By Gami Tadanyigbe
The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, FCT, says it is ready and capable to manage any resurgence of COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Head of UATH Isolation Centre, Dr Vivian Kwaghe, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gwagwalada.
Kwaghe said that the centre was designated to manage moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 in FCT, adding that the severe cases were well managed during the outbreak.
According to her, the centre was able to manage over 1,400 COVID-19 cases through its dedicated staff and donation of equipment from well-meaning Nigerians.
“Actually we were designated as the centre that managed the moderate to severe COVID-19 cases in the FCT. Being a teaching hospital of course, the severe cases were referred to this facility and we managed them.
“At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t have all these facilities and we were all scared of the disease that was ravaging the entire world.
“With the help of many Nigerians that came in to assist; we had donations from people like NNPC, Mainstream Energy Solution, NCDC and Ministry of Health.
“They brought in consumables, equipment to work with and medication to manage the patients among other donations.
“We succeeded because we had help, so many people that assisted us and with the dedicated staff we had on ground to manage the patients.
“We managed over 1,400 COVID-19 cases in this facility and our mortality rate was not compared to what it was projected to be,” she said.
However, she further revealed that some workers in the centre were infected but none died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that managing the infection was easier now as the centre has gained a lot of experience and it’s not afraid of any outbreak that might come.
“By the Grace of God, no staff died of COVID-19 but we had staff that were infected with the disease and we have gained a lot of experience in managing COVID-19.
“We are not afraid of any outbreak that might come, we know that the new variant that is coming is nothing compared to the previous variant that we had.
“We are ready and capable to manage if we have an outbreak and we have had a number of research activities in partnership with Institute of Human Virology,” she said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
The University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, FCT, has called for the provision of adequate maternity centres and recruitment of nurses to help reduce maternal mortality in the country.
The Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) of the hospital, Prof. Aliyu Isa, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gwagwalada.
Isa, who is also an obstetrician, said the available facility in the hospital caters for all the General hospitals in FCT, as well as Federal Medical Centres in neighbouring states of Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa.
According to him, a modern maternity and child complex, was recently donated by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), hence, the need for additional facilities was paramount.
“The old section has an upstairs, downstairs is for all gynaecology patients those that are not pregnant or the pregnancy has not gone beyond six months, while the first floor is for all pregnant women.
“It is because of the constraints of the space that we mix those that have not delivered with those that have been operated and ordinarily they should have been in separate places.
“So even with this structure, it has not solved the problem, but I think by the time we have 3 to 4 of this project we may be near solving the problem, because of the volume of people coming to us for antenatal care and delivery services.
“All the General hospitals in the FCT, Federal Medical Centres and General hospitals in Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa state feed us here with lots of patients, so the work is always overwhelming,” he said.
He explained that mothers need to be able to access quality health services rendered by health professionals during all the stages involved in motherhood.
NAN reports that latest statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that Nigeria accounts for over 34 per cent of global maternal deaths.
While deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, or after an abortion for a Nigerian woman is one in 22, compared to one in 4900 in developed countries.
This shows that maternal mortality is quite high in the country and some major causes of death cited include, high blood pressure during pregnancy, severe bleeding after childbirth, and complications from delivery.
Others are infections following childbirth, as well as other indirect causes like malaria, heart disease and anaemia, all of which can be prevented or treated with proper medical care. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The National Association of Nigerian Students South Africa (NANSSA) has expressed displeasure over the recent disconnection of electricity supply to the Nigerian Consulate by that country’s energy company, City Power.
The students’ body made its position known in a statement issued on Monday and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
The statement was signed by Abdulrazak Abubakar and Olusegun Ajayi, President and Secretary General respectively.
The group said it was unhappy with what it called the embarrassing treatment of the Nigerian Consulate.
“For the record, the new Consul General, who got into the office in August 2022, has been doing his best to clear the said outstanding electricity bill in a mutual agreement process with City Power and he has never failed in honouring that agreement.
” It became very baffling how the payment agreement process was thrown to the winds and the men of City Power would have to go and invade the Nigerian Consulate without appropriate notice.
