By Angela Atabo/Augusta Eke

Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has urged the National Assembly to alter the constitution by including gender diversity under section 14(3) and(4)after the Federal Character.

LEDAP made the call at a news conference in partnership with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), with support from U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) under the project titled Supporting Advancement of Gender Equality (SAGE).

Ms Pamela Okoroigwe, Senior Program Manager, LEDAP said that the constitutional amendment would serve as legal backing for the implementation of the National Gender Policy.

Okoroigwe said that LEDAP reviewed some of the laws and policies that provided access to political offices like the Electoral Act, INEC Gender Policy and the Gender and Equal Opportunities (GEO) Bill.

She said that the group made some findings on the existing legal barriers as well as recommendations to policy makers on affirmative action that could be adopted to increase access to political offices for women.

She said that the group therefore, proposed the amendment of identified sections in existing laws and enactment of others which would address the identified gaps and back the implementation of policies.

This ,she said was because  women in Nigeria faced many challenges excluding them from entering, remaining and engaging in politics as aspirants ,candidates, delegates and party executives.

“We call on legislators to alter the constitution by changing the masculine language of the constitution to all gender accommodating language in line with the preamble of the 1999 Constitution, which states:

“We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’ and not the constant usage of he and chairman as found  in the constitution .

“The alteration of the constitution should include place of residence and other status under sections 15 and 42 in the prohibited grounds to cure the peculiar women-only-discrimination fueled by place of origin versus place of marriage conflict.

“Affirmative action should be introduced in the constitution under section 42 to reverse the long years of unequal political participation and serve as legal backing.’’

Okoroigwe said that the constitution should state under Section 48 that every state should have not less than one female senator while composition of the House of Representative, States Assembly and special advisers should have 35 per cent women.

She added that the constitution should introduce that the president, governor, senate president, speaker and state houses of assembly should have a deputy of a different gender to reflect the true spirit of constitutional non-discrimination.

She said that the composition of the courts, commissions, councils, bodies and tribunals should include not less than 35 per cent as women to serve as a standard core minimum.

Okoroigwe said that the constitution should be altered to also change Federal Character Commission to Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission to redefine federal character in the interpretative section to include gender diversity.

She said that LEDAP wanted the constitution altered to make INEC staff and ad hoc officers to include 35 per cent women and establish gender units and women friendly registration and voting points.

Okoroigwe said the group urged INEC to develop action plans for the objectives in its guidelines, regulations and gender policy with timelines and conduct a baseline gender audit of all political parties.

This ,she said was because LEDEP believed that women’s participation was a matter of justice ,being part of Nigerian society and a call to duty because women have obligation to contribute their perspective to its advancement.

Ms Annabel Ugwoke ,National Democratic Institute(NDI) Lead, SAGE programme ,said that the organisation has been working to support democracy in Nigeria since 1999 through engagement with legislative and executive arms of government among others.

Ugwoke  said the group sought to address barriers to women’s political participation by advocating for reforms of Nigeria’s laws and political parties procedures and policies.

According to her, the 2019 general elections produced less than 10 per cent of women in elective positions both at the national and state levels.

“Therefore the ongoing constitutional review process is a great opportunity to include gender responsive provisions in the amendment to address the issue.

“As activities for the 2021 women’s day continues with the theme choose to challenge continues, ,I urge the you all to chose to challenge inequality in our political process.’’

Ugwoke urged the media to engage in positive reportage of women in politics because when women were part of decision making process, the socio economic development of a nation will improve.

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis has lauded the renewed commitments of  Nigerian Parliamentarians at the ECOWAS Parliament, stating that their active participation was driving successful activities at the Parliament.

Tunis gave the commendation at an interactive session with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja lauding First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmad Wase for ensuring the active participation of the Nigerian Representatives.

According to Tunis, Nigeria has the largest number of Member of Parliaments (MPs) and the success of the Parliament was greatly determined and affected by their participation.

Tunis, however, noted that since the inception of the fifth legislature a year ago, there has been a paradigm shift as Nigerian MPs have become even more committed to attending Extraordinary Sessions and other activities.

“We had a problem with MPs not attending sessions, we had lots of issues with that in the past but I must say that I am very thankful to my First Deputy Speaker, Honorable Ahmad Wase, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly

“He is a very committed man, he has really put so much action, so much energy in the ECOWAS Parliament and he is very committed also.

