacy visit to the leadership of the NUJ in Kogi State, said the organization is seeking the full support of journalists for its upcoming programme titled “Strengthening Communities’ Women Institutions/Platforms for the Protection and Promotion of Women/Girl Child Rights in Ending Violence.
According to her: “Our project in Kogi State aims to empower women and girls by strengthening local women institutions and platforms to effectively address issues related to gender-based violence and promote the rights of women and the girl child.
” In this phase of the project, we shall be targeting three communities within Igalamela and Adavi LGAs of Kogi State. We believe that the media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, raising awareness, and advocating for social change.
” We encourage you to use your platform to educate the public about women and girls’ rights, gender-based violence, and the importance of community involvement in addressing these issues” he stated.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Board of Trustees PIBCID Usman Ahmed, commended journalists in Kogi State for giving the organization all the needed publicity in the last few years.
‘I must commend journalists in Kogi State for their wide publicity of our activities in Kogi State. Journalists are the live wire of any society. No organization can succeed without carrying journalists along” he added.
Responding, the Kogi State Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists Alhaji Seidu Ademu said that journalists will not relent in keying into any program that will protect the rights of Women, Children, including the boy and Girl Child in the State.
He noted that the campaign is coming at a better time when the rights of Women and the Girl Child have been threatened in the society, and promised that, the association will give a wide coverage of the activities of PIBCID in Kogi State.
Also speaking, the Chairperson, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, (NAWOJ) Stella Edoka who was represented by the Secretary, Ibikunle Fumilayo said female journalists is fully committed to the project.
Also, the Chairperson, Kogi NGO Network, Amb. Idris Muraina Ozovehe asserted that, they remain committed in creating an enabling environment for Civil Society to engage stakeholders for the best interest of the people in Kogi State
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