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Engage in dialogue with FG, Katsina urges youths, women

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Engage in dialogue with FG, Katsina urges youths, women

The Acting Governor of Katsina State, Farouk Jobe, on Saturday, appealed to residents, particularly the youth, students, market women, and members of trade unions, to engage in constructive dialogue with the Federal Government rather than joining the looming nationwide protest.

Jobe assured the youth, students, and market women of initiatives coming their way, which he said would mitigate the hardships of citizens.

These, Jobe said, include the establishment of a ₦10 billion MSME Growth Fund to support local businesses, the creation of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency, and Common Facility Centres across the three Senatorial Districts, focusing on tailoring, leatherwork, packaging, agricultural processing, and ICT.

“I understand the frustrations stemming from the current economic challenges; however, I want to assure you that our administration has been working tirelessly to implement measures that will alleviate these hardships and create opportunities for all Katsina residents.

“This fund includes various components such as a ₦4 billion Matching Fund with BOI for single-digit interest rate loans, a ₦1 billion managed fund with BOI partly for grants to nano businesses, a ₦1 billion Matching Fund with SMEDAN and Sterling Bank, and a ₦4 billion Export Facilitation Matching Fund with Nexim Bank.

“We have also created the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency to provide crucial support to our local entrepreneurs,” Jobe assured.

Speaking further, the acting governor said, “In addition, we are developing Common Facility Centres in all three Senatorial Districts, focusing on tailoring, leatherwork, packaging, agricultural processing, and ICT. We have renovated and upgraded the Katsina Industrial Development Centre and resuscitated the Katsina Youth Craft Village for skills acquisition. Our launch of the Dikko BDS Corp will provide essential business advisory services to our budding entrepreneurs.”

Similarly, he explained that the state has implemented an MSME Census and Survey to guide its future interventions, while also establishing the Katsina Employability Project to enhance job opportunities.

“We have also created a ₦542 million Victims Support Matching Livelihood Fund in collaboration with UNDP to assist those affected by security challenges. Our training programmes for 3,000 youth mechanic apprentices and 10,000 women across all local government areas are already underway, equipping our people with valuable skills for the future.

“These initiatives demonstrate our commitment to fostering economic growth, creating jobs, and improving the lives of all Katsina residents,” Jobe stated.

Jobe further explained that the present administration is laying the groundwork for a more prosperous future, hence there is a need for patience and cooperation from all and sundry for development to thrive in Katsina.

The acting governor again urged citizens to channel their energies into productive endeavours and to take advantage of the opportunities being created.

“Let us work together to build the Katsina State we all desire. Your government is listening and acting. We invite you to be part of the solution.

“My dear people of Katsina, we are at a crucial juncture in our state’s history. The challenges we face are significant, but so are the opportunities before us. I call upon each one of you – our vibrant youth, our hardworking market women, our dedicated union members, and every resident of Katsina – to join hands with us in lifting our state forward. Your energy, your ideas, and your commitment are invaluable assets in our journey towards prosperity.

“Instead of protesting, I urge you to engage with these initiatives we’ve put in place. Visit KASEDA, explore the training programmes, and see how you can benefit from the MSME Growth Fund. Let us transform our frustrations into motivation for positive change. Together, we can build a peaceful, prosperous Katsina that will be the envy of the nation. The future of Katsina is in our hands, and I believe in our collective power to shape it for the better. Let peace reign as we work unitedly for the progress of our beloved state,” Jobe appealed

France clamps down on sex work for Olympics

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France clamps down on sex work for Olympics

As Paris hosts the 2024 Olympics, undocumented Chinese sex worker, Hua says increased police patrols are threatening her livelihood.

“I really feel under pressure, I’m constantly scared. Every day, there are police checks,” the 55-year-old said, using a different name so as not to be recognised.

“So I go out less and less to work.”

Around 40,000 people — the overwhelming majority women — sell or are exploited for sex in France, according to government and charity estimates.

Under French law, selling sex is allowed, but it is illegal to exploit someone or pay for sex, placing the criminal responsibility on pimps and clients.

It is more complicated however if the sex worker is undocumented.

“I’m so scared that I’ll be arrested that I won’t work in the street during the Olympics,” added the divorcee, who came to France seven years ago hoping to earn a decent wage as a domestic cleaner, and has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“If they arrest me, I’ll be sent back to China and they won’t give me medical care over there.”

Inside an office of the Medecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) charity in the northeastern Paris neighbourhood of Belleville, she broke down in tears.

