Ekiti first lady seeks state of emergency on sexual violence - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The government of Ekiti State has been urged to declare a state of emergency on sexual violence in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This call was made by the first lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi saying that such declaration would bring about the political will to fight the scourge adding states that had passed the law on Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act would be able to implement the law to the fullest.

The Wife of the Governor who stated this in her keynote address at the 20th anniversary of Project Alert on Violence Against Women in Lagos, on Friday, the passage of the VAPP law will lend support to the array of women organizations that work in very remote hard- to -reach areas.

“It has taken a long time but we have some laws in place. We have the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, and out of the 36 States of Nigeria, only 11 States have domesticated this law. Even for those who have domesticated the law, there is an issue of resources. We are talking about financial resources, human resources, materials resources, as well as technical resources.

“We do need resources to push these issues through but we need the political will to drive the allocation of those resources. I will like to lend my voice to the voice of all the feminist organizations, human rights and civil society organizations in the country, calling for more attention to what has now become a national pandemic of gender-based violence, particularly sexual violence.

“In my own opinion, I believe we need the State of Emergency in Nigeria on sexual violence in particular. I think we need to call for more political will and that will hopefully drive things such as ensuring that those States who have passed the VAPP Act can implement it to the fullest, at least try their best.

“I will like to call for political will, I will like to call for resources and I will like to also call for a lot more partnerships and information sharing.

The Ekiti First Lady charged the participating organisations to focus their effort more on community engagement.

“I am based in Ekiti, which is a predominantly rural state, and so it’s not a State where everyone can have access to information via what’s happening on TV, Radio and so on.

“And so there are certain gatekeepers that we need to engage, who still hold deeply conservative views. A lot of religious leaders, traditional rulers, we have female chiefs, we have a whole array of people. We need to do a lot more work there. Because if communities don’t own response to gender-based violence, God forbid that sexual violence then become normalize.”

A major highlight of the event was the inter-generational dialogue on Gender –based violence. The Ekiti State First Lady was also honoured with the Excellence Award in Women's Rights Activism by Project Alert.

Uj. N. Dominic/Editor

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2018 State of Food, Agriculture report for launch - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

As part of the World Food Week starting today, Monday, 15 October, the report on State of Food and Agriculture is set for launch, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A series of events, NaijaAgroNet gathered, have been lined up including World Food Day on 16 October to explore the actions needed to put achieving Zero Hunger back on track.  

NaijaAgroNet recalled that World Food Day is marked each year on 16 October to commemorate the founding of FAO in 1945.

A package of multimedia feature stories depicting real people’s actions towards Zero Hunger is available for media use, including accompanying photos and video, and a brochure about the day is available.

The launch of the State of Food and Agriculture report 2018, slated for Sheikh Zayed Centre, FAO.

This year’s edition explores how migration is linked to food security, agriculture and rural development. 

The report will be presented at a press conference with FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and Assistant Director-General for Economic and Social Development Kostas Stamoulis.  

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Cape Verde battles unregulated fishing, joins Port State Measures Agreement

NaijAgroNet:

An African country of Cape Verde also known as Cabo Verde, has joined the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), as President Jorge Carlos Fonseca personally delivered his country’s ratification papers for the treaty to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as part of efforts at regulating fishing, reports NaijAgroNet.

The FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva who lauded Cape Verde for this step, invited the head of state to a forthcoming event in Rome to celebrate the first international treaty to focus specifically on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

“Cape Verde is acting responsibly and joining the international community’s effort, led by the United Nations and FAO, to combat practices that limit sustainable access to resources that are important not only to the whole world but in particular to our island country,” said Mr. Fonseca.

NaijAgroNet recalls that as many as 60 countries have signed the PSMA will be at the special event when the Committee on Fisheries begins its 32nd session at FAO’s headquarters on July 11.

Although FAO drafted the treaty and began shepherding its adoption in 2009, the PSMA, which requires all fishing vessels to allow inspectors aboard when they stop in foreign ports, went into legal force earlier this month after over 25 countries including Cuba and the United States of America, Mozambique and the European Union acting on behalf of its 28 members deposited their instruments of adherence.

Graziano da Silva signalled FAO’s willingness to support Cape Verde’s fisheries sector, saying the agency’s collaboration with the country is “very progress”. Current projects include initiatives to tackle desertification, bolster reforestation efforts and to promote marine resources management and the Blue Economy.

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SOTU urges Malawi government to ratify RACCNNR

NaijaAgroNet

The Executive Director, State of the Union (SOTU), Edward Chileka Banda has called on government of Malawi to ratify the Revised African Union Convention on Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (RACCNNR), NaijaAgroNet reports.

He made this call at SOTU programme in Malawi in collaboration with community leaders, local government officials, and students over the weekend petitioned President Peter Mutharika and his government to address issues of Climate change.

SOTU’s petition which was on conservation of natural resources; climate change; disaster management and preparedness  was presented to Mutharika through the office of the Chikwawa District Commissioner, Bester Mandele, who promised to deliver the petition to central government.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that prior to the petition, the CSOs held Stakeholders Conference under the theme; "Fight Climate Change, avoid Natural Disasters, Safeguard the Future". Consequently it was observed that environmental degradation is worsened due to poor land management policies, over population and lack of alternative energy sources.

Banda said there is need also for government to create evacuation Centers in floods prone areas to avoid disrupting school classes during disasters. In the petition, NaijaAgroNet learnt they have also asked President Mutharika to depoliticize management and conservation of natural resources such as forest reserves. During the conference, Paramount Chief Lundu commended the youths for the initiative of engaging people directly affected by floods in the Lower Shire.

Lundu said the community participation and empowerment would be key in addressing environmental challenges. Eye for Development (EFD) organised the event under SOTU Platform which are championing the AU charter on nature and natural resources.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

 
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FAO to unveil report of hungry people

NaijaAgroNet

 

The annual State of Food Insecurity in the world report would be unveiled at the forthcoming World Food Summit in Rome with expectation it will provide new figures for the number of chronically hungry people globally, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The meeting, NaijaAgroNet  reports, would also take stock of progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG1) as it kicks off on Wednesday, May 27, 2015.

NaijaAgroNet learnt that United Nations (UN) bodies slated to present their reports include the three Rome-based food agencies, namely the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN World Food Program (WFP).

The new hunger report, NaijaAgroNet gathered, would be presented jointly at FAO’s headquarters by its Director-General José Graziano da Silva, IFAD Associate Vice-President, Josefina Stubbs and Stanlake Samkange, Director of WFP's Policy and Programme Division.

In addition, Maurizio Martina Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, NaijaAgroNet learnt, would participate via videolink from EXPO 2015 in Milan.

This year’s edition of State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) contains updated estimates of the number and proportion of hungry people in the world in 2015, the target year of the Millennium Development Goals.

It also offers analysis into what drives successful anti-hunger programs, such as agricultural investments, in addition to the growing importance of social protection schemes and the new challenges presented by the increasingly protracted nature of crises, NaijaAgroNet also gathered.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE

 
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Security: Fashola improves Lagos State with ICT Resource Centre

NaijaAgroNet:

Setting a path to follow, the Governor of Lagos state, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola has improved security in the state with a donation of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Resource Center to the Lagos Police Command, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The centre which is located at C Police command Surulere area of Lagos State, he said, is part of some 100 resource centers being built by his government and expressed hope the centres will be completed and handed over to police across the state before the end of his tenure by May 29, 2015. 

The Governor added that the resource center will help the police to carry out an effective operation in reducing tedious record management system and tracking crime evidence locations, as capable staff has been trained by the ministry of science and technology to man the facilities, which include Digital Asset Management Systems, Digital Camera and two KW sola installations among others.

The governor also stressed the importance of communications technology saying “We cannot over-emphasize the importance of information communications in our lives. What we have done with these centers is to empower and enable the police to be able to keep detailed records of evidences. 

For instance, why do we have to keep a vehicle that was involved in an accident in the station for so long and allow it to rot, thereby losing value and depriving the owner of the vehicle? With this centre, the police can just take the photographs of the vehicle from all possible angle and incident it in their electronic file,” he said.

Kayode Aderanti, the commissioner of police commended Fashola for his concerns on the welfare of the police, saying that police would not have attained the height they are right now in Lagos, if not for the governor.

 
Dozie Anibueze/GEE
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Nigeria, Israel enter agricultural deal

NaijaAgroNet.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and State of Israel, penultimate Friday signed a cooperation agreement to share expertise and step up cooperation in the agriculture field aimed at boosting food security in both countries, report

The agreement was signed on behalf of the FG by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and his Israeli counterpart, Yair Shamir at a short ceremony in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Speaking, Adesina said Nigeria will work closely with the state of Israel to boost fish production, so as to cut down on the amount spent yearly importing fish, noting that Nigeria spends 125 billion naira, about $760 million annually, on fish imports alone.

“… This ought not to be, considering the abundant water resources in this country. The cooperation will also include areas of beef production, horticulture and training," he said.

Pointing out that Israel will also help Nigeria to structure her rural communities in a way that youths in these communities will be able to create wealth through agricultural activities instead of migrating from their local areas.

The minister said, the government is trying to woo private investors in hopes of bolstering the local agricultural sector and up to $4 billion has already been invested in local agriculture projects by private companies.

Adesina said the Nigeria-Israel cooperation deal would foster development in the sector and "impact private-sector businesses tremendously, bringing wealth to youths by creating gainful jobs."

Equally, Shamir said Israel would cooperate with the Nigerian government to develop agriculture in Africa`s top oil producer. Stressing that the Israeli government would begin by training employees of Nigeria`s Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasising that the partnership would boost food security for both countries.

Isaac Oyimah with agency report/GEE

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Awka residents decry kerosene scarcity

NaijaAgroNet:

Inhabitants of Awka, the capital of Anambra State have described the high prices of kerosene in the State, following the scarcity of the product, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey showed that the product was being sold at between N110 and N140 per liter as against the official pump price of N50 sold at the NNPC Mega Station in Awka.

Some attendants at independent filling stations visited said the high cost of kerosene was due to non-availability of the product to dealers.

Ifeanyi Nwamuo, an attendant with Total Filling Station at Ukwuoji, Awka, said that the product had not been supplied to the station in many months.

He said that the process of getting the product was hard and that failed attempts to secure supply had compelled their station to stop the procurement of kerosene.

Tina Nwaegbo, a private dealer also attributed the high cost of the commodity in Awka to the means of procurement and the large-scale bribery before getting the product.

Ms. Nwaegbo said that dealers needed to recover their expenses after procurement and that it was the end users who would bear the cost. She said that the Federal Government should make the business policy easy so as to eliminate third parties involved in kerosene procurement.

The NNPC Mega Station Manager in Awka, Ngozi Onyiliofor, said the station had been selling the product to the public at the approved pump price of 50k per liter.

Her colleague, Florence Nwaokoye, said that the supply of the product to station had been steady, compared to previous months when kerosene was out of supply in Awka and environs.

She urged the government to ensure availability of the product this season, to facilitate the celebration of Christmas. 

Isaac Oyima with additional reports from (NAN)

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Pix: courtesy Premium Times