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.
…hails emergence of Bawa as state chairman
The Senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District Senator Manu Haruna on Sunday donated five operational vehicles to Taraba Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to enhance its operations.
Manu also seized the opportunity to congratulate the state Chairman, Hon Abubakar Bawa when he visited the secretariat in Jalingo last Sunday.
The former State Deputy Governor expressed his congratulations to Chairman Bawa and the state working committee for their election, emphasizing the importance of unity and progress within the party. He commended their commitment to strengthening the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State.
In a generous move to enhance the operational capacity of the party at the grassroots level, Senator Manu donated five vehicles — one for each Local Government Area (LGA) party chapter in Taraba Central.
This donation is intended to facilitate better coordination and outreach efforts within the party.
Senator Manu praised Hon. Abubakar Bawa for his dedicated efforts to elevate the PDP in the state, asserting that Taraba will always remain a stronghold for the party.
In response, State Party Chairman Alhaji Bawa expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Senator Manu for his thoughtful visit and generous donation. He acknowledged the impact of such contributions on the party’s progress and reemphasized the commitment of the PDP to serve the interests of the people in Taraba State.
By Francesca Hangeior
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has canvassed for greater efforts and commitments to the Federal Government’s aspirations to produce a workable legal framework for the country.
He charged the Committee put in place by the federal government to review, revise and consolidate the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, LFN, to double the efforts and commitments to deliver on the mandate at the appointed time.
Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, spoke on Monday in Abuja at the second retreat of the Committee put in place in October last year for the laws of the federation revision and reform.
The AGF while challenging the committee to be up and doing asked the members to remain united in purpose and steadfast in the resolve to produce a legal framework that is worthy of the nation’s aspirations.
He said the second retreat organized by the federal government was a strategic consolidation of the national law reform efforts and to provide an invaluable opportunity to come up with a better workable legal framework for the nation.
“Let me start by expressing gratitude to the Chairman, Co-Chairperson and members of the Committee for their selfless service and sacrifice, to ensure that this project is executed efficiently and effectively.
“The call to be part of this assignment is indeed a sacred that inevitably and positively affects the lives of individuals, government, businesses as well as citizens of this nation.
“The general purpose of law is to regulate human behavior by protecting lives and properties in society. The inauguration of the Committee on the 24th October, 2024 marked a historic milestone in our collective efforts to modernize, consolidate, and harmonize Nigeria’s body of federal statutes.
“The retreat successfully provides a clear framework for the structure and methodology of the revision exercise, oriented the 14 Working Groups tasked with reviewing specific legal subject areas, and fostered collaboration among key institutions and stakeholders on the project.
“Following the initial retreat, I wish to note that the Committee has recorded steady progress in its work.
“The Ministry has taken several measures to ensure that the assignment is delivered efficiently, including:training sessions for secretaries of the working groups to enhance documentation and coordination; technical meetings of the main committee and its various sub-committees; working sessions and deliberations among editors and reviewers; and ongoing technical collation of revised laws by the Secretariat.
“This second retreat is a strategic consolidation of our national law reform efforts and provides an invaluable opportunity to: review progress made since the first phase;
address any technical or structural challenges encountered during the collation process;
– Harmonize the output across working groups; and set the tone for the final stages of this important project.
“The next stage of the law review and consolidation process would include editing and proofreading the reviewed legislation, ahead of the final collation, production and printing of the laws of the federation.
“It is my conviction that these phases will be executed with even greater commitment by the Committee, with the support of stakeholders and development partners.
“I wish to commend the leadership of the LFN Committee, the Secretariat for its diligent coordination and day-to-day management as well as the Working Groups, Editors, and Reviewers, for their intellectual rigour and professionalism.
“Special gratitude to our development partners, particularly RoLAC, for standing firmly behind this national project.
“Let me urge all participants to use this retreat as a platform for robust engagement, peer learning, and practical collaboration.
“We must remain united in purpose and steadfast in our resolve to produce a legal framework that is worthy of our nation’s aspirations.
” I wish to express gratitude for your commitment to duty and I charge you to work in synergy and cooperation, in the overall interest of the nation”, the AGF said.
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has replied to the Nigerian Bar Association regarding the reason for relocating its Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
Ibas faulted the reason cited by the NBA, describing it as misleading and uncharitable.
The Sole Administrator stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, and sent to newsmen.
He said while the NBA reserves the right to choose a venue for its conference, the association had yet to address the issue of the refund of the hosting rights paid by the state government for the conference.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
-
News21 hours agoAutonomy: 774 LGs challenge FG, states in court Tuesday
-
News14 hours agoRivers women rally in support of state of emergency
-
News14 hours agoJust in: Namibia Moves to Deport Over 500 Americans in Bold Visa Policy Shift
-
News9 hours agoYou must refund N300m, Rivers State tells NBA
-
News21 hours agoZulum orders arrest, offers house, scholarship to abused boy in viral video
-
Politics12 hours agoBwala accuses Senator Ndume of plans to defect from APC
-
Foreign10 hours agoUS orders 30-day registration for all foreign nationals or face jail, deportation
-
News22 hours agoNANS criticize NASS over proposed bill to fine, jail non voters