Author: NewsDesk

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The contrite secondary student wore a gloomy expression as she recalls how her constant bullying provoked pain in many. Senior Emmanuella was an infamous bully at a high school in a slum part of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. She was inconsiderate of other people’s feelings, aggressively dominating and intimidating schoolfellows. Her callous attitude repelled many who maintained their safe distance from her. However, Emmanuella began her transformation into a thoughtful personality in an empathic celebration of kindness in school. It was a great kick-start to a change that would inspire her to embrace a compassionate lifestyle.…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad For virtually all female local government councillors in Nigeria’s Northwest state of Sokoto, a significant achievement is being a role model to many women and young girls in their localities. Their emergence in a state with no woman in any elective office is a testament to their courage and determination, boosting female political participation at the grassroots. The move has not only produced positive effects and externalities in many social dimensions, such as girl child education, but also serves as an inspiration for many. Fifteen-year-old Halima Aminu was one of many out-of-schoolgirls in Sokoto Northwest, Nigeria. She…

Rakiya A.Muhammad There is increasing recognition of the importance of fisheries to development and the need to conserve marine resources, build resilience and improve the livelihoods of coastal communities. The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2022, with the theme ‘Towards Blue Transformation,’ put the value of international trade of fisheries and aquaculture products at $151 billion and the total employed in the primary sector of fisheries and aquaculture at 58.5million, with 21 per cent women. It, however, notes that the sustainability of marine fishery resources remains a significant concern, with the sustainably fished stocks falling to 64.6…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The light rain turned into a steady deluge, and torrential downpours continued for the next six hours at the Northern Nigeria community of Kwanni. Floodwater inundated residences, roadways, and marketplaces amidst persistent heavy precipitation. Life in the area is already negatively impacted by pollution in the water supply, poor air quality, erosion, and flooding. The living conditions in the community are challenging, and the community has many of the most vulnerable populations, among the approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion worldwide, which data suggests are living in situations that are very vulnerable to climate change.  Low-income levels characterise…

… We’re promoting agroforestry to encourage farmers on trees planting’ By Rakiya A Muhammad Concern over the adverse effect of using firewood and charcoal reechoed at the launching of the annual tree planting campaign in Sokoto State. This is just as the state government said it is promoting Agro-Forestry to encourage farmers to patronise the plantings of trees together with crops in their farmlands. “Besides, the constant emission and Chloro Floro Carbon (CFC) released which destroy the Ozone Layer and cause major Environmental Challenges and Global Warming,” Sokoto Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Sagir Attahiru Bafarawa observed, “studies by Rural Women…

Rakiya A.Muhammad The International Press Centre (IPC) has expressed concern about the reported threats on the life of Premium Times Journalist Saviour Imukudo and urged the Nigerian government and the security agencies to ensure that he is not harmed. IPC made the call in a statement signed by its Press Freedom Officer, Melody Lawal. The centre quoted a Premium Times report: “A man who supervised a poorly executed federal project in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria, threatened to kill a PREMIUM TIMES journalist over a report on the project.” It added that the voice in the background said: “Look at…

Rakiya A.Muhammad From climate change advocacy, adaptation and mitigation, tree planting and ecological restoration, efforts are intensifying in Sokoto State to tackle the climate crisis, which the United Nations e as ‘the defining issue of our time.’ “We are at a defining moment. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale.” UN states. “Without drastic action, today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly.” In Sokoto, raising awareness of climate…

Rakiya A.Muhammad There is an increasing emphasis on the effective management of soils towards achieving the global goal of food security. “Soils not only give us 95 per cent of the food we eat but also silently provide us with almost all ecosystem services and functions that enable life to exist on Earth,” points out Ronald Vargas, Secretary Global Soil Partnership, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. “This thin skin of the planet on which humans stand up every day is also responsible for cleaning, filtering and storing water, recycling nutrients, regulating the climate and floods and removing…

Rakiya A.Muhammad Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has attributed the delay in the admission of students to the new mega secondary in the Gudu local government area to insecurity. He disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists in Sokoto. It could be recalled that the present administration had 2016  embarked on the school project in Balle, headquarters of Gudu, as it was the only local government area in Nigeria without a secondary school. “The Gudu Mega school is one project that is very dear to my heart, but unfortunately, the insecurity denied us access to the facility,” he said.…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The low participation of women in active politics has remained increasingly of global concern. The UN General Assembly Resolution on women’s political participation observes:” Women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalised from the political sphere, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices, attitudes and gender stereotypes, low level of education, lack of access to health care and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women.” GENDER GAP The situation is even worse in some countries, such as Nigeria, where the Global Gender Gap Index 2022 rankings placed 123 out of 146 countries globally and…