NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
FCTA domesticates disability Act, mulls commission for implementation
Gender

FCTA domesticates disability Act, mulls commission for implementation

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By Philip Yatai

The Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has begun processes toward the domestication and implementation of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018.

The Mandate Secretary of the secretariat, Dr Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, disclosed this at a three-day workshop on rights-based approach to disability-inclusive development, government and public policy.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with the World Bank for management staff and stakeholders across all sectors and sections of the FCT.

Benjamins-Laniyi added that the workshop was also organised to develop the needed strategy toward establishment of FCT Disability Commission to ensure full implementation of the Act.

She described the Act as a legislation that aimed to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and promote their inclusion in all aspects of society.

According to her, the domestication and implementation of the Act in FCT are crucial steps towards creating a more inclusive and accessible environment for persons with disabilities.

“This workshop is designed to equip us with the essential technical knowledge, skills, and orientation necessary for the effective domestication and implementation of the Act.

“I am confident that the discussions and deliberations over the next three days will provide valuable insights and practical solutions to the challenges we face in promoting disability inclusion.”

The pioneer mandate secretary said she had always been passionate about promoting the rights and welfare of persons with disabilities.

She said that the establishment of Disability Desk served as a testament to her commitment to disability inclusion and support.

“This desk is dedicated to ensuring that the needs of women and children with disabilities are addressed and that they have equal access to opportunities and services,” she said.

Benjamins-Laniyi thanked the World Bank for the continued support in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.

She assured of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s commitment to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, which he described as another capital project deserving due attention.

“Let us work together to ensure that the FCT becomes a model for disability inclusion and accessibility, and that persons with disabilities are empowered to reach their full potential.

“Nothing about persons with disabilities without them. We cannot make any decision that affects them without them being present,” she added.

Hadjia Majida Adamu, Special Assistant to the FCT Minister of State, and Coordinator, Social Investment Programme, commended Benjamins-Laniyi for the bold step.

Adamu said that the workshop reflected a critical step towards fostering an inclusive, equitable, and rights-based society where every individual, regardless of physical ability, was given equal opportunity to thrive.

According to her, the step represents FCT’s commitment to dismantling barriers and ensuring that persons with disabilities are fully integrated into all aspects of our social, economic, and governance structures.

Mr Rex Irame, a legal practitioner and Chairman Albinism Association of Nigeria, FCT Chapter, stressed the need to pay more attention on implementation of the disability Act.

Irame said, “if we don’t take the issue of implementation seriously, then it takes away the beauty of the Act”.

Responding, Dr Adebukola Adebayo, Disability Inclusion Consultant, World Bank, expressed optimism that the Act would be fully implemented considering the divergent stakeholders and government agencies that were brought onboard.

“The FCTA has done the needful by ensuring that every institution of government and critical stakeholders were carried along.

“This has broadened the base for the implementation of the disability policy in the FCT.

“Everybody is going to work with the commission, with support from the world bank and other stakeholders to ensure that the law is not just on paper, but fully implemented,” he said.

Adedayo said that the bank would provide technical assistance to the Women Affairs Secretariat to develop the FCT Disability Policy.

He added that the world bank would also support the FCT to establish its disability commission as well as to develop and strengthen inter-agency collaborative mechanisms.

This, he said, would enable the FCT to fully implement the disability policy in line with the national disability Act. (NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

Implementing SAPZs ‘ll create jobs, slash imports, boost naira — Adesina
Economy/Business

Implementing SAPZs ‘ll create jobs, slash imports, boost naira — Adesina

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By Lucy Ogalue

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the African Development Bank’s President, says implementation of the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) in Nigeria will reduce food imports, strengthen the Naira, and generate millions of jobs.

Adesina stated this on Thursday in Calabar, Cross River, at the groundbreaking of the SAPZ project on Thursday in Calabar.

He described it as a transformative initiative that would unlock the economic potential of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

The AfDB president said for Nigeria to thrive, its rural areas must be awakened.

He said the country should not be importing food with its abundant arable land, cheap labour, and vast agro-ecological zones.

Nigeria should be completely self-sufficient in food and a significant exporter of food and agricultural commodities.

“By taking advantage of the special agro-industrial processing zones, Nigeria will now have the infrastructure and industrial platform to transform all its food and agricultural commodities.

“What a day we are celebrating today. The special agro-industrial processing zones will reduce food imports, conserve foreign exchange, expand production and processing of food and agricultural commodities.

“It will strengthen the Naira and attract significant private investment in agricultural value chains.

“The SAPCs will also revive and transform rural economies and create millions of jobs,” he said

Adesina commended the Federal Government for its commitment and strong political will under President Bola Tinubu, which he said had been pivotal to the rollout of the zones across multiple states.

He also lauded Vice President Kashim Shettima, for his consistent presence and unwavering support of the project.

“You have been the promoter, the facilitator, and the enabler of this vision. Your commitment speaks volumes,” he said.

The AfDB president reiterated that a financing package of $510 million had been secured for the first phase of the SAPZ programme in eight states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said plans were underway to expand to 28 states in the second phase, backed by $2.2 billion from development partners.

Cross River State Governor, Sen. Bassey Otu, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to harnessing the state’s vast agricultural potential to drive economic diversification and job creation.

