By Jacinta Nwachukwu

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), a non – governmental organisation has expressed concern over the delays in detainees trail in the Nigerian judiciary system.

Mr Kenechukwu Agwu, the Senior Programme Manager, Access to Justice, PPDC, expressed the concern in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Agwu also said that the Centre would provide legal services to 1,750 detainees across the five states the projects were implemented.

He listed the states to include, Adamawa, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The project manager said that about 80 per cent of inmates population are awaiting trial or are pre-trial detainees.

According to him, these set of people have been in detention for lengthy number of years awaiting trial not even knowing whether they will be found guilty or innocent.

“Recently, we moved into the ‘Access to Justice Programme, this programme is aimed at making sure that Nigerians have equal access to justice, their rights being protected.

“Anybody whose right has been infringed upon can easily get remedy.

“PPDC is a twenty years organisation, and its main goal is to empower the citizens to live the best life they can under the given circumstances in the country.

“Our goal is to empower citizens to be able to actualise their full potential, and in doing that we work towards anything that will uplift the rights of the citizens,” Agwu said.

He said that over the years PPDC had focused on procurements, open governance, digital rights, digital governance and data protection among others, “making sure that there is citizens participation in governance”.

Agwu further said that the Centre would be inaugurating its two Access to Justice projects, – the Court Administration and Case Management, And Reforming Pre-Trial Detention In Nigeria.

Agwu said that the parley aimed at bringing together citizens and stakeholders to discuss the access to justice situation in Nigeria.

He said initiative would promote efficiency in court administration and case management.

“PPDC’s leading initiative in Access to Justice is the CACM project designed to support the development and deployment of improved timely, effective, and transparent Court Administration and Case Management Systems in Nigeria’s judiciary and other related law enforcement and justice institutions.

“Our goal over the next four years is to deploy the Court Administration and Case Management programme to 10 additional states.

“Continue to assess and support efforts to improve the capacity, efficiency, and accountability of the users of Nigeria’s court case management system,”
Agwu added.

He said that PPDC would Work closely with key stakeholders to address strategic procedural reform issues in court administration and case management.(NAN)(www.nannews.com.ng)

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Edited by Razak Owolabi

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) have bagged the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA) awards.

Alhaji Sulyman Bello, President, LERSA, at the award ceremony in Lagos, said the award was in recognition of exemplary service after the tenure of deserving officers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the awardees include the former Area J commander, eight former Divisional Police Officers (DPO), two LASTMA former Area Commanders and one retiring FRSC Unit Commander.

They are ACP Olajide Agboola, former Area Commander, CSP Onyinye Onwuamaegbu, CSP Adolf Ogwu, CSP Stephen Ademola Abolarin and CSP Tajudeen Mustapha, among others.

Also, Engr. Ariyo Jimoh, former LATSMA Area Commander, Lekki Epe and Mr Alade Adebanjo, former LATSMA Area Commander, Lekki Epe received awards for examplary services.

Bello stated that through their collaborative efforts and patriotism, their lives were constantly put on the line to protect lives and properties on the Lekki Peninsula.

He noted that over the years, LERSA had nurtured a tradition of building symbiotic relationship with partners in the security services.

According to him, one of the veritable tools of the association’s relationship management was the recognition of exemplary service after the tenure of deserving officers.

“This occasion is an auspicious and very important one, considering that it is put together to appreciate the gallant officers who made and are still making this important axis in the economy of Lagos State and Nigeria livable.

“This is in spite of the challenges posed by the rapid growth of the area; which is now acclaimed by elite-society as the fastest growing real estate corridor in Nigeria and perhaps on the continent.

“ACP Olajide Agboola: our immediate past Area Commander, Nigerian Police Force Area J Lagos State Command, I must place on record your team’s many quick and prompt response to challenging situations.

“Some of us will never forget a few instances where the Police responded within 10 to 15 minutes to an alert of serious armed robbery gang attack on LERSA member-estates on the axis and dislodged the hoodlums without loss of lives or property.

“Hence, the presentation of different categories of award plaques to these outstanding officers is obviously for deserved gratitude, encouragement, and for reinforcement of right and expected values for the newly deployed officers,” he said.

Hon. Noheem Adams, Member, House of Assembly, Etiosa Constituency, lauded LERSA for engaging government and its agencies into doing their best in the axis.

Adams also commended Agboola for his forthrightness and urged the newly deployed officers to do their best to merit such event at their time of departure.

He assured LERSA that the Lagos State Government would continue to make major strides on this axis.

In his remarks, on behalf of the awardees, Agboola, thanked LERSA for the recognition.

He said that while they were only doing their jobs, they were greatly emboldened and encouraged by the efforts of the association. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Gabriel Agbeja

Mr Arch Uboku, the Mandate Secretary, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Transport secretariat, said the administration was committed to encouraging cycling as a means of transport in the capital city.

Uboku said this at the hand over ceremony of 20 pilot bicycles donated to students of Government Secondary School, Tudu Wada, Wuse Zone 4 and inauguration of bicycles parking facility.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ochenuel Mobility, an NGO, in collaboration with Global Designing Initiative, USA, donated the bicycles to the students and constructed the bicycle park in the school.

Uboku, who was represented by Mr Pascal Nnadozie, Chief Administrative Officer at the Transport Secretariat, stated that the government was committed to developing cycling to serve as complementary to public transport.

“Accordingly, we shall expedite action to facilitate inclusive policies and regulations as well as facility provisions that will enable a safe cycling environment.

“I will ensure that the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, who are in support of this project, play their contributory roles to ensure safety.

“On this note, I call on my counterpart, the Executive Secretary of FCDA, whom we have always worked together to fast-track development, creation and recovery of bicycle lanes at high speed, to enable safe cycling.

“It should be noted that bicycle lanes are parts of the urban road designs in the Abuja master plan but were largely ignored at the point of construction,” he said.

He added that the FCT administration had earlier expressed optimism to commence the recovery of the lanes.

Uboku, who commended Ochenuel Mobility, urged all beneficiary students to ride safely.

He advised the school management to make good use of the parking facility.

The Director of FCT Secondary Education Board, Dr Mohammed Sani, said the benefits of cycling to the students were enormous.

According to him, cycling regularly can improve physical activities which results in enhanced intelligence, healthier life with fewer out-of-school days due to illnesses.

“Parents can save money from the cost of transport and or the use of personal cars as they won’t have to waste time and resources to drive their children to school.

“The government supports and collaborates with Ochenuel Mobility in replicating the project in other schools in the FCT, ” he said.

Mr John Emmanuel, the Chief Executive Officer of Ochenuel Mobility, said the vision behind the project was to ensure 30 per cent of students cycled to school in FCT by 2025.

According to him, the project which has six critical activities, enjoyed the support of the Global Designing Initiative from the USA.

He said the project started in May, with a national stakeholder’s forum on safe streets to school.

“Following feasibility study on select school corridors, there will be capacity building programme for the city authority and security/safety agencies.

“Thereafter, an open-street event will be held to sensitise the public, drivers and other road users.

“The final leg in the project is the workshop for parents and teachers ahead of the commissioning of the bicycle parking and handover of bicycles to selected students by random picking of their names.

“I humbly call for sustenance of the collaboration with the government to replicate the project in other schools and to ensure all residents of the FCT can ride bicycles safely across the city’s roads,“ he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Idris Abdulrahman

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The National Library of Nigeria (NLN) has unveiled a database called ‘Boldscholar’ that would proffer solutions for pirated works of Nigerian authors.

Prof. Chinwe Anunobi, Chief Executive Officer of NLN at the unveiling of an AI- Powered E-library Platform, ‘Boldscholar’ in Abuja, said the platform would break the jinx of writing and people not getting access to the books written.

Anunobi said that with the advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), there was need to move from the traditional means of depositing resources to online format.

She added that this would help generate money for the authors and publishers as well as Nigerian would benefit from getting access to electronic resources.

According to her, Nigerians are highly prolific writers, just imagine within the space of one year, we issued 17,000 International Standard Book Number (ISBN).

“This platform is a database and the national library has the responsibility to collect, process and preserve every information and resource emanating from Nigerians.

“We have been doing it religiously in the traditional format and then with the introduction of ICT it became very difficult for us to gather all the resources that are published in the country in electronic format.

“Initially, we didn’t have any choice but to ask them to submit their resources in CD and flash but we discovered that those that were published directly online but then it became difficult to get them into the memory of the country.

“Thinking of how to solve this problem, Boldscholar in June 2022 approached us to help us with a databank for the national library so that all those resources published electronically, we can have them within the memory of the country.

“So we embraced it and sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). So for us it’s a win-win thing for us because we are going to now have everything that is published in Nigeria so that publishers and authors can have value for their work.

“It will also help visibility because users will be able to access them from the comfort of their houses . It is a win-win thing, authors and publishers will get money and people will know what authors are writing,” she said.

Also, the Consultant and developer of Boldscholar, Chukwuemeka Godswill, said that platform would be of immense benefit to Nigerians as they would only pay one thousand naira for reading online.

Godswill said the platform would curb piracy and authors would be afforded the opportunities to earn money for their works.

According to him, the platform was developed to create online visibility for books published by Nigerian authors, for easy access to scholars.

“It is also to provide aggregate journals published by Nigerian tertiary institutions for global visibility and impact factor acceleration, fastrack the proliferation of e-learning in Nigeria and across Africa by providing easy access to digital resources required for online studies.

“It provide easy access to education resources for the visually impaired through audio books, enables Nigerian tertiary institutions and authors to generate revenue (IGR) from their intellectual property (journals and books) through a system that makes them earn revenue for every page accessed by researchers.

“We discovered Nigerians write books but nobody reads these books so we initiated this platform to help reach both local and international audience,” he said.

“On Boldscholar, you can have a billion readers and as more people reads, the authors get more money unlike what it used to be when after writing a book, you hardly see people reading such.

“The platform will also help the national library to collect all the books published by Nigerian as obtained in other climes and readers can also access contents from Nigerian authors,” he said.

He, therefore, said that the platform had been built in such a way that authors work could be translated into 40 languages, adding that the platform would be readily available for access in two weeks.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman said that literacy works had contributed in preserving the culture of the Nigerian society, hence the need to preserve the works of the authors for economic and national growth.

Represented by the Director of Basic Education in the ministry, Dr Folake Olatunji-David, he said that there was however need for change in every sector by reflecting a rich cultural diversity, presenting solutions and fostering communities through literature.

He said that literary works had also helped in address addressing societal issues like corruption, gender equality, and social justice.

“In Nigeria, writers are at the forefront of encouraging people of all ethnicities to march toward a future full of vigour and vitality. Therefore, the role of writers in our society is irreplaceable.

“Writers have, over the years, helped to emancipate people’s thinking, stimulate people’s enthusiasm, and inspire people to march towards the goal of national consciousness.

“Looking back, I think that our Nigerian writers, like workers in other fields, have scored considerable achievements and should enjoy the respect, trust, and love of our government,” he said.

Similarly, the President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr Camillus Ukah, said the association had placed a significant emphasis on promoting literature in schools and communities across Nigeria.

Ukah said it had also partnered with educational institutions, libraries, and government agencies to cultivate a love for reading and writing among the youth.

“The association has witnessed remarkable achievements and significant milestones.Together, we have worked tirelessly to promote and celebrate Nigerian literature, to amplify the voices of our talented authors, and to inspire the next generation of storytellers.

“We have fostered an environment that encourages creativity, intellectual discourse, and cultural exchange, and I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished together.

“One of our best achievements has been the successful revival of the Mbari Series, a monthly discussion programme that provides a platform for established writers.

“It has also been a platform for aspiring writers to discuss, learn, grow, connect with one another, and bond with mentors,” he said.

He reiterated the need to recognise the vital role that creativity played in shaping the future of the country and as such had empowered young minds to find their voices, embrace their identities, and contribute to the rich literary tapestry of Nigeria. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi

Isaiah Eka

Beneficiaries of Special National Economic Livelihood Emergency Intervention (SNELEI) have commended the Federal Government for the relief materials given to them as a result of 2022 flooding.

They gave the commendation on Thursday, when the Monitoring and Evaluation Team led by Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, visited Uyo to assess the impacts of the programme on beneficiaries in the state.

The beneficiaries, specifically thanked President Bola Tinubu, and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the gesture, which they said had impacted their lives positively.

Madam Mary Udo, one of the beneficiaries, who received grinding machine, said she made an average of N3, 000 daily from the machine.

Udo, a widow from Ikot Aduot in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area (LGA), said that the grinding machine had helped her to take care of her children, which could hardly feed before.

The mother of five thanked the Federal Government for coming to her rescue in times of difficulties.

Another beneficiary, Mr Ndifeke Udo, who received sewing machine also lauded the Federal Government for coming up with the programme to assist the less privileged and those affected by disaster.

Udo said the sewing machine had added value to his life, as he could sew clothes for himself and for others to make money.

Another beneficiary, who benefited from non-food items, Miss Mary Dennis, from Uyo LGA thanked NEMA for the materials received during period.

“My house was flooded and all my things were spoilt but the Federal Government came to my aid by giving me mattress, blanket, mat, stove and bucket. I thank them for the gesture” she said.

Mr Monday Umo, also a beneficiary, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the support given him during the period.

He said that the impact of the flood on him and his household was monumental as it left the family without food to feed on.

Umo said he received bags of rice, beans, garri, vegetable oil, salt, maggi and detergents among other items through the programme.

Speaking after the exercise, Mr Abdulkari Ibrahim, Assistant Chief Information Officer, NEMA, said that the 2022 flooding affected 17 out of 31 local government areas of the state.

Ibrahim said that the beneficiaries were enumerated within the 17 high risk LGAs.

“We are here on monitoring and evaluation for beneficiaries of SNELEI for victims of flood and vulnerable persons across the country.

“For the first batch, about 1, 585 households were covered in the first batch, while we are expecting to have about 3, 000 households in the second batch coming up very soon this month.

“About 7, 000 households are expected to benefit from this programme in Akwa Ibom State.

“We have done over 80 per cent of the distribution, so the second phase of distribution would be done immediately,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Folasade Akpan

The Chairman, National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Nasir Kwarra, has assured that the N200 billion spent on the postponed 2023 census was judiciously utilised and items procured available for scrutiny.

Kwarra said this on Thursday in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, while fielding questions from journalists on the sideline of the opening ceremony of the Training Interviewers for the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

The House of Representatives had on Wednesday sought to investigate the N200 billion spent on preparations for the postponed 2023 census by NPC.

The NPC boss said the procurement preparatory processes for the census were enduring and items procured durable as they would be used for the next census because they are readily available.

“We don’t have to procure these items again and the training that we have conducted remains with the people we trained, the facilitators, the supervisors and the enumerators.

“So, what we may need to do is to do a refresher training for the trial census that we did because it’s been more than a year; we will do a similar thing, but maybe the scope will be reduced because we don’t have to go all out again and conduct a full blown trial census.

“So, most things are in place, right from the Personal Digital Assistants procured are well secured in our various Central Bank of Nigeria offices nationwide.”

The chairman added that other facilities such as manuals for the training, the ICT equipment, data centres have been continually developed and that the commission is on course for the census.

He, however, said that he believes that the nation still needs the census because the issue of security depends on it.

He said “no matter what, we need this data so that we can plan for the development of the country, including addressing the issue of security.”

On the importance of the NDHS, Kwarra said that over the years, the survey stood as a beacon of reliable, comprehensive data, providing policymakers, actionable researchers and stakeholders with insights to make informed decisions.

He added that “every cycle of the NDHS brings not only its own set of challenges, but opportunities to redefine the narrative for health and social demographics in Nigeria.

“The importance of what we are about to undertake cannot be overstated.

The stakes are high; the information we gather and the insights we develop have the capability to influence health and social policies, not just for the immediate future, but for a long time to come.

“It is not simply about numbers and data; it’s about human lives, about the wellbeing of our communities and the future trajectory of our nation.”

The chairman told the interviewers that as key players in the project, the success of the NDHS hinges on the quality, authenticity and precision of the information they gather.

Mr Ishaku Maigida, the Director, Field Services and Methodology, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said that the data going to be generated and produced would help to bridge the gap on availability of data on nutrition, particularly among children and women within the reproductive age.

He assured that NBS would continually collaborate with the commission and any other agency working toward data generation to ensure reliable data.

Dr Chris Isokpunwu, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said that the NDHS is an important source of information for the health sector, setting a baseline for government’s performance on health.

He said “the survey is being conducted by Nigerians and owned by Nigeria because the NPC is conducting it and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is providing technical support.

“When the result comes out, it will be a Nigerian result, so we have to make it an accurate one such that external persons will agree that we have conducted a good survey.

“Therefore, I want you to know that this is a national assignment and our national reputation is also at stake and this is one survey that you will be proud of.

“Please take this training seriously because it’s going to be important when you go to the field; do not be tempted to cook or forge results because decisions are made based on those results and when that happens, you may be the one affected.”

Dr Joy Ufere, the World Health Orgainsation’s Technical Adviser on Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health/Healthy Aging, said that the survey is important as the world is almost six years toward the  attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to her, Nigeria is signatory to the SDGs and the survey will tell if the nation is getting closer to achieving the goals or not.

She added that “this survey will also tell us the number of Nigerians reached to ensure that we provide Universal Health Coverage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NDHS is expected to produce data on infant and child mortality, health of women and maternal mortality.

It will be carried out by collecting data from 42,000 households in 1400 clusters within and across the 774 local government areas of the country.

It will involve collecting data from women of reproductive age from 15 to 49 years and men 15 to 69 years.

Also, the height and weight of children under the age of five years will be determined, as well as the extent of wasting and stunting in children so that policy and programmes will be tailored toward addressing identified health issues. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Perpetua Onuegbu

The Federal Government on Wednesday called for private sector investments in provision of affordable housing and urban infrastructure .

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, made the call in a Keynote address at an event to mark the World Cities Day in Abuja.

NAN reports that the day is an annual United Nations observance day held on Oct. 31 .

Dangiwa, equally called on international development partners and other stakeholders collaboration in that regard.

“We therefore call for private sector investments in the sector by leveraging on the Ministry’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement already in place to mobilise financing for affordable housing and urban development,” he said.

The theme of the commemoration is ‘Resilient Urban Economies. Cities as Drivers of Growth and Recovery’ and Financing Sustainable Urban Future for All’.

Represented by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Abdullahi Gwarzo,

Dangiwa said urbanisation had become one of the most transformative forces shaping our world in this 21st century.

“It is a phenomenon that can be harnessed to enhance economic productivity, inclusive growth, and environmental sustainability.

“Urban dwellers now account for more than 50 percent of Nigeria’s population and are expected to increase to 60 percent by the year 2030.

“It is our duty to make adequate preparations for the expected upsurge of population in our cities through effective urban planning management and building the needed resilience and innovation to absorb the expected shocks,”Dangiwa said.

He said the federal government was paying thoughtful attention to the issues and challenges of urbanisation in the country.

Dangiwa said the issue of financing for affordable housing and urban infrastructure remained the cardinal focus of the ministry and solicited for collaborations and partnerships from  development partners and other stakeholders.

The minister added that as the world builds and consolidates the foundation of the New Urban Agenda, urgent steps were required to rectify past imperfections.

“We envisage an urban future where economic growth and prosperity proceed with equity; one where human exploitation of the natural environment is carried on sustainably; and one where poverty and inequality are attenuated by strong human centered policies.

“Over the years, I have realized that inefficient urbanisation resulting from lack of sustainable development financing can result in diseconomies of scale and negative externalities.

“Further exacerbating issues that contribute toward decelerating progress of achieving the SDGs, such as poverty, climate change, and pollution. The government alone cannot handle financing for housing and urban development.

In a virtual message, Antonio Guterres, the  Secretary -General of the United Nations said governments organisations, the private sectors and civil society must work together to mobilise finance for resilient, sustainable cities.

Guterres said equitable financing solutions should be encouraged at a global level , in addition to innovative and diverse funding sources to strengthen local financing strategies that are climate friendly, inclusive and equitable.

Also speaking at the event a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning Prof. Davidson Alaci said a city could only be as resilient as the people that inhabit it.

Alaci said for a sustainable urban future for all, government must invest in urban land use planning for pro-poor economic turnaround.

“Urban land use planning can be harnessed to enhance urban competitiveness, improved financial resources mobilisation, improved access to urban basic services -targeting the poor.

“Well planned urban areas can be leveraged for more revenue generation, Lagos is a good example of resources mobilisation from urbanisation.

“This can be plough into improvement in quality of life and improved adaptation through the provision of urban basic services,” the expert said.

On his part, Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) said the government had to make concerted and deliberate effort at urban development, through building of new cities and regenerating of the old ones.

“Through this, not only will we provide houses to our people, we will also deliver more liveable and secure environment to them.

“More importantly, the value chain of the housing industry remains the surest bet of creating jobs, both directly and indirectly, employing both professionals and non-professionals.

“This will enable us to reinforce growth and recovery in our Urban Economies.” Ashafa said.

Mr Madu Hamman, Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) said urban cities are centres for economic growth and development but the inability for urban planning and infrastructure rollout gave rise to social challenges.

He said the bank plans to integrate the informal sector into the National Housing Find(NHF) to tackle some of these challenges.

“This would widen the door of opportunity to over 85 per cent of the Nigerian population that is currently neglect or ignored.

“Another significant development is its intention to scale up to providing housing from estate to city level,” Hamman said.

NAN reports that the World Cities Day was established on Dec. 27, 2013 by the UN General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/68/239, in which member states decided to designate 31 October, beginning in 2014, as World Cities Day.

The day serves as an opportunity to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in addressing challenges of urbanization and contribute to sustainable urban development around the world.

The Global Observance of World Cities Day, under the theme Financing sustainable urban future for all, will explore how we can unlock transformative investment in urban planning and achieve adequate fiscal decentralisation.  (NAN)(www.nannew.ng)

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Edited by Sadiya Hamza