Group urges South, Middle Belt Governors to reject FG's armed agro-rangers - NaijaAgroNet

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The Pan Yoruba self-determination coalition known as Apapo Oodua Koya (AOKOYA), has urged the South and Middle Belt State Governors to reject the agro-rangers which the Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to deploy to states, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the group in a press statement available to NaijaAgroNet, 'This is RUGA in disguise. It is an attempt to give protection to violent pastorist Fulanis, who are bent on taking over Yoruba territories by force of arms."

Group urges IGP to disarm Hausa-Fulani in Benue

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The Tiv community in Lagos State, under the auspices of Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim K.Idris, to  urgently disarm the irate Hausa -Fulani youths in Benue State, especially Makurdi, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This call was made through MUT President General, Prince Aondowase Ikyernum Kajo, following Saturday and Sunday night attacks on their host community in Wadata area of Makurdi where some Tiv residents were killed, others sustained varying degrees of injuries and their houses burnt by the rampaging youths.

They alleged that intelligence information at their disposal indicated that there is a huge stockpile of dangerous arms and ammunitions in mosques, homes, shops and many other unidentified places by the Hausa -Fulani residents in the state.

With the kind of arms these rampaging youths were brandishing, and recklessly attacking Makurdi residents, it means they are well prepared to do the worst, hence, the urgent need to clampdown on the aforementioned places and confiscate those weapons.

It would amount to double standards by the Nigerian security agencies (soldiers) who hastily arrested the Benue State livestock guards who were on a legitimate duty protecting their communities against marauding Fulani herdsmen terrorists but looked the other way when other tribes are causing severe harm to the lives and property of our people with more highly sophisticated weapons.

Remember that during the state government Amnesty program, only  Benue indigenes submitted over 700 arms to the state. It is not logical for people who are armless to be living in the midst of their dangerously armed visitors that are daily inflicting pains on them unchallenged.

We also warn that those sponsoring these irate youths recently drafted to Benue with no viable source of living to cause chaos paving the way for a declaration of state of emergency in Benue should have a rethink as such diabolical agenda would not succeed in our state.

We thank the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, for standing firm with his people in these trying times. We also thank the Benue Traditional Council, led by HRM Prof. James Ayatse, Tor Tiv V, heads of all the socio-cultural organizations in the state and religious leaders for their efforts to see that these unprovoked attacks on our people stop.

We equally thank other critical stakeholders in this struggle to save our lives especially media professionals, social media activist, civil society organizations, the good people of Benue and well meaning Nigerians for standing with us.

We deeply sympathize with the families who lost their loved ones and  also wish the injured speedy recovery.

This is as we call on President Buhari who is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces to end this pogroms against Benue people by Fulani herdsmen terrorists.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Nigerian stakeholders get FPMAWG

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The Nigerian stakeholders have setting up the Family Planning Media Advocacy Working Group (FPMAWG) as part of efforts at advancing their commitments on issues of family planning in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The FPMAWG executive committee includes Chioma Umeha – Chairperson, Angela Onwuzoo - vice chairperson, Mayuwa Adeniran – Public Relations Officer (PRO), Bukola Ajiboye – Secretary, Ijeoma Ukazu - Assistant Secretary, and Appolonia Adeyemi as Financial Secretary.

Setting up the FPMAWG in Lagos, the Associate Director of Reproductive Health and Family Planning (RH/FP) at Pathfinder International office in Nigeria, Dr. Habeeb Salami, defined advocacy as “organized, deliberate, systematic, and strategic process intended to bring about a new or revised social or economic policy or programme.”

He also said that advocacy involves setting of actions undertaken by a group of committed individuals or organizations to introduce change or obtain support for specific policies, programmes, legislation, issues or causes, precisely on Family Planning.

Salami urged FPMAWG to seek to draw and sustain the attention of critical decision makers at national, state and local and community levels on an issue of common interest to an individual, or a group of individuals or organizations, with the goal of getting these issues addressed in a mutually beneficial manner.

FPMAWG, he said, is a group of committed individuals who share a common social, political and economic interest over an issue.

“Willing to work together to change the FP situation,” he said.

Salami equally pointed out that advocacy groups could be very influential, but their influence is informal because they do not hold or control power, but try to influence people who either hold power or who may hold power, such as a candidate for an elective office, to support the positions the group is committed to.

“Advocacy groups are important players in local, state, federal, and even international social economic milieu,” he said, thus as diverse as the people and ideas they represent.

He urged for partnership with like-minded individuals or groups, noted that essentially, FPMAWG should advocate to national and local leaders that Family Planning needs high-level attention and improvements in quality and access.

Therefore, he encouraged FPMAWG to ensure the usage of the power of the media through deploying various platforms.

“Influence and make the political, policy, legal and community environments more suitable for FP,” he said.

Positing that qualities of a good and effective media AWG is predicated on the passion which he described as critical, even as membership is constituted from diverse team who are truly and genuinely committed to FP and willing to push for a change in that direction.

In her acceptance speech, the FPMAWG chairperson, Mrs Chioma Umeha assured stakeholders that her team will be up and doing in contributing their quotas to improved family planning in the country and solicited for support and understanding of all, especially the international partners.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Pix: A cross session of stakeholders at the inaugural meeting.

ACP, FAO sign MoU to boost capacity building

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The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in collaborating with the African Caribbean and Pacific Group States (ACP), are intensifying efforts aimed at enhancing capacities to cope with the challenges of climate change, sustainable food production and security, NaijaAgroNet reports.

The Memorandum of Understanding to this effect signed by the Secretary General ACP Group, Patrick Ignatius Gomes, and the FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, NaijaAgroNet gathered, is intended towards supporting the 79 ACP member countries to work assiduously to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals that will be agreed later this year.

The MoU commits both ACP and FAO to jointly promote and contribute to the implementation of activities planned within the Fund's framework.

It also factorizes procedures aimed at enhancing an -ACP South-South Cooperation programme for food security and agriculture, including technology sharing, knowledge exchange and policy dialogue between tropical countries.

Key areas under the expanded collaboration, NaijaAgroNet learnt, is to engage the private sector to support the development of efficient and inclusive agrovalue chains. The emphasis will be on targeted agricultural commodities, both food staples and cash crops, and on smallholders, farmer- and producer organizations and small and medium enterprises.

More so, the collaboration will be identified by ACP members which are likely to be projects to harness private-sector support in building efficient and inclusive agricultural value chains that will help smallholder farmers meet export market regulatory requirements, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Other measures will aim at hunger eradication, better nutrition and sustainable economic practices.

Cyriacus Nnaj/ GEE
 
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