Category: General

The human rights group, Amnesty International has condemned the deteriorating security situation in the two English-speaking regions of the country.

In a statement dated July 4 which CNA has seen, Amnesty’s West and Central Africa regional director, Samira Daoud said “Cameroonian authorities must act to end the violence against the population and conduct thorough investigations into the killings, acts of torture, rapes, burning of houses and other atrocities committed in the Anglophone regions”.

The organization’s latest report faulted all parties to the conflict including “defence and security forces”; “militias”; “armed separatists” and “Mbororo Fulani militias”.

The report which focuses on crimes inflicted by the parties above on the population, focus on the period from 2020 to present and “highlights the urgent need for protection for those denouncing the atrocities inflicted upon the population”.

In the report, the rights group states that “The Anglophone crisis resulted from the repressive response to largely peaceful protests in 2016-2017, which demanded an end to the marginalization of the Anglophone minority…”.

In the report, the organization states that they conducted two visits to Cameroon between November 2022 and March 2023 and spoke with over 100 victims of the crisis including NGO leaders, journalists and local human rights activists with one victim narrating that his wife was shot and burned along with his two children.

Mbororo Fulani herders are also named in the report as cooperating with security forces in the burning of some 13 homes in the village of Gheidze and expressed concerns over “Cameroonian authorities’ failure to cooperate effectively with international and regional human rights institutions” and called for all perpetrators to be prosecuted and punished according to the laws of the land.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders Forum on Wednesday urged the National Assembly to wade into the crisis rocking the Nasarawa State House of Assembly.

Convener of the forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Shaibu, made the call while addressing newsmen in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on June 8, the leadership crisis rocking the state assembly took another dimension as the 13 factional members during plenary passed a resolution suspending 10 other factional members.

The two factional speakers are: Ibrahim Balarabe and Daniel Ogazi.

Shaibu appealed to the leadership of the National Assembly to intervene over the crisis and “take over the leadership of the state assembly pending the resolution of the crisis.

“Otherwise, citizens will have no option than to embark on citizens actions to restore democracy in the state.”

He expressed worry over what he described as “impunity and lawlessness in the political space of the state.”

Shaibu said: “This impunity is perpetuated by individuals who consider themselves invincible and their political interests above the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The continuous disregard for due process and existing order of a Federal High Court barring Balarabe from parading himself as the Speaker of the 7th assembly is unfortunate.”

He said that Ogazi was elected by a simple majority votes within the assembly complex.

Shaibu further said that such height of impunity and lawlessness should not be condoned by the chief executive of the state and any other elected public official no matter their interests.

“We are so far disappointed by the actions of the governor on this matter in spite of wise counsels and entreaties from critical stakeholders of the APC and the state on the need to broker peace between the two factions.

“Sadly, the governor has continued to recognise the illegality perpetuated by the Balarabe group”.

NAN also reports that as a result of having two factional speakers of the state assembly, the inauguration of the 7th Assembly was postponed.

After the postponement, leadership crisis erupted where two speakers emerged with Balarabe and Ogazi leading different groups.

While Balarabe was elected at a sitting in the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state by 11 out of 24 members, Ogazi was elected by 13 out of 24 members at plenary at the State Assembly complex.

As the crisis escalated, the state’s APC led by its Chairman, John Mamman, on June 9 endorsed Balarabe as the speaker for the 7th Assembly.

According to reports, the governor of the state is in support of Balarabe as the authentic speaker.

Not relenting, on June 10, Ogazi went to a Federal High Court in Lafia seeking to stop Balarabe and Mr Jacob Kudu from parading themselves as speaker and deputy speaker of 7th Assembly among other requests.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Plan International, Nigeria, has unveiled a 16-member Youth Advisory Panel (YAP), to create the change agenda of the nation.

The Country Director, Plan International, Nigeria, Mr Charles Usie, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at the inauguration of the panel.

Usie said that the panel would engage Plan International Nigeria in co-creating decision making, policy development and projects implementation.

According to him, in the last six months, Plan International Nigeria has been in the process of establishing YAP with the overall objective of engendering inclusion and participation of youths and girls in decision making process.

”Plan International as a global organisation has renewed its mandate globally and what that mandate means is that girls and young people have become the centre of what we do.

”If we want young people and girls to be at the centre, we need to bring them into our everyday operation in meaningful ways in such a way that they participate and enable us to make the right decisions in the kind of programmes and interventions we design.

”As a result we have a global mandate to bring young people deliberately into our everyday management processes.

”And so in Nigeria today what we have ended up doing is to select young people across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria and put them into like a board as an advisory panel to advice management team and board to influence our programmes,” he said.

The country director said that plan International would continue to advance the rights of children, thereby seeking for equality for girls especially in education, health, livelihood, protection and others.

Also, the Executive Director, Yiaga, Mr Samson Itodo, charged the panel to focus on ensuring the change needed to transform the country and the continent.

Itodo said that the panel should be about learning, building and making necessary change happen while also sustaining the trust repose on them by the younger generation.

”The YAP is not a job or an employment opportunities but a transformative relationship. It is not a panel for for self promotion because you do not exist for yourself.

”YAP is not an elite group or cabal often used in our political group such that you forget the actual purpose you are called for this work.

”So the biggest challenge young people have is that they don’t maximise opportunities for a long of time, so you must be ready to play your role because on your shoulder lies the hope of the youths,” he said.

Meanwhile, Miss Pelemo Nyajo, the Shadow Country Director, Plan International, Nigeria said that active participation of youths in decision making would create high level of performance for development.

Nyajo, who is a member of YAP commended Plan International, Nigeria, for the opportunity to serve, saying it is a step in the right direction.

”Tokenism is a huge plaque when it comes to youth participation across the country and globally, they like to put the young people at the forefront but not actually getting active participation.

”So this panel is a huge step towards meaningful youth participation because we will be actively participating and putting them on their toes and making sure that the youths are the centre of all their programmes.

”Representation is very important. Persons with disabilities are not very much represented in a lot of communities, so with the YAY, we will create impact and hopefully we can make a change,” she said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Zambian Head of State Hakainde Hichilema arrived Tuesday morning in the province of Benguela where he will participate in the transfer ceremony of the concession of rail services and logistics support for the Lobito Corridor.

The ceremony that will take place in Lobito, Benguela province, will also gather their Angolan and Democratic Congolese counterparts, João Lourenço and Félix Tshisekedi, respectively, countries linked to the Lobito Corridor project.

At Catumbela airport, President Hakainde Hichilema received greetings from the provincial governor, Luís Nunes, and members of the Executive.

The programme also features the inauguration of the fiber optic link between Angola and Zambia, via video call.

The Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium comprises Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota Engil companies, considered the winner of the international tender on November 4, 2022.

It will be responsible for transporting heavy loads as well as maintaining the infrastructure of the Benguela Railway (CFB).

While CFB will be in charge of transporting passengers and lighter loads.

The Lobito Corridor extends from the port of Lobito, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, and crosses Angola from West to East, passing through the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico.

It covers the mining areas of Katanga province in the DRC and Copperbelt in Zambia.

For the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the corridor is seen as an important means of development in the region, with benefits for Angola and neighboring countries (DRC and Zambia.

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Félix Tshisekedi arrived in the coastal province of Benguela Tuesday morning to participate in the transfer ceremony of the concession of railway services and the logistics to support the Lobito Corridor.

The ceremony takes place in the railway port city of Lobito and will also be witnessed by their Angolan and Zambian counterparts, João Lourenço and Hakainde Hichilema, respectively.

These are countries linked to the Lobito Corridor project.

At Catumbela airport, President Félix Tshisekedi was welcomed by the provincial governor, Luís Nunes, and members of the Executive.

The three Presidents are expected to address the ceremony.

The programme also features the inauguration of the fiber optic link between Angola and Zambia, via video call.

The Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium comprises Trafigura, Vecturis and Mota Engil companies, considered the winner of the international tender on November 4, 2022.

It will be responsible for transporting heavy loads as well as maintaining the infrastructure of the Benguela Railway (CFB).

While CFB will be in charge of transporting passengers and lighter loads.

The Lobito Corridor extends from the port of Lobito, bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, and crosses Angola from West to East, passing through the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Bié and Moxico.

It covers the mining areas of Katanga province in the DRC and Copperbelt in Zambia.

For the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the corridor is seen as an important means of development in the region, with benefits for Angola and neighboring countries (DRC and Zambia).

Source: Angola Press News Agency (APNA)

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday, signed a Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), towards building an effective, accountable, and citizens-centred governance.

The Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, said during the signing ceremony in Abuja, that the move was also to improve the quality of service delivery in the FCT.

Adesola explained that the SOPs provide a framework for FCTA Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs), to operate in a consistent manner and ensure that services were delivered promptly, uniformly, and with professionalism”.

According to him, the implementation of the SOPs, which will commence in January 2024, is a demonstration of the FCTA’s commitment to reforms that will transform the Administration for better services.

“Putting this document together reflects the FCTA’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of governance that will serve the people with dignity and integrity.

“As we sign the SOPs today, we are embarking on a journey towards a more efficient, accountable, and citizen-centred governance.”

The permanent secretary added that the implementation of the SOPs, would also reduce ambiguity, minimise errors, and promote a culture of continuous improvement in service delivery in the FCT.

This, according to him, will lay a strong foundation for a more streamlined, transparent, and accountable service delivery across the various departments in the FCTA.

Adesola, who explained that the SOPs would be subjected to periodic reviews, advised the SSDAs to comply with the provisions or have their Overhead withheld.

In her remarks, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, acting Director, FCTA Department of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, explained that the idea of developing the SOPs was hatched in May 2022.

Ahmadu said that the move was in line with the Federal Government’s resolve to digitalise the civil service for effective and efficient service delivery.

She said that the SOPs was designed to provide a framework for consistency and professionalism across all departments, in line with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan.

“The implementation of the SOPs is also a pre-requisite for deployment of Performance Management Systems (PMS).

“This, will therefore, ensure uniform and prompt service delivery.