“Our plan is to move from a non-renewable resource base to a sustainable agricultural economy that brings prosperity to every part of Cross River State,” Otu said.

He said the state would leverage its comparative advantage in the production of cocoa, palm oil, rice, and banana.

He said the state would also take advantage of its infrastructure, including the proposed Bakassi Deep Sea Port, Obudu Cargo Airport, and Calabar-Budu rail line, to support agro-industrialisation.

Vice President Shettima, in his remarks, reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to implement policies that would ensure food security, economic growth, and inclusive development.

Other dignitaries at the event included the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, other government officials, senior officials from the AfDB and development partners and stakeholders.

The SAPZ programme is spearheaded by the AfDB in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the government. (NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

Senate committee seeks sustainable policies to tackle climate change
Environment

Senate committee seeks sustainable policies to tackle climate change

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By Naomi Sharang

The Senate Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has urged the implementation of proactive and sustainable policies to address climate change in West Africa.

Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Asuquo Ekpenyong, made the call when members of C7 West Africa Project Consortium paid him a visit in Abuja on Friday.

Ekpenyong noted that one of the most pressing challenges that must be addressed was the growing threat of climate change.

“To tackle it effectively, we need a comprehensive understanding of its impact on the Niger Delta.

“This will enable us to craft and implement policies that are not just reactive but proactive and sustainable”.

He lamented that decades of oil exploration had caused severe environmental damages to the region, with rising sea levels, flooding, and erratic weather patterns displacing communities and threatening livelihoods.

According to him, these challenges also contribute to the spread of diseases, further straining an already overstretched public health system.

“Moreover, the connection between environmental degradation and social unrest is undeniable.

“To achieve lasting peace, we must first address these root causes.

“However, our response must be guided by reliable data. Without it, our interventions risk being inadequate or misdirected,” he said.

In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, said that the phenomenon of climate change was an existential reality and a threat to the global system.

He said this was evident in the growing crisis across the world, the Sahel region, Northern Nigeria through desertification and the South South of Nigeria as seasonal floods wreaked havoc in its trail.

“Climate change is therefore altering the security landscapes around the world.

“West Africa is experiencing climate change at rates faster than the global average, leading to violent conflicts and complex humanitarian emergencies.

“Nigeria is already having much more than its fair share of this global phenomenon due to its continued impact on natural resource availability, biodiversity and agricultural productivity among others”.

Abdullahi called for research, mitigation and adaptation efforts “we have had to embark on over the past three years to enhance resilience leading to our policy brief. (NAN)

Edited by Abdulfatai Beki and Kevin Okunzuwa

Mininmum Wage: Labour gives defaulters till March to implement
Metro

Mininmum Wage: Labour gives defaulters till March to implement

438 total views today

Wage

By Joan Nwagwu

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) sys that stringent measures are in place to ensure that states and employers implement the national minimum wage and the consequential adjustment before the end of March.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, President Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) said this at its one day National Leadership Retreat organised for the union’s National Administrative Committee Members in Abuja.

The theme of the retreat was, ” Leadership Challenges amongst Activists”.

Ibrahim, who is also the National Internal Auditor of the NLC, said that the measures were imperative due to the continuous delay by states and institutions to manipulate wage payments.

According to him, one of the issues in the implementation of the minimum wage is that of insincerity.

“The national minimum wage has been signed into law, and payments should have commenced nationwide.

“But in most institutions and states, what they did was just to award a certain amount or a figure they are merely using to play with the intelligence of workers as minimum wage.

“But I am happy that the NLC is not sleeping on this matter and we have been engaging.

“But going forward, I can assure you that we are taking very stringent measures to ensure that between now and the end of this first quarter, that the minimum wage and consequential adjustment will be implemented.

“Any state or employer of labour that refuses to implement the national minimum wage and the adjustment in workers’ salaries accordingly will face the consequences.

“The labour laws are there and we have all that it takes to enforce our rights against those employers,” he said.

Ibrahim, while speaking on the theme of the retreat, said that some members sabotaged strike actions, weakening the effectiveness of industrial actions.

“Unfortunately, some of our own members work against our collective struggle. They engage in blackmail and underhand dealings to derail strike actions.

“But this is not unique to SSANU; it happens in every sector. Part of why we are holding this retreat is to educate our members on the importance of unity and discipline within the union,” he said.

Ibrahim also admitted that industrial actions had lost their effectiveness due to government indifference and worker fatigue.

He noted that while strikes remained a last resort, the union would explore alternative negotiation strategies.

He emphasised the need for continuous training of university staff and better funding of tertiary institutions.

The SSANU president, however, said that universities must remain the centers of learning and innovation, requiring continuous capacity building for staff.

“As leaders of this great union, we must ensure that our national executives are equipped with the latest global trends.

”SSANU is an affiliate of NLC, and we have benefited from international training programmes.

“It is important that we bring this knowledge back home and share it at all levels,” he said.

Those present at the retreat include the former NLC President Ayuba Wabba, former SSANU President Chief Promise Adeusi, and the Director-General of the Institute of Mentoring and Coaching, Mr Rotimi Mathew.(NAN)
Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

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