IRENA, ESCAP in joint forces on crisis response - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has joined forces with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to improve access to sustainable energy, bolstering the Asia-Pacific region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports ITREALMS.

The two organisations, ITREALMS gathered will offer recommendations to governments in the region positioning the energy transition as an integral part of the immediate response to the crisis and medium to long-term recovery efforts.

Asia-Pacific, home to half of the world’s population, is largely dependent on fossil fuels. Diesel, for instance, fuels the majority of the region’s off-grid electricity needs. 

According to ESCAP, 200 million people in the Asia Pacific region live without electricity and 1.2 billion people without access to clean cooking fuel. Joint efforts will focus on developing sustainable energy policies that are closely integrated with health and industrial development policies to bolster recovery efforts and rebuild economies.

“The pandemic is an opportunity for us to rethink our economic growth path that has come at a heavy cost to the people and planet,” said Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. 

“To bring about a fundamental shift for the energy transition, we need to adopt the motto of ‘no more business as usual’ for all stakeholders. Policymakers should not lose sight of the looming climate crisis, but rather design economic stimulus packages with social inclusion and environmental sustainability built into every decision in particular sustainable energy development.”

“We are living in truly unprecedented times, calling for decisive and cooperative action among the international community to save lives and support livelihoods all over the world,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. 

“The Asia-Pacific region faces unique energy challenges that undermine the ability of governments to respond to this crisis and build economic resilience. Renewables can underpin these efforts and therefore can play an instrumental role in both the response and the recovery.”

With national budgets strained by immediate COVID-19 needs, short to medium-term energy access investment may represent less of a priority for governments. However, underinvestment in this area could severely impact the capacity of rural health centres to support front-line health workers and provide essential services to COVID-19 patients. When a vaccine does become available, the provision of cold storage and refrigerated transport across large areas will be critical. Decentralized renewable energy technologies such as solar will be key for large-scale immunization efforts in developing countries.

Furthermore, slow progress in mainstreaming clean cooking solutions may expose millions of people to the dangerous combination of particulates and COVID-19. Scientists are already investigating links between air pollution and higher levels of coronavirus mortality, with preliminary results showing a probable correlation between the two.

Renewables can be deployed rapidly and are therefore well-placed to support immediate crisis response efforts including electrification of public health value chains. In the medium to long-term, renewables-based energy systems can also be an engine of sustainable growth. Renewable energy costs in many parts of the world now outcompete traditional energy sources, presenting cost saving opportunities for governments and consumers while boosting energy security, building energy independence and supporting climate-related nationally determined contributions.

According to IRENA’s recently launched Global Renewables Outlook report, renewables can supply more than half of all power needs in Southeast Asia alone by 2030, boosting the regional economy by more than 4.4 per cent and growing jobs by close to 50 per cent in the process. 

In a recent COVID-19 policy report for Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP identified renewable energy as one of the main sectors to include in stimulus packages.

During the 10th IRENA Assembly last January, ESCAP and IRENA signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to increase the uptake of renewable energy in the Asia-Pacific region, support the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and contribute to the achievement of SDG7 by 2030.

Nenye Dom/Editor

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Boko Haram: Nigeria's female combat pilots go to war - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS:

Flight Lieutenant Kafayat Sanni and her peers of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), are living their dreams as Nigeria's first female fighter pilots; even as she readies to go and kick asses of some Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) terrorists in the North East.

The essence of this epochal assignment should not be lost on us; because this mission is a policy milestone that took years of sacrifice, especially on the part of their predecessors, whose unfulfilled professional goals were galvanised to break the hitherto ironclad gender barrier against female officers in the Nigerian military. She and her pioneering colleagues will forever be remembered with nostalgia that once upon a time in the nation's history, Nigerian military female Pilots delivered a payloads of hellfire missiles against the insurgents who have degraded women as a sex object to be kidnapped and held in captivity. But with these female pilots joining the battlefield, is it not time to turn the tables on the insurgents?


Why do we think and expect so?
It is often written that whatever a man can do, a woman can even do better. Nevertheless, this axiom remained elusive in the combat history of the Nigerian Armed Forces until President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 authorised for the training of female officers on combat missions through admission into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). Expectedly, this helped to produce a set of 20 female cadets nicknamed 'Jonathan Queens' who were admitted into Nigeria's premier military training institution.

