National
NEEM Foundation advocates more attention, humanitarian interventions in North-West
NEEM Foundation, a leading crisis response organisation, has advocated for more attention and equitable humanitarian interventions to be given to the North-West region as the North-East has enjoyed.
The call was made in a new research highlighting the disparities in humanitarian response across Nigeria’s Northern Regions carried out by NEEM Foundation in collaboration with the Humanitarian Policy Group at ODI.
The research was presented at an event tagged ” Aid Beyond Politics and according to Need: Overcoming Disparities in Humanitarian Responses in Nigeria ,organised by NEEM Foundation on Friday in Abuja.
Dr Fatima Akilu, Executive Director of NEEM Foundation , said that the research revealed the discrepancies in humanitarian responses between Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions.
Akilu said this was in spite of facing similar levels of humanitarian need, the North-West remains critically underserved compared to the North-East.
“The study highlights that acute malnutrition in the North-West nearly triples that of the North-East, with 64 per cent of surveyed Local Government Areas .
“This This is reporting ‘serious’ acute malnutrition, compared to 22 per cent in the North-East .’’
Akilu said that these disparities according to the report largely due to differing narratives and perceptions of the conflicts in these regions.
“The North-East’s conflict, framed as an ideologically-driven insurgency, has attracted significant domestic and international humanitarian attention.
“In contrast, the North-West’s crisis is often described as ‘endemic banditry’ or ‘lawlessness,’ leading to its deprioritisation.
“Here, we understood that while the landscape of aid provision in Nigeria is saturated with positive forces that help make the lives of people better, we also recognised that factors internationally and locally often leave certain demographics marginalised and underrepresented.’’
According to Akilu ,NEEM Foundation sought to understand why this happens, whether aid providers are aware of it, how aid beneficiaries feel about it, and how they can improve it.
She said that the research underscored the urgent necessity to address the root causes of crises and to provide equitable, needs-based humanitarian aid across all regions of Nigeria.
Presenting the findings of the report, Mr John Bryant, Research Fellow at the Humanitarian Policy Group and co-author of the new study, said while the North-East has had a major humanitarian response spanning more than a decade, humanitarian efforts in the North-West have been almost entirely absent.
“The stark differences are primarily a consequence of how respective conflicts are understood in both regions by the state and humanitarian actors.
“ The North-East is commonly framed as an ideologically- driven insurgency of Islamic extremism, a compelling narrative of an understandable threat that helped galvanise domestic and international attention, including an international humanitarian response.
“In contrast, the framing of the conflict in the North-West has worked to effectively depoliticise and deprioritise the region’s crisis. State and international actors commonly describe the crisis as one of ‘endemic banditry’ or ‘lawlessness’ drive fundamentally by underdevelopment.
“ Both of these characterisations are incomplete and simplistic, but have shaped the perceptions of donors and other actors that in turn drive discrepancies.’’
Bryant said that the research underscored the need for the global humanitarian system to reassess its prioritisation mechanisms, especially as donor budgets shrink and fewer people were being targeted in humanitarian appeals.
He added that the study emphasised that the solution for the North-West should not mirror the North-East response, instead, it advocates for leveraging local humanitarian capacities and supporting state-level authorities to develop more sustainable and effective interventions.
He said the study recommended that state authorities should be the central actors in delivering protection, services and development interventions for affected people.
Bryant added that the study called on humanitarian actors to uphold humanitarian principles, and assistance must be provided on the basis of need.
He said that lessons could and should be learned from the North-East on the responsibility for facilitating a needs-based and principled humanitarian approach among others.
Ms Meghan Diagle ,Senior Research Fellow at Humanitarian Policy Group, ODI, said that the organization is one of the world’s leading teams working on humanitarian issues.
“ We are dedicated to improving humanitarian policy and practice through a combination of high-quality analysis, dialogue and debate.
“The partnership we had with NEEM Foundation has produced a stronger, more interesting and more relevant piece of research that we could not have produced on our own.’’
Diagle advocated the need for international organisations to support local organisations to address the crisis locally by prioritising the adoption of localised approach to encourage local ownership in addressing the crisis and strengthening response among others.
(NAN)
The house of representatives has resolved to investigate the N1.1 trillion Sukuk road projects from 2017 to 2024.
The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during the plenary on Wednesday following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Gaza Gbefwi, a lawmaker from Nasarawa.
The investigation aims to uncover and identify “instances of diversion, inflation, or contractor non-compliance” in the execution of the road projects.
While moving the motion, Gbefwi said a report by the Debt Management Office (DMO) shows it raised over N1.1 trillion through six sovereign Sukuk issuances to finance 124 federal road projects spanning 5,820 kilometres across the six geopolitical zones.
