Crunch Times News

By Blessing Bature 

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on nutrition for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

 

The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq, was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, mni, NPOM, at the event which took place in Abuja.

Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, Deputy Director Information said in a statement that the MoU was another milestone, for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

According to him, the approval of the Policy on   National Home Grown School Feeding Programme by the Federal Executive Council and the Signing of an MoU on nutrition is a step forward towards realising the objectives of the School Feeding programme in Nigeria.

"I am really happy that this is happening at a time when this country  is  transiting to a new administration. They will require this kind of documentation to build upon because people will change, leadership will change, but once the documentation is right, we are on the right cause. The MoU is  not just going to be a symbolic signing but  a strategic one. The Ministry will continue to work towards achieving its separate, but yet mutual objectives of building resilience, and empowering people", he noted.

He further stated that  another strategic importance of the MoU is that the GAIN will go down in history as one of the first organisation to partner with government in institutionalizing this process.

In his welcome remarks, the National Coordinator National Social Investment Programme, Dr Umar Bindir, said the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) under National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) is gradually maturing and it is attracting partnership internationally, which is an index that the Ministry was doing the right thing.

 He said the passage of the policy of the National Home-grown School Feeding Programme by the Federal Executive Council is an indication that what the President has very carefully created innovatively based on evidence is actually the way to go.

 Earlier, the Country Director GAIN, Dr. David Mamewalen,  congratulated  the entire team of the  Ministry on the passage of the policy,  which really sets it all for further engagement and future investment.

Dr David stated that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding would help to set the stage on how  the Ministry and the GAIN can collaborate better over the coming months and years and thanked the ministry for the partnership. 

In her votes of thanks, the Team Lead, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme,  Aisha Digil , on behalf of the Honourable Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq and the entire Home-Grown School Feeding team at National and state levels, thanked the GAIN team for the partnership.

She stated that the milestones were achieved  by the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme as a result of the good leadership by the Ministry, adding that the high point of the event was the signing of the MoU which was witnessed by the Director Legal and other Directors of the Ministry, National Coordinator, NSIP and officials of NHGSFP and the GAIN .

By Blessing Bature

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD) and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on nutrition for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

 

The Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq, was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, mni, NPOM, at the event which took place in Abuja.

Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, Deputy Director Information said in a statement that the MoU was another milestone, for the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.

According to him, the approval of the Policy on   National Home Grown School Feeding Programme by the Federal Executive Council and the Signing of an MoU on nutrition is a step forward towards realising the objectives of the School Feeding programme in Nigeria.

"I am really happy that this is happening at a time when this country  is  transiting to a new administration. They will require this kind of documentation to build upon because people will change, leadership will change, but once the documentation is right, we are on the right cause. The MoU is  not just going to be a symbolic signing but  a strategic one. The Ministry will continue to work towards achieving its separate, but yet mutual objectives of building resilience, and empowering people", he noted.

He further stated that  another strategic importance of the MoU is that the GAIN will go down in history as one of the first organisation to partner with government in institutionalizing this process.

In his welcome remarks, the National Coordinator National Social Investment Programme, Dr Umar Bindir, said the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) under National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) is gradually maturing and it is attracting partnership internationally, which is an index that the Ministry was doing the right thing.

 He said the passage of the policy of the National Home-grown School Feeding Programme by the Federal Executive Council is an indication that what the President has very carefully created innovatively based on evidence is actually the way to go.

 Earlier, the Country Director GAIN, Dr. David Mamewalen,  congratulated  the entire team of the  Ministry on the passage of the policy,  which really sets it all for further engagement and future investment.

Dr David stated that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding would help to set the stage on how  the Ministry and the GAIN can collaborate better over the coming months and years and thanked the ministry for the partnership. 

In her votes of thanks, the Team Lead, National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme,  Aisha Digil , on behalf of the Honourable Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq and the entire Home-Grown School Feeding team at National and state levels, thanked the GAIN team for the partnership.

She stated that the milestones were achieved  by the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme as a result of the good leadership by the Ministry, adding that the high point of the event was the signing of the MoU which was witnessed by the Director Legal and other Directors of the Ministry, National Coordinator, NSIP and officials of NHGSFP and the GAIN .

By Blessing Otobong, Abuja 

The Honourable Minister, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has said that the Ministry  has contributed immensely to the non-kinetic strategy of managing surrendered insurgents for their rehabilitation and reintegration process in the North East.

In a statement made available to newsmen through the Deputy Director Information, Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, the Minister made this known at the opening ceremony of the 3-Day Seminar on Rehabilitation of Repentant Insurgents in the North East, organised by the Ministry and Office of the  National Security Adviser in collaboration with the Nigeria Army Resource Centre, in Abuja.

