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FG Approves N13bn For Pest Control In 12 States

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FG Approves N13bn For Pest Control In 12 States

The Federal Government has approved N13 billion as an intervention fund for pest control in twelve northern states.

The twelve states are Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno States.

Alhaji Muhammad Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, said the funds were meant to reduce the effects of COVID-19 on the nation’s food sector.

According to Nanono, the intervention fund was to ensure uninterrupted agricultural activities during the 2020 farming season in the states.

He also explained that the fund would be used to control trans-boundary pests and minimise the impact of coronavirus as well as guarantee nutritional and national food security.

The minister emphasised that the present administration “is determined to fight any menace that will truncate the successes recorded so far in the agricultural sector”.

Nanono also performed the flag-off of the 2020 dry season control of trans-boundary migratory birds for the 12 frontline northern states at the Birnin Kebbi International Airport in Kebbi.

Nanono said, “The choice of Kebbi State for the flag-off is deliberate, in view of the extensive agricultural activities in the state and the immense cooperation and collaboration of the state government in the implementation of agricultural interventions over the years.

Atlanta police chief resigns after Black man fatally shot by officer outside Wendy’s

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Atlanta police chief resigns after Black man fatally shot by officer outside Wendy’s

Less than 24 hours after a white police officer shot and killed an African-American man outside a fast-food restaurant, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta announced on Saturday that the city’s police chief had resigned, and called for the “immediate termination” of the officer who shot the man.

The authorities said the man, Rayshard Brooks, 27, had run from the police on Friday night after failing a sobriety test and grabbing a Taser from an officer during a struggle with him. Ms. Bottoms said that security footage appeared to show that Mr. Brooks had fired the Taser toward the officer, who was chasing him before he was killed, but that she did not consider that a justification for the shooting.

“While there may be debate as to whether this was an appropriate use of deadly force, I firmly believe that there is a clear distinction between what you can do and what you should do,” Ms. Bottoms said. “I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force.”

Ms. Bottoms’s rapid response to the fatal shooting signaled the heightened scrutiny facing law enforcement as a wave of protest against police violence continues in many cities around the country — a movement that has already prompted a number of changes to local police policies, as well as a broader conversation about the ongoing racism that people of color experience in the justice system and nearly every other facet of American life.

Many Countries Begged Nigeria For Food During Lockdown – Fashola

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Many Countries Begged Nigeria For Food During Lockdown – Fashola

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has said many neighbouring countries asked Nigeria for food during the lockdown occasioned by coronavirus pandemic.

Fashola said, “We are looking at constructing roads with more stones, more cement, more iron rods so that more people will be employed. For example, it will take 14 people to build a kilometre of road. So, if you are doing more kilometres, it will demand more labour and materials, so, these are some of the bolts and nuts of that plan.

“I must say to Nigerians that because of the success of the agriculture programme which is still evolving, during this COVID exercise, many countries were writing to us from near and far, asking us to please supply them food. This is not in the public space but President Buhari’s priority was, tell them to wait, we must feed our people first before we send out food, we don’t know when this is going to end.

Fashola said, “We are looking at constructing roads with more stones, more cement, more iron rods so that more people will be employed. For example, it will take 14 people to build a kilometre of road. So, if you are doing more kilometres, it will demand more labour and materials, so, these are some of the bolts and nuts of that plan.

How First Lady ordered security to chase, open fire at Buhari’s aide

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How First Lady ordered security to chase, open fire at Buhari’s aide

An aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Yusuf Sabiu aka Tunde, has been reportedly chased away from Aso Villa.

First Lady, Aisha Buhari, is believed to be behind the act ordering her security details to open fire at Tunde who recently returned from Lagos State.

Mrs Buhari’s discontent was allegedly born out of Tunde’s failure to self-isolate after returning from his trip where he went to visit his wife and new born baby.

It is being reported that Sabiu only narrowly scampered for safety.

” Sabiu upon approval of Mr. president last week Friday travelled to Lagos to see his wife and new born baby boy,” a source told TheNigerian.

” He did not travel with any 15 women from Kano, Daura or anywhere.

“He was with his wife and baby and the wife’s mother alone. On Sunday he returned promptly to back to Abuja.

“His refusal to self isolate in order to protect the president seems not to have gone down well with the First Lady.