“I don’t understand, what have we ever done to anybody?” said the Chinese woman, who says she sometimes sells her services to nicer clients for just 20 euros ($21) because “they don’t have money, and neither do I”.

In another part of Paris, on a street famous for the sex trade near the city centre, Mylene Juste was on the lookout for clients.

She said she was most bothered by new security rules limiting pedestrian and traffic movement around Paris.

“Our regulars won’t be able to make it with all the restrictions in place,” said Juste, 50, a sex worker for 22 years.

“And I don’t think the tourists walking by will be leaping on us. So we’re getting out of here,” she added.

– Orders online –

Ahead of the opening ceremony along the River Seine for the fortnight long sports fiesta that took place on Friday, sex workers like Hua and Juste all but disappeared from their usual Paris haunts.

But with most sex trade online these days, police battling sexual exploitation are also focusing their efforts there.

“Clients go onto a website, tick a category, price and time,” a policewoman specialising in the issue told AFP.

It’s like ordering food online, “except it’s girls” who are delivered, she said, asking to remain anonymous because of the nature of her job.

Medecins du Monde, which also tries to support sex workers virtually, says it recently saw more than 46,000 ads in a single evening on one popular website.

Through the charity’s Jasmine project, since 2019 sex workers have reported tens of thousands of “risky” or “dangerous” clients in a bid to warn others about them.

 

– ‘Increases physical attacks’ –

 

The build-up to the Games also coincided with a key ruling by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued on Thursday, which said France’s criminalising clients of sex workers does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

The ruling disappointed some right groups who argue France’s policy only increases stigmatisation of sex workers.

“Criminalisation increases physical attacks, sexual violence, and police abuse of people who sell sex, while having no demonstrable effect on the eradication of human trafficking,” said Erin Kilbride, women’s and LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The French authorities are anticipating gangs promoting women from Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay will continue to advertise during the Games.

They speculate high-end prostitution could be on the rise with all the wealthy visitors expected.

But they also remain worried about an increase in minors being abused in recent years, including vulnerable young girls from the state care system.

Some 20,000 minors are sexually exploited in France, according to rights group Acting Against the Prostitution of Children.

A court in May jailed five men over paying for sexual acts with a 12-year-old girl, in a rare instance of such a case making in to trial.

She was pimped after she ran away from home.

AFP

Why I have not been operating from Abia govt house

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Why I have not been operating from Abia govt house

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, on Saturday, explained why he has not been operating from the Government House in Umuahia, but from his private residence in Umuehim Nvosi in Isialangwa South Local Government Area.

Otti disclosed this at the Arochukwu LGA headquarters while commissioning projects executed by the Mayor of Arochukwu Local Government Area, Joe Aru.

The governor stated that he has not been operating from the Government House due to the dilapidated condition of the buildings. He assured that by December this year, he will demolish the current structures and rebuild a befitting Government House in Umuahia.

He stated, “Today, I am not operating from the Government House in Umuahia because there is no Government House. Everywhere is dilapidated and decayed. The option would have been to use the money I used to pay pensioners to begin to retrofit the Government House. But, I felt that we could operate from anywhere while doing the most important things first.

“And I am proud to report that before the end of this year, we are going to break down those dilapidated buildings and put up structures that are befitting for our enlightened people like the Abia people.”

Governor Otti said that the projects executed by the council Mayor are in line with his vision for Abia State, explaining that everything his administration is doing, whether in health, road infrastructure, or other areas, is always of the highest quality.

“If you look at the projects we are doing, the road projects, the school projects, the healthcare delivery projects, and every other project, they are either done to the best and highest standards, or we won’t do them at all. We didn’t cut corners. I want to say a big thank you to God, particularly for making us to be in a position to serve Him at this time.”‘

Otti appreciated the achievements recorded by the Mayor of Arochukwu, who he said is supporting his vision, stating,

“I also want to thank him for working so harmoniously with other Mayors and for supporting us.”

In his speech, the Mayor of Arochukwu said the reconstructions done at the council headquarters were a testament to the unwavering support of the governor.

Aru also recalled that upon assuming office, he found the council headquarters in bad shape, prompting his efforts to carry out the projects.