Unfortunately, this huge career leap for female officers and personnel was almost ruined in 2017 when President Muhammadu Buhari in a policy reversal reportedly gave a nod to end the admission of female cadets into the combatant course of the NDA. Buhari and Nigerian military authorities, allegedly came under pressure from some vested interests in the Northern part of Nigeria who were opposed to the idea of female combatants, and ratified that in the National Defence Policy 2017 (Revised); Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service Officers 2017. Consequently, the recommendation 19 of that revised policy was to phase out the training of female combatants in the NDA.

Even though some military sources cited the unacceptable danger and casualties of the female combatants, especially the ground forces, may incur at the hands of the insurgents in the Northeast as the reason for halting the programme, it was however, a major career blow.

Fortunately, there were other routes through which this all important mission for gender equality in the military could be achieved as there were various types of commissions in the Armed Forces namely: Regular Combatant Commission, Short Service Combatant Commission, Direct Regular Commission, Direct Short Service and Executive Commission. It was these veritable loopholes that have enabled the NAF to encourage the training and eventual winging of female pilot combatants that have passed with flying colours.

Therefore, as Sanni and other combat female Pilots have embarked on this national assignment against the terrorists in the North East and any other part of the country as the need arises, they have indeed pioneered a patriotic professional revolution for gender parity in the Armed Forces of Nigeria for generations to come. This is all thanks to the former President Jonathan as well as the gender sensitivity of the incumbent Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Since assumption of office, the Air Chief Abubakar, has made it a point of legacy mission to upgrade the professionalism and career of female officers in the Nigerian Air Force including churning out of well trained, able and capable combat pilots. To this end, his mission is being accomplished as well as commendably remarkable.

In line with this policy trend, Abubakar had on Tuesday, May 5, 2020, winged another female combat pilot as part of his mission to improve the operational capacity of the Air Force, adding that the 12 pilots winged had their flying training both in Nigeria and abroad having completed the nine months comprehensive flying training programme.

“I am happy that we have among the 12 winged was the second ever female helicopter pilot”, he added, before disclosing that another 26 student pilots are currently undergoing or scheduled to begin basic flying training abroad, out of which two are female officers.

“Upon completion of their training, one would become the second ever female fixed-wing fighter pilot in the NAF, while the other would graduate as the first ever female Qualified Flight Instructor (QFI) in the 56 years history of the Service. We have equally increased capacity for in-country flying training. At the moment, there are also 39 student pilots undergoing various stages of training in NAF flying schools”, he stressed.

It will be apt to recall that the NAF on October 15, 2019, made history by decorating Flying Officer Kafayat Sanni, as the first female combat helicopter pilot as well as Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, and others also known as the "NAF Female Pilots of War'. They are among the six outstanding female fighter pilots who are at the moment, proving their worth in the destruction of a strongholds of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the North East part of the country.

According to reports by PRNigeria and Global Sentinel, some of them are actively involved in degrading the enclaves of terrorists and bandits, especially in North-Eastern Nigeria. While flying Officer Genevieve Nwaogwugwu, Flight Lieutenant Chika Ani, and Flying Officer Olubunmi Ijelu are Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) pilots, Flying Officer Sanni and Flying Officer Arotile are fighter pilots currently serving to restore peace in the region ravaged by insurgency. Flight Lieutenant Blessing Liman is a respected Pilot in the Presidential Air Wing.

Commending this feat, the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, saluted all the women for what he described as their unique resilience, industry, productivity and commitment to humanity.

According to Daramola, the well trained and adequately equipped Women-of-War are proving their combat bravery and professional gallantry in complementing the efforts of troops in counter-insurgency campaigns and other crisis zones in the country.

He also revealed that the newly winged female helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Chinelo Nwokoye, "is expected to join other female pilots who are currently deployed in different theatres of operation in the country to contribute her quota in the defence of her fatherland".

Accordingly, with female fighter pilots swelling their ranks with skills, finesse and new perspectives, it would be safe to say that the Nigerian women in General and NAF female officers in particular, have come of age.
This was also acknowledged by the Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP), Air Vice Marshal James Gwani, who noted that the winging of the 12 pilots including the female combat officers, was another milestone achievement by the current NAF administration.

This, he said, would further boost the aircrew disposition of the Service and contribute to fulfilling the constitutional roles of the NAF especially in the series of ongoing air operations across the country. There is no doubt about this because as the saying goes: "the female can even do better".

*Contributed by Senator Iroegbu, a media practitioner, security and public affairs analyst. He can be reached on senator.iroegbu@yahoo.co.

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AfDB approves €40m grants for bridge linking Cameroon, Chad - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved grants worth €40.94 million for the construction of a bridge to connect Cameroon and Chad across the Logone river, reports ITREALMS.