” Tunde is safe now. Not wounded but the Police IG and security have stepped in. Firing shots without autoroute is seen as unacceptable in the security network.”

On the orders of the Chief Security Officer to the President, Idris Kassim, bar the First Lady, all those involved in the dastardly act have been arrested and detained.

Turning to Twitter on Friday, Mrs Buhari confirmed the arrest, urging the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, to immediately release her aides.

“That Covid-19 is real and still very much around in our nation is not in doubt. Consequently, I call on all relevant government agencies to enforce the Quarantine Act signed by Mr. President and ensure no one is found violating this law and the NCDC guidelines especially on interstate travel without the necessary exemptions for movement of essentials,” she lamented.

“Anyone who does that should at the very least be made to undergo a-14 day mandatory isolation no matter who the person is, no one should be above the law and the police command will do well to remember that.

“Finally, I call on the IGP to release my assigned staff who are still in the custody of the police in order to avoid putting their lives in danger or exposure to Covid-19 while in their custody.”

Breaking: Edo Polls: APC disqualifies Gov Obaseki

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Breaking: Edo Polls: APC disqualifies Gov Obaseki
The All Progressives Congress (APC)  has disqualified the incumbent governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, and two other aspirants from contesting the party’s June 22 primaries.
The panel further announced that while Pastor Ize-Iyamu, Pius Odubu and Osaro Obazee, disqualifying Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen and Chris Ogiemwonyi.
Governor Obaseki had told newsmen after appearing before the screening committee that he was not sure of getting justice from the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC), urging him to recluse himself from the Edo nomination process as an interest party.
Looking very subdued, the embattled
governor said: “The last time I came here, I asked that Oshiomhole recluse himself from the process in the interest of peace and justice. But as a party man, I have had to go through the screening like everybody else.
“Since he is the judge and the jury in this matter, I will just wait for the outcome of the screening. I have given them all the information they need; the controversial certificate from the University of Ibadan has been tendered.
“Like I said, as a party man I have engine through the screening process but I do not believe that I will get justice because Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is an interested party in the Edo process.
“One of the questions that was asked was why did I issue a gazette that will prevent the party from performing direct elections in Edo. That did I not see it as an anti party activity? I just felt that if we put politics above the the lives of the people of Edo State, the we may be missing the point,” he lamented.
However, addressing newsmen while receiving the report at the party’s national secretariat, the Chairman of the Screening committee, Prof Jonathan Ayuba, hinged the disqualification on defective certificate.
Defending the reason for his disqualification, the committee which gave clean bill of health to other aspirants said that disqualification are based on certificate and age discrepancies
Speaking while presenting the report, the Chairman said: “The job is difficult because it came at the most difficult times in the history of our democracy. We were thorough in our work. We want to be judged by what we have done not party politics.
”We went beyond screening but didn’t investigate much. Our report should be based on the fact we presented not on assumptions.  We finished on Thursday but left it till today which has become democracy Day.”

At least four including cleric killed in Kabul mosque blast

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At least four including cleric killed in Kabul mosque blast

At least four people were killed after a blast ripped through a crowd during Friday prayers at a mosque in Kabul, Afghan officials said, in the latest attack on the city ahead of potential talks with insurgents.

“Based on our initial information, at around noon explosives placed inside the mosque detonated during Friday prayers,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists.

A health ministry spokesman also confirmed the death count, saying the prayer leader and three worshippers were killed at the Sher Shah Suri mosque, while several others were wounded.

The attack comes a week after an Islamic State-claimed attack killed two people, including a popular prayer leader, at a mosque on the edge of Kabul’s heavily fortified green zone.

Afghanistan is juggling multiple crises, with the coronavirus rapidly spreading across the country and continuing violence even as the government and Taliban signal they are getting closer to sitting down for talks.

President Ashraf Ghani vowed Thursday to complete a Taliban prisoner release that is a key condition to the launch of peace talks with the insurgents.

Once the swap is done, the two sides have pledged to begin negotiations that could end nearly 19 years of war.

The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since February, when they signed a deal with the US meant to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government.

A ceasefire during last month’s Eid al Fitr holidays also sparked hopes that the two sides may be getting closer to holding negotiations even as a recent uptick in fighting has tempered expectations.

