Headlines
Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady, Advocates for Concerted Efforts to Promote Women’s Equality and Empowerment
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By Derrick Bangura
Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady, has advocated for concerted efforts to promote women’s equality and empowerment in the country in order to foster sustainable development.
Buhari made the call on Thursday during a Women in Culture event hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Abuja in honor of International Women’s Day in 2022.
The First Lady, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs and Administration, Dr Rukayatu Gurin, lamented the National Assembly’s rejection of a bill promoting women’s interests.
She did, however, praise women’s fortitude while encouraging them to do more.
He said more needed to be done to ensure provision of health, education, employment to women and the vulnerable, adding that the Aisha Buhari Foundation and Future Assured have in partnership and collaborations contributed to a lot of development of women, youths and children.
She noted that the theme of this year’s celebration; Gender Equality for Sustainable Development did not only identify the vital role of women in sustainable development, “But also signifies the role of women as mothers, sisters and daughters in engineering sustainable development.”
She added that: “The role cannot be effectively executed without promoting partnerships and collaborations in the provision of education, health and empowerment to women and youth.
“My Foundation, the Aisha Buhari and Future Assured have in partnership and collaborations contributed a lot to the development of women, youth and children.
“On this special day, I thank the Ambassador and our development partners for working hard to promote women development. To our women, I salute your resilience and encourage you to do more.
“To our stakeholders, I urge you to network more and intensify efforts to do more for women and children to reduce the effects of climate change.”
The First Lady said/ “We need everybody’s support in providing education, health, employment, empowerment for women and the vulnerable.
“I therefore call upon all to join hands in promoting women equality, and empowerment for sustainable development.”
On her part, the wife of the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Huili Liang, said women are founders of human civilization and promoters of social progress, hence special indicators to measure the progress of social civilization.
Liang said that China realizing the importance of women implements the basic national policy of equality between men and women, therefore incorporates women’s development into national-economic and social-development plans.
“With joint efforts of the whole society, Chinese women have made great progress in all fields, their status in economics, decision making management, health, education have been continuously improved.
“The gender gap narrowed from 4.1 percentage points higher for females than males in 2010 to 2.8 percentage points higher.
“The proportion of female employees in the whole society remains above 40 per cent, the poverty alleviation of rural poor women has achieved an overall victory.
“By the end of 2020, women accounted for about half of the nearly 100 million people who had been lifted out of poverty.
“The proportion of deputies to the National Women’s Congress and members of the Chinese People’s Consultative Congress is the highest in history,” Liang said.
Liang however noted that despite these achievements, the protection of women’s equal rights in employment, personal property, marriage and family still faces practical difficulties.
She also emphasized the importance of a global coordinated effort to end all forms of discrimination and inequality against women and the vulnerable.
Mrs Sulola Onyeama, wife of Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, praised Nigerian women for their efforts, resilience, and participation in all sectors.
Onyeama encouraged the women to keep doing more and to never give up.
Headlines
Commission, journalists partner to revamp water sector in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission (KADWREC) says it is partnering media practitioners towards revamping water services in the state.
Mr Dogara Bashir, the Executive Chairman of KADWREC, disclosed this on Monday at a one-day workshop organised for media practitioners on regulation of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ (WASH) activities held in Kaduna.
Bashir said the commission was aware of the importance of the role media practitioners played in the society.
He stated that the workshop was to provide an avenue to liaise with them as important stakeholders on water supply and sanitation services in the state.
Bashir said: “As media practitioners, we believe you are a gateway to the citizens so, the workshop would acquaint you with some of the regulations already in place so that you can in turn transmit it to the public
“The state of water services in Kaduna State is in dire need of attention and the State Water Corporation and KADWREC were established towards addressing the seeming challenges.
“The commission is mandated to ensure better service delivery and regulation of water and sanitation services in the State.
“The idea is that once the regulations are developed, we send them to the State Ministry of Justice to gazette and then we get the state government to endorse and give the go ahead to commence the implementation of the regulations
“We intend to implement them fully come January, 2025 God willing, as we have embarked on advocacy activities having gone to zones 1 and 2 where we talked to traditional rulers, security agencies and the Judiciary.”
He disclosed that a special Court has already been attached to the commission by the Chief Judge of the State for service providers who may likely violate regulations.
The chairman further said that amongst the commission’s objectives include ensuring security, reliability and quality of service in the production and delivery of water to the consumers as well making regulations to control the sinking of boreholes.
Others included; maximising access to water services by promoting and facilitating consumer connections to distribution systems in urban and rural areas.
According to Bashir, they also include ensuring that regulatory decision-making has regards to all the relevant health, safety, environmental and social legislation applying to the water sector.
Bashir further said that the commission collaborate with the relevant state and federal agencies on water policies.
Crime
2 ladies docked for allegedly obtaining money by fraud
The police in Lagos have dragged two women, Mmesuma Ofunna, and Blessing Adimekwe, before an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, over alleged obtaining money by false pretence.
Ofunna, 22, and Adimekwe, 25, were arraigned before the Magistrate, Mr L K J Layeni, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, stealing and conduct likely to breach peace.
They each, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, ASP Simon Uche, told the court that the defendants conspired with others now at large, to commit the offence on Oct. 26 at the Okokomaiko area of Ojo.
He alleged that they had obtained the sum of N70, 000 from one Faith Ahamefule, with a promise not to post her nude photo on social media.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendants later posted the nude photo of the nominal complainant on social media, knowing that their promise was false.
He alleged that they stole the N70, 0000, thereby conducting themselves in a manner likely to breach public peace.
The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 168(d), 287, 314, and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
The court granted the defendants bails in the sum of N500, 000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.
He adjourned the case until Jan. 8, 2025 for mention.
Headlines
Driver jailed 6 months for attempting to steal a car
A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday, sentenced a 37-year-old driver, Ahmad Umar to six months in imprisonment for attempting to steal a car.
The Magistrate, Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Bokkos in his judgment, ordered the convict to pay an option of N30, 000 fine or spend six months in prison.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Ibrahim Gokwat, told the court that the case was reported on Oct. 10, at the Area Command Police station through a distress call by one Sydney Peacemorie the complainant.
Gokwat said the complainant parked his Toyota RAV4 in front of Access Bank and went inside to carry out some transactions, only to return to find the convict inside his car.
“The convict unlawfully opened the car and was in the driver’s seat when the complainant raised alarm and he was apprehended, but his accomplice escaped.
“The convict was severely beaten by a mob but was rescued by the police,” said Gokwat.
“The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the Plateau Penal Code Law.
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