By Folasade Akpan

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Accountability Lab, has introduced a framework tagged, “Ethics 1st” to promote accountability and ethical behaviour in government procurement processes.

Its Country Director, Mr Odeh Friday, said at a Media Roundtable in Abuja on Thursday, that the tool would help to combat corruption and promote ethical behaviour in the procurement process.

Friday said that the framework targeted mainly businesses who bid for government contracts in the procurement space.

“Government procurement is one of the places where the highest corruption happens in Nigeria.

“Basically, we are seeking and asking the government to adopt Ethics 1st for every business they contract or engage with.

“There are abandoned projects, collapsed buildings and loss of government funds and Nigerian citizens, who are the end users, are the ones largely affected.

“This is why Ethics 1st should be adopted by governments to see that every service is held to the highest ethical standard of businesses and accountability,” Friday said.

He said that the framework was very critical for vendors and contractors involved in the government procurement process, adding that it would promote fairness and encourage competition.

He added that it provides a clear guideline for ethical behaviour in procurement processes and will strengthen accountability, transparency, fairness, and integrity.

“By adhering to ethical principles, vendors and contractors can improve their reputation and enhance their chances of winning future contracts,” he said.

The country director added that by following the guidelines of Ethics 1st, vendors and contractors could reduce their exposure to liabilities.

According to him, those who follow ethical guidelines are more likely to gain the trust of procurement and secure future business opportunities. (NAN)

Edited by Benson Ezugwu and Philip Yatai

By Stephen Adeleye

Kogi Government has constructed market infrastructure for farmers and women in the agrarian community of Oke-Ofin in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking at the inauguration on Thursday, the State Security Adviser, retired Cdr Jerry Omodara, who represented the governor, commended the state government for the kind gesture towards the people of the community.

Omodara noted that no other infrastructure would have been better for the community than the market infrastructure.

He described the people of the community as agrarians in nature with no suitable socio-economic infrastructure over the years.

Omodara, an indigene of the community, said people usually come from the Northern part of the country to load yams and other farm produce without the market infrastructure.

He praised the governor for what the State Government was doing through the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD/VCDP).

The security adviser stressed that the initiative had improved the well-being and livelihoods of the people of the state through its (VCDP) intervention programmes.

He commended the State Programme Coordinator of IFAD-VCDP, Dr Stella Adejoh, and her team for siting the market at Oke-Ofin, to improve the livelihoods of the people.

He congratulated the market women who were the main beneficiaries, urging them to utilise it and ensure proper maintenance of the facility.

Earlier, Dr Adejoh expressed gratitude to the governor for his full support for the implementation of VCDP programmes in the five benefitting local government areas of the state

She said that VCDP had immensely impacted the well being and livelihoods of the beneficiaries in the state, thereby reducing poverty among the rural farmers.

The SPC assured the people of continuous support of VCDP to improve their livelihoods , reduce poverty and ensure food security.

She commended the women for cooperating with the state government over years, and enjoined them to utilise the market for the common good of the people.

The programme coordinator encouraged the women folks not to relent in putting in their best to ensure that the objectives of the programmes are achieved.

She stressed that she would be more fulfilled seeing the market infrastructure properly utilised and maintained.

She emphasised that the VCDP objectives was to ensure that small holder farmers were empowered to stem the tide of poverty, hunger and starvation, thereby boosting their livelihoods.

The market women leader, Mrs Funke Joseph, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the governor, the Federal Government and the IFAD-VCDP for the gesture.

“Market infrastructure is one of our major needs in our community because we are farmers and business women but we have no suitable market infrastructure before the governor and VCDP’s intervention.

“We are very grateful to the governor and the VCDP for the gesture because it will improve our standard of living,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannnews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Vivian Emoni

Former Nigerian Ambassador to the Scandinavian countries, Godknows Igali, has decried the poor reading culture among Nigerians.

He noted that the country was gradually losing this to modernism.

Amb. Igali stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at a reading colloquium with the theme, “Appraising the Aesthetics of Reading Culture in Nigeria”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Igali is the former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

He said that reading was beyond relating with ideas written with ink on paper, adding that man had always read before the advent of technology.