“It also signifies our commitment to upholding the highest standards of governance to serve our citizens with integrity”, she added. (NAN)(www.nannews.com)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Military Pensions Board (MPB) on Tuesday announced the payment of third tranche of the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA) to eligible military retirees and next-of-kins of deceased pensioners.

Chairman of the board, Rear Adm. Saburi Lawal, made this known in a statement in Abuja.

Lawal said payment of the third tranche, represented the third quarterly payment of the SDA for the year 2023.

He said it was in fulfillment of the pledge made by the board after the payment of the first and second tranches, that payment of subsequent tranches would be effected promptly, once funds were made available by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

According to him, payment of the third tranche was to the military pensioners who were active on the board’s data base, as at Nov. 9, 2017.

He said the payment of the SDA was to give effect to the presidential approval for extension of the payment of the SDA to military pensioners and retirees who exited the services before Nov. 9 2017.

He said the group were originally excluded from implementation of the provisions of the reviewed Manual of Financial Administration (MAFA) 2017, as it relates to the SDA.

“Gleaning from the foregoing, our esteemed retirees are please to note that the SDA is calculated as a function of 10% of the retiree’s annual basic salary as at the time of retirement, multiplied by the number of years in the service

“All concerned military pensioners/retirees and next of kins of deceased military pensioners are therefore advised to contact their banks for their entitlements.

“The board wishes to assure our esteemed military retirees/pensioners, next of kins of deceased military personnel and other well-meaning Nigerians that the Board remains resolute, and will ensure prompt payment of the remaining tranches of the SDA, subject to release of funds by the Ministry.” he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, has called on Ministerial Special and Technical Assistants in the immediate past administration to support President Bola Tinubu’s administration to succeed.

Akume called for the support of Tinubu by the former staff of President Muhammadu Buhari so enable him succeed in the socioeconomic and political development of Nigeria.

Akume made the appeal when the ex-ministerial aides, under the aegis of the Network of former Ministerial Aides (NETMA), paid him a courtesy visit on Monday in Abuja.

According to him, Tinubu means well for this country, adding that he is a committed leader who is completely detribalised and committed to the peace and development of the country.

“President Tinubu is very passionate about creating a new path to the greatness of Nigeria through the faithful implementation of the renewed hope agenda of the new administration.

“I urge you to reach out to the Nigerian people with details of the various policies and programmes of the administration.

“This should be done in view of your unique national outlook given your membership that cuts across gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds,” Akume urged.

Earlier, the Chairman of the group and leader of the delegation, Dr Philip Ugbodaga, said that the body was originally set up for synergistic purposes.

He also added that it was for effective coordination of inter-ministerial responsibilities by Special Assistants as well as a strategic peer review platform among aides during their tenure with former ministers.

Ugbodaga, who served as Special Assistant to the immediate past Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, commended Tinubu for finding a very worthy personality in Akume for appointment as the SGF.

He noted that Akume had distinguished himself in politics and service to the country and to humanity.

“You played a very critical role in the victory of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, in the last general elections.

“With remarkable intellectual acumen and experiences signposted by your very impactful tenure as the governor of Benue State for eight years, you should be applauded.

“Even as a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for 12 years and as a minister in the immediate past administration for four years, you have done well.

“The country is blessed to have you in the new administration to fitly coordinate and provide crucial impetus to the swift execution of government policies in the renewed agenda of President Tinubu,” Ugbodaga stated.

He explained that the group, the first in the history of the country, existed as the Network of Ministerial Aides (NETMA) during the last administration and had now been transformed to a ‘Policy Advisory Think Tank’.

According to Ugbodaga, as a ‘think tank’, the group looks forward to working closely with the new administration to establish cooperation and partnership at all levels.

Especially as the body has experts in every area urgently needed for the social, political and economic rejuvenation of Nigeria.

“We are confident that, working closely with you, we can offer the services of individual members of our organisation to the new administration in relevant capacities.

“This is as deemed appropriate in the implementation of the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu, by drawing on our institutional memory working in the last administration,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit had in attendance 39 members representing the aides who served in Buhari’s administration from 2015 to 2023.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Angry commercial motorcycle riders took to the streets this July 3, 2023 to protest the death of one of theirs which they believe was caused by constant police harassment.

The group mounted several road blocks making it impossible for vehicles to circulate for several hours. The previous night, a commercial rider whose name CNA got as Hassan, died after struggling to get away from the Police. According to several sources, Hassan was transporting a woman on his motorcycle when he was stopped by the Police for what was supposed to be a regular control. Hassan however chose to flee to Carrefour Mvondo with the passenger onboard. In a moment of panic, the passenger decided to jump off the moving motorcycle causing Hassan to lose balance and hit a woman who was standing by the roadside.

Both women were injured but Hassan who was not so lucky, lost his life. Informed of the incident the following morning, Hassan’s angered colleagues marched with his corpse to the regional delegation of the judiciary police in protest and destroyed city property all the way there.

Deployed Police and Gendarmerie elements used tear gas to disperse the mob and calm returned to the city in the late hours of the afternoon.

Source: Cameroon News Agency