She said the Ministry as a member of Operation Safe Corridor National Steering Committee and member of National Action Plan Steering Committee on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) coordinated by the Counter Terrorism Centre (CTC) in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has contributed immensely to the non-kinetic strategy of managing surrendered insurgents for their rehabilitation and reintegration process. Food and non-food items, including starter packs, have been contributed for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the ex-combatants directly by the Ministry and some of its Agencies (NEDC, NEMA, NCFRMI). 

Speaking through her representative, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani- Gwarzo, mni, NPOM, she said "It is worthy of note that the Ministry recently conducted a survey on victims of terrorism with the view to identifying and providing the needed psychosocial support to the affected persons.  

 In search of sustainable humanitarian response, the Ministry has adopted the United Nations principle of Tripple Nexus approach which provides linkages to humanitarian response that leads to development as well as peace building. Hence, the ministry leading other relevant MDAs and organization have developed a home-grown National Humanitarian Development Peace framework which provide a holistic response while applying area-based approach. This is expected to guide all humanitarian response in Nigeria and we hope the outcome of your deliberation will align with the framework".

The Minister stated that the insurgency in the NE has brought about untold hardship,  destruction and loss of lives  to the people of the North East and the 3-Day seminar is aimed among other things to examine modalities for the management of surrendered terrorist in the North East. "For the Ministry, this seminar is very apt because it provides a veritable platform to share lessons learnt from various activities we have implemented in the past, identify gaps and come up with roadmap for future interventions. It all showcases a good practices of civil security relationship in providing sustainable humanitarian intervention".

She urged participants  to take the seminar serious and give it the best attention it deserves. 

 "The Ministry is always available to give all the necessary support needed to alleviate the conditions of our vulnerable persons and the coordination of all humanitarian responses. I thank the NSA, who is also a co-chair of the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee (NHCC), and his team as well as the Military authorities for the zeal and desire to build sustainable peace in our society" she added.

The Chief of Army Staff ( CoAS), Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya, CFR, in his welcome address stated that the kinetic efforts of the military has led to the surrendering of over 87,000 terrorists and their families in the N/E . They have laid down their arms and embraced peace.

He said the responsibilities for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the repentant insurgents goes beyond the responsibilities of the military and security agencies.

He called on both the military and relevant stakeholders to cooperate and  perform their roles to win the war against terrorism in Nigeria because the task is enormous and the time is of essence.

The Executive Governor of Borno State, His Excellency, Prof. Babagana Zulum, represented by  his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brig. Gen.,  A. Sabi Ishaq, (RTD), in a keynote address  gave an overview of the management and reintegration of surrendered Boko Haram and Islamic West Africa Province terrorists in the North East .

He discussed the operations and activities of the insurgents and reasons for their mass surrender and how they were encouraged to drop their guns and embrace peace.

He stated the need for more support from the Federal government and Donor agencies towards the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant insurgents.

Earlier, the Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Maj. Gen. G.A Wahab (RTD), said the seminar was on handling and management of repentant insurgents in the North East. He stressed the need on how to manage the huge number of repentant insurgents before their reintegration into the society.

Other participants at the seminar include Representatives of State governments, Ambassadors, representative of MDAs, Military and Security Agencies, Office of the NSA, Resource persons and CSOs/ NGOs.

By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja

As the family of Mr and Mrs Uchenna Victor welcome the baby of the year in Kubwa general hospital, federal capital territory, Abuja, the Director, Community Support Directorate of the All Progressive Congress's Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Abdulahi Ahmed Mai Agogo presented gifts to the newborn baby of the year and committed to take full responsibility of the baby's academic from the time he starts school till he graduates.

He made the commitment during his visit to Kubwa general hospital while felicitating with the family, saying children are special gifts from God and congratulated the family and advised them to train him in a Godly way so that he will grow to become a blessing to the family and also asset to the country.

The mother of the baby, Mrs. Amarachi Uchenna was filled with joy while appreciating the Tinubu /Shetima Presidential Campaign Council led by the Director of Community Support Directorate, Abdulahi Mai Agogo for the gifts and for promising to take care of the baby's academics. 

She prayed God to bless the APC family and grant them success in the coming election for the common interest of the Nigerian populace, while given the assurances of judicious use of the donated items  for the welfare of the baby.

The Medical Director, Kubwa General Hospital Mr. Lasisi Muhideen noted that the hospital remained an affordable point for women and children in the provision of healthcare needs  of residents of the FCT.

The Secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha  has said that if we must fight the scourge of sexual violence, we must keep aside the culture of doctrine of traditions and deal decisively with the culprits with punishment that is punitive enough to serve as deterrent to people that would ever contemplate defiling children.