Northern elders warn against attempts to blackmail Dangote Refinery

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Northern elders warn against attempts to blackmail Dangote Refinery

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has warned against attempts at frustrating and blackmailing the Dangote Refinery as such actions would be detrimental to the country.
Chairman of the Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi, who gave the warning in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, expressed concerns that vested interests who do not mean well for the country are trying to frustrate the operations of the Dangote Refinery and that would not augur well for the country in the long run.
Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, stated that the current impasse between the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the management of Dangote Group has made Nigeria a subject or ridicule as the only member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) without refining capacity, relying heavily on imported oil and derivatives.
The NEF also expressed worry that for 30 years, vested interests and cartels have been controlling the NNPC cartel and have ensured that the nation’s four refineries remained non-operational and unable to meet domestic petroleum needs.
“Instead of appreciating Aliko Dangote’s efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependency on imported refined petroleum products, some groups are intent on hindering the refinery’s operations,” Abdullahi said in the statement.
READ ALSO:Destroying Dangote bad for Nigeria —AfDB president, Adesina
“The Northern Elders Forum is watching with sustained interest the unfolding drama being orchestrated by some powerful vested interests to frustrate the good example set by the nation’s leading investor and foremost African entrepreneur, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who has defied all formidable odds to build a privately-owned ultramodern petroleum refinery in Nigeria,” he continued.
“This remarkable business feat, which ordinarily should instantly earn him national encomiums and accolades, has paradoxically ignited the malicious fury of enemies of our dear country, who are strategically located in the oil and gas sector of the economy.
“They have been wreaking havoc over the years through many subterfuges, resulting in the crippling of our nation’s refining capacity and the ruthless imposition of a ruinous regime of massive refined oil and other sundry products importation to the detriment of our national growth.
“In this wise, the lamentable and highly troubling commentary against the Dangote refinery that came out from the NNPCL and its other sister regulatory bodies smacks of a glaring attempt to de-market this epochal national achievement and premeditatedly derail the economy from the path of healthy growth and stability.”
The post Northern elders warn against attempts to blackmail Dangote Refinery appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.

SERAP sues CBN over failure to account for missing N100bn dirty notes

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SERAP sues CBN over failure to account for missing N100bn dirty notes

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the Central Bank of Nigeria for failing to “account for and explain the whereabouts of over N100 billion in ‘dirty and bad notes’” kept in various branches of the bank.

The suit also included ‘other large sums of cash awaiting examination,’ according to SERAP.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday, July 28, 2024, by the organisation’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.

On Sunday, June 30, SERAP demanded the whereabouts of the said ‘dirty and bad notes’ among other funds from the apex bank.

In suit number FHC/L/MSC/441/2024, SERAP urged the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State to “direct and compel the CBN to explain the whereabouts of the over N100 billion dirty and bad notes kept in various branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since 2017.”

It also asked the court to “direct and compel the CBN to explain the whereabouts of the N7.2 billion meant for the construction of the CBN Dutse branch building in 2010 and the N4.8 billion meant for the renovation of the CBN Abeokuta branch in 2009 and to publish the names of contractors who collected the money,” among others.

As contained in the statement, the organisation noted that “explaining the whereabouts of the missing public funds, publishing the names of those suspected to be responsible and ensuring that they are brought to justice and the full recovery of any missing public funds would serve the public interest and end the impunity of perpetrators.”

SERAP also argued that “these grim allegations by the Auditor-General of the Federation suggest grave violations of the public trust, the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the CBN Act, and national and international anti-corruption obligations.”

“These grave violations also reflect a failure of CBN accountability more generally and are directly linked to the institution’s persistent failure to comply with its Act and anti-corruption standards,” adding that these “allegations have seriously undermined the ability of the CBN to effectively discharge its statutory functions and the public trust and confidence in the bank.”

SERAP urged the apex bank “to be committed to transparency and accountability in its operations.”

The suit, among others, read partly, “Nigerians have the right to know the whereabouts of the public funds. Granting the reliefs sought would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition.
“Paragraph 708 of the Financial Regulations 2009 provides that, ‘on no account should payment be made for services not yet performed or for goods not yet supplied.’

“Section 35(2) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 provides that, ‘once a mobilisation fee has been paid to any supplier or contractor, no further payment shall be made to the supplier or contractor without an interim performance certificate.”

Warn your children against hunger protest, Tinubu’s daughter tells market women

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Warn your children against hunger protest, Tinubu’s daughter tells market women

Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja General of Lagos, has urged market women in Dosumu Market, Lagos, to advise their children against participating in the planned August 1 hunger protest.

In a viral video on Sunday, Tinubu-Ojo spoke with market women in Yoruba, urging them to warn their children about the dangers of protesting, citing the destruction caused by previous protests, including the EndSARS demonstration.

She emphasized that the Lagos State Government has made significant progress and deserves support.

