By Fortune Abang

The United Nations Organisation (UNO) has lauded the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) for its resilience and operational standards among its peers in Africa.

Mr Ronald Kayanja, Director of the UN Information Centre (UNIC) Nigeria, gave the commendation during his official visit to the Managing Director of the agency, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Kayanja expressed his deep regards for the agency’s factual and credible reportage of news.

“I have a lot of respect for NAN because not many news agencies have survived modern operations.

“As you know, we have even been battling to have the Pan-African news agency with a bit of difficulty but NAN has survived.

“Talking about the multimedia, I am so happy about the way you have now added the element of video, photography and your online presence as that is really the way to go.

“As you know, the newspaper is having problems, we have to adapt.

“One of my first priorities in the morning is to know what’s going on in the country, so I read papers.

“I always see stories from NAN and this shows you are really doing a great job, including our own (UN) coverage.

“I see a lot of UN, NAN (stories) and I am just told that you have correspondents even at the UN headquarters,” he said.

The UNIC Director congratulated the agency for its feats and the great work it is doing in sustaining factual and credible reportage in the era of digital media operations amidst inadequate technological work tools and other equipment.

“The evolution of journalism with the coming of the digital media and the challenges therein are not new; but for you to still be working, really, I commend you.

“I commend the adaptability that you have in the work you do and the quality.

“You have an idea of what is going on in Nigeria, on issues that are going on; NAN usually is our source.

“You tend to have many things, many aspects of life. That, really, is useful, that is why I am here.

“I am here to show our gratitude for the kind of work that you do, to try and see that we work a bit more closely together.

“The UNIC is part of the UN Secretariat’s Department of Global Communications and so our work, as you can hear, is information.

“Therefore, you are people that we should work with; we have been working with you and so I am grateful that you are here.

“I want us to work even more closely together.

“There is an initiative; there are a number of initiatives, but there is one initiative I want to introduce to you and that is the one on SDGs,” Kayanja said.

Responding, the NAN MD, attributed the agency’s success to its ability to evolve and calibre of personnel.

Ali noted that the agency was established by an Act in 1976 and, thereafter, commenced full operations in 1978.

“NAN was conceived to be the biggest news content provider on the continent of Africa at the onset of its operations.

“We had 11 foreign offices, we still have an office in New York; we are the only resident news agency for the West Coast in the UN right now.

“So we have an office in New York, we have in South Africa – in Johannesburg, Abidjan, Ethiopia, Moscow and the UK; out of all the 11 foreign offices, some are still operational.

“We thank you for your very kind words about the resilience of the news agency which has stood the test of time.

“The Pan-African News Agency is now in the graveyard of history.

“We’ve demonstrated this amazing staying-power because we tried to evolve over time, we repositioned; as contemporary challenges face us, we also reposition.

“Only last week, we returned from a week-long editorial management retreat to see how we are going to confront the impending challenges of the dawn of AI; how social media has given rise to the integrity of news sources and stories.”

Ali expressed the willingness to work closely with notable global agencies to achieve more meaningful results.

“We have a reporter stationed to cover your office, to cover the UN; so we will like to have further conversations around some of these things, especially on sustainable development.

“In NAN, we are concerned, we are focused largely on developmental and solution journalism.

“By law, we are not allowed to report subjectively or inequitably; these are luxuries we cannot afford.

“Over the years, we have come to be trusted. We rely on that believability associated with us and it has become our selling point.

“We want you to actually know, unless you see it in NAN, it cannot be true.

“This is why, over time with pressure posed by social media to break the news, we do it the good old ways cross-check, cross-reference – before we publish.

“We may be slow but we are factual as opposed to the social media’s free-for-all.

“Our reporters are highly trained, our gatekeepers are equally experienced.

“Something we do periodically is to subject our gatekeepers, news points, editors, etc to refresh their courses, equip them with contemporary knowledge and technological skills.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Auwalu Birnin Kudu/Idris Abdulrahman

By Funmiilayo Adeyemi

The Federal Government has declared support for the annual National Sewing Championship in order to upscale artisan skills.

The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the presentation of the 2024 edition of the championship.

The Minister said Nigeria was blessed with a lot of talents and there was the urgent need to encourage them to increase their horizons.