He said this on Friday in Abuja during the launch of Hanan Buhari Foundation, adding that the rape cases are highly unimaginable these days, raping a child of three years, five years is really unimaginable but its happening, " so definitely we need to have a conversation around the table on this issue and as much as possible train our girl child to not be scared or afraid to speak up and also as parents we have a responsibility of coaching and training our children to be very sensitive to certain acts from adult".

Mustapha however commended Hanan Buhari for taking such a bold step to demonstrate leadership by given a voice to the voiceless victims " as young as she is, she is conscious of the fact that this is a scourge on the society that needs to be tackled as quickly as possible." Its quite timely , this culture of silence has engraved in our tradition for so long, people don't talk about it, and this has given the culprit the feeling that he or she would always go scour free, our legislature do not give the necessary encouragement for people to report, investigations contacted and eventually trials are pursuit because of the intricate legal system, how many years does a victim has to wait to get justice? he said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Buhari Foundation, Hanan Buhari said her vision to see a country without rape where women, girls and boys are free to participate in self actualization without fear or prejudice let to her founding the Hanan Buhari Foundation to address this onerous antisocial norms, sexual violence.

According to her the foundation is focused on supporting the domestication of rape laws and monitor implementation of said laws to create a support system for victims of rape violence and also to raise awareness on the rape menaces in the society that will foster collaborations and partnerships for promoting justice for rape victims.

She said Nigeria’s rape culture has been in existence and tolerated for decades and often shrouded in secrecy due to ingrained patriarchal sex stereotypes, structural and systemic oppression women face, not to talk of the prevailing social norms and media portrayal that culturally treat women as sex objects and discourages open sexuality discussion, and stigmatizes women who dared to speak out. 

"According to a 2018 Statistical report on Women and Men in Nigeria using data obtained from Nigeria Police Force and Ministry of Justice revealed that the rape incidences for women and girls is on an increasing trend from 63% in 2015 to 72.1% in 2016 and 69.3% in 2017. Despite increase in activism, cases of rape are still grossly underreported. According data from Nigeria’s National Anti-Trafficking Agency, only about 32 cases were reported between 2019 and 2020 for fear of stigmatization".

She however frowned at the poor enforcement relating to laws regarding sexual violence, "Despite Acts such as Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) 2015 and various states’ Violence Against Persons Prohibition Laws in Nigeria, which are all aimed at addressing issues of rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforcement of its laws is still sorely lacking in far too many cases.

She added that rape survivor must have immediate access to a health clinic that can provide emergency medical care, including HIV prevention and treatment, as well as counseling. A woman who has been beaten by her husband needs somewhere to go with her children to find safety, sanity, and shelter. When a victim of violence files a police report, she must have faith that she will receive justice and that the perpetrator will be punished. In addition, an adolescent boy in school learning about health and sexuality must be taught that coercion, violence, and discrimination against girls are all

 unacceptable.

Hanan Buhari Foundation (HBF) is a non-governmental, not for profit and non-political organization concerned with the issues of rape in Nigeria. It was co-founded by Mrs. Hanan Muhammadu Buhari, the daughter of the President of Nigeria and husband, Mr. Sha’aban.

By Otobong Gabriel

Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello has appreciated the Federal Government for the various intervention in support of the residence that were affected by the recent flood and assistance delivered for vulnerable people in the state.

 

Receiving the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq at Government House Lokoja, Governor Bello also thanked the Minister for the various economic empowerment programmes of the Ministry that were being implemented in the state with the aimed of lifting the poor residence out of poverty.

 

The Governor, who was represented by the State Head of Service Mrs Hannah Onyinoyi Odiyo also thanked the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for relief items delivered to the state and distributed to the flood affected persons.

 

In her remarks, the Honorable of Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq who was represented by the Director of Special Duties in the Ministry Mrs Nadia Soso Mohammed said she was in the state to flag off disbursement of various economic empowerment programmes in line with policy direction of the Federal Government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

 

She said in addition to relief items delivered through NEMA, President Muhammadu Buhari further approved the release of 12,000 metric tons of grains from the National Strategic Reserve for distribution to vulnerable Nigerians across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

 

While assuring the continuous supports of the Ministry, the Minister disclosed that there be may further supports to the flood affected persons in the state as detailed assessment was being conducted to determine the extent of  damages and losses caused by the disaster.

In his remark, the Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed who represented by the Director Relief and Rehabilitation Alhaji Alhassan Nuhu said the Agency deployed its staff with relevant equipment to Kogi State for Search and Rescue in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy. He said the Agency delivered relief items to assist the communities affected by the flood and commenced detailed assessment of the disaster to determine the extent of the losses and damages in the States