Salkida: Why attempts to water down the impact of Nigerian troops’ devastation of Boko Haram has failed

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Salkida: Why attempts to water down the impact of Nigerian troops’ devastation of Boko Haram has failed
Ahmad Salkida, the Nigerian journalist with direct access to Boko Haram who at a time fell out with the group and had to go on self-exile, lives in a hole. And like every rodent that habituates in cracked spaces, the unsafe nature of such habitation makes him act on impulse.
He oscillates between two extremes in words and deeds that make both his views and actions suspect and at the same time puerile as they are borne out of desperation to keep afloat. In some instances, he deserves pity, though. However, his insistence to be in the public glare prohibits such emotion.
Before his self-imposed exile, Salkida was known to have untrammelled access to top Boko Haram commanders including their leader, Abubakar Shekau, which he uses, from time to time for his benefit.
In August 2016, the Nigerian Army, realising there is more than meets the eye regarding Salkida contacts with the terrorists, relying on the terrorism prevention Act 2011 (as amended), where Nigerians could be punished for failure to disclose information about terrorists or terrorist activities, declared him with two others wanted. They were suspected to be “in possession of information on the conditionns and the exact location of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in 2014.”
Shortly after that, Salkida resurfaced and humbly began to desist from overhyping himself as the alter ego of the terrorists leader, slowly distancing himself from them.
But this year, he overdid himself when he released reports which embarrassed the sect and particularly their leader. In the audio tape, the Boko Haram kingpin was crying and confessing to the superior fire power of the Nigerian military.
Salkida, through his online publication, HumAngle, also revealed how it is possible that the Nigerian Army had killed more number of terrorists than the number it disclosed to the public. HumAngle in its report said many of the terrorists were felled in villages around the Sambisa forest which the military did not count.
Shortly after that exposé, the Boko Haram leader threatened to deal with Salkida and since then, obviously frightened by the threat, the manipulative journalist has reverted to factory setting, doing only the bidding of Shekau.
Like a rat that lives in a hole, he has run to other side of the extreme to avoid the threat coming from the opposite direction.
And between when the threat was made and now, all the reports from HumAngle about terrorists activities in Nigeria and confrontation with the military have been to massage the ego of the megalomaniac leader of the Boko Haram.
The height of such turn coat tactic was the latest story which tried to undermine the gains recorded by the Nigerian military since the Chief of Army staff, General T.Y Buratai relocated to the Northeast.
The HumAngle reports claims that of the over 1,600 terrorists killed between April and now, over 60 percent of the fatalities were due to the intervention by foreign forces and not Nigeria.
The report added that nearly 1,600 insurgents killed during the period, 65.7 per cent lost their lives during battles with soldiers in Chadian and Cameroonian territories, not Nigeria. It also said that when the additional figures are removed, only a total of 591 fatalities were recorded by the insurgent groups directly from attacks by Nigerian troops.
However, Salkida, characteristically, contradicts himself and cannot confuse the discerning.
The total number of militants killed by Nigerian troops between April and now stands at over 1,500 even without including the number said not to have been counted around the Sambisa forest.
The figure claimed to have been killed by Chadian forces whether in hundreds or thousands has never been claimed by any report of military onslaught on the terrorists in Nigeria.
The HumAngle was also being clever by half when it denied its own report that the military under reported the rate of casualty and is not clear however if Salkida included that number in the figure he claims to have been killed by Nigerian troops.
But the facts speak for themselves.
When HumAngle reported that Shekau was heard in an audio begging for mercy due to the damage on his fighting men, he forgot that Shekau did not deny that he wept but only claimed as an afterthought that the audio was done some five years ago.
Fact Check, however, revealed that there was no such pounding of the Boko Haram during the Ramadan period of 2015. The type of ululation heard in that video could not have been made by Shekau if the damage had been less.
The fact remains that since Lt. Gen. TY Buratai moved to the theatre of war in Borno State, the Nigerian military has been exemplary in performance to the acknowledgement of all including die-hard cynics.
Within the period, no less than 1500 of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists have been liquidated by Nigerian troops while many have been seriously wounded or arrested.
Hundreds of terrorists have been killed in operations in Kwalaram, Nilewa, Sabon Tumbu, Bukarmairam, Wulgo in the Marte and Gamboru Ngala and in Gorgi, Damboa local government and in Buni Gari all in Borno State.
The Nigerian military has also overran the camps of the terrorists in Durfada, Allafha, Timbuktu, Bulajibi and Gonikurmi near the Sambisa forest.
This was what led to surrender of the 11 of the ISWAP members.
The Nigerian military also repelled attacks on Maiduguri twice and in Damboa, Banki, and Madagali and other places with heavy casualties on the side of the insurgents.
These have been made possible through careful planning and superior strategy by the military.
It was not for nothing that Buratai moved to the Northeast as his presence ensured that he engages troops directly by getting direct feedback from them.
His strategy of moving reinforcement while troops are pressing hard against the insurgents has also produced enormous results.
On top of that, the military has acquired more sophisticated weapons. The army for instance has obtained 17 military vehicles consisting of VT-4 main battle tanks and two types of self-propelled howitzer from China consisting of VT-4 main battle tanks and two types of self-propelled howitzers.
The combination of all these has made it possible for the Nigerian military to defeat Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists lately, and no fear-induced or eager- to-please pro- terrorists reports can take that away.
Audu is an Abuja-based journalist