The grants, comprising a €20.785 million tranche for Cameroon and €19.215 million for Chad, were approved on 30 April 2020. The facility is from the Investment Facility for Africa under a framework agreement between the Bank Group and the European Commission.

The funds will co-finance the costs of construction of the bridge between Yagoua in Cameroon and Bongor in Chad, access roads and feasibility studies, management said in a report to the Board.

The bridge, once completed, is expected to bolster bilateral and sub-regional integration and cross-border trade, safeguard life and property during the river crossing and boost socio-cultural ties between the two countries.

“Specifically, the project aims to promote interstate trade, particularly between Cameroon and Chad, reduce travel time and transportation costs, and improve accessibility of basic services by nearby communities,” the report noted.

In addition to the Logone river bridge, other projects under the Pillar Assessed Grant or Delegation Agreement (PAGODA) include the rehabilitation of the Lome-Cotonou road, road development and transport facilitation on the Bamako-San Pedro corridor between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and the rehabilitation of the CU2a community road section in Burkina Faso near the border with Niger.

The Bank and the European Commission are committed to co-financing development projects that tackle poverty by investing in critical infrastructure to promote seamless connectivity of transport, energy and ICT.


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COVID-19 testing: Shell boosts Rivers State with PCR machines, ventilators - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Rivers State is now set to start testing for COVID-19 in Port Harcourt with the receipt of the state’s first set of testing equipment from the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) among many other medical hardware and consumables presented to the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike on Wednesday.

SPDC’s Managing Director and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor, who presented two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines, the main testing equipment, ventilators and other medical items at the government house in Port Harcourt, said SPDC and its joint venture partners were committed to supporting the state to stop the spread of COVID-19 or any disease outbreak in the state.

Okunbor, who was represented by the Deputy Managing Director of SPDC, Simon Roddy, said, “While we remain committed to supporting the state government to deepen its efforts at managing the pandemic, we recognise inadequate testing capability in the Niger Delta and it is in response to this that we are presenting the state with COVID-19 compatible PCR machines and kits, while further extending medical equipment support to the holding centre at the Eleme General Hospital.”

The SPDC MD said the donation, the third in a series, was aimed at further enhancing the clinical capacities and capabilities at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.

In its first COVID-19 support to the state in March, SPDC had provided three vehicles, including fueling and maintenance, to aid in contact tracing. The second set of donations was made on April 7 when the company gave an ambulance, generator and medical equipment to enable the operations of the State Holding Centre at the Eleme General Hospital, for any disease outbreak in Rivers and neighbouring states.

Receiving the donations, Governor Wike said, “Thank you Shell and NNPC for your partnership that has resulted in the donation of these PCR machines. Now you have supported the state. The COVID-19 pandemic is a war, more than the conventional warfare, and everybody must work together to win it. The lives of my people are very important to me. I took an oath to protect lives and property and we must do everything that we can to mitigate and reduce the transmission of the disease.”

In his remarks, NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, who was represented by the corporation’s Zonal Manager, Mr. Adebola Aderibigbe, pledged NNPC’s continued support to the state to ensure minimal impact of the pandemic in the state and the Niger Delta region.

The equipment donated included oxygen concentrators, suction machines, defibrillator, ventilators, wheeled stretchers, swabs, personal protection equipment including googles and N95 masks, ambulance, and a generator; while a Shell-funded off-grid power solutions company, All On, has also completed the solar-powered electrification project, providing the state’s holding centre in Eleme with electricity from a 9.6Kw solar and 30kWh battery storage solution. All On executed the multi-million-naira project through one of the rising innovative firms in the off-grid sector, GVE.

Also at the donation event were the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tamunobaabo Wenike Danagogo; The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Professor Princewill Anthony Chike; SPDC’s General Manager External Relations, Igo Weli; and the company’s Regional Community Health Manager, Dr. Akin Fajola.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor

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Pix: Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, displays one of the coronavirus testing machines donated to the state by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), at the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday. The governor is flanked by SPDC’s Deputy Managing Director, Simon Roddy (left), and the Zonal Manager, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, Adebola Aderibigbe.

COVID-19: NLNG hands over Bonny Holding Centre - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has donated a 10-bed Holding Centre, at the Bonny Zonal Hospital as part of its support to the host community towards fight against spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), reports ITREALMS.

This handover was done on Tuesday on the heels of the donation of two vehicles, medical and other materials to the Rivers State Government in Port Harcourt recently. 

The company had earlier revealed that it was committing to N1 billion in various interventions in the State.

Handing over the facility to the Hospital, Tony Attah, NLNG’s Managing Director, represented by Godson Dienye, the company’s Manager, Community Relations, said the sustained resolve to actualise NLNG’s vision of “helping to build a better Nigeria” continues to inspire the company’s passion to establish a healthy society.

He said: “This has been the thrust of all of Nigeria LNG’s socio-economic intervention programmes in the community and I am happy to note that our efforts are well received and are impacting Bonny and our other host communities positively.

While receiving the facility, Rivers State Commissioner of Health, Professor Princewill Chike, represented by The Medical Officer in charge of the Zonal Hospital Bonny, Dr. Babep, said that the Holding Centre will be efficiently managed to promote good health and secure the safety of residents of Bonny Local Government Area, just as the Bonny Community Health Insurance Programme (BCHIP), a partnership between NLNG and the State Government, is already doing.

He stated further that “NLNG has consistently proven to be a reliable development partner through its numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives which have had direct bearing on the well-being of the masses. Only recently, the company demonstrated once again that it is a friend to Rivers State by its donation of medical equipment worth over $500,000 dollars to the State Government to manage the coronavirus pandemic. The Company also pledged an intervention at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital worth $1Million.”

Other items donated by NLNG for use on Bonny Island include one oxygen bank consisting of 5 bull nose cylinders, 10 drip stands, 10,000 one-fit N95 health care particulate respirator and surgical masks, 25,000 surgical masks, 50,000 nitrile gloves, 12,500 hooded coveralls with boots, 70 respirators, 5 suction machines, 3 single air conditioners for consulting rooms, 5 split air conditioners for wards, wall mounted hand sanitizers and 10 patient monitors.

NLNG ‘s other programs to boost the healthy well-being of people on Bonny Island include the Bonny Malaria Eradication Programme instituted in 2019 to cut malaria-related mortality among women and children under-five to zero and make Bonny Island Nigeria’s first malaria-free zone.

NLNG stated that its contribution to the fight against the pandemic is in line with its vision of “…helping to build a better Nigeria”.

Nenye Dom/Editor


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FG gives 2-month palliative to broadcast stations - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The Federal Government of Nigeria has given a two-month license-fee waiver to broadcasting stations, reports ITREALMS.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed that the granting of a two-month licence-fee waiver for terrestrial broadcast stations in the country by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), as part of efforts to ease the negative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the broadcast industry.

Raising from a meeting between his ministry and BON in Abuja, Wednesday, he also disclosed the setting up of a committee of Creative Industry stakeholders to look into and advise the Federal Government on the best way to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on the industry.

“Before I announce the terms of reference of the committee, let me say that in the interim, I want to announce that I have approved the request by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to grant a two-month licence-fee waiver for terrestrial broadcast stations in Nigeria.

“I make bold to say that while BON members have been hit hard by the current pandemic, they are not alone. In fact, the entire Creative Industry, which also covers the Broadcast Industry, has been affected by the pandemic that has inflicted extensive damage on the economy of nations across the world,” he said.

Alhaji Mohammed stressed the need for a collective and
government-supported approach in dealing with the immediate, short and long term palliatives and initiatives for the industry, in order to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on the Industry.

“We have therefore decided that instead of addressing this problem piecemeal, we should do so holistically for a more positive outcome,'' he said, noting that the Creative Industry is a very critical sector of the nation's economy and a major plank of the economic diversification policy of this Administration, in addition to creating the highest number of jobs after Agriculture.

The Minister said the terms of reference of the committee include to assess the expected impact of the pandemic on the industry in general and advise the Government on how to mitigate job and revenue losses in the sector as well as to create succour for the industry small businesses.

The committee is also to suggest the type of taxation and financing that is best for the industry at this time to encourage growth and also advise the Government on any other measure or measures that can be undertaken to support the industry.

The committee has Ali Baba, a renowned Comedian, as Chairman while Anita Eboigbe of the News Agency of Nigeria will serve as Secretary.

Other members of the Committee include Bolanle Austen Peters, Charles Novia, Segun Arinze, Ali Jita, Baba Agba, Kene Okwuosa, Efe Omoregbe, Prince Daniel Aboki, Chioma Ude, Olumade Adesemowo, Dare Art Alade and Hajia Sa'a Ibrahim.

Representatives of the Fashion, Publishing, Photography as well as Hospitality and Travel sectors are also to be included in the committee, which has four weeks to submit its report.

In her remarks, the Chairperson of BON, Hajia Sa’a Ibrahim, who was represented by Sir Godfrey Ohuabunwa, called for urgent mitigating measures for broadcast stations in the country which, she said, have all suffered huge revenue losses due to the pandemic.

She disclosed that privately-owned broadcast stations have contributed over N2 billion worth of airtime, free of charge, for public sensitization and awareness campaign for the containment of the disease in Nigeria as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.

*Uboshe Uboshe/Editor
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Ireland joins AfDB as 81st member - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:


North-western European country, the Republic of Ireland has become the African Development Bank Group’s 81st shareholder, following a declaration issued by the institution’s President, Akinwumi Adesina, on 24 April 2020, reports ITREALMS.

Ireland’s application to join the African Development Bank Group was approved during the Annual meetings of the Board of Governors of the Bank Group held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June 2019.

In February 2020, the nation deposited the Instrument of Ratification of the Agreement Establishing the African Development Fund with the Secretary-General of the Bank Group during a delegation visit to the Bank’s headquarters, moving one step closer to concluding the membership process.

“Ireland’s joining the African Development Bank is a mark of great confidence in the Bank. I am delighted to welcome Ireland as the 81st member of the African Development Bank. Ireland’s membership and shareholder support will further boost the African Development Bank’s mission to accelerate Africa’s economic development,” African Development Bank’s President Akinwumi Adesina declared.

Commenting on the membership, Irish Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe stated: “The African Development Bank and its sister the African Development Fund play an important role in fostering sustainable and inclusive social and economic growth and prosperity, helping the African continent to realize its potential to be the continent of promise and opportunity. I see our membership of the Bank and Fund as an investment in this potential. Ireland’s partnership with these important regional multilateral institutions will both advance our shared development priorities and will open future opportunities for Irish businesses in the region.”

Ireland’s Strategy for Africa 2025 includes a commitment to collaborate with the critical financial institution on the continent, as well as to explore new partnerships to support policy development and program implementation; and deepen engagement in blended finance mechanisms for job creation.

Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, said there was strong alignment between the priorities of Ireland’s international development policy, A Better World, and the African Development Bank’s overarching High 5s strategy. “This marks an important deepening of Ireland’s long standing partnership with Africa. I know that membership of the Bank will further strengthen the role Ireland plays in sustainable and inclusive development on the continent. Ireland’s membership also comes as the African Development Bank provides crucial support to countries’ COVID-19 response,” he said.

“Ireland’s African Development Bank membership is also an important expression of our commitment to, and investment in, the multilateral system and of our contribution to peace, security and sustainable development in Africa. This partnership will help us reach the furthest behind first,” Coveney added.

Membership of the Bank Group is subject to the signing of the Agreements establishing the Fund and Bank, deposit of the instruments of acceptance/approval of the Fund and the Bank Agreements, and the payment of the initial subscriptions to the Fund and capital stock of the Bank.

Ireland fulfilled those requirements, having made payments for its initial subscriptions and also depositing its instrument of ratification of the Bank Agreement with the United Nations, the statutorily appointed depository and its initial deposit of the instrument of acceptance of the Fund Agreement with the Secretary-General of the Bank Group.

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank Group authorized capital is subscribed by 81 member countries, made up of 54 African countries (regional members) and 27 non-African countries (non-regional members). 

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'Africa: Universal Acceptance means digital inclusion' - ITREALMS

ITREALMS: 

The principle of Universal Acceptance (UA) of the Internationalised Domain Names (IDN) has been described as an object for Africans digital inclusion, reports 

ITREALMS.

The Beninese Universal Acceptance Ambassador, Mr. Yazid Akanho made this known recently in a chat with the IDN 2020 World Report.

According to him, African continent has a lot of population who cannot read and write in the official languages using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) characters.

ASCII is a character encoding standard for electronic communication, which represents text in computers, telecommunications equipment, and other devices.

In Africa, he said, many are literate in languages that ​​use non-Latin scripts or special characters.

UA, Akanho said, empowers these people to use Internet in their own languages ​​and preserve their respective cultural identities.

“The next billion Internet users will come from this category of people,” he said, stressing that at the moment, some 40 per cent of Africa is currently connected to Internet that’s only 10 per cent of the online population.

Also, Akanho said, the greatest potential for new users is to be found in Africa and IDNs are a means of getting them there, stressing it availed domain names and email addresses in Zulu, Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa etc.

“So UA and IDNs are opportunities to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, improving digital inclusion for Africans,” Akanho submitted.

Chuks Egbune/DoP

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19m children internally displaced by conflict, violence in 2019 says UNICEF

ITREALMS: 

UNICEF has warned that internally displaced children globally including Nigeria are among the world’s most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic, reports ITREALMS.

The warning came as the organization released a report looking at the risks and challenges facing internally displaced children, and the urgent actions needed to protect them.

In north-east Nigeria, there are currently 1.9 million people displaced from their homes. Sixty percent of them are children, with 1 in 4 under the age of five.

Globally, an estimated 19 million children - more than ever before, according to UNICEF - were living in displacement within their own countries due to conflict and violence in 2019 – some of them for years.

The report, ‘Lost at Home’, looks at the risks and challenges internally displaced children face, and the urgent actions needed to protect them. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, these children are among the most vulnerable to its direct and indirect impacts.

“Hundreds of thousands of children in north-east Nigeria are living in the shadow of conflict – and now in the increasingly challenging shadow of a global pandemic and it’s potential socio-economic aftermath,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

“When a new crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic emerges, displaced children are especially vulnerable and the gaps in our ability to keep them safe are even more stark. We must urgently work together – all of us, government and humanitarian partners - to keep them safe, healthy, learning and protected.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is making a critical situation for displaced children and families around the world even worse. They often live in overcrowded camps or informal settlements, where access to basic hygiene and health services is limited, and where physical distancing is not possible. This is true in Nigeria’s north-east, where conditions pose a particular challenge to containing the possible spread of diseases like COVID-19.

Internally displaced children around the world often lack access to basic services and are at risk of exposure to violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking, according to the UNICEF report. They are also at risk of child labour, child marriage and family separation, which all pose direct threats to their health and safety.

According to the report, there were 12 million new displacements of children in 2019 - 3.8 million of them were caused by conflict and violence, and 8.2 million by disasters linked mostly to weather-related events like flooding and storms.

UNICEF and partners are currently working to protect displaced children in north-east Nigeria through critical health and nutrition services, providing access to life-saving WASH services through accelerated construction of facilities, and adapted solutions to continuing education - including the provision of radios for distance learning while schools are closed.

“What we really need now are strategic investments and a united effort from government, civil society, private sector, humanitarian actors and children themselves to find solutions that can protect children from the affects of displacement – especially as we face the COVID-19 pandemic – and also address and help mitigate the longer term impacts this can have on children’s health and education,” said Peter Hawkins.

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N121.2 trillion: What FG plans to do with Abacha loot - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed the receipt of some $311 million United States Dollars, about N121,252,680,000 on Monday, May 4, 2020, reports ITREALMS.

Confirming this, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said that on Monday, May 4, 2020, some $311 million US Dollars “stolen from the citizens of Nigeria during the Abacha regime - were safely returned to our country from the United States.”

These funds, he said, have already been allocated, and will be used in full, for vital and decades-overdue infrastructure development: The second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressways - creating tens of thousands of Nigerian construction jobs and local skills, which can then be useful in future projects.

“Part of the funds will also be invested in the Mambilla Power Project which, when completed, will provide electricity to some three million homes - over ten million citizens - in our country,” he said in a press statement available to ITREALMS.

As said by him, the receipt of these stolen monies and the hundreds of millions more that have already been returned from the United Kingdom and Switzerland are “an opportunity for the development of our nation, made far harder for those decades the country was robbed of these funds.”

He pointed out that indeed, previous monies returned last year from Switzerland worth some $320 million US dollars are already being used for the government’s free school feeding scheme, a stipend for millions of disadvantaged citizens, and grain grants for those in severe food hardship.

Without these funds, he said, the fight against Covid-19 would be even tougher. The latest return is a testament to the growing and deepening relationship between the government of Nigeria and the government of the United States.

FG, he said, receive lots of cooperation both from the UK Government, the US Executive branch and US Congress, without which Shehu emphasized “we would not have achieved the return of these funds at all.

For years many countries deemed successive Nigerian administrations as too corrupt, too venal and too likely to squander and re-steal the stolen monies so they did not return the funds.

“Today, US, UK and other jurisdictions have found the partnership with the nation of Nigeria they can finally trust. The Buhari Administration is committed to - and is enacting - total and zero tolerance to corruption in politics and public administration,” he said.

Insisting that the days when government was seen and used by the political class as their personal ATM to empty are over.

“The time of better governance and clean hands in the affairs of state is here to stay,” he said.
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