Tinubu-Ojo also noted that the Federal Government, headed by her father, should be given time to prove itself before being criticised.

In the video, Tinubu-Ojo speaking in Yoruba said, “Let’s talk to ourselves, our children and our families that there is nothing like protesting in Lagos, it is just a ploy to destroy the country. See the last protest and the damage that was caused. Let’s not because a party is paying some people to fight, let’s not allow our children to participate.”

Speaking in English she said, “There is nothing like protest in Lagos State because the government of Lagos State is making us proud. They are making us happy, they gave us a sense of belonging.

“The government at the centre just assumed office. Before you say a government is not doing well, let it last three years, at least.

“Prevention is better than treatment. We will not suffer loss of lives. Let everyone warn her children.”

This is coming as part of a broader effort to discourage citizens from participating in nationwide protests sparked by economic hardship and soaring food prices.

Since the protest was announced, Tinubu has met with various stakeholders, including religious leaders, traditional rulers, governors, and security agencies.

Click the link below to watch the video:

Reverse anti-people policies, pro-Atiku group tells Tinubu

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Reverse anti-people policies, pro-Atiku group tells Tinubu

A support group for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Nigeria Youths for Atiku, has said President Bola Tinubu can address the nation and reverse some policies to ease the planned hunger protest threat.

The President of NYFA, Prof. Gold Emmanuel, said this in a statement signed by the group’s Director of Publicity, Mr Dare Dada, on Saturday in Lagos.

Emmanuel said that Nigerians, however, had the right to stage protests against the current socio-economic situation.

She said that the Nigerian Constitution also put an obligation on the government to protect protesters against all forms of attacks and infiltrations by hoodlums.

She said, “It is no longer news that Nigerians are presently going through the worst of times given the current economic situation in Nigeria. The government of President Bola Tinubu should address the country at this trying time, rather than shutting people up.

“This is not the practice in any advanced country where democracy reigns supreme. The reversal of all anti-people policies in Nigeria is also necessary amidst calls for a nationwide protest.”

She called on the Federal Government to respect the citizens’ rights and must listen to the people.

Emmanuel, however, urged the would-be protesters to conduct themselves peacefully without resorting to violence.

“We also admonish the President to instruct all security agencies to protect them such that no life is lost,” she said.

The NYFA boss advised the President to probe into the concerns of the Nigerian businessman and Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, about oil cabals.

The professor said that President Tinubu must be desirous of bringing prosperity to its long-suffering people by taking the whistle-blowing seriously, and not with a pinch of salt.

“While still awaiting government action on this intelligence provided by Dangote, we urge the government to reinstate subsidy by reducing the price of PMS to N200.

“This is imperative since it is no longer news that the government is still paying the same subsidy.

“Since it is expected that Dangote will commence sales of refined products by August 2024, this will help the government control the price of the product, thereby alleviating the suffering of Nigerians,” Emmanuel said.

According to her, the government cannot be acting as if they are representing privileged Nigerians only.

She said, “The interests of the masses must be on the front burner, else we will get to a point where the rich will not be able to have sound sleep anymore because the poor are hungry and angry.”

Emmanuel also urged the President to instruct the Central Bank of Nigeria to reduce the MPR, currently at 26.75 per cent and provide palliatives to the real sector.

She said that the resultant effect of FX volatility had badly battered the real sector.

“The provision of safety nets and tax holidays of not less than six months to the existing manufacturing companies in Nigeria will not only assist them to regain stability but will also encourage those that have left to have a rethink.

“Keeping MPR at 26 per cent will definitely discourage borrowing. The real sector cannot sustain such strangulating interest rates.

“The CBN should also be magnanimous to reduce the Cash Reserve Ratio to at least 35 per cent to 40 per cent which currently stands at 45 per cent,” she said.

Emmanuel said that this would help commercial banks in Nigeria to have more funds to lend to both manufacturers and consumers.

She said that the NYFA had chosen to support Abubakar, while also encouraging him to give it another shot in 2027.

“This support was borne out of our belief in his 2023 manifesto, which was tailored towards solving some of the economic and political problems currently bedevilling our nation at the moment,” she stated.

NAN

EU deforestation policy endangers Nigeria’s $770m cocoa industry — Farmers

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EU deforestation policy endangers Nigeria’s $770m cocoa industry — Farmers

Cocoa farmers on Saturday raised concerns over the European Union’s plans to implement its deforestation regulation plan in December 2024.