“The whole idea of reading has been from the beginning of history. I disagree with those who believe that reading is only when you put ideas on ink and paper.

“Man has always read but now gradually, reading culture has been taken over by modern society.

“In the past, we took reading so importantly, now reading is disappearing with the evasion of technology.

“In sub-saharan African, most people do not read as much as they ought to, while some other societies are also losing the culture of reading,” he said.

Igali, therefore, advised Nigerians to cultivate reading habit, adding that such would promote knowledge and history of the society.

Mrs Theresa Tobuyei, the author of the book titled, “GASP,” said the book was a summary of the devastating effect of years of ethnic crisis that rocked Warri in Delta.

Tobuyei, a Bayelsa-based lawyer, said the crisis recorded casualties between 1997 and 2003, which attracted the attention of international peacekeeping and human right bodies around the globe.

“The book titled, “GASP,” was written to bring out the devastating effects of the crisis, and the lasting horrible memories it has had on the lives of victims and other people that witnessed it.

“It was in a bid to appraise the negative consequences of the violence in the light of the active and passive conflicts still plaguing the Nigerian state, Africa and the world, that I wrote GASP.

“It is a literary piece that focuses on the consequences and psychological issues that arose from the scars inflicted on the people, especially marginalised groups.

“Such groups; which include, children, young people and women, in the times of the crisis, wars and armed conflicts, around the world.

“GASP is a piece of literature that unearthed the harsh realities of how, even decades after the end of active violence, the victims still struggle to embrace their now-tainted lives,” she said.

The author explained that GASP was a fictional tale about some young girls, who physically witnessed the brutality of the Warri crisis; with each of them losing a principal member of their families.

She said the story, as contained in the book, captured how the girls were separated by the circumstances of life.

“Also, the book, displayed how each of the girls navigated their way through life, while nursing the scars that the crisis left behind.

“The book considered other societal vices, like electoral and domestic violence, bullying, sexual assault, child abandonment, displaying the travails and triumphs of her characters,” she added. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Mark Longyen/Rabiu Sani-Ali

By Fortune Abang

Angola has declared the readiness to deepen its bilateral cooperation with Nigeria.

Téte António, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during his visit to Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.

António was in Nigeria to deliver the Angolan President, João Lourenço’s invitation to President Bola Tinubu for the regular bilateral and multilateral consultations of African leaders slated for November in the Southern African country.

According to António, who met with Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lourenço’s message has been delivered through Tuggar, to Tinubu.

“I do not know what is written, but I discussed with my counterpart. We talked about bilateral relations between Angola and Nigeria.

“We discussed how we will like to boost the diplomatic relations, in terms of the cooperation existing between our two countries, including the legal institutions we signed in the past.

This will enable both countries, “to see how we are implementing them and to see which new ones we have, and we can bring in again”.

It will also help on “how to create suitable environment for business people to ba a part of this bilateral ties existing between Angola and Nigeria.

“As ministers of foreign affairs and external relations, we discussed the peace and security situations in the Sahel and other parts, including Central Africa, Great lakes and Sudan.”

He mentioned that such were actually challenges for the continent, as well as constitutional changes that happened in West Africa and recently, in Gabon.

He explained that their discussion centered on multilateral issues and on ways both countries could support each other in Angola-Nigeria multilateral systems.

“Bearing in mind that a very good relationship exists between our countries, we actually have duties as ministers of foreign affairs to deepen ties.

“We also discussed ways we can make diplomatic relations of Angola and Nigeria not only matter of diplomats and politicians, but matter of people, including the business community.

“We have a very vibrant Nigerian economy in Angola which is very active in helping the country to rebuild itself of 27 years of war and they are contributing a lot.

“We are certainly going to work closely together, to also make sure we facilitate tackling issues such as the visas for business to business community.

“Certainly, in our next meeting we will plan; today we have discussed the joint commission, this is where we go and review everything, also for business forum between Angola and Nigeria,” he said.

The envoy assured of the provision of suitable environment for business communities to interact and encourage people to know more of each other’s national interests.

The Angolan minister, however, allayed fears about differences in language between the two countries as communication barrier.

He said: “We can always find a common language to speak and the common language are the ties.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Cecilia Ologunagba

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will address the 78^th Session of the high-level General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu, in his first outing to the Assembly, will be addressing world leaders in the evening of that day.

The Nigerian President would be the fifth African leader to speak on day one of the gathering, according to the speakers list from the Office of the General Assembly President,

According to the list, Tinubu will be the 14^th speaker out of 20 leaders slated to speak on the first day.

The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the 10^th speaker, will be the first African leader to speak in the morning session of the Assembly.

In the Afternoon session, five African leaders are expected to address the gathering.

The Nigerian president would deliver his statement around 6:00 pm (11:00 pm Nigerian time) to the world leaders during the afternoon session.

The President of Algeria, Abdelmadjid Tebboune will be the first African leader to speak at the afternoon session, followed by the Moroccan leader, Aziz Akhannouch and Mozambique President, Filipe Nyusi.

The President of Senegal, Macky Sall will be the firth African speaker to address the gathering and the last leader on the first day.

The President of Brazil, Luiz da Sliva would be the first world leader to present his address to the 78th session as it is tradition, followed by the U.S. President, Joe Biden, the traditional second speaker, being the host country.

NAN reports that the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) will open on Tuesday, Sept. 5, with the inauguration of a new President, Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, who will take on the mantle for the next 12 months

The high level General Debate will be held from Sept. 19 to Sept. 29.

The Theme of the General Assembly including the general debate will be rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Ibironke Ariyo

Ex-Canadian Secretary of State and Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, Mr Weiner Gerry, on Wednesday advocated for partnership between Nigeria and Canada in the areas of food security and economic sustainability.

Gerry said in a virtual engagement with members of the Journalists International Forum for Migration (JIFORM) that the two areas were key to ending irregular migration.

He spoke ahead of the body’s fourth Global Migration summit slated for Oct. 2 to Oct. 14 in Toronto, Canada.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the summit would be focusing on Climate Change, Human Mobility and Sustainable Investment.

Gerry, also the Executive Director, Global Relations Partnership and Customers Satisfaction, Canada Startup Visa, said that the challenges confronting human mobility in recent times could be traced to the imbalance in global economic progression.

He said that the imbalance included widening poverty net between the rich and poor countries.

Gerry added that he was willing to facilitate partnership between Nigeria and Canadian companies to conduct thorough research on the Agro food sector in Nigeria and other African countries, to understand specific challenges and opportunities and identify potential partners.

According to him, Africa has enormous potentials that could be fine-tuned to enhance the standard of living of her people.

“Canada is one of the countries with food surplus while half of Africa goes to sleep hungry every night.

“We have 10 per cent of the world’s freshwater supply but half of Africans may be drinking contaminated water. What a world without conscience,” he lamented.

He x-rayed some tough economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu geared towards Nigeria’s economic recovery.

He said there was a need for Canada and other top economies to back Nigeria with a structured positive economic blueprint that would impact on Africa.

According to him, if a roadmap on Agro-food production and technologies from Canada could be adopted by the Nigerian government, the project could be funded by international development organisations.

“This also includes impact investors, with grants to support the initiatives that will encourage Canadian investors to explore opportunities in Agro food startups in Africa to foster self-sufficiency.

“This is to empower local communities to independently operate and maintain the technologies especially in Nigeria.

“These will lead to collaborations with Canadian companies willing to share their technologies and expertise, facilitate knowledge exchange and technology transfer by organising workshops, webinars, and training sessions.

“This will be to ensure that the technologies being transferred are adapted to suit the local agricultural and environmental conditions in Nigeria and in many African nations,” he said.

NAN reports that the JIFORM is an international media network founded in 2019 with over 300 journalists and other volunteers focusing on issues of migration across continents.

The fourth JIFORM summit would be hosted by Abedorc Productions, Toronto. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited Dorcas Jonah/Maharazu Ahmed