Hajiya Sadiya Farouq and her relentless efforts for the people

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Hajiya Sadiya Farouq and her relentless efforts for the people

By Philip Agbese

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq struck the apex of leadership limelight unexpectedly for many Nigerians. She previously served as Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons ((NCFRMI)). And before her foray into partisan politics in 2010, she had a stint with the National Assembly Service Commission as a senior staff. Her experience in public service is therefore rich and stainless.

The services of the newly created ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (HADM & SD)  is at the heart of every Nigerian. In the age of countless disasters afflicting Nigeria, and the ensuing challenges, many Nigerians and international partners, applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for creating the ministry. It is structured as a coordinating hub for an array of other federal agencies offering humanitarian and crisis management functions.

The African Doctors for Africa (AfDA) was one of the bodies which commended President Buhari for the creation of the Ministry in a public statement signed by its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Dr. Ver-or Ngutor, released in Abuja.

And  the pursuit of  the Ministry’s  agenda forms the swivel of assuaging public agonies,  and enthroning reliefs, happiness,  and comfort to distraught and traumatized people.The appointment of Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq is perceived in many quarters as a blend of experience and expertise on humanitarian affairs and crises management. She is often described as Buhari’s Minister on what former Imo state Governor, Sen. Rochas Okoroacha would euphemistically termed as the “Ministry of Happiness.”

And these past few months, the Minister has dispensed herself as the poster boy of Mr. President by demonstrating to Nigerians what Government and committed leadership embodies. The scope of HADM &SD is large and expansive. It has fused agencies like National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons ((NCFRMI), and, National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), subsumed under Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA),  and other extended agencies.

Her mandate is understandably enormous and sensitive to general public social welfare and harmony. The job requires a heart that epitomizes the core values of humanity and compassion. Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq  is a perfect match and blend of the human resources needed to discharge the mandate.

Her managerial ingenuity is not in doubt.  And in the last few months, she has proved her mettle as a performer and leader who knows where the rage of tempestuous waters is hotter on humanitarian crises, social problems and where and when the ministry should pour its ceaseless torrents of interventions instantly.

Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq  is imbued with a unbreakable passion, love, and kindness for humanity. She has a knack for commitment and hard work. Relatively unknown in the political and leadership ladder of Nigeria in spite of the previous sensitive offices she served, President Muhammadu Buhari took Nigerians by surprise when he fished out the Minister from an array of competitive choices to head the newly created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

On the appointment of Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, the African Doctors for Africa (AfDA) convinced by her past track records, rated her on the new assignment as the right person for the job. The body stated that “Having served as a Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the minister parades all that is required to discharge the duties of her office.”

Nigerians conversant with affairs of Nigeria would concede that the country has been swimming in serious multiple disasters and humanitarian crises for over a  decade now. Whether natural, artificial or man-made, these disasters and humanitarian challenges have exalted strains on a nation eager to extricate herself from its fangs. The affected people have continued to yearn for salvation.

And President Buhari charged the Minister Umar Farouk to ensure that issues of fire and flood disaster, displaced victims, resettlements, refugees, and other humanitarian emergencies are effectively given prompt attention and resolved.

The Minister has properly understood her briefs as she disclosed while declaring open a three-day international workshop on improving civil-security cooperation (CISEC) in Humanitarian interventions in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria as she said, “The ministry has one of its mandates to develop Humanitarian policies and ensure effective coordination of national and international Humanitarian interventions in Nigeria.”