” This is a clear deviation from the diplomatic respect that is due the Nigerian Consulate and absolute attempt to humiliate the consulate.
” Note that the Nigerian Consulate has among many other things doubled its efforts to make sure that Nigerians in South Africa are promoting peace, legality and productivity and the City Power should not be a distraction at this critical time,” it said.
According to the body, the consulate is committed to quality representation of Nigeria in South Africa and would not do anything to jeopardise any indigenous or foreign organisation and business in South Africa and will so request that in return.
It urged the South African authorities to respect the Nigerian Consulate and notify it on matters the public, organisations and individuals would want the Nigerian Consulate to act upon.(NAN)
By Wandoo Sombo
There was drama at the Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday as two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, representing the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, (NNPC) in the N100 billion suit filed by Sen. Ifeanyi Ararume against the company walked out on the court.
Prof. Kanyinsola Ajayi, SAN, and Mr Etigwa Uwa, SAN, counsel to the NNPC, walked out of the courtroom following their failure to get the judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo to hear only their application for a stay of procedings in the suit.
Ajayi, after identifying his processes, prayed the court to allow him argue his application for stay of procedings in the matter pending the hearing and determination of the appeal against the ruling of the court delivered on Jan. 11.
Leading other lawyers on behalf of the NNPC, Ajayi insisted that it was in the spirit of fair hearing to allow him move the application for stay of procedings and a ruling delivered before delving into other applications and the substantive matter.
The lawyer made frantic attempts to make the judge agree with his submissions but when he saw that his efforts were not yielding positive results, he offered to withdraw his representation.
When the judge refused to acknowledge his withdrawal, Ajayi and his brother silk, Uwa as well as all the counsel they were leading in the matter walked out of the courtroom without putting up a defence for their client.
Justice Ekwo, had told counsel to move all their applications together saying that he would deliver separate rulings in each of the applications so as to save judicial time of the court in line with the provisions of the Practice Direction of the Federal High Court.
The judge asked the lawyers to go ahead and adopt their processes.
“Prof. Ajayi, even if you do not adopt your processes, it will be deemed as having been adopted.”
Before adopting his processes, counsel to Ararume, Mr Chris Uche, SAN, told the court that the motion for stay of procedings had not been served on him but the judge asked that the process be served on him in court, which was done.
Uche prayed the court to invoke the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) to nullify the removal of his client as Chairman of NNPC.
The senior lawyer told the court that the federal government acted outside the law when it removed Ararume after registering the oil company in his (Ararume’s) name.
According to Uche, the action counsel to the 2nd defendant has put up before this court is a clear sign that they have no defence in this case.
He urged the court to enter judgment in his clients favour.
For his part, counsel to the Federal Government, Mr Abubakar Shuiabu, asked the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety with substantial cost.
Shuiabu argued that the suit was against the principles of Section 2 (a) of the Public Officers Act and as such was incompetent.
For his part, counsel to the Corporate Affairs Commission, (CAC), Mr Akeem Mustapha, SAN, also prayed the court to decline jurisdiction to hear the suit.
Mustapha submitted that the CAC did not play any role in the removal of Ararume.
According to him, our role is only to collate documents, file them and make them available to the public.
He, however, added that Ararume’s appointment was a political one and that it was trite law that he who had the powers to hire could also fire.
After taking submissions from Ararume, the federal government and the CAC, Justice Ekwo fixed March 28 for ruling and possible judgment in the matter.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Ararume dragged the federal government, NNPC and CAC to court praying the court to declare his removal illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and a total breech of CAMA law under which NNPC was incorporated.
He prayed the court to make an order returning him to office and to order the defendants to pay him N100 billion as compensation for the damages he suffered nationally and internationally because of his unlawful removal as Chairman. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ismail AbdulAziz
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Cross River Command, impounded 8 trucks laden with suspected adulterated petroleum product in the state in 2022.
Commandant of NSCDC in Cross River, Mr Samuel Fadeyi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on his achievements in office in 2022.
Fadeyi told NAN on Sunday in Calabar that over 10 suspects were arrested in connection with the crime during the period under review.
According to him, the trucks were conveying premium motor spirit and suspected adulterated diesel.
He told NAN that the cases were charged to court in line with the Corps mandate.
Fadeyi explained that NSCDC has the mandate of providing protection to federal, state and local government infrastructure including petroleum product, energy and telecommunications facilities nationwide.
“In the year 2022, we impounded 8 trucks conveying suspected adulterated petroleum products and we arrested over 10 suspects.
“The trucks were conveying premium motor spirit and suspected adulterated diesel.
“We also arrested 13 suspects for vandalising the Portharcourt Electricity Distribution Company cables and other facilities.
“Also in 2022, we arrested some suspects for attempting to vandalise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation pipeline at Esuk Utan community in Calabar Municipality.
“During the period under review, NSCDC officials were also involved in rescue operations of most kidnapped cases in the state,” he said.
On capacity building, he told NAN that over 25 officers were trained on Safe School Initiative which was geared towards the protection of secondary schools against insecurity.
Similarly, he said that the command trained all divisional officers in the state and over 30 desk officers on gender based violence.
“Also in 2022, we launched operation flush on trailer parks in the state in line with the Commandant General’s directive to flush out illegal bunkers in the state.
“The teams carried out raids in various trailer parks in Biase, Akamkpa, Calabar South and Municipal local government areas which led to the discovery and destruction of adulterated petroleum product.
“During the period under review, the private guard department monitored, supervised, trained and inspected some private guards companies in the state at their various beats.
“The department aided the internally generated revenue of the federal government arising from license issuance and renewals with about N5million despite the lull in the industry in the state,” he added.
He gave assurance that the command under his leadership would continue to employ new strategies targeted towards crime prevention and control in the state. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has demanded the immediate replacement of a new bus supplied to the agency by Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited.
The demand was made in a letter the agency despatched to Innoson even as it expressed regrets over the patronage of Made-in-Nigeria vehicles.
The letter dated Jan. 16 and signed by the agency’s Principal Legal Officer, Ms Mojirola Eniola, stated in part:
”Following the failure of your organisation to meet our demands for the evacuation and replacement of the faulty 30-seater bus (IVM6751) supplied to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) within seven (7) days of the receipt of our letter dated January 6, 2023, we have been left with no choice but to return the vehicle to your premises.”
NAN reports that this is the second time the Agency would be rejecting the company’s vehicles due to either non compliance with specifications or mechanical fault.
In line with the Buhari administration’s admonition to patronise local industries, the agency had sometimes in 2021 approached the motor vehicle plant to supply it a 30-seater bus for its workers.
The agency had paid Innoson the sum of N49.5 million, including taxes, for the purchase of the bus on Nov. 17, 2021.
Trouble, however, started when the company on Nov. 16, 2021, delivered a 30-seater bus that was not in line with the specifications it reached with the Agency.
The agency promptly rejected the bus and directed its solicitors to demand a replacement in line with agreed specifications.
In its Feb. 1, 2022, letter to Innoson through its solicitors, the agency demanded a replacement within 14 days or face legal action.
Responding to the threat, Innoson in a letter dated Feb. 14, 2022, apologised to NAN for the inconvenience it had caused the Agency.
” We want to use this medium to apologise to your client (NAN) for any inconvenience that they may have experienced due to their complaint,” the letter signed by a Director, Jonas Ojukwu, said.
Ojukwu, who in the letter claimed that his company does not sell refurbished vehicles, promised to replace the rejected vehicle.
” We will bring in a replacement brand new Innoson 30-seater bus to your client (News Agency of Nigeria) before the fourteen (14) days that you stated from the date of receipt of your letter and we shall retrieve the one supplied before now.
”We want to assure you that our business relationship will not be thwarted by any form of dissatisfaction for our desire is to serve our customers to the best of their satisfaction,” Ojukwu stated.
In spite of the assurances in Ojukwu’s correspondence, the replacement vehicle delivered to NAN on April 8, 2022, only worsened the agency’s transportation woes as it was dogged by successive mechanical faults.
Before the eventual evacuation of the vehicle to Innoson Abuja office, the bus had been lying idle in the agency’s premises for several months due to mechanical faults.
The Agency’s Head of Technical Department, Aaron Miller, said the vehicle since delivery had been permanently grounded due to faulty gear box.
He said several appeals made to Innoson Abuja office to evacuate the vehicle for repairs were ignored.
”We made several representations to them to repair this faulty gear box all to no avail.
”On the three occasions their technicians showed up to ostensibly repair the vehicle, the problems persisted, causing embarrassment to the agency,” he said.
Frustrated by the vehicle company’s noncommittal response in evacuating the vehicle, the agency issued another seven-day ultimatum to Innoson Abuja office in a letter dated Jan. 6.
This was to be followed by a final notice in a Jan. 16 letter and the eventual towing of the faulty vehicle to the Abuja premises of Innoson on Tuesday after the company reneged on its pledge to evacuate the vehicle.
When a NAN correspondent contacted Ojukwu on phone, he said the bus would be repaired. (NAN)
(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)
Edo Coalition for Democracy and Good Governance (ECODAGG) has commended the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, for facilitating the reconstruction of the Lokoja-Benin and Benin-Warri roads.
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved N75billion for the reconstruction of Lokoja-Benin federal road and N64billion for Benin-Warri dual carriageway.
The group, in a statement by its Coordinator General, Tony Erha, said Agba deserved commendation instead of condemnation for the significant infrastructure advantage the projects would bring to the people.
ECODAGG was reacting to a publication by one Benjamin Atu, Special Assistant to Sen. Francis Alimikhena, who represents Edo North in the National Assembly.
Alimikhena was of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party after losing his third term nomination bid on the platform of the APC.
Atu had said that Agba was not responsible for the approval and therefore should not be credited with it.
The group noted that Atu’s write up was full of partisan politics.
According to the group, the writer of the article, “has done a hatchet job, with his ill-informed and undue criticisms in a write-up, that Prince Clem Ikanade Agba, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, should not take the credit and be named as facilitator of the (projects) under the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme Phase 2.”
The Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme was brought about through the Executive Order 007 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
The objective of the Order was to initiate a process for attracting funding from the private sector for critical road infrastructure across the country.
Companies that take up such partnership, recoup their investments through the deduction of the approved total costs expended on the project from their annual Company Income Tax.
ECODAGG said urged all stakeholders to rally round and commend anyone that contributed positively towards the development of the state.
“Prince Agba, being the Honourable Minister of State in charge of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, the very monotoring and evaluating body of all federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) etc., is ordinarily the first ‘facilitator’ of all federal projects.
“As a public-spirited organisation of individuals that push for the advancement of our people, we hereby call on Prince Clem Agba, not to be discouraged by ignoble and anti-people comments.
“Prince Agba, for his well-meaning intention for the Edo people, has written his name in pure gold, a good gesture that is derided by the never-do-well persons.”(NAN)
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and Zeenab Foods Ltd. have commenced the shipment of agro-commodities to Nigerian Export Trade House in China.
Mr Victor Ayamere, the Managing Director of the group said this during the kick-off of shipment of the commodities in Idu Industrial Layout on Thursday in Abuja.
Ayamere, who said 20 containers were being shipped today through Onne port in Rivers, expressed optimism that more would be exported within 45 days.
”We have 17 containers of ginger and three sesame seed containers leaving here. And we are going to move an average of 300 containers within the next 45 days,” he said.
The managing director stressed the need for youths, especially NYSC corps members to develop interest in export business to ensure continuity, boost job opportunities and grow the economy.
He urged Nigerians, who were interested in shipping those commodities to liaise with the group to ensure ease in exportation of the products.
On challenges, he said it was difficult to move the commodities to the ports due to bad roads and there was also non-availability of sophisticated machines to speed up the process.
He commended NEPC for the establishment of the trade house, while urging the Federal Government to ensure a level playing ground to enable the business to thrive.
The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak urged Nigerian exporters to leverage on the platform to increase exports of Nigerian goods to China and the entire Asian continent.
Yakusak, who was represented by the Director, Market Access Department in NEPC, Mr Babatunde Faleke said Zeenab, with the support of NEPC, acquired, set-up its offices and concluded its business registration in China.
”We also acquired the General Administration of Customs (GACC) of the People’s Republic of China for ginger and sesame seed, while awaiting approval for other products,” he explained.
According to him, the Export Trade House is being managed on Public-Private Partnership to provide visibility for Nigerian products in the targeted country and region.
”Zeenab Foods Ltd. has now commenced shipment of Nigerian products to China.
”Today witnesses the first official shipment of 20 containers of ginger and sesame seeds worth 1.311million dollars through the Onne port in Rivers to the Nigerian Export Trade House in China.
”The shipment is expected to arrive China within 45 days. This will facilitate the official launch of the Nigerian Export Trade House in China before the end of March 2023.
”NEPC is also calling on Nigerian Ports Authority and other relevant organisations to as a matter of urgency, consider the provision of necessary infrastructure in the other smaller ports in the country.
”This is to ease the congestion at the Apapa Port and make export seamless, ” the NEPC boss said.
The Chinese representative, Mr Allen Zhang said the monetary value of trade between Nigeria and China in 2022 stood at 26 billion dollars.
According to him, the figure is twice higher than the trade between China and Ghana, four times higher than that of Kenya and six times higher than their trade with Cameroun.
While commending the trade relations with Nigeria, Zhang expressed China’s readiness to import more agricultural commodities from Nigeria. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for approving the sum of N75billion for the reconstruction of the dualized Lokoja-Benin Road.
The road project extends from the Obajana Junction in Kogi to Benin, the capital of Edo.
Agba gave the commendation at the end of the Federal executive Council meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.
The approval was given to cover section 2 of the road from Okene-Auchi, section three from Auchi – Ehor and section four from Ehor – Benin at the cost of N25 billion each.
The approved proposal was captured in the memo for the reconstruction of select federal roads under the Federal Government Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme Phase 2 by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Agba further thanked the President for also approving N64 billion for the Benin-Warri dual carriageway.
He said that the President deserved commendation by the good people of Edo and South-South for including the roads in the Phase 2 scheme.
“The Lokoja-Benin road is a critical asset that links the entire South-south zone to the Northern part of the country. It is also an ongoing project with contractors already on ground to resume and/or continue work once they are mobilized.”
Agba singled out the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fasola, for his commitment and contribution towards securing both presidential and FEC approvals for the road projects that begin from Edo and terminate in Kogi and Delta States.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
Jeremiah Oluseto is one of the 218 children and adults released from Borstal Training Institution located in Ilorin Kwara State in November 2021.
Some of the children were taken to the institution by their parents for being stubborn, abusing drugs and smoking among other juvenile excessive and unacceptable behaviours.
Oluseto described his freedom from the detention facility as the “beginning of a new journey” to a life of fulfilment.
The 24-year-old lad, like many other children his age, was sent to the Borstal institution for abusing drugs and causing a series of problems for his family, with the hope he will be rehabilitated.
However, Oluseto said he and the other children in the facility were just locked up with no form of rehabilitation, skills training, or any form of educational support.
“I could not believe my ears when I heard that I am free to go home, free from bondage and the life of agony we were going through in the Borstal institution.
“Although I was delighted to be released, I was still unsure of what was out there for me.
“Then came a sigh of relief when I learned that UNICEF, the Kwara government and other partners have packaged a programme to enable me to rebuild my life again.
“I already gave up on life until a team of social workers came to my house and announced the plan to support me to rebuild my life so that I can be useful to myself and my community,” he said.
Why the youngsters were released from the Borstal facility
A total of 218 children and adults were released from the Borstal Training Institution of the Nigeria Correctional Service, located in Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Their freedom was facilitated after a visit to the facility by the Federal Ministry of Justice, Presidential Committee on Correctional Reform and Decongestion, and Nigeria Correctional Service, supported by UNICEF and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC).
The children and adults were released because they were at the facility without a remand order by a court of law, while some of them were beyond the age of 18 as stipulated by the law establishing the institution among other factors.
According to the UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Dr Wilfred Mamah, child justice provides that when children commit offences, they should be treated differently and not like adults, but change the behaviour and reintegrate them back to the community.
Mamah explained that the Borstal institution, created under the Children and Young Person Law, was designed to look at the best interest of young person’s when they commit offences.
He, however, said that the situation at the Ilorin Borstal institution was full of anomalies, where children and adults were placed in the same institution, contrary to the provisions of the law.
According to him, the children are exposed to what he described as “structural violence”, where the system is actually not taking care of them as it is supposed to.
“Some of them were brought in by their parents and abandoned without passing through the court, so there was nothing like a remand order.
“They were left there, locked up, coming out only to eat. There is also the issue of drug abuse, leaving many of them in psychological trauma.”
Freed but rejected by their parents/caregivers
Expressing a deep concern, the Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Country Office, Abuja, Ms Nkiru Maduechesi, said that beyond the release, was the problem of psychological trauma, abuse, mental health issues and other challenges.
More disturbing, Maduechesi said that most of the children were rejected by their parents.
“Rather than celebrate their return, a significant number of the parents wrote to the state Ministry for Social Development, requesting that the released children should remain with the government,” she said.
One of the parents, Mrs Bosede Oluseto, the mother of Jeremiah Oluseto, a petty trader, could not hide her excitement that her boy would be supported to live a meaningful life.
“When I heard that my child was released, I spent the whole night crying because I do not know what to do with him.
“I personally took him to the Borstal institution because he was out of control, and I was told he will be educated and reformed after a period of three years, only to release him after six months.
“I initially rejected him, because I do not know what to do with him or how to handle his drug abuse and the recurrent mental instability due to excessive drug abuse.
“But with UNICEF support, I am looking forward to seeing my child learning skills and going to school so he can be self-sufficient and independent and grow to become whoever he wants to become,” she said.
Oluseto in yellow t-shirt with social workers during case management assessment visit
UNICEF and the European Union to the rescue
In response to the challenge, UNICEF stepped in as part of its global mandate to work for the rights of children, protect their interest and ensure they grow up to become better persons.
Maduechesi said that UNICEF, in partnership with an Ilorin-based NGO, Save the Future of Children Initiative (SAFIN) and the Kwara State Government had tracked 113 of the children residents in Ilorin, out of the 218 released from the Borstal institution.
She said that the move was to rehabilitate the children and provide counselling support to the parents and reintegrate them to their family and communities.
She said that the effort was under the European Union-funded Strengthening Access to Justice for Children on the Move and other Vulnerable Children project.
Maduechesi had explained that the project seeks to strengthen the capacity of the Kwara government, social workers, NGOs, parents, and caregivers to provide adequate care to the children.
According to her, the project will also help critical stakeholders to provide the children with the needed mental, health and psychosocial support in addition to the vocational and educational opportunities they need.
“This will enable them to live a meaningful and productive life and will contribute to the growth and development of their families and their communities, free of violence, abuse, and neglect.”
Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Kaduna, Dr Wilfred Mamah, during a four-day Training Workshop on Child Protection Case Management in Ilorin
Reiterating her point, Mamah had described child protection as the prevention and response to violence, abuse, and neglect.
He said that most times children commit offences due to lack of parental care, poverty, and some because they were out of school.
He pointed out that even those that were above school age do not have any skills or trade that would make them useful, so they commit all kinds of offences.
He said that the project would link the children to where they will acquire skills for trade and give them little start-up capital to help them start their lives.
“Eventually, many of them will emerge as entrepreneurs and because they are economically engaged, they will not commit offences,” he said
The European Union and UNICEF have joined efforts to improve access to justice and support the provision of child protection services for 41,389 children on the move, child victims of violence, abuse and exploitation, and children in conflict with the law.
The three-year programme, 2021 to 2024, covers Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.
“Access to justice is a major issue for children on the move and other vulnerable children in Western Africa.
“The practice of detention continues despite it being contrary to children’s rights, and evidence that shows it has negative effects on girls’ and boys’ development.
“The detention of children, whether unaccompanied or travelling with their family, is never in their best interests and is a violation of their rights.
“This must, therefore, be avoided at all costs,” says Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Building the Capacity of Social Workers to provide effective services to the children
In line with the concept of child protection, as the prevention and response to violence, abuse, and neglect, UNICEF under the EU-supported project had conducted a series of trainings for social workers, NGOs, and other service providers in the state.
The training was on child protection and case management, to enable the social workers to follow up with the children, identify their needs, provide some of the needs and reintegrate them into the society.
“UNICEF is hoping that going forward, Kwara will have an improved child protection system where case management is very effective.
“This is because the support isbeyond the 113 children but integrating case management in response to all children in need of all kinds of child protection services in the state.
“UNICEF is also supporting the state government to use the Child Protection Management System (CPIMS) to help social workers undertake systematic and professional child protection case management.
“This will enable the government to effectively track the services they are providing in a user-friendly way which will ensure accountability to the government, families, and the children themselves,” Maduechesi had said.
Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Abuja (Right), Ms Nkiru Maduechesi taking participants through Consent and Assessment Form, while a participant reads through, at a four-day Training Workshop on Child Protection Case Management holding in Ilorin.
The changing narrative of social workers
Mr Bamigbad Oluranti, Public Relation Officer, Borstal Training Institution, Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State, who participated in the training commended UNICEF for improving the capacity of welfare officers in tracking progress of the rehabilitated children.
Oluranti told NAN that the mandate of the institute was to rehabilitate and reintegrate delinquent children back to the society.
The spokesman said that the training has equipped the welfare officers and other social workers with the needed skills to carry out their tasks of tracking the progress of rehabilitated children in communities.
“We have learnt a lot, particularly on how we can do follow-up visits after rehabilitation of delinquent children to ensure they are making progress in their new life.
“The training has equipped us with the needed skills for documentation and follow up with the children to make sure that they are well reintegrated into the society and become useful citizens,” he said.
Mr Bamigbad Oluranti, Public Relation Officer, Borstal Training Institution, Ganmo, Ilorin, Kwara State
On his part, Mr Jimoh Kazeem, a social worker with the Kwara State Ministry for Social Development, said he has been in the field in the last seven years providing one form of social services or the other.
“But I have never felt so equipped to deliver my tasks efficiently and effectively until now.
“The series of capacity building training has exposed me to real cases that have changed my approach to social work completely.
“The project has given me the opportunity to understand the depth of social work by exposing me to practical aspects and real-life situations, beyond the theoretical aspect that we are all used to.” Kazeem said.
Another social worker in the ministry, Mrs Dangana Yetunde, said that the capacity building training has been very impactful.
“I have learnt a lot about how to handle children, how to interview them and how to handle information about children that would not expose them to certain risks.
“It has changed my perspective on how to relate with children as a social worker; the project has opened my eyes to certain things I need to pay attention to, and what I should not do when interacting with a child,” Yetunde said.
Yetunde added that the child protection and case management training has taught her a lot, particularly the crucial role of data in case management and how to track the support being provided and the impact it is creating on the lives of the children.
Dr Alebiosu Emmanuel, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Save the Future of Children Initiative, sharing experience after a case management visit to some of the freed children in Ilorin
Also, Dr Alebiosu Emmanuel, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, SAFIN, described the project as a “game changer” in the delivery of social work in Kwara.
“The project has placed me on a level that I can give my best in making Kwara a better and safe place for children.
“I am not only equipped with the rudiment of social protection and case management but also how to work for the best interest of the children as a non-state actor working in the child protection sector.
“Now I know how to better communicate with children to build the needed trust and how to work with children while noting the protective concerns and risk level during assessment,” he said.
Addressing the challenge of government ownership and sustainability
To ensure adequate prevention and response to violence, abuse, and neglect, stakeholders stressed the need for government ownership of the support being provided by UNICEF.
Mr Olufemi Oyedeji, Chief Executive Officer, SAFIN, particularly called on the Kwara government to sustain the support UNICEF was currently providing to cover other children in need of help.
Oyedeji insisted that the state government must fully implement its Child Rights Law 2007, to make any significant progress in the protection of the rights and welfare of the child.
Responding, the State’s Commissioner for Social Development, Mrs Abosede Aremu, thanked UNICEF, SAFIN and other partners supporting the state to reintegrate the children to their families and support them to live productive lives.
Aremu reiterated the government resolved to work towards sustaining the protection of the interest of children for the development of the state.(NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
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