Author: NewsDesk

Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Isah Bajini, has urged more concerted efforts to end all forms of gender-based violence in society, just as he noted political tendencies exacerbate gender-based violence. “Political tendencies exacerbate GBV because by encouraging area boyism (political thuggery) by our political parties, it encourages raping of women and children, it encourages stealing, robbery and banditry, “he pointed out. “All these things happening are exacerbated by thuggery, so we have to make our people conscious of that. ” The Commissioner stated this when he received members of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Sokoto Chapter. They…

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has applauded the signing into law of the Sokoto State Child Protection Bill and stressed the need to implement measures to ensure the well-being of all children. “We congratulate the Governor of Sokoto and, most importantly, the children of Sokoto for the entering into law of the Child Protection Bill,” UNICEF Representative in Nigeria Peter Hawkins stated.He added it sets an example for the states remaining that have not yet domesticated the Child’s Rights Act 2003 to do so as quickly as possible. Twenty-eight states, including Sokoto, have domesticated the Act, while Adamawa, Bauchi,…

Farmers in the North – Central and Taraba have narrated different experiences from the effects of irregular rainfall patterns on harvest during the 2021 farming season, as the cropping season rolls to an end. In a survey conducted News Agency of Nigeria in the zone, some of the farmers said the rains impacted on their crops positively as they were already recording bumper harvest. Others, however, submitted that the rains had ceased too early, which made them to experience poor yields. Experts are of the view that the irregular rainfall patterns which subsequently affect harvest in these parts of the country can also be attributed to the global…

UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said more needs to be done to ensure all Nigerians have access to safe toilets and shift closer to ending open defecation. According to UNICEF, the rate of open defecation in Nigeria has remained steady at 23 per cent, with 46 million Nigerians still defecating in the open. The Federal Government of Nigeria had in November 2018 declared a state of emergency in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and launched a national campaign tagged ‘Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilets’, as part of moves towards defecation-free Nigeria by 2025. “There is a clear…

By Shafa’atu Suleiman United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has harped on the need to ensure every community is open defecation free, noting a lack of safe toilets threatens everyone’s health. “Globally, the consequence of a sanitation crisis often manifests in morbidities and mortalities including those of Diarrheal infections, Cholera, SAM, etc. Daily, over 700 U5 children die from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water, sanitation and poor hygiene,” it noted. Speaking in Sokoto at a Media Dialogue in commemoration of World Toilet Day, Chief of Field Office Sokoto and Kano State, Muhammadeen Fall lamented only 25 per cent of those in…

As part of efforts in promoting ICT practice in Nigeria, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has empowered 50 women journalists with requisite skills and tools. The digital journalism initiative drew participants from Nigeria’s Northwest states of Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Kaduna. “It is to help increase awareness of the potentialities that the use of ICT in journalism offers in transforming the Profession, especially among Women Journalists,” NITDA Director-General Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stated. Speaking at the capacity building workshop organised in collaboration with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists Jigawa State Chapter, he added it…

Rakiya A. Muhammad For some hard-to-reach communities which lagged in ICTs, bridging the digital literacy divide means they can access critical information and digital media necessary to shape their day-to-day lives. Internet access positively affects agricultural outcomes for women in some rural areas in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is boosting computer-based examinations for the students. The youths access information to help improve their knowledge, attend online events, apply for internship programmes, and identify/create products and services. Tunga Asheri is one of these rural areas leveraging on a digital literacy initiative to change their narratives. It now has a…

Sokoto State Government has expressed commitment to tackling the out-of-school menace and ensuring education for affected boys and girls. It had enrolled 75,600 learners for the first phase of the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) programme. Speaking on the programme, Chair, Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board, Hon Shuaibu Gwanda Gobir, said BESDA which the state government is implementing in collaboration with the World Bank, targeted the out -of- school children. Gobir noted that the initiative had enhanced enrolment in school. He pointed out Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal had declared a State-of-Emergency on Education to improve the standard…

An assessment of the mother -to -child HIV transmission by researchers at the Nigeria Institute for Medical Research shows an intervention programme saved more than 2 000 babies saved from being born HIV positive. The institute screened 143,000 pregnant women for HIV at the facility. Out of the figure, it enrolled 7,076 HIV positive pregnant women on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme. Source: NIMR

… as UNICEF urges investment in critical services Nigeria ranks second in terms of the risks that climate change poses to children, according to UNICEF, calling on governments, businesses and relevant actors to increase investment in climate adaptation and resilience in key services for young people. “To protect children, communities and the most vulnerable from the worst impacts of the already changing climate, critical services must be adapted, including water, sanitation and hygiene systems, health and education services,” it stressed. It also underscored the need to “ensure the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is green, low-carbon and inclusive, so that…