“Because he is providing that kind of leadership, we have been able to get the commitments of the Nigerian MPs.,” he said.

According to him, Nigeria provides 35 of our MPs because they are the key people in the Parliament.

“In the past, we had very serious issues with Nigerian MPs but I must say with the leadership of the first Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Wasse, we have been able to move along with the MPs of Nigeria.

“So, they have been very committed in our missions, they have been very active and that was the kind of thing that was lacking before.

“Nigeria is the one leading the Parliament, when they lag behind, the Parliament lags behind so for now I must say we are having the commitments and expecting participation of Nigeria from Freetown”, Tunis said.

Tunis also said that the renewed commitment in the Fifth legislature was not just on the part of Nigerian MPs but all other countries MPs.

He said that irrespective of the unique challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected in person sittings, once the borders were opened, MPs still attended the three delocalized meetings held towards the end of 2020.

“Once the borders were opened in August 2020, the first one that we had in Benin, we had very good attendance. In fact, all the three localized meetings that we held we had very good attendance from Members.

“Yes, some members were weary because they had just lifted the ban from air travels, so some of them were still very much afraid to travel because of the COVID situation but we had 70 per cent from those meetings,” Tunis said.

The speaker also appreciated the countries that hosted the three delocalized meetings in 2020 for their full support. (NAN)

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis says improving payment of community levies for the development of ECOWAS institutions will be  the focus at the Extraordinary Session on March 23, in Freetown, Sierra-Leone.

Tunis disclosed this at an interactive session with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja in commemoration of the first anniversary of the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Community Levy Assessment Report by the ECOWAS Commission, showed that Member States owed about 797 million dollars as outstanding community levy in the last 16 years.

To address this, Tunis said that strategies on ensuring outstanding and subsequent payments would be the focus of the first physical Extraordinary Session of the fifth legislature scheduled to hold between March 22 and April 3 in Sierra Leone.

“The Sierra Leone meeting will be dealing with our strategic plans: What we really intend to do as a Parliament, strategic plans from 2020 to 2024, that is, through the lifespan of the fifth legislature.

“We would also have a plan and seminar that will be dedicated to Community Levy, how countries can help the ECOWAS generally to raise funds.

“Because there are certain countries that put in a lot of efforts, there are those who are not doing so well.

“That is one reason why at that particular Seminar in Freetown, we will have the Commissioner of Finance in the ECOWAS Commission and other players who are directly connected with community levy.

“We will also have a resource person from Gambia who is one of those, who actually started the whole idea of community levy in ECOWAS.

“So, all of those experts will be in Freetown on March 23^rd to explain to Parliamentarians, to ensure that we are able to raise enough money for our programmes in ECOWAS.

“Not just ECOWAS Parliament but ECOWAS institutions generally, we have the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), they are doing extremely well, they are the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19.

“We have the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, the Commission is there that is providing the overall coordination for all the institutions.

“So, we are expecting that the Sierra Leone meeting, which is the first in-person meeting for ECOWAS Parliament will go a long way to look at all of these issues.

“And, to make recommendations to the ECOWAS Commission that will eventually go to the Council of Ministers and to the Authority of Heads of State” Tunis said.

According to Tunis, the ECOWAS Parliament is expectant that the meeting would be a success because Parliamentarians come from all of the countries in the sub-region, hence are Ambassadors of their countries to Parliament.

By Grace Alegba

The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), has renewed calls for the engagement of professional builders in construction production management towards ending ugly trend of building collapse in the nation.

NIOB Lagos Chapter Chairman, Mr Sunday Wusu during a press briefing on Thursday to announce its ‘2021 Builders’ Day also called for enforcement of laws to ensure compliance with construction standards.

Wusu said that several people were ignorant of the role of builders who have both the scientific and practical knowledge of how buildings should be constructed.

He explained that some people confused builders with civil engineers, adding that, builders training was more indepth and specific in managing building production.

He said that the builder was trained to coordinate civil engineers, architects and other professionals while managing materials and human resources to achieve durable construction.

“Building collapse is 100 per cent avoidable, because building construction is a scientifically efficient process.

”And the first step in avoiding building collapse is to ensure that the entire production process is handled by relevant professionals, with the builder being the pivot professional,” he said.

Wusu listed important stages in building production backed by the Lagos State Building Regulation, 2019, and the National Building Code which empowered the builders to oversee the processes.

He said it was illegal not to have certified builders on project sites, and called for political will on the part of government to ensure enforcement and compliance with building laws.