In an open letter appealing to the EU Commission for a postponement of the European Union Deforestation Regulation, the National President of the Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, stated that the nation’s $770 million cocoa industry would be at risk if urgent steps are not taken to resolve sustainability issues like deforestation and traceability.

According to him, Nigeria’s cocoa could be at risk if the federal government does not take the necessary legal steps to halt and remediate deforestation and develop strategies for addressing forest loss in cocoa communities through collective action.

The farmers, however, assured the EU that steps are being taken to comply with best practices.

“We have embarked on advocacy and capacity training for our cocoa farmers in the areas of ecosystem protection, focusing on the production of deforestation-free cocoa and the protection of the rights of our labourers and children.

“These training sessions were conducted in partnership with other stakeholders across the cocoa-producing communities, tagged: Cocoa Farmers Roundtable Conference,” the statement read.

“CFAN also organised the first privately driven and publicly enabled Nigerian Cocoa Summit & Award to find workable solutions to the issues affecting the cocoa industry. The Summit extensively brainstormed on the EUDR’s forthcoming implementation, living income differential, national cocoa plan, inadequate local cocoa processing, value addition and consumption, and the need for Nigeria to have a cocoa regulatory framework that will drive the industry, rather than relying on an ineffective system,,” the letter added.

The EUDR is a regulation that prohibits products from entering the EU market unless they are deforestation-free and legally produced. The Regulation applies to wood, palm oil, soy, coffee, cocoa, rubber, and cattle, as well as most of their derivatives. Under cocoa, it applies to beans, products, and chocolate.

The regulation entered into force on June 29, 2023, with an 18-month preparation period expiring on December 30, 2024, when it will fully come into effect.

However, in the open letter addressed to Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, the cocoa farmers have requested the implementation deadline be postponed to December 2025 to enable better preparation by the smallholder cocoa farmers, who have been hampered by a lack of adequate information on the EUDR at their farm gate level.

“Our appeal is based on the imminent negative impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers if the current date is not extended by one year,” the letter read.

In the letter, they noted further that Nigeria is one of the world’s major cocoa-producing countries, contributing about 6.5 per cent to global cocoa production and accounting for 29 per cent of total agricultural exports in 2023, valued at N1.24 trillion, with an estimated value of N356.16 billion.

“This makes it imperative for the EU Commission to reconsider the need for the postponement of the EUDR by one year to enable better preparations.

“Compliance with the EUDR might push our cocoa farmers into greater poverty if the time frame is not adjusted,” they stressed.

Don’t suppress protests, CSO urges FG 

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Don’t suppress protests, CSO urges FG 

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has urged the Federal Government to set a timeframe for addressing citizens’ grievances rather than attempting to suppress protests.

Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, on Sunday emphasised the need for decisive action on pressing issues such as inflation, unemployment, corruption, insecurity, and the erosion of institutional integrity.

He made this call in a press statement obtained by our correspondent in Gombe following the forthcoming mass action.

“Inflation, unemployment, corruption, and insecurity are critical challenges that need urgent attention.

“The integrity of our institutions is in question, and it is imperative to restore trust and confidence so that citizens can once again believe in their country,” the statement partly read.

CISLAC urged the government to safeguard the rights of protesters, highlighting that peaceful protest is a fundamental right in Nigeria.

“Protesters must be protected. This is a democratic right, and the government should ensure their safety. The protests should not be framed along religious, ethnic, and political lines; rather, the government at all levels should listen to and address the genuine concerns of the people,” Rafsanjani added.

The statement also called for local and state governments to leverage their influence to resolve issues constructively, rather than exerting undue pressure on protesters, which could provoke further unrest.

Rafsanjani’s statement added, “Addressing the issues raised is crucial. The government must set a clear timeframe for resolving these problems instead of merely attempting to halt protests or arresting those who want to protest.”

CISLAC warns against the military’s involvement in handling domestic issues, which should be the responsibility of the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).

“The military should not assume the role of the police in domestic matters. Professionalism and restraint are essential to avoid escalating tensions.”

The organisation also called on protesters to remain responsible and vigilant against individuals seeking to exploit the protests for negative purposes.

“Protesters must remain peaceful and vigilant. The police should protect them and ensure the protest does not escalate due to the actions of those with malicious intentions,” he noted.

CISLAC harped for comprehensive measures to address the issues at hand, allowing citizens to freely express their opinions on government actions.

“In a democratic setting, every individual should have the right to express their views on government performance. President Bola Tinubu, himself a product of protest, should understand and respect this right,” the statement added.

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