The new ministry has picked up the gauntlet of perfect utilization of funds; coordination of humanitarian/relief services and safety of emergency workers across the country. The Honourable Minister has impressively synergized with relevant agencies in providing   answers to these challenges and the seemingly intractable problems.

As exemplary conduct, she personally appeared at the scene of the Onitsha fire incident, visited and condoled victims of the inferno within a day. She instantly directed relevant agencies under the Ministry to take immediate appropriate actions to provide succor to the victims.

The portrait of Nigeria on disasters and humanitarian crises pulsates the heart in numbing coldness. The Northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe present the worse and protracted humanitarian crisis, aside other parts of the country. It is caused by the over 10 years insurgency in the region.

In 2018, a report of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), pegged the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria, to 2.24 million, with another 213,179 living as refugees in Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.

UNICEF Nigeria Humanitarian Situation Report from 1-31 October 2019 disclosed that insurgency has cropped-up over 7.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, while there are 1.82 Internally displaced people in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. And added to the sorrow, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has placed Nigeria on fourth position among list of countries vulnerable to grave risk of humanitarian catastrophe in 2020 after Yemen, DRC and Syria.

The Minister is mindful of these realities and the projections. She has focused a sustained attention on the humanitarian crises in the Northeast where the clouds are darkest. Apart from improved supply of relief materials  and medication to these victims of armed conflicts housed in IDPs camps, the Minister is already working at other solutions and modalities to surmount the challenges. By end of 2019 alone, the Ministry coordinated humanitarian assistance to over 4 million people in distress across Nigeria, according to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

And sighting and planning for the future, she has earnestly set in motion a machinery for a Road Map and Action Plan that will entrench a sustainable cooperation framework to  enhance civil organizations and security agencies interactions  in the Northeast. The aim is to define a common front and deepen synergy to tackle disasters and humanitarian crises.

The Minister recently said, “The structures that will emerge are expected to be enduring and mutually beneficial to all stakeholders as well as to the vulnerable groups whose succour is dependent on amicable working relationship between these major players in the Northeast.”

The Ministry is also focused  in 2020 on the resettlement of IDPs in the Northeast; IDPs enrolment into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), rent or renovation of houses for IDPs across the states; drilling of boreholes for water supplies;  securing of  land for relocation and reintegration of IDPs in Abuja and Nasarawa States; identified 2,200 families of IDPs targeted for cash assistance in the Northeast  and the resettlement of Bakassi Peninsula returnees in Southern Nigeria.

The Ministry is also in discussions with the United States Government which had pledged humanitarian assistance to Nigeria in 2020 worth US$40million. These are lofty packages that will cushion the effect of hardships imposed on victims of disasters and armed conflicts.

Furthermore, there are over 90 million Nigerians in a country of  198 million population who are living in gross poverty. The indices are scary and dreary! These are heavy burdens the new Ministry plans to discharge. However, the Ministry has planned to uplift about 90 million Nigerians out of poverty in the 2020 fiscal year.

Therefore, the Minister also attended the US-Nigeria Bi-national Commission in Washington DC, America, where she fine-tuned partnership with USAID and the World Bank to fund an elaborate programme for persons with disabilities and women empowerment in Nigeria.

In a cheering news, the Minister said; “The Ministry and the World Bank Mission in Nigeria will convene a meeting to discuss modalities and areas to reallocate funds within the International Development Association (IDA) to focus on programmes for disability and women empowerment.”

The Minister also held fruitful meetings with USAID, World Bank and US Institute for Peace (USIP). These organizations and the Ministry are exploring areas of mutual collaboration and support to the Ministry in Year 2020 to aid in prosecuting its programmes.

In continuation of the Minister’s efforts to render improved services to the people, she has continued to source for international assistance. The Ministry facilitated the first official trip outside Europe, of EU’s European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, accompanied by the Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon, UN agencies and other stakeholders who met with President Buhari.

The  EU officials proceeded to undertake a two-day trip to  Nigeria’s  Northeast;  assessed EU-funded relief projects, visited IDPs camps and got firsthand knowledge of the threatening  humanitarian crises in the region.

Lenarčič declared after the visit that: “I saw first-hand today the suffering that conflict has brought to people’s lives and how crucial humanitarian aid is to people’s survival. What matters most is that humanitarian organizations can reach all the people in need, without restrictions, including in areas under the influence of non-state armed groups. It is vital that all States and parties to armed conflicts respect their obligation to allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief.” He promised that European Union will allocate an another €26.5 million in humanitarian aid to Nigeria.

