Tuesday 4 October 2016

Air Force: Another fight for girl-child


Air Force: Another fight for girl-child


















Inside the headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Abuja, the vision statement of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar was boldly written. The statement reads:  “To re-position the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force through capacity building initiatives for effective, efficient and timely employment of air power in response to Nigeria’s national security imperatives.”
On the surface, it may look like one of those well-crafted mission statements which usually end up as empty statements, but for the man who is referred to simply as “chief”, the vision is worth every weight.
One of the ways which the CAS is hoping to re-write history and fulfil his vision is through education not only of Air Force personnel-which is done through training- but also providing for the needs of the dependents of his men through provision of world-class educational facilities.
One of such is the Air Force Girls’ Comprehensive School located at the NAF Base Abuja.  The NAF was not the original initiator of the school, but the Nigerian Air Force Officers Wives Association (NAFOWA) led by Hajia Hafsat  Abubakar, wife of the CAS. But the NAF took over the construction of the school after NAFOWA ran out of resources to complete it in 2013.
In December 2015, the CAS directed that work should resume and in eight months, a world class infrastructure stood in the ruins of the abandoned structure. What was built was described by the Minister for Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan as a “21st century school.”  The sparkling new school boasts a mini stadium, dining hall, hostel, tennis court, fully equipped classrooms, a library and a clinic. There is a standby generator to provide electricity while the science, art and agriculture laboratories and four other classrooms are equipped with interactive white boards which enables the students to experience the three ways of learning: hear, see, feel.
Educating the girl child
The CAS did not bite his lips when he enumerated the importance of educating the girl child and why the NAF view it as one of its cardinal focus.” Our experience in fighting insurgency in the Northeast indicates the exploitation of the girl-child by insurgents due to low literacy level. At present, birth rate statistics show that 65 percent of births are girls. It is documented by most state Ministries of Education that the enrolment of girls in secondary schools is below 45 percent.
“This statistic is further supported by the results of the West African Examination Council. For instance in 2011out of a total of 688,516 girls that sat for the examination, only 226,804 got 5 credits. Similarly in 2012, about 747,553 girls sat for the examination and only 310,822 were successful.”
The CAS said this NAF resolved to establish the school as “our modest contribution to Mr. President’s efforts at enhancing girl-child education in Nigeria.” With the new school, the NAF now has two secondary schools dedicated to girl-child education with one in Jos and Abuja respectively. He added that the school will educate the hearts and minds of the girls that would pass through its gates.
For the Minister of Education, the construction of the school was “humbling” also stressing that the ratio of girl child education to boys is 1:3 in some states. This is also reinforced by the extremism of Boko Haram and the risks associated with girl child education kept the female educational attainment perpetually low.
After commissioning the school and a tour of the facilities was conducted, Dr. Yemi Esan said: “ I came here with some uncertainties but I am impressed, this school is directed towards the underprivileged to curt out of school syndrome, we encourage other arms of government to follow suit, this is a 21st century school.”
Yemi- Esan would not be the only one to be impressed, the next day at the Air Force Base Kaduna where NAFOWA had rehabilitated a nursery school and added the NAFOWA Little Angels Primary School, the CAS was also left impressed.
“I am overwhelmed,” he said when he was called to make a remark after the school had been commissioned by Hajia Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the wife of Kaduna State Governor, Hajia Hadiza El-rufai.
“Four years ago, I brought my daughter to the crèche here, but I am sure she cannot recognize her school again because of the transformation,” he said. Like the girls school, the NAFOWA Primary school was built to world standard with ample playing room for the children, a fully equipped library and computer centre, spacious and conducive atmosphere for learning, white black boards, fully equipped home economics room and a crèche with modern facilities.
While the CAS may have focused on education for the dependents of personnel, the real driver of these projects is adding value to the society.” Adding value to the society is our core mandate, I strongly belief that adding value to the society is the best legacy we can bequeath to our children,” he said.
But there is also a greater vision: thinking ahead.
“We have recruited 2,400 personnel and with the increase, you must start thinking of infrastructure. Our actions are driven by the desire to add value to society and that is the right direction to go,” he said.
There are many worries that come with such projects, will the infrastructure not a pointer to an exorbitant school fees.  Will the school be opened to children of civilians and how would the NAF maintain such a high standard facility, how much was expended into the project?
The CAS has answers for all. The school will follow the usual NAF fees schedule without adding anything on, the school will be opened to civilians, the NAF has maintenance structure put in place and the schools are of high standard so will stand the test of time and the schools are built using direct labour from the NAF, thereby cutting costs and enhancing the skills of Air Force engineers.
SOURCE: Thenationonlineng

