Author: NewsDesk

… Inside Internally Displaced Persons Haunted by Bandits, Abandoned by Govts BY TUNDE OMOLEHIN, SOKOTO/NIGERIA “Living in refugee camp in another country is unpleasant”, says Zainab Alhassan, a widow who has been helping women mostly victims of bandit attacks to return back to Sabon Birnin in Sokoto state. Sabon Birnin, is one of the Sokoto’ border communities with Niger Republic and most affected by the incessant attacks from armed bandits since 2018.  In a roll, the refugees who were eight in number- mostly young women are seen ushered into Zainab’s compound to get some palliatives. The women were identified as…

…How Conflict In Northwest Inspires Victims ‘Dual’ Citizenship BY TUNDE OMOLEHIN, SOKOTO/NGERIA Mariam Abubakar, a mother of six is one of the thousands Nigerian Refugees from Sabon Birnin and Isa communities of Sokoto state who were seeking asylum after being displayed by armed groups mostly referred to as bandits. She lives in Guidan Kare, a settlement most dominated by most Nigerians who now see the francophone country as a second home due to relative peace. Guidan Roujun, a suburb of Tahoua region, Niger Republic, where many Nigerians were currently hosted as refugees after fleeing their ancestral homes in Nigeria as…

Recently, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) through its Promoting Democratic Governance Project convened both journalists and civil society organizations across the northwest states, to brainstorm on issues of good governance and public accountability. SHAFA’ATU SULEIMAN reports. Over the years, the media have been globally acknowledged as the watchdog of the society while members of the civil society organizations have taken up the role of monitoring and evaluating issues that are essential for democracy, good governance and accountability within the society. Like most democratic countries, it is believed that both the media and civil society organizations have propelled Nigeria…

The Niger State Governor, Mohammed Bago has said climate change challenges are partly responsible for the spate of insecurity being witnessed in the country. Governor Bago stated this on Friday in Minna, the Niger State capital at a retreat on climate change organised by the Niger State Government for the House of Representatives Press Corps. Represented by the Niger State Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, Bago described climate change as one of the biggest problems confronting the nation today. He said, “In Nigeria, it (climate change) is a matter of concern to governments and experts because it is happening at a…

Poor hand hygiene practices play negative role in heath, livelihood, and sustainability for the lives of millions, especially children and vulnerable groups with limited access to WASH facilities in Nigeria. Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation, Mrs Enobong Mboho stated this on Tuesday in a keynote address she presented on this year’s Global Handwashing Day Celebration in Uyo, the state capital. The information, according to Mrs Mbobo, is contained in Nigeria’s Roadmap to Hand Hygiene for All. “Children are kept out of schools, preventable deaths in medical centers occur and millions of girls and women suffer in…

A professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Professor Munirdeen Ijaiya has revealed inventing a surgical procedure for the treatment of Vesico Vaginal Fistula. He made this known in his paper presented at the 243rd Inaugural Lecture entitled ‘The Leaking Pipes as Avoidable Tragedy of Womanhood; The Odyssey of a Fistula Surgeon’ in the institution on Friday. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that VVF is a childbirth complication that causes an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina, and which allows the continuous, involuntary discharge of urine into the vaginal…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ Sokoto Chapter has lauded the Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto-led State Government for initiating laudable projects, rehabilitating others and committing to beautifying roads within the metropolis within just 100 days in office. It made the commendation in a communique issued at the end of its congress and signed by Chair Dalhatu Abdullahi Safiyal-Magori and Secretary Muhammad Nasir Bello. It also appreciated the Sokoto State Government reviving monthly stipends to People Living with Disabilities (PLWD). The union urged members to continue to uphold the ethics of the noble profession as the watchdog of the…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) Sokoto Chapter has urged the State Government to intensify efforts in distributing palliatives and provide more, given the current economic reality. It stressed the need to use the recently launched Inter-State and Intrastate commuter buses to ease the challenge of transportation hikes following the fuel subsidy removal. The union made the call in a communique issued at the end of its congress and signed by Chair Dalhatu Abdullahi Safiyal-Magori and Secretary Muhammad Nasir Bello. It lauded Governor Ahmed Aliyu-led administration’s commitment and support to security agencies towards ending insecurity in the State.…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad Just as 24-year-old Patience James was about to leave Nigeria, albeit illegally, she ran into an old friend, Michael, who provided information regarding the Migration Resources Centre, meant to help prospective migrants find a foothold outside the country. “Securing employment in the country has proven to be an arduous endeavour, so I was contemplating attempting my luck through irregular migration, having witnessed some of my friends leave via such means,” she reveals. “I would have taken the perilous route had it not been for Michael, who informed me about the MRC’s mission to assist potential migrants and…

By Rakiya A. Muhammad TheSokoto State government has disclosed plans to ensure adequate capacity building and scale up the provision of eye care services across all public health facilities in the State. Commissioner of Health Hajiya Asabe Balarabe revealed this while flagging activities to mark this year’s World Sight Day with the theme “Love your eyes at work”. She said the state government, through the State eye care program in collaboration with Sight Savers International, was providing free eye care services and medications in commemoration of the Day. She underscored the importance of eye care and urged people to keep…