News
HURIWA Slams Tinubu’s Misstep in Current Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Leadership
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/images-2024-07-24T100724.332.jpeg&description=HURIWA Slams Tinubu’s Misstep in Current Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Leadership', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/images-2024-07-24T100724.332.jpeg&description=HURIWA Slams Tinubu’s Misstep in Current Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Leadership', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, citing a glaring lack of visible progress and worsening poverty levels since his assumption of office.
The association described the situation as a “grave miscalculation” and called on the President to urgently reassess the leadership and operations of the ministry to address the growing humanitarian crises in Nigeria.
HURIWA pointed out that the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and Poverty Alleviation, overseeing seven agencies, which include the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), North East Development Commission (NEDC), National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced People (NCFRMI), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the National Commission for People with Disability (NCPWD), appear to be in a state of dormancy.
The association lamented that, since Professor Yilwatda’s appointment, the ministry has shown no tangible results, despite its critical mandate to provide humanitarian interventions and combat the worsening poverty crisis. “The silence emanating from this vital ministry is deafening.
Poverty continues to balloon out of control, and millions of Nigerians are suffering while the ministry appears to be in a state of slumber,” HURIWA stated. HURIWA expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s expanding poverty rate, noting that the ministry has failed to address the urgent needs of the nation’s poor and vulnerable populations.
The association highlighted the rising levels of hunger, starvation, destitution, and the alarming increase in out-of-school children as indicators of the ministry’s ineffectiveness. It also criticized the apparent cessation of the school-feeding programs, which had previously provided some relief to families living in poverty.
“Since Professor Yilwatda’s appointment, no significant policy, intervention, or program has been initiated to tackle these pressing issues. Nigerians are asking if there is even a functioning Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation,” HURIWA queried.
The association contrasted Professor Yilwatda’s tenure with that of his predecessor, Dr. Betta Edu, who, despite allegations of corruption and ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), was seen as relatively more active and engaged.
“It is ironic that a minister under investigation for alleged corruption seems to have been more effective than the current leadership, which has brought the ministry to a standstill,” HURIWA noted.
HURIWA also criticized the perceived opacity in the running of the ministry, accusing it of failing to communicate its activities or engage meaningfully with the public.
The association questioned the rationale behind appointing two ministers from the same geographical region to lead a ministry tasked with addressing a national crisis like poverty.
“Poverty is a national malaise that transcends ethnicity, language, and religion. Assigning two ministers from one region to a ministry with such a critical mandate reflects a lack of understanding of the problem’s scope and diversity,” HURIWA stated.
HURIWA challenged Professor Yilwatda to wake up from what it described as his “celebratory hangover” and immediately get to work. The association emphasized that the overwhelming nature of the challenges faced by the ministry requires proactive and strategic leadership.
“It is unacceptable that after over two months in office, there is no visible activity or progress in addressing Nigeria’s humanitarian and poverty crises. The minister must take responsibility and begin to demonstrate leadership. Nigerians need to see action, not silence,” HURIWA declared.
The association called on President Tinubu to reconsider the current leadership of the ministry if no tangible progress is made soon. It urged the minister to prioritize transparency, actively engage with stakeholders, and implement targeted programs to alleviate poverty and address humanitarian challenges.
Additionally, HURIWA recommended an independent review of the ministry’s operations to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies that may be hindering its performance. “The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation must be revived and repositioned to fulfill its mandate.
Failure to do so would not only exacerbate Nigeria’s humanitarian crises but also erode public confidence in the government’s commitment to addressing poverty,” the group warned. HURIWA concluded by reminding the federal government that poverty and humanitarian challenges are not regional but national issues requiring a unified, inclusive, and robust approach.
“The silence and inaction from the ministry are not just failures of governance but betrayals of the trust Nigerians have placed in this administration. If the current leadership cannot rise to the occasion, the President must urgently consider alternative measures to ensure the ministry fulfills its critical role,” the association stated.
Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) January 15, 2025
The Permanent Chairman of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council (SNTRC), Arole Oodua Olofin Adimula and the Natural Head of the Oduduwa race worldwide, the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has rubbished reports circulating on social media alleging that he conferred a chieftaincy title on popular Nollywood actor and comedian, James Olanrewaju, popularly known as Baba Ijesha.
In a statement on Saturday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Otunba Moses Olafare said the Ooni clarified that although he warmly received the actor and his wife at the Ile Oodua Palace on Wednesday to celebrate the birth of his son and presented him with a brand-new car and cash gifts as a demonstration of his fatherly love and royal generosity, no chieftaincy title was conferred on him.
According to him, the expression “Awada Konge Oduwa,” which Baba Ijesha later described on his social media pages as a chieftaincy title, was merely a light-comedy remark made by the Ooni during a relaxed interaction in recognition of the actor’s outstanding career as a comedian.