He said NIOB was adopting measures to ensure compliance and enforcement of the Lagos State Regulation through its collaboration with relevant agencies of the government.

The NIOB boss said that the 2021 Builders’ Day was being used to create awareness to let the public know that it is important for them to ensure that only professional builders handled their projects, adding that, professionalism would eliminate substandard construction and building collapse.

He said the 2021 Builders’ Day tagged “Professional Builders’ Engagement in Building Production Management” was focusing on creating awareness on engagement of professional builders.

He added that the climax of its weeklong programme which started on March 8 would be on March 13, the date was chosen as the Builders Day to commemorate the death of over 20 children in a five-storey residential building collapse in Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island in 2019.

Wusu said the date was also to remember victims of building collapse across the nation as well as those affected by poor building production.

He said NIOB Lagos Chapter would offer free site services on Builders’ Day being Saturday, March 13 to visit projects sites and to correct the wrong things being done.

He stressed that Saturday was a good day to pay a surprise visit because quacks trying to evade state regulations usually built secretly at night; or weekends when the enforcement officers were off duty.

Also, Dr Kudirat Zakariyyah a fellow of NIOB from the University of Lagos, Department of Building said that the women’s wing of the association were creating awareness to bridge the ignorance gap.

Zakariyyah who represented national Chairperson, Association of Professional Women Builders of Nigeria (APWBN), Mrs Adenike Said’ said the team visited two schools on Wednesday in its continuous enlightenment campaign.

Other members of the exco present at the briefing, took turns to shed light on efforts of the institute to uphold ethical conducts in the built environment to rid Lagos State of incessant building collapse.

They called on other professionals in the built environment and artisans to stay within their jurisdiction to ensure things are done properly to avert disaster.

By Grace Alegba

The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) on Wednesday stressed the need for early mentorship of budding professionals in the industry to eliminate quackery from its ranks.

The NOIB members led by its Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr Sunday Wusu made the remarks during the association’s visit to Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Junior High School, Maryland, Lagos for career talk tagged ‘Catch Them Young Programme’.

Wusu said that the programme was part of the institute’s weeklong activities to commemorate the 2021 Builders’ Day conference on March 13.

He said the event was organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Education to encourage young students to pursue career paths in building and to expose them to the rudiments of  ethical codes of practice and building regulations.

He said March 13 was chosen for the builders conference in commemoration of the collapse of a five-storied residential building at 63, Massey Street, Ita-Faaji, Lagos Island in 2019, killing over 20 pupils.

Wusu explained to the students the benefits of building the right way, and the subjects required for those aspiring to become professional builders.

“You are our future leaders, our future generation and we need to let you know,”he said.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that early mentorship to change their orientation towards upholding good building ethics was vital to the enthronement of excellence in the profession.

Also, Mr Emmanuel Aladeloba, Head of Department, Building, Yaba College of Technology (Yaba Tech), said that the housing deficit currently stands at 17 million which needed professionals to fill the vacuum to bridge the shelter gap.

Aladeloba while delivering his lecture, told the students the subjects that they would need, in order to deepen their knowledge and to take advantage of the vast opportunities available for talented builders.

He explained the important roles of builders who coordinated their projects with materials in right quantities, as well as human resources on site to ensure durable construction with good structural integrity.

Aladeloba said that an engineer designs buildings, but the builder “is a realist to actualise the real construction” by properly cordinating and managing all the other resources.

” It is the work of a builder to ensure a design comes to reality and we can occupy it, take example from this hall we are in right now.

“It is a builder that knows the science and technology of construction, all the resources in the built environment are put together by the builder because the builder is taught how to make the other five resources work. The Labour, materials, machines, methods and all the others” he said.

In his remarks, Mr Bayo Adefuye Permanent Board Member, Special Projects, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), who represented the LASUBEB Chairman, Mr Wahab Alawiye-King, urged students to follow their passion in choosing career paths that would be beneficial to them.

He encouraged the students to strive to be good ambassadors to make their parents and nation proud.

“Building is a good career. We will always need builders because we will always need buildings.

” Whatever profession you choose make sure it is the one your heart is set on. Choose what you like doing so that your work would look like play. Choose a career you are comfortable with in line with your passion,”he said.

Earlier, Mrs Adelotun Ogunbiyi, Principal, Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Junior High School, Maryland, advised students on the need to take the career talk serious in order to make the right future choices.

Other speakers took turns to educate the children on the advantages of choosing career paths in building to correct the perceived ills in the industry.

However, the students had mixed reactions of either wanting to become builders, or advocated for quality construction while choosing other professions.

Miss Aishat Abdulrashed, a JSS3 student told NAN she had learnt new things that changed her perception, adding that, “I want to be a good builder that would build right in future”.

On the other hand, Mr Ndishika Praise another JSS3 student said he learnt what it meant to be a good builder, but would not want to be a builder.

“I want to be an artist but I will advise builders in future to be good,”he added.

By Hussaina Yakubu

Gov. Nasir El Rufai on Wednesday received the Kaduna State 2020 Annual Security Report, in which 937 people were said to have been killed by bandits and 1,972 kidnapped within the period.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, presented the report at a ceremony in Kaduna.

According to Aruwan, victims of the kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities cut across all ethnic and religious groups in the state, contrary to skewed narratives from some quarters.

‘’Victims of criminal acts like banditry and kidnapping are to be found across ethnic, religious or political leanings and persuasions,’’ he pointed out.

The commissioner said the total number of deaths linked to banditry and other forms of violence in 2020 in the state was 937.

‘’Of this number, Igabi LG has the highest figure of 152, followed by Kajuru with a figure of 144.’’

He added that Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Chikun local governments in Kaduna Central Senatorial District accounted for 468 of the deaths out of the 937 people that died in 2020, representing over 50% of the fatalities recorded in the state.

‘’The southern senatorial district accounts for 286 deaths, which is about one third of the total, due in large part to sporadic clashes, alongside banditry which triggered attacks and counter-attacks, especially between June and November 2020,’’ he added.

Aruwan further said, ‘’out of 1,972 people kidnapped in the period under review, Kaduna central senatorial district accounts for 1,561, and out of the total, 1,461 were kidnapped within Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and Chikun local government areas.’’

In his speech after receiving the report, El-Rufai said that state has been using its limited tools to address the security challenges.

The governor paid tribute to the victims of insecurity and reiterated his administration’s resolve to protect the people and stop all criminals.

El Rufai said the government has invested in technology to help secure the state, adding that ‘’a CCTV network is being deployed in Kaduna metropolis while options for consistent operations of its drones are being explored.’’

The governor added that the state had been collaborating with neighboring states to tackle the wave of insecurity.

‘’Together with Niger State and our neighbours in the North-west, we put together resources to fund military operations against bandits in the Kamuku-Kuyambana forest range that straddles the region.”

El Rufai however regretted that this collaboration which was done in 2015, ‘’was not sustained or expanded into a campaign of continuous, simultaneous operations against the bandits across our vast region.’’

‘’Failure to contain and defeat them in one place has emboldened them to develop a national footprint and endanger national cohesion,’’ he noted.

The governor also said that the state has been supporting federal security agencies with vehicles and other logistics since 2015, but added that “the military and police still need modern technology and equipment and more boots on the ground”.

‘’The security of our communities depend on the robust projection of state power, and that can only be done with sufficient security numbers to overawe and deter criminals,’’ he maintained.

The governor called for the decentralisation of policing, arguing that  ‘’there are simply not enough police officers in Nigeria and the idea of policing such a vast, federal republic in a unitary manner is not pragmatic.”

By Collins Yakubu-Hammer

The Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has elected Mr Collins Achakpekri as its Director for International Relations to coordinate affairs of all youths of the region in abroad to ameliorate the several challenges facing them.

The National Coordinator of NDYC, Mr Jator Abido, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja said the election of a director for International Relations became pertinent following barrage of complaints of poor funding and welfare by youths.

“These youths are undergoing scholarship programmes sponsored by the Niger Delta Development Commission, Presidential Amnesty Programme and other beneficiary from other multi-national oil companies.

“Achakpekri has been charged with the responsibility of managing the interest of all the youths from all ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region, and to also liaise with the various High Commissions overseas without undermining the authority of President Muhammadu Buhari

“The International Desk of NDYC is, therefore, set up to address the many complaints and protests from the youths of Niger Delta in Diaspora. Achakpekri will operate from the international desks of the Council in the UK.

“It is our firm belief that the newly elected director will give his best to the elevation of the Niger Delta youths abroad as good Ambassadors and also to attract development programmes to the nation,” Abido said.

Abido also noted that the choice of Achakpekri was a consensus vote via zoom by all executive members of the NYDC.