Under the Minister’s supervision, NEMA launched the unimplemented and forgotten National Emergency Management Policy document  in conformity and compliance with  the United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction declaration. The framework as designed and domesticated targets and prioritize actions to prevent fresh humanitarian disasters and diminish existing disaster risks to erect safer and resilient strength in communities susceptible to humanitarian setbacks.

Also, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq  with the approval of Mr. President temporary lifted the suspension slammed on Action Against Hunger (AAH) and the  Mercy Corps, (MCps), the  two international Non-Governmental Organizations,  working in Northeast  Nigeria, but the Nigerian Military accused of supporting Boko Haram terrorists.

“The suspension of the two International Humanitarian Organizations namely Action Against Hunger and Mercy Corps, is temporarily lifted. The concerns and recommendations of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) will continue to receive attention and scrutiny to address the issues raised and comply,” the Minister disclosed.

Consequently, the Minister took it  a notch higher by adopting and refining the 7-point agenda streamlined by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator to  encourage coordination and partnership between the humanitarian community and the Government of Nigeria in the Northeast.

It worked and approved operational guidelines for the humanitarian community operating in the Northeast such as establishment of a high-level Policy forum on humanitarian assistance; vetting/due diligence of all humanitarian vendors before engagement by humanitarian actors; and clearance and registration of all NGOs by the FGN before engagement in any assignment;

Other approved procedures included; transportation and allocation of fuel and other sensitive humanitarian commodities etc in the field by  only Government approved vendors/providers; submission of monthly reports on humanitarian activities including funding received and source of funding, development and approval of a cash transfer policy for humanitarian assistance in Northeast Nigeria in accordance with the Laws of the Government of Nigeria etc.

As part of the Minister’s determination to reposition the operations of the Ministry for rewarding performance, in November 2019, she spearheaded a parley between the Federal Government and the humanitarian community in the Northeast dubbed Civil-Security Cooperation in Humanitarian Interventions in the Northeast  by anchoring a Workshop.

The assemblage brainstormed on issues affecting effective discharge of humanitarian services, ironed out differences and cemented ties. An elated UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon, attested to the change in leadership by remarking that, “It was the first time that civil authorities, the military, and humanitarian actors from national and international levels were meeting under one roof…to prioritizing prevention always, development wherever possible and humanitarian action when necessary.”

The presence of Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq  as head of the new Ministry has given President Buhari more confidence that Nigeria will overcome her humanitarian and disasters challenges, no matter how long it takes. And the Minister is justifying the public trust by her diligent, focused and result-oriented discharge of her official duties.

President Buhari asserted, when he played host to Mr. Janez Lenarcic, European Union (EU) Commissioner for Crisis Management that  “Our priorities in the next level is to ensure that Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, are rehabilitated so that livelihood should be established and the children should not lose the opportunity to go back to school, which is very important for the future of that area and Nigeria generally.”

Even at the risk of flattery, one would assert that Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq  is the much awaited benevolent spirit, which  IDPs across the country have  excitedly yearned to oversee their  fate and ensure that they rapidly get back on their feet. It’s a perfect combination that whereas Gen TY Buratai and troops are sending the terrorists away from their hideouts, the Minister is complementing the efforts to see that those who have been liberated have a reason to return home joyfully. Her job is indeed one that only a woman and a mother endowed with a compassionate heart can undertake and deliver excellently.

Agbese is a researcher in human rights and international humanitarian law and wrote from Abuja.

Highlights of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2020 Democracy Day Broadcast

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Highlights of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2020 Democracy Day Broadcast

“The 2020 celebration of Democracy Day marks 21 years of uninterrupted civil administration in our dear country. This day provides us an opportunity to reflect on our journey as a nation, our achievements and struggles.

It is indeed a very difficult time for everyone especially those who have lost loved ones to the virus and those whose sources of livelihood have been severely constrained by the stringent measures we introduced at every level of government to contain the virus and save lives.

Sustaining our democracy thus far has been a collective struggle, and I congratulate all Nigerians and particularly leaders of our democratic institutions on their resilience and determination to ensure that Nigeria remains a shining example of democracy.
Nigeria now rated as one out of the ten top performing countries of the world due to the new Visa policy

On the economic front, our objectives have remained to stabilize the macroeconomy, achieve agricultural and food security, ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, develop infrastructure, fight corruption and improve governance.

