News
16 Days of Activism: Ogun commits to safety for women, girls
To reduce the menace of Gender-Based Violence, GBV, the Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, has called for action to raise voices for and make commitments to the safety of women and girls.
Adeleye made this call at a town hall meeting in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, community and other opinion leaders on prevention and response to GBV held in Abeokuta on Wednesday.
She said the meeting was in commemoration of the 16 Days Activism on the elimination of all forms of violence against the female gender, stating that community leaders comprising Baales, religious leaders, and Community Development Association leaders, among others, were gatekeepers of the community.
The commissioner emphasised that they exhibit a significant role in shaping minds, influencing behaviours and building trust, charging them to look beyond ongoing campaigns to make a lasting impact in the fight against GBV in their respective communities.
“We need to implement these plans; action they say is key. This is not a checklist we can tick and move on. It’s a breathing process and it starts with you. You have to walk the talk. So, when we create action plans, ensure they don’t collect dust on some shelf. Make sure they are enforced; talk about it in your communities, churches, mosques, garages and parks, and share from one leader to another,” she said.
While reeling out the strides of the Abiodun-led administration in ridding the state of GBV, the commissioner stated that the government had established Sexual Assault Referral Centres, SARC, in zones of the state in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, and Ogun State Transformation Projects, OGSTEP. The centres, she added, were equipped to provide immediate care, support and counselling for survivors of GBV.
She added that this intervention aimed to facilitate the commencement of the healing process for survivors, revealing that toll-free lines had equally been provided for a quick response from the government-trained responders and service providers.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Adejumoke Adewole, underscored the importance of a collective mission to raise awareness of GBV and advocate for the rights and dignity of women and girls in communities.
She implored the stakeholders to use their positions to speak on behalf of the voiceless, particularly women and girls, calling on them to work together with the state government and UNFPA to curb structures perpetuating violence in society.
Earlier in her lecture titled “Roles of Community Leaders in Responding and Preventing GBV,” UNFPA’s gender analyst, Dr Esther Somefun, highlighted some of the key roles of community leaders as embracing and encouraging survivors of GBV, avoiding discrimination towards them, reporting acts of violence against women and girls at all times and publicising the toll-free lines for reporting GBV.
While delivering another lecture, a representative of APIN Public Health Initiatives, Favour Ojo-Omoniyi, noted that opinion leaders needed to equip themselves with necessary education about GBV and prepare to offer support to survivors.
Representative of the Forum of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, FOMWAN, Zainab Jinadu and her counterpart from the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Osioyemi Olasunkanmi, commended the state government and UNFPA for coming up with the idea of involving them as gatekeepers of the community in eliminating GBV cases.
Rivers State Administrator, Retired Vice-Admiral Ibok Ibas marked Easter on Sunday with a worship service at the Chapel of Everlasting Grace, Government House, Port Harcourt.
Ibas was accompanied by his wife, Dr. Theresa, their children, and key state officials including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Ibibia Lucky Worika, and his family.
A statement signed by the SSA media, Hector Igbikiowubo, said the administrator joined worshippers in a service filled with uplifting hymns and prayers for peace in Rivers State and the country.
Chaplain Pastor Barasin Ogan delivered a message, reminding the congregation of the transformative power of Christ and assuring them of divine justification, deliverance, healing, and righteousness through faith.
Special prayers were offered for President Bola Tinubu, Administrator Ibas, and the continued progress of Rivers State, reinforcing unity and faith as the foundation for a brighter future.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has strongly denied reports linking it to the alleged kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl in Rivers state, describing the claims as false, malicious, and a figment of the writer’s imagination.
In a statement issued by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Umar Abubakar, the NCoS said the allegation was aimed at misleading the public and tarnishing the image of the Service.
Abubakar stated that a thorough check of available records showed no inmate named “Chi Boy” is in custody at any facility under the Enugu State Command.
He added that the failure to provide the full names of the alleged inmate or the kidnapped victim further undermines the credibility of the report.
He emphasized that the NCoS is unaware of any kidnapping incident linked to its facilities in Rivers State or any other command, as claimed in a circulating press statement and viral video.
Abubakar also clarified that no investigative agency has tracked any suspected kidnapper to any correctional facility in either Enugu or Delta State Commands.
“Therefore, the Service is not in the position to confirm payment of ransom or whatsoever transaction as alleged in the fictitious report and video.
“The Service has no role in the said kidnap story, and as a security organization, it does not operate in isolation; rather, it partners with sister agencies to ensure adequate security. The Service will never turn down requests for investigation activities from sister agencies,” Umar said.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has instructed Israel’s military to intensify pressure on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group rejected a temporary truce proposal.
In a televised address, the Israeli prime minister said that while war came with a heavy price, Israel had “no choice but to continue fighting for our very existence, until victory”.
On Thursday, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a temporary pause in fighting, describing the offer as demanding “impossible conditions”.
Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, with 24 of them believed to be alive. It says it will only return them in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year.
Netanyahu’s remarks came after the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed more than 90 people in 48 hours.
Women and children were among 15 people who were killed overnight on Friday in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital staff.
At least 11 of those who were killed were sheltering in a tent in the designated humanitarian zone of al Mawasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living, the hospital workers said.
A further four people were killed in separate strikes on the city of Rafah, including a mother and her daughter, according to Gaza’s European Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
Israel says its latest campaign is to put pressure on Hamas to release more hostages and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory.
For weeks, Israeli troops have also blockaded Gaza, barring the entry of food and other goods.
Last month, 15 aid workers were killed and buried in a shallow grave after being fired upon by Israeli troops.
Hamas’s armed wing said the fate of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander was unknown after a guard who was holding him was found killed.
On Tuesday, Hamas said it had lost contact with a group of militants holding Mr Alexander in Gaza.
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