The remark was never intended to constitute a formal installation or conferment of a traditional title.
The Ooni noted that Baba Ijesha, as an indigene of Ile-Ife and a proud son of the source, is deserving of honour and could be considered for a chieftaincy title in the future.
However, no such title has been conferred on him.
“The conferment of chieftaincy titles in Ile-Ife remains a sacred traditional process governed by established customs, consultations and traditional rites, which are publicly conducted in accordance with the age-long traditions of the source. None of these customary procedures took place during the actor’s visit to the Palace, “he said.
While appreciating Baba Ijesha for acknowledging the royal kindness extended to him and his family, the Ooni urged media organisations and members of the public to disregard reports claiming that the actor has been installed as the “Awada Konge Oduwa” or conferred with any chieftaincy title.
The Ooni reaffirmed his commitment to celebrating and supporting deserving sons and daughters of Ile-Ife and the Oodua race at large while preserving the sanctity, dignity and integrity of the revered traditional institution of chieftaincy.
The Presidency has called on security and anti-graft agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute government officials who may have collaborated with Prince Matthew Adeniyi Adeyemi in the alleged operation of two fictitious federal government agencies.
Adeyemi is accused of creating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council using allegedly forged documents purportedly linked to the Presidency.
In a statement on his verified X handle, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, said investigators must go beyond Adeyemi and expose the internal network that allegedly enabled him to operate for an extended period.
Ajayi urged the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate all officials within public institutions who may have aided the alleged scheme.
According to Ajayi, much of the public debate has ignored the fact that government institutions detected the alleged fraud and acted on it.
He said officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, working with officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, first discovered inconsistencies in Adeyemi’s operations and reported the matter to the appropriate authorities.
“Contrary to the anything-goes narrative being promoted, it was the system itself that raised the red flag and dealt with it administratively,” Ajayi said.
He, however, acknowledged that the suspect could not have operated for long without help from insiders.
“What is not in doubt is that internal collaborators enabled Adeyemi to get this far. That is precisely what investigators from the DSS, the Police and the EFCC must now unravel.
“The criminal network within the affected institutions must be dismantled and everyone found to have played a role should be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
The Presidency had earlier disowned the disowned the two organisations, insisting that they did not exist as government agencies.
It also maintained that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, neither authorised Adeyemi’s activities nor had any connection with them.
“In Nigeria, the easiest and most believable allegation anyone can throw at a public officer is corruption.
“Once that accusation is thrown into the mix, the water is polluted, the lines are blurred and everyone is kept busy arguing over distractions rather than the real issues,” he wrote.
He described Adeyemi as “an irredeemable con artist” who was using allegations against the Chief of Staff as “his last straw” to avoid criminal liability.
The Presidency insisted that the case should not be framed as evidence of complicity at the highest levels of government, but as an alleged fraud uncovered by the system itself.
Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, Abuja Region has announced a planned preventive maintenance at the Katampe 132/33 KiloVolt (kV) Transmission Substation on Saturday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
General Manager, Public Affairs of the TCN, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, made this announcement in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.
Mbah said the scheduled maintenance is to enable TCN’s maintenance crew carry out preventive maintenance on the 100 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA) 132/33kV Power Transformer (TR1), its auxiliaries, and associated switchgear in the substation.
”Consequently, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, will be unable to off-take bulk power for distribution to customers in parts of Mpape, Maitama, Jahi, Life Camp,
”Others are Kado Fish Market, Idu-Karmo, and their environs during the maintenance period,” she said.
According to her, the company regrets any inconvenience the planned outage may cause electricity customers in the affected areas.
She added that equipment maintenance is essential to ensure their continued optimal performance.
Atlas Lions zoom into World Cup quarter finals, hammer co-hosts Canada 3-0
Nigeria’s Team D’Tigers risks hotel ejection in Angola, over unpaid bills, possible disqualification
Ooni debunks report over conferment of chieftaincy title on Baba Ijesha
-
News22 hours agoSouth Africa snubs compensation for Nigerians who abandoned property after anti-migrants protests
-
News22 hours agoCourt Orders Final Forfeiture Of Ex-Minister’s Abuja Apartment, Seizes Four More Properties
-
Sports22 hours agoArgentina luckily escape as they manageably survive tiny Cape Verde scare after extra time
-
News22 hours agoDespite FG’s denial, documents show the accountant-general’s office posted foreign affairs officials to PFIPC
-
Metro22 hours agoZamfara Woman, Two Children Regain Freedom After One Month in Bandits’ Captivity
-
Metro22 hours agoEdo: How We Escaped From Kidnappers’ Den — Victims
-
News22 hours ago2027: INEC extends nationwide Continuous Voter Registration, introduces full online registration
-
Sports22 hours ago2026 Work Cup: Prediction flops as Egypt flogs Australia to zoom into round of 16
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login