Our pursuit of affordable housing for the low and middle-income earners has received a boost with the delivery of 1,200 housing units, provision of 520 service plots with infrastructure through a Public Private Sector partnership & issuance of 868 mortgages totaling N7.7 Billion.

I regret recent sporadic incidents with tragic loss of lives in Katsina and Borno States as a result of criminals taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions. Security Agencies will pursue the perpetrators and bring them to swift justice.

We remain committed to expanding our mining sector. To this end, I have directed the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel Plant based on Government-to-Government financing and a Public-Private Sector financing.

Government is also revamping the cotton, textile and garment sector via a CBN Textile Revival Intervention Fund that would considerably reduce foreign exchange spent on cotton and other textile imports.

Buhari says though GDP has dropped to 1.87 percent due to covid 19 pandemic, foreign reserves has increased to $36 billion as at May 2020.

FG to digitalize records to block revenue leakages and tap resources for foreign exchange

FG to work towards the completion of the East-West road in the Niger Delta region by the end of 2021

“We are producing what we grow and eat locally”

Democrats raise questions of domestic spying after US law enforcement surveilled protests with drones, spy planes

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Democrats raise questions of domestic spying after US law enforcement surveilled protests with drones, spy planes

An RC-26 spy plane with infrared and electro-optical cameras flew over protests Washington, DC, and Las Vegas on June 2 in the United States [File: John Riley/EFE/EPA]

Democrats in the United States Congress are questioning whether the administration of US President Donald Trump is improperly spying on Americans after it was revealed federal agencies used a drone, spy planes and covert techniques to surveil protests.

“We demand that you cease any and all surveilling of Americans engaged in peaceful protests,” a group of 30 senior legislators wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and other top US law enforcement officials.

A litany of domestic surveillance by authorities has emerged in the wake of largely peaceful protests following the death of George Floyd – protests that have been met by police with tear gas, rubber bullets and batons and that have at times turned violent.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) deployed a predator drone on May 29 over the city of Minneapolis, where Floyd, a Black man, was killed when a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The FBI used a small plane equipped to collect mobile phone location data over Washington, DC on June 2, according to members of Congress and public reports.

The FBI and US National Guard used a hi-tech RC-26 spy plane with infrared and electro-optical cameras over Washington, DC, and Las Vegas on the same day.

Explanations demanded

The US Drug Enforcement Administration was authorised to “conduct covert surveillance” of the protests. Attorney General William Barr told state governors the FBI’s network of regional counterterrorism centres would be used to track protesters.

“Americans should not have to take proactive measures to protect themselves from government surveillance before engaging in peaceful demonstration,” members of Congress led by Representatives Anna Eshoo and Bobby Rush said in the letter dated June 9.

The politicians cited the “chilling effect” of the surveillance and demanded the Trump administration “cease surveilling peaceful protests immediately and permanently”.

Separately, Democratic members of two House committees on Homeland Security and Intelligence have demanded explanations from Trump officials.

Trump and other members of his administration have characterised the protests not as constitutionally protected free speech but as criminal acts, going so far as to label events as “domestic terrorism”.

In tweets on Thursday, Trump said “domestic terrorists” and “anarchists” had taken over Seattle after protesters occupied and barricaded neighbourhood streets around an abandoned police precinct near the city’s central business district.

Attorney General Barr said at a news conference on June 4 that US prosecutors were collecting intelligence from “the FBI and multiple different sources” about so-called Antifa and “Boogaloo” violent groups that he said were using the protests to “exacerbate the violence”.

“We categorise those as domestic terrorism investigations and are actively pursuing them through our joint terrorism task forces,” FBI Director Wray said at the news conference.

DEA agents were “conducting threat assessments” and sharing “information potential violations of federal law in real time”, acting DEA chief Tim Shea said.

Talking about protests in Washington, DC at the end of May, the acting head of the CBP said in a tweet: “These protests have devolved into chaos and acts of domestic terrorism by groups of radicals & agitators.”

More than 10,000 people have been arrested nationwide, according to a tally by The Associated Press news agency. On widely publicised advice of privacy advocates, some protesters took steps to protect their data by switching off their phones’ antennae.

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