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AfDB spends $2bn on Lake Chad’s stability efforts – Official
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has committed more than 2 billion dollars in supporting 15.3 million people affected by crises in Lake Chad Basin within a decade.
Lead Coordinator for West and Central Africa at AfDB, Dr Riadh Ben Messaoud, shared the bank’s accomplishments at Panel Session in the ongoing 5th Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum on Wednesday in Maiduguri.
Messaoud said the bank’s continuous involvement with the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) since 2018, underscoring its significant contributions to the development of the Regional Stabilisation Strategy (RSS).
He said that the bank had provided a technical assistance grant of 2.8 million dollars to strengthen the LCBC’s internal capacity for implementing the strategies.
“In addition to its direct technical support, the AfDB has mobilised more than 2 billion dollars in investments over the past two decades.
“This programme aimed at combating land degradation, deforestation, and preserving biodiversity, has benefited over 15 million people in the region,” Messaoud said.
He said the AfDB had also integrated socio-economic stabilisation measures into its infrastructure investments.
“One example is the 32 million euro bridge project, linking Cameroon and Chad, where the AfDB deliberately included elements such as the rehabilitation of schools, health centres and women’s associations to foster community empowerment alongside physical infrastructure development,” he said.
Messaoud, however, expressed confidence in the revised RSS, which emphasised local solutions, gender equality, and the involvement of civil society and the traditional leaders.
He stressed the need for prioritising prevention over crisis management and called for greater private sector engagement in ensuring the sustainability of development efforts across the region.
“The strategy is a living framework that will not only guide our actions but also serve as a platform for resource mobilisation and partnerships to drive successful outcomes,” he added.
Also speaking, Anka Feldhusen, Director for Civilian Crisis Prevention and Stabilisation at the German Federal Foreign Office, called for stronger regional cooperation and urged stakeholders to prioritize the joint provision of Territorial Action Plans (TAPs) as the central framework for future development and Stabilisation.
Feldhusen emphasised the critical need for national governments of the four Lake Chad Basin countries Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger to align their planning with the TAP revision process.
“The leadership of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) and the governors has been exceptional, but the success of our collective efforts depends on our willingness to collaborate on making the Territorial Action Plans vehicles for coherent and strategically focused action,” Feldhusen said.
She pointed out that the role of additional funding mechanisms as critical, especially Special Multiparty Delivery Fund and the new Nexus Funding Facility, which were set to be launched at the forum’s meeting.
“These financial instruments, she said, would work alongside the TAPs to support the operationalisation of the revised strategy and enhance regional cooperation.
“To use this overall architecture effectively and cooperate with key programmes in the region will allow us to move forward into the second phase of the strategy,” she said.
Feldhusen also announced the launch of an initiative focused on “peace positive financing” to support fragile states, as Germany assumed the chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission on January 30.
According to her, the initiative in collaboration with AfDB and other international institutions, aims to leverage blended finance to derisk investments in the local private sector and promote long-term peacebuilding efforts in conflict-affected regions.
She expressed optimism that the initiative and the African Union Peace Fund combined would strengthen the region’s stability and development efforts.
Feldhusen, therefore, called for a unified action and increased investment in the region’s peace and development.
“Together, we can ensure a successful and sustainable future for the Lake Chad Basin,” she added. (NAN)
Aides, Allies Disown Him, Say You’re a Traitor, We’re not Leaving PDP
Barely two weeks after his defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), crisis has enveloped the political camp of a member of the House of Representatives for Obokun/Oriade federal constituency in Osun State, Oluwole Oke.
Indeed, these are not the best of times for him as his defection to the APC is eliciting rejection from his close circles and constituency.
His key allies who he groomed into politics and government positions have rejected his calls on them to join him to defect to the APC.
A source said that in the last few days, key aides and allies of the lawmaker have rejected his movement to the APC, describing it as a political tragedy.
“With the way he betrayed PDP, Oluwole Oke is like the proverbial Leopard that can never change the spots on its body. He will also betray the APC. We are staying back in PDP while severing political links with him”, one of his allies, Bamidele Johnson said.
Some of his allies were said to have openly declared that the defection marks a political waterloo for the 6th term legislator.
For instance, some of Oke’s allies in his Local Government scorned his move as “a decision borne out of greed and selfishness.”
One of them described him as “an ingrate who betrayed a party on whose platform he got married in life as a lawmaker and on whose platform he gained all his material riches.”
The Northern Youths Consultative Forum for Justice (NYCJ) has urged Nigerian President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State, citing a complete breakdown of governance, law, and order.
In a statement issued on Monday in Kano, NYCJ President Dr Sanusi Rano described the situation in Zamfara as “organised abandonment of duty” by elected officials.
“What we are witnessing in Zamfara is not governance. It is betrayal of the people,” Rano said, pointing to the absence of a functional state House of Assembly and allegations linking officials to criminal activities.
The group highlighted the suspension of 10 lawmakers who spoke out against the deteriorating security situation, arguing that their removal has left Zamfara without a legally recognised legislative body.
“This is a dictatorship of silence,” said Rano, adding that the lack of checks and balances has deepened the state’s crisis.
“The same hands that should protect Zamfara are profiting from its destruction,” Rano stated.
Calling for decisive action, the group demanded the appointment of a non-partisan administrator to rebuild the state’s institutions.
“If this is not done now, Zamfara risks becoming a permanent state of anarchy, which threatens our democracy,” Rano warned.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased ( his wife) on April 8, 2022.
The judge held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022 by the Office of Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge .
The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5 respectively.
The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing, the defendant, counsel , Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.
Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7 respectively. (NAN)