The lawmaker highlighted the breakdown of Sukuk financing as follows: N100 billion in 2017, N100 billion in 2018, N162.557 billion in 2020, N250 billion in 2021, N130 billion in 2022, and N350 billion in 2023.
He said reports suggest that an additional N150 billion was issued in October 2023, bringing the cumulative total to approximately N1.242 trillion by the end of 2024.
“Despite this significant investment, Nigeria’s road infrastructure remains in a deplorable state, with over 70 percent of the country’s 200,000-kilometer road network still unpaved, as noted by S&P Global Ratings in January 2024,” he said.
“Without robust accountability mechanisms, the Sukuk programme risks becoming a conduit for mismanagement or corruption.”
The motion was adopted when it was subjected to a voice vote by Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker, who presided over the plenary.
Consequently, the house mandated the committee on works to conduct a “forensic probe” into the allocation, expenditure, and outcomes of the N1.242 trillion Sukuk fund.
The parliament also directed the federal ministry of works to provide detailed records of all Sukuk-funded projects, including financial disbursements, project statuses, and updated contractors’ performance.
National
INEC Notifies Natasha Akpoti Of Recall Move, Confirms Receipt Of Petitioners’ Contact Details
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has written to notify Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central, about the petition by constituents seeking her recall from the national assembly.
INEC said it has also received the contact details of the petitioners.
“Pursuant to section 69 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I write to notify you of the receipt of a petition from representatives of registered voters in your constituency seeking your recall from the senate,” the letter reads.
“The notification is in line with the provisions of clause 2 (a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
“This letter is also copied to the presiding officer of the senate and simultaneously published on the commission’s website. Thank you.”
The letter was signed by Ruth Oriaran Anthony, secretary to the commission.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, INEC said it has now received the updated contact details from representatives of petitioners seeking to recall the senator.
In the statement, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s national commissioner and chairman of information and voter education, said a letter notifying the senator of the petition has been delivered to her official address, copied to the senate presiding officer, and published on the commission’s website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days,” Olumekun said.
“The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent.”
Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
The allegation came in the wake of her seating arrangement altercation between Akpabio and the Kogi central senator at the red chamber
She was subsequently suspended from the senate for six months for “gross misconduct” over the incident.
The constituents behind the recall move also alleged her of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, and deceitful behaviour”.
The senator has denied wrongdoing and called the recall effort a “coordinated suppression” of her voice.
….Says Ibas only Accountable To Tinubu,Wike Only
The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the United States has rejected the appointment of Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as sole administrator of Rivers state.
BACKGROUND
On March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing the protracted political crisis and vandalisation of oil facilities.
The president suspended Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers state governor, Ngozi Odu, his deputy, and all house of assembly members for six months.
Tinubu also appointed Ibas as the sole administrator for Rivers state.
On March 20, the senate and the house of representatives controversially ratified Tinubu’s request for the emergency rule.
The presidency had said the decision to prevent further escalation of the political crisis in south-south state.
A statement on Wednesday by Lloyd Ukwu, NADECO USA president, said Ibas would only be accountable to Tinubu, Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory(FCT), and not the people of Rivers state.
Ukwu claimed that Tinubu lacks the constitutional authority to suspend Fubara and appoint a sole administrator, describing the appointment as “illegitimate”.
“Nigeria operates as a federation, with Rivers State as a sovereign entity, and Tinubu, as President, lacks the constitutional authority to unilaterally suspend an elected governor like Fubara,” he said.
“Rivers State is not a subordinate institution, neither is it a High School and Tinubu is not its overseer and not the Principal of a high school who can suspend a student willy-nilly.
“In a democracy, sovereignty resides with the citizens, not with an unelected administrator or an aspiring autocrat or want-to-be civilian dictator in Abuja.
“Governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed—leaders are entrusted with the power to serve the people, not to rule over them by imposing an administrator over them.
“The people of Rivers State exercised their democratic right in 2023 by electing Siminalayi Fubara as their governor.
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“They did not choose an imposed administrator. NADECO therefore demands the immediate resignation of this illegitimate appointee.
“True democracy requires that governance be rooted in the people’s will, expressed through free and fair elections.
“This imposed administrator is accountable not to Rivers people but to Tinubu, Akpabio, Kereke-Ekun, and Wike. His allegiance lies with these political actors, not with the citizens he claims to govern.
“The principle of ‘Power to the People’ is enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution and international human rights instruments, including the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Upholding this principle, NADECO insists that Rivers people must completely and resolutely reject this illegal administrator, forcing his resignation. Anything less is unacceptable.”