He said skill development was among the eight- point agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu and it is aimed at encouraging artisans to stand on their own and be employer of labour

Sununu commended Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF), the organiser of the championship,  for catching children young and bringing out their talents and making them self reliant.

He enjoined the foundation to continue to inculcate skills in the young ones while also promising to integrate basic academic knowledge in the skills.

Mrs Rosemary Osikoye, the Executive Director of the foundation, said the project, which aligned with the renewed hope agenda of Tinubu, would boost the productivity of Nigerian youths.

She said that the championship, which was first hosted  in the FCT in 2023, was introduced to remove stigma associated with the trade.

She disclosed that the 2024 edition of the championship would bring together 333 contestants from the nation’s six geo-political zones within the age range of 12  to 22 years.

Osikoye said the 333 contestants would be equipped with basic sewing tools and equipment.(NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi

By Angela Atabo

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to always engage in a constructive dialogue with the government in resolving any labour matter instead of protest and strike.

Convener of the group, Mr Adamu Matazu, said this on Tuesday, while leading about 100 CSOs on a rally in support of the economic policies of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Matazu said that instead of leading workers to protest, NLC should always engage with the government and suggest better ways of making life easier for the common man.

“We want to lend our collective voice to the happenings in our country. Today the NLC has converged to protest against hardship in the land.

“We disagree with the NLC on this protest because there are other Nigerians that are not employed and we are representing them; we are their voice.

“The government of President Bola Tinubu inherited enormous challenges and he is doing everything possible to free the country from the shackles of economic degradation.

“Mr president removed fuel subsidy from day one and that is the sign of a leader who is willing and committed to resolve the economic challenges facing the country,” Matazu said.

He described fuel subsidy as a cancer that has held the economy down for about two decades and urged the NLC not to ground the economic activities of the country or exacerbate the issues on ground.

Matazu said that insecurity in the country has risen to an alarming state but that efforts are on to tackle it.

He also called for a new minimum wage for workers to cushion the effect of escalating hardship, rising poverty, hyperinflation and soaring prices of essential commodities.

He however, said that the challenges facing the country are multifaceted and as such required all hands to be on deck to solve them.

“It is crucial to emphasise that while these concerns are legitimate, protests are not and will never be a viable solution.

“President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated a dedicated commitment to addressing these challenges with the urgency they deserve.

“While we stand united with the NLC in advocating for the legitimate demands of workers, we vehemently oppose any attempt to disrupt economic activities through unnecessary protests.

“Such actions can be easily exploited by miscreants, leading to mayhem and destruction.

“At this critical juncture, the transparency exhibited by President Tinubu’s administration in addressing inherited challenges should not be overlooked.

“It is only through collaborative efforts that we can effectively address the multifaceted problems to navigate our nation out of these challenges; together, we can build a sustainable and prosperous future for all,” Matazu added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group marched from the Unity Fountain to the National Assembly complex where they submitted their position letter to the authorities.

An official of the Sergeant at Arms office of the National Assembly, Malam Sani Zakari who received the group’s position paper, expressed gratitude over the peaceful conduct of their members during the rally.

Zakari promised to convey their message to the leadership of the National Assembly. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne

By Angela Atabo

Stakeholders have called for the adoption of gender transformative approach to promote gender equality in Nigeria.

The stakeholders said this at the third Annual Transformative Gender Justice Conference with the theme: “Diversity and Inclusion: Empowering Communities for Transformative Gender Justice”, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Temitope Fashola, the Country Director, Christian Aid, said that the aim of the conference was to deepen the discourse on the imbalanced power dynamics relations.

“The imbalance fueled by social cultural norms, and advanced by gender blind legislative and policy frameworks inadvertently perpetuates gender inequality.

“In terms of women participation in participatory and decision-making processes, statistics has repeatedly shown that Nigeria remains below the Global Average of 22.5 per cent.

“The 2023 General Elections marked a significant downward slide for women’s representation in Nigerian politics as the number of women in Nigeria’s National Assembly dropped by 19 per cent compared to the last assembly,” he said.

Fashola said that although gender equality discourses often engaged women more than men, it was important to recognise and address challenges for both sex.

He said this was because while most gender inequalities disadvantaged women, there were also important issues to address that primarily affected men.

He said that assigned gender roles and societal pressures had left men struggling with strict and unrealistic expectations of masculinity.

“ It is allegedly reported that males account for 80.6 per cent of suicide rates in Nigeria, an undeniable effect of negative coping mechanisms.

“It is on these bases that we believe that these negative effects can be reversed using the transformative gender justice approach.

“This approach seeks to actively examine, challenge, and transform the underlying causes of gender inequality rooted in inequitable social structures and institutions,” he said.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, commended Christian Aid for the initiative adding that the ministry would continue to work to promote gender parity.

Kennedy-Ohanenye,represented by Mrs Funke Oladipo, the Director of Gender and Development, said the vision of the ministry was to build a Nigerian society devoid of gender discrimination, as well as guaranteed equal access to political, social and economic wealth creation opportunities.

She added that the ministry was also working to develop a culture that placed premium on the protection of the child and focus attention of both the public and private sector on issues that promote full participation of women.

“The ministry has put in place some mechanism to achieve this, however, the fight against stereotyping on the basis of gender in family, schools, worship centres in our society is the responsibility of all,” she said.

Mr Monday Osasah, the Executive Director, African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), said that the conference aspires to achieve multifaceted objectives to empower women and girls to participate in governance.

Osasah, represented by Dr Emenike Umeri, Director of Leadership, said the conference would enable conversations on power dynamics and secure commitments from faith leaders to challenge harmful norms, and expand the impactful Side-by-Side interfaith movement for gender justice.

“let us seize this opportunity to reaffirm our dedication to gender justice, to forge new partnerships, and to mobilize collective action towards a more equitable future;together, we have the power to challenge norms, influence policies, and create lasting impact,” he said.

The Chairperson, Women in Parliament, Ms Blessing Amadi, said there was need for urgent legislation to ensure increased women participation in governance and the group was championing it at the National Assembly. (NAN)

Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

By Grace Alegba

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday, approved allocation of 20,000 dollars to all eligible Bureau De Change (BDC) operators across the country as part of its on-going reforms.

Dr Hassan Mahmud, Director, Trade and Exchange Department, CBN, in a circular, said the move was aimed at tackling distortions in the retail segment of the nation’s foreign exchange market.

The circular addressed to BDC Operators said they were allowed to sell to end-users at a margin not more than one per cent above the purchase rate from CBN.

“Following the on-going reforms in the foreign exchange market, aimed at achieving an appropriate market determined exchange rate for the Naira, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed the continued price distortions at the retail end of the market, which is feeding into the parallel market and further widening the exchange rate premium.

“To this end, the CBN has approved the sale of foreign exchange to eligible Bureau De Change (BDCs) to meet the demand for invisible transactions.

“The sum of $20,000 is to be sold to each BDC at the rate of N1,301/$ – (representing the lower band rate of executed spot transactions at NAFEM for the previous trading day, as at today, 27th February 2024).

“All BDCs are allowed to sell to end-users at a margin NOT MORE THAN one percent (1%) above the purchase rate from CBN.

“All eligible BDCs are directed to make the Naira payment to the designated CBN Foreign Currency Deposit Naira Accounts and submit confirmation of payment, with other necessary documentations, for disbursement at the appropriate CBN Branches – ABUJA, AWKA, LAGOS and KAΝΟ),” it started.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a guideline was attached for the BDCs’ disbursement and monitoring of utilization.

It noted that all those allocated Foreign Exchange, must keep records of beneficiaries and amount sold to each of them.

It said BDCs should not sell more than 4,000 dollars per individual for Personal Travel Allowance and 5,000 dollars for Business Travel Allowances.

It listed other guidelines including, BDCs allocated buying and selling rate, prohibition of street hawking of forex, daily provision of the sale of Foreign Exchange to end users, among others. (NAN)

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Edited by Olawunmi Ashafa

By Funmilayo Adeyemi

The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) has sought a strategic partnership with the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) towards the attainment of UN global goals.

The President, UNESCO REF, Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu announced this during a visit to the National Chairman of ACPN, Adewale Oladigbolu, in Abuja on Monday.

Ladigbolu said that the partnership was under the UNESCO REF Strategic Intervention Programme-ALPHA (SIP-ALPHA).

According to him, this will provide knowledge exchange, advocacy and sensitisation of communities on the need to be part of the global community towards actualisation of united action’s goals.

“The purpose of this communication is to seek a strategic partnership on “Health Priority Scheme”

“This is through knowledge exchange, advocacy and sensitisation of communities on the need to be part of the global community towards actualisation of united action’s goal 3.

“This is with emphasis on goal 3.1. By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births,” Ladigbolu said.

He said Goal 3.3- by 2030 is to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.

“Goal 3.5- Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse.

“Goal 3.7- by 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education.

“And the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes and others,” Ladigbolu said.

He said that the organisation was saddled with the objectives of preventing the increase of out-of-school children; while strategically addressing the issue of climate change.

Ladigbolu added that there was need to achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

Responding, the National Chairman, ACPN, Adewale Oladigbolu, pledged the association’s commitment to work with the UNESCO REF in the attainment of the global goals.

“There is indeed a commitment to contribute our quota towards actualising substantial attainment of the United Nations global goals before or by 2030 by advancing initiatives with your institution.

“It is our hope that both parties would benefit immensely with the commitment of contributing towards building a sustainable synergy for the advancement of humanity and the society at large,” Oladigbolu said. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

Edited by Razak Owolabi

By Sumaila Ogbaje

Minister of Defence,  Muhammed Badaru, has assured the Nigerian military and other security agencies of President Bola Tinubu’s unflinching commitment to their welfare and working condition.

Badaru gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja at the opening of the 8th Edition of the General Assembly of the Organisation of Military Sports in Africa (OSMA).

He said that the President was committed to ensuring “the best welfare and working condition of the personnel of our armed forces and other security agencies.

“He appreciate the huge efforts and gross sacrifice that you all are making to keep our dear country Nigeria safe, Africa and the world in general.”

The minister urged them to deplore both kinetic and non-kinetic methods to combat the security challenges in the country.

He also called on them to explore the opportunities provided by sports and other non-kinetic means to secure the nation amidst contending security challenges.

“The importance of sports and physical fitness to armed forces in Africa cannot be over emphaisised, particularly at this time that we are contending with myriad of security challenges.

“Sports can be used as non-kinetic means for combating security challenges as well as improve the physical and mental fitness of personnel to make a difference in national and international security operations.

“Physically and mentally fit security personnel will endure tough weather, terrains or other stressful and harsh conditions.

“ Sports organisation like OSMA has the capacity of uniting various armed forces of African countries by organising different sports of this nature to tackle the current security challenges confronting African countries,” Badaru said.

According to him, general assembly needs to  continuously facilitate mutual interaction among personnel in a relax and very good atmosphere instead of the battle field.

“The organisation of this general assembly could not have come at a better time than now, when African military forces need close working relationship.

“More especially, in information sharing, training of personnel and to further deepen the democratic tendencies among African militaries.

“There are many ways for us to promote diplomacy.

“However, the most common method is to host international sporting events such as Olympic, FIFA world cup as well as participating and succeeding in the international sporting events hosted by other countries.”

He commended the efforts of the Chief of Defence Staff, the President of the Organisation of Military Sporting Africa and the local organising committee for putting together the continental event.

According to him, the event stands to foster comradeship among members of the armed forces.

He said that the general assembly was intended to forge cohesion among member nations to enhance understanding and good work relationships.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said hosting the General Assembly, was a sign that “Nigeria is respected all over the world.”

“It shows that Nigeria is well respected in the global world, and all the plans we have as military men is to project that this is part of non-kinetic efforts we are doing, showing that all is not kinetic.

“And, showing the entire world and Africa that, we are working towards a peaceful country and continent.

“And, that the armed forces all over the world are working to ensure that the world is peaceful, and that is all what this sport is all about,” he said.

The President of OSMA, Major-Gen. Abdullahi Maikano, said the 8th General Assembly was intended to among other things, forge cohesion among member nations for enhanced understanding and good working relations.

According to him, the organisation was created in 1946, immediately after the Second World War to bring soldiers together in the field of sports rather in the battle field.

“The objective of the general assembly is to further cement espri-de-corps and improve the cordial relationship existing among the Armed Forces of member nations.”

According to him, is being attended by 37 delegations from African countries and Headquarters of the International Military Sports Council. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abiemwense Moru/Maharazu Ahmed