Thursday 29 September 2016

Nigeria’s Anti-Terrorism War And Lessons from Civilian JTF

Nigeria’s Anti-Terrorism War And Lessons from Civilian JTF
In war situations, there are always the unsung heroes. But it does not belittle their sacrifices in consummating the war.  Not many Nigerians have inkling about the lofty contributions the innocuous bands of youths in Borno state, self- styled as the Civilian Joint Task Force (C-JTF) made in the counter-insurgency battles.
They are even confused as a replication of the more popular Military Joint Task Force (M-JTF), mainly populated by the Nigerian security agencies. But C-JTF shares no similarity with M-JTF, but they are only conjoined by a common motivation- the freedom of their country from the fangs of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs).
Initially, C-JTF members were a bunch of idle, but angered young men, domiciled in different parts of the Northeast, who tolerated years of the decimation of their population and annexation of their territories by insurgents. Provoked, they decided to willingly enlist into the anti-terror war to save their communities.
Such guts deserved special commendations. And it came from the highest level. It came from a man who understood the risk of putting men on the war front. It came from the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai who publicly acknowledged and praised the contributions of the CJTF in the war against BHT. On several occassions such as during the opening of roads like Maiduguri – Damboa, Maiduguri – Gamboru Ngala and at Damaturu  – Biu road, the COAS reserved special commendations for the bravery of CJTF.
Having led the offensive against the terrorist group, the COAS himself realises that they are a great assets to the fight against BHT. No wonder, the military under Buratai’s leadership tactically deployed the CJTF operatives in the core area of intelligence gathering which yielded many positive ambushes against the terrorists by the military and degraded BHT supplies.
Day and night, youths who would later become members of the C-JTF watched the violent elimination of their beloved ones by the lethal explosions of terrorists. They wailed and woke up the next day to face fresh conflagrations, some of which also consumed their own peers, friends and family members.
They gauged the spirited efforts of the Nigerian military in taming the monsters and concluded, it was deficient to the extent soldiers were alien to the communities and could not identify insurgents in their midst. It was this patriotic impulse that beckoned at them and they responded.
This was after former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the Northeast in 2013. It initially started as the Volunteer Young Vigilance Group and later, renamed, C-JTF. Adamu Buba who chairs the C-JTF, Sector 5, recounted that youths in the area were spurred into action by the terrorists attack   on Giwa Barracks in Borno state.  They felt injured and challenged; prompting the instant decision of youths to mobilize to the spot to render assistance to the army.
C-JTF’s presence at the scene of the Giwa barracks attack incident was their first and close encounter with the military as an organized group. The encounter was quite nasty because soldiers held them in suspicion, as vestiges of the aggressors who attacked them. Soldiers in stern voices, with brandishing guns, asked them to lie flat and roll on the ground. They complied and endured the pain, before a chance to explain their mission rendered itself. Soldiers saw in their rare courage, an instant ally.
The sight of people hastily escaping from the attack never deterred them either, as they instantly and fearlessly engaged the Boko Haramists in fierce combats with machetes, bows and arrows.  The terrorists fled Giwa, compelling them to bid a retreat, but not without incurring some human casualties.
With this singular act of bravery C-JTF launched itself as a potent ally of the military in the counter-insurgency war.  In their ranks, were farmers, hunters, graduates, village jesters, wood carvers and even princes. They were all united by a common mission- how to assist liberate their communities from devilish fiends.
Soon, the concept of C-JTF spread to other parts of the Northeast. And their work had no restrictions. They conducted security checks, acted as informants to security agents of BHTs in their midst, exposed their hideouts to soldiers, battled insurgents on the field alongside with the military and rescued captives seized by terrorists.
Additionally, the C-JTF assisted the Nigerian army to navigate strange areas in the difficult terrains of the Northeast and sustained vigilance over communities. C-JTF also incurred irreplaceable losses in the cause of fighting to liberate their fatherland. Some of their members died in battle; others were trailed and gunned down by BHTs in cold blood for spying on them for the military. The sacrifices have been enormous.
History has etched the name of C-JTF in gold as the civilian troops in   Nigeria’s counter-insurgency war. The huge contributions and sacrifices the C-JTF who staked their necks to assist the military accomplish in decimating BHTs would remain a permanent reference point.
Needless to say, bowing to the superior pressure imposed by truth, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Tukur Buratai is emphatic that “ It is not yet Uhuru” with anti-terrorism war. The remnants of BHT terrorists yet to surrender have taken refuge in various communities.
It pleads to community involvement, cooperation and support. Security as the cliché goes is everybody’s business. And among security breaches, terrorism is apparently the worse.  It imposes a sacred duty on Individuals and groups in every community to continue to sustain its vigilance and, to immediately alert security agents of threat to peace or its likely breach.
If the Northeast is today liberated from the fangs of BHTs, it is because its young and agile youths placed community and national interests above their lives in the quest for salvation.  The reward has been immense, both in the sight of God and humanity.
As mark of appreciation, more than 250, 000 of the C-JTF members have been commissioned into the Nigerian army, as assured by Gen. Buratai. Another 20 of these carriers of bows and arrows have been   recruited into the State Security Service (SSS) to officially become part of the security sentinels of Nigeria.
When the C-JTF recruits into the military paid him a thank-you visit recently, Borno state Governor, Kashim Shettima exclaimed in happiness that “The emergence of the Civilian-JTF was a game changer in the fight against Boko Haram.”
Terrorism in the Northeast is a history narrated and, perhaps, forgotten. But it is not the only area Nigeria is facing insecurity crisis. The Northwest is still plagued by the scourge of armed banditry and cattle rustling. The Niger Delta is caged by its own resentful militancy and sounds of its own disastrous bombs. North central Nigeria is under the yoke of herdsmen and farmers clashes in an era the entire globe is ardently preaching global food security.
These communities are not barren of sensible youths, like members of the C-JTF,   who   should frown at the vagaries of man to suddenly become animalistic and beastly. The budding youths of these communities are challenged to emulate the exemplary conduct of the C-JTF by voluntarily rising up to pair with security agents to liberate their   communities from the shackles of destruction by regressive elements.
None of the C-JTF members was prodded into action by anybody or paid a dime for this voluntary service to community.  It was just a patriotic instinct for the love of one’s community.  But today, the Nigerian military’s triumph over Boko Haram in alliance with the C-JTF is a joy shared and relished by every Nigerian. Youths elsewhere could become warriors in their communities by replicating this wonderful and exceptional patriotism.
SOURCE: Charles Ibekwe for threakingtimes news

75,000 Nigerians could starve to death: UN

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The UN Children's Fund has delivered a dire warning that 75,000 children in Nigeria will die over the next year.

As many as 75,000 children will die in Nigeria over the next year in famine-like conditions created by Boko Haram if donors don't respond quickly, the UN Children's Fund warns.
The severity of malnutrition levels and high number of children facing death make the humanitarian crisis confronting northeastern Nigeria perhaps the worst in the world, according to Arjan de Wagt, nutrition chief for UNICEF in Nigeria.
Most severely malnourished children die of secondary illnesses like respiratory infections, de Wagt told The Associated Press. "But with famine, you actually die of hunger,'' and that is what is happening, he said.
Severe malnutrition is being found in 20, 30 and even 50 per cent of children in pockets of the region, he said.
UNICEF on Thursday doubled the amount of its appeal for Nigeria, saying $US115 million ($A150 million) is needed to save children whose "lives are literally hanging by a thread.'' Only $US24 million ($A31 million) has been raised so far, the agency said.
The lack of money has meant some 750,000 people living in accessible areas could not be helped this year, spokeswoman Doune Porter told the AP.
Most of the estimated 2.6 million people who fled Boko Haram's insurgency are subsistence farmers who have been unable to plant for two years or more.
SOURCE: AAP

Wednesday 28 September 2016

What Every Nursing Mother Can Learn From Dr Olaitan About Breasts Sagging

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Dr (Mrs) Onayiga Olaitan, Medical Director, Lagos-based Queen of Mercy Medical Centre, talks about this and a lot more with Josephine Agbonkhese of the Vanguard.
On how breastfeeding make the breasts sag
There is a way a woman should breastfeed her baby. If you go through the normal position for breastfeeding, there is the likelihood that the breasts might not sag. However, in majority of women, breastfeeding makes the breast sag. This is because during the process of lactation, the breasts would have enlarged with a lot of milk collection in it. Eventually, after about a year when you have weaned your baby and the breast has to go back to its original size, there is the tendency that it is going to sag because of the space the milk had occupied before. But for some women, the sagging is more likely to happen if they don’t sit properly during breastfeeding; in a way that the child does not have to stretch the breast to feed.
On if bras can help breasts go back to shape after breastfeeding
There is a possibility but it is not to the normal size. What happens in a sagged breast is that the tissues are already loose, so, wearing some bras like the ‘packing’ bras, could actually help to reduce the looseness. As such, we can also reduce the sagging but not bring the breast back to normal totally.
It is advised that while a woman is breastfeeding, she should not leave her breast without bras because during these period, the breast is loose. So, it is better you wear bras so that they help to keep the tissues in the breasts firm. But most women believe wearing a bra while still breastfeeding would weaken milk flow… That is not true.
The mechanism of breastfeeding and breast milk production has nothing to do with bras. When the child puts the mouth to suckle, there are some messages that are sent to some parts of the brain and automatically, you have the release of hormones and the milk automatically comes out. So, the only thing that can impede breast milk’s flow is if the child is not sucking properly. But once the child is sucking properly, whether you wear tight bras or not does not matter; that will even help prevent the breast from getting unnecessarily engorged.
SOURCE: Vanguard

Post Insurgency Reconstruction: Shettima Sleeps In Uba, Another Liberated Stronghold, Tours Pulka, Gwoza, Lassa

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Governor Kashim Shettima on Tuesday passed the night in Uba town, once held by Boko Haram in Askira-Uba local government area of southern part of Borno State. The Governor left Bama on Tuesday where he had relocated for nearly one week to mobilize reconstruction works and return of civil authority in the town which was worst hit by the insurgent attacks.
Uba town was put to life when the Governor arrived the Emir’s palace as he was received by obviously happy residents. Governor Shettima inspected destructions by insurgents during their occupation in the town and held meetings with locals towards enhancing community policing.
The Governor also inspected destruction in Lassa, another major town in Askira-Uba local government area during which he inspected houses, at the popular EYN church and gave directive for immediate reconstruction.
Before arriving Uba, Shettima was in Pulka, a populated village in Gwoza local government area during which he interacted with hundreds of returned IDPS. The Governor proceeded to Gwoza which served as a Boko Haram caliphate and inspected destructions before addressing elders and women at separate gatherings. While addressing hundreds at the Palace of the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Mohammed Idrissa Timta  the Governor pledged commitment to ongoing reconstruction works in different parts of Gwoza.
Gwoza is second to Bama local government area that suffered the same fate of destruction before it was declared as Boko Haram Caliphate in August, 2014.
Governor Shettima directed the Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Dr. Babagana Umara Zulum to ensure that his ministry align with professional engineers/builders from Gwoza to immediately put the liberated town in good shape for comfort of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who most of them have started returning back home.
“I want to sympathize with you over the unfortunate calamities perpetrated by boko haram in recent past, we are here to tell you that as government, we will do everything possible to rebuild all your destroyed houses brick by brick.
“We have also come with assorted food items including 1500 bags of 25kg rice, 1500 bags of beans, 1000 cartons of suphaghetti, Sugar, salt among other relief items.
“I urge some of the IDPs from Gwoza who are still residing in resettlement camps in Maiduguri and other places to please come back and join you, because, there is no any good place than home.
“I want to thank the federal government and the Chief of Army staff as well as the entire officers and men under the ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ in the north east for their gallantry effort in degrading remnants of boko haram.
“My appeal to you all is to please give maximum support and cooperation to the military and the civilian JTF who are here with you to give you adequate security”. Shettima stated.
SOURCE:NTAng

Tuesday 27 September 2016

Boko Haram refugees in Niger find safety, but lack aid



Refugees in the southeastern region of Niger say they no longer fear Boko Haram, but their problems are far from over.


Diffa, Niger - As Nigerian forces have progressed against Boko Haram, the cornered terror group has been carrying out more attacks in neighbouring countries. In Niger's Diffa region on the northeastern border of Nigeria, more than 280,000 people have been displaced
Most of the displaced, do not live in refugee camps, but in ramshackle settlements next to a national highway. The situation continues to deteriorate and new families arrive on a daily basis, fleeing violence and hunger in the Lake Chad Basin. Humanitarian aid organisations struggle to reach everyone in need of assistance.
Only a few years ago, Diffa was mainly known as a trade region. Bordering Lake Chad and blessed with a relative fertile ground in this semi-desert environment. Fish and agricultural products such as millet, pepper and maize were widely available at local markets.
Since February 2015 however, the deadly Boko Haram incursions have drastically changed the lives of local residents.
The strict curfew, closing of markets and the suspension of trade has led to an economic downturn, resulting in a humanitarian crisis.
According to the United Nations, the people of Diffa are arguably the poorest on earth, living in the least developed region in the least developed country of the world. Meanwhile, one refugee for every four residents has arrived in their communities as a result of the conflict.

Perilous life along the road

Driving on the national highway towards Diffa town, beside the perilous border with Nigeria, dozens of makeshift camps appear along the tarmac road. The apparent safe haven for refugees is relative. Scores of suicide bombings by Boko Haram infiltrators on this route have left people on edge.
But, as most of the displaced are farmers and herders who remain strongly attached to their soil, they feel that moving further away from the volatile border area, towards existing refugee camps about 50 kilometres up north, is out of the question.
Many of them still return to visit their farmlands even in high-risk areas, because with the absence of ownership registration, they fear others might seize their property if it is not maintained.
"Next to this road we have direct access to information, food and services. We all believe that eventually we will be able to return safely, and moving away from our land would mean losing it," explains Amadou, a Nigerien herder.
Some of the displaced received basic tents from humanitarian actors, but the vast majority built improvised shacks with whatever materials they could find: straw, tarpaulins or wooden twigs. Some of the recent arrivals still live in the open.
Village chief Andre laments the shortage in resources in Assaga settlement. "We are not able to produce our own supplies, and what we receive from food distribution is barely enough: only 12kg of cereal per family per month. Many live on one meal a day."
Hawa, a young mother of five children, says she is struggling every morning to find enough food for her family. "There is some foodstuff at local markets, but we have no money to buy it. I'm no longer able to produce milk to breastfeed my infant due to lack of nourishment."
Of the 20 million people living in the Lake Chad Basin, a region stretched over Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroun, at least 9.2 million are in urgent need of life-saving assistance and more than five million people are severely food insecure [PDF]. At least four million people have no access to aid, say humanitarian organisations.
According to UNICEF, an estimated 475,000 children across Lake Chad will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. In the northeast of Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been seeking to carve out a hardline Islamist state since 2009, the military confirmed that three to four people a day are dying due to malnutrition. However, humanitarian organisations say this figure is probably much higher as many areas remain unreachable.
Lives in limbo
Attacks in Niger are usually directed towards military targets, but often they are accompanied by plundering of food supplies. 
In June 2016, one of the deadliest assaults was carried out in Bosso town. Thirty-two soldiers were killed, while around 70,000 people were displaced. Many of the residents had already been evacuated a year earlier from islands on Lake Chad.
Ibrahim, a 45-year-old Nigerian, owned a small shop in Bosso. As he prepared for morning prayers one day, explosions and screaming reverberated through the village. He managed to escape with his two wives and nine children, after which they had to walk four days to find aid.
"We arrived with nothing. Not even a piece of soap. All we can do now is wait. Hope for safety to return so we can head back to our village and lands," Ibrahim said.
Following the onslaught in Bosso, Chad sent troops to Niger to help the West African joint task force to wage a counterattack against Boko Haram, while the government of Niger has extended a state of emergency until October 2016. 

A crisis for children

With a median age of under 15, Niger has the world's youngest population. This is decidedly visible in the populations of refugees and displaced, about 55 percent of whom are children
More than 150,000 boys and girls barely have access to education because of limited schooling in the nearby villages, which are already overcrowded, and because of closures of many schools in insecure border areas, according to UNHCR.
In the makeshift encampments, children loiter around while the days pass by, making them vulnerable targets for the fighting groups. Since the start of the conflict, thousands of minors have been recruited, often by force, and used to carry out attacks. Nearly one in five suicide bombers is a child.
"Providing them with a perspective for the future, with education, assistance and social services, is the best way to prevent recruitment," says Viviane Van Steirteghem, country representative for UNICEF in Niger.

Shortage of funