By Temitope Ponle

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have called on leaders to recommit to youth empowerment for peace and security.

President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, made the call during presentation of the Status of Implementation of the Community Work Programmes at the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

Touray said youth empowerment was crucial to development and also prevented them from joining insurgent groups.

“You see what we have just learned is that the majority of the young people who join groups, join armed groups not out of conviction or out of religious conviction.

“But because they are looking for a job, so we cannot address peace and security without looking at youth employment and giving hope to the youth.”

He said ECOWAS adopted a scheme for youths to gain practical skills and experience in the bloc’s institutions and agencies, and contribute to the implementation of ECOWAS programmes and activities.

“For regional educational development, the new concept of our flagship ECOWAS Nnamdi Azikiwe Academic Mobility Scheme (ENAAMS) was adopted with the main objective of enabling youths to gain practical skills and experience in ECOWAS Institutions/Agencies.

” And contribute to the implementation of ECOWAS programs and activities.

“For the 2023 cohort, we have 90 young graduates, competitively selected from 24,332 applications, showing the increased value of the programme as one of the commission’s flagship programs for an ECOWAS of the peoples.”

Touray said the the ECOWAS Commission organised the first African Forum for Research and Innovation (FARI) in October 2023 in Abuja.”

The commission’s president said FARI had been a framework for cooperation to develop multinational and sectoral partnerships with research professionals and decision makers.

On intra-regional trade, Touray said ECOWAS faced a very low level and it planned to deepen integration by enhancing intra community trade.

He identified communities, like the European Union, that had intra community trade of over 70 per cent.

He said West Africa intra community trade hovered around 13 per cent and a maximum of 15 per cent, when it was any good.

He also mentioned that the region was working on the removal of non-tariff barriers.

“This is why the commission has set up a Presidential Task Force chaired by the former President of the Commission, Dr Ibn Chambers, to help us address some of these non-tariff barriers that are blocking trade within the community.

“If you move from Lagos to Abuja, I am sorry to say, but you will likely face nothing less than 100 roadblocks and some of these roadblocks are not official.

“So we really have to work together as a community and in a frank manner to address some of these challenges.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Temitope Ponle

The Federal Government has earmarked 1.2 million dollars to ensure that about 5,500 Nigerian students, currently schooling in Sudan and other citizens are safely returned.

Rep. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu, a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, said this at the presentation of the Country Report on Nigeria at the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament on Tuesday.

Chuba-Ikpeazu also said the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) had positively responded to the evacuation of stranded Nigerian citizens in Sudan.

“The NiDCOM has positively responded to the evacuation of stranded Nigerian citizens in Sudan as the raging conflict in the country intensifies.

“For the smooth execution of this exercise, the Federal Government of Nigeria has earmarked the sum of 1.2 million dollars to ensure that about 5,500 Nigerian students currently schooling in Sudan and other citizens of the country are safely returned to Nigeria.”

On the recently concluded elections in Nigeria, she said the voter turnout was low, in spite of the enthusiasm, awareness and campaigns.

“Out of the total 93.47 million registered voters, only 24.9 million persons voted in the presidential and National Assembly elections.

“This represents a meagre 26.72 percent voter turnout, the lowest since the return to democracy in 1999.”

Chuba-Ikpeazu, however, attributed the low turnout to some technical hitches in a technological device, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

As reported by the nation’s electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the BVAS was designed to capture the biometrics of prospective voters and upload polling results.

Some other reported challenges were the late arrival of election materials, and ad hoc staff, as well as setting up in the wrong locations.

She also said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the naira redesign in October 2022, demonetisation, and the introduction of a new cashless policy.

She, however, said the inability of eligible voters to travel for the elections due to unavailability of cash contributed to low turnout and undermined the credibility of the outcome of the elections.

She further said the cash and fuel scarcity, also experienced earlier in the year, contributed to inadequate mobility and security for INEC.

The electoral body could not hold polls in all the polling units across states in the federation in a safe and secure setting.

On the economy, she said, the government was leveraging on the country’s international partnerships to stabilise the economy.

Chuba-Ikpeazu said this followed a World Bank report that Nigeria used 96.3 per cent of its revenue, generated in 2022, to service debt.

It also stated that the constant fiscal deficit had aggravated the nation’s public debt stock.

“The fiscal deficit was estimated at five per cent of GDP in 2022, breaching the stipulated limit for a federal fiscal deficit of three per cent.

“This has kept the public debt stock at over 38 per cent of GDP.

“As a result, the GDP is projected to be negatively impacted by the trade and financial flow repercussions of the anticipated global economic slowdown in 2023.”

Also, on the status of the implantation of Community Texts, the ECOWAS parliamentarian said Nigeria had “remitted a total sum of N307,654,790,928 which is 515,379,290 in the units of accounts value to the ECOWAS Commission” in 2023.

Moreso, she said, the Nigerian Government was committed to fulfilling its financial obligations to ECOWAS, and was making arrangements to pay up any outstanding balance for the year.

Meanwhile, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, would make a presentation on the implantation of the Community Work Programme on Wednesday. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Temitope Ponle

Mr Abiodun Odunuga, Co-founder, Friends of Nigeria, Europe, a non-governmental organisation, said he had received offers for scholarships from the American International University, The Gambia, for a number of the Nigerian student returnees from Sudan.

Odunuga said the scholarships received were for students with practical courses and who were willing to come to The Gambia.

He also said they were for students willing to participate in the Paris Graduate School for online courses, such as in Human Resources and Business Management courses.

Odunuga was speaking on Wednesday when a delegation led by Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), visited Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB, in Abuja.

Also speaking at the event, a member of the Parents Association of Nigerian student evacuees from Sudan, Hajia Asmau Muhammad Yerima, says the provision of facilities to enable students to continue their studies in Nigeria, is part of the therapy for the trauma they went through.

Yerima thanked Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the federal government for their efforts and kind gesture to the students since the crisis began in Sudan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the war that broke out in Sudan disrupted the academic programmes of many Nigerian students which led to the evacuation of over 1,856 citizens back to the country.

JAMB had assured Nigerian student evacuees of the board’s arrangement to enable them complete their education in Nigerian Universities, if they so wish.

A statement issued by Mr Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, NiDCOM, on Wednesday, indicated that both parties held discussions on how the student returnees, who wish to complete their respective studies in Nigeria, could so do.

Oloyede expressed his readiness to work with the universities regulator, the National Universities Commission (NUC), to ensure a seamless transition for the completion of courses by the affected students.

The JAMB registrar, however, noted that in line with the Arusha/Addis Ababa Declaration, a university transfer student must spend at least two years in any university before certification.

He maintained that university admission was personal to individuals and each student could approach institutions of their choice, while JAMB would streamline the admission based on the laid down guidelines.

Oloyede listed some of the guidelines to include transcripts of examination records of previous years, filling of the uploaded forms, and ensuring that the university applied to had accreditation for the course, among others.

For those whose courses could be completed online, he said that National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) had provision for online courses.

“I advise both the students and parents to study the rules very well and comply, and ensure the admissions are properly ratified by JAMB, with the issuance of an admission letter from JAMB to the students concerned at any level, after they have been appropriately transferred to their universities of choice.”

He also used the opportunity to commend Dabiri-Erewa for being proactive at all times on issues affecting Nigerians abroad, describing the commission as a “good supplement“ to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Earlier, the NIDCOM chairman said the commission was inundated with calls from parents and students expressing concerns on how they would complete their respective studies in Nigeria.

She said that the guidelines released by JAMB would, however, be made public and posted on NIDCOM websites and other social media handles of the commission.

She also expressed her appreciation to Oloyede and JAMB for being a strategic partner with NIDCOM. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Vincent Obi

A baby has been born using three people’s DNA for the first time in Britain.

Most of the child’s DNA came from their two parents but about 0.1 per cent was from a third person, another woman.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) said “less than five” babies have been born in the UK this way, but no further details have been released to protect their identity.

The scientific technique is designed to prevent children from being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases.

These are long-term, genetic and often inherited disorders that occur when mitochondria fail to carry out their function of producing energy for cells in the body.

These illnesses can be very serious and often fatal.

In children, symptoms can include poor growth, poor muscle tone, weakness, failure to thrive, spasms and a slow-down in progress or slow deterioration.

Some families have lost several children to inherited mitochondrial diseases and the new technique, mitochondrial donation treatment which is a modified form of IVF.

This is seen as their only chance of having a healthy child.

The DNA from the second woman only affects the mitochondria, and did not affect other key traits in the child such as appearance.

The latest findings were first reported by the Guardian following a freedom of information request.

Britain became the first country in the world to formally allow mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) when the HFEA gave a cautious green light to the procedure in 2017.

In 2018, fertility doctors at the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life were given permission by HFEA to give two women the treatment.

Peter Thompson, chief executive of the HFEA, said: “Mitochondrial donation treatment offers families with severe inherited mitochondrial illness the possibility of a healthy child.

He added: “The UK was the first country in the world to allow mitochondrial donation treatment within a regulatory environment.

“The HFEA oversee a robust framework which ensures that mitochondrial donation is provided in a safe and ethical manner.

“All applications for treatment are assessed on an individual basis against the tests set out in the law and only after independent advice from experts.

“These are still early days for mitochondrial donation treatment and the HFEA continues to review clinical and scientific developments.”

Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Education Trust, said UK laws relating to the treatment were “passed only after many years of careful research, assessment and deliberation”.

She added: “Even then, it was decided that use of this technology will be permitted by the regulator only on a case-by-case basis.

“This measured approach was and is appropriate, given the relative novelty of this technology.

“News that a small number of babies with donated mitochondria have now been born in the UK is the next step in what will probably remain a slow and cautious process of assessing and refining mitochondrial donation.” (dpa/NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Cecilia Odey/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Fortune Abang

The Qatar-Nigeria Business Council (QNBC) has urged Nigeria’s president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, to prioritise economy, security and foreign Affairs when sworn in.

QNBC’s president, Mr Olu Millar, made the call in a statement in Abuja.

He said the major concern of Nigerians was to see an end to insecurity and to witness a robust economy and improved international image.

Millar also said the president-elect should evolve proactive measures to revamp the energy, education and healthcare sectors.

“There is a critical need for the incoming president to focus on security, economy, foreign affairs,” he said.

“He should also revamp other sectors such as energy, infrastructure, education, and healthcare,” said the statement.

The QNBC president said the insurgency and rising wave of crimes in some parts of the country were major sources of worry to Nigerians.

Millar urged Tinubu to strengthen diplomatic ties and mutual cooperations with key countries around the world.

He said Nigeria under Tinubu’s watch should play a pivotal role in shaping Africa’s agenda on issues of climate change, trade and security.

“We urge you to keep the nation strong and united in the interest of the future of our children.

“We believe in your ability to bring your vast leadership experience to bear in tackling the challenges facing this nation,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Azubuike Okeh/Salif Atojoko

Cross section of female parliamentarians in Abuja

By Temitope Ponle

Female parliamentarians have asked ECOWAS Governments for 30 per cent female representation in their various national parliaments to enhance development in the sub-region.

Hon. Woraye Sarr, President, ECOWAS Female Parliamentarians Association (ECOFEPA), said this at ECOFEPA Town Hall meeting in Abuja on Friday.

The meeting, known as Rejuvenate Democracy by Giving Voice to the Young People, has as its theme “Stimulating a Regional Dynamics for Mentoring the Next Generation of Decision Makers”.

Sarr said the meeting was strategically linked to the ECOWAS Vision 2050 which described the desired future and the values of the region and the ambition it nurtured for its peoples.

The ECOFEPA president said the Supplementary Act of the ECOWAS Parliament also recognised the critical role women and youth played in nation building.

She noted the Article 18(c) of the Supplementary Act, stipulated 30 per cent female representation which placed women in the spotlight.

She recalled the ECOFEPA inaugurated the “Think Politics” project in Nov. 2017, in Abuja to provide young political aspirants a platform for mentorship and exchanges.

She, however, said that five years later, the association recorded success stories.

Sarr said the intention was to mentor at least 10 million young people by 2030.

She further called on Civil Society Organisations and development partners to invest in youth-led activities to enable them design programmes and policies targeted to their collective needs to ease internal tensions.

Also, Ann Iyonu, Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, in her goodwill message, urged West African governments to prioritise women and youth representation in governance.

Iyonu said democracy could not thrive and function well if it was not inclusive.

She further said the meeting gave a voice to women and youth, and was timely.

She, however, spoke on the participation of women and youth in other countries, adding that they could play critical roles in leadership and governance.

“The imperative of maintaining women and youth in leadership to make democracy in our sub-region more meaningful cannot be overemphasised.

“Across the sub-region, we have very few women and youth participating as parliamentarians. This is not the case in other climes where the gap has progressively and significantly narrowed.

“It is instructive that West Africa, with only 15.7 per cent of the average proportion of seats held by women in the national parliaments, lacks behind other regions in Africa.”

She appealed to governments for a conscious deliberate effort in changing the status quo of women and youth through education programmes that would boost their knowledge and skills.

She also said the adoption of technologies in politics would attract women and youths to participate in politics and change the narrative.

Also, in her goodwill message, Beatrice Eyong, Country Representative, United Nations Women, said young women in the sub-region often faced non-inclusion and emphasised low representation of women in politics.

Eyong said West Africa should address the significant structural barriers to women and girls that persist.

“Some of them include political parties that resist inclusion of women and young girls as leaders and candidates.

“Electoral systems and laws that make it tougher for women and men to compete on equal footing.

“Also, lack of access to financial resources to run election campaigns faced by all women, specifically young women.

“There are also harmful gender-based stereotypes and violence against women in political lines.”

She called for training institutions to train women and young girls in politics.

She also said the UN was pushing for more inclusive legal frameworks reviews to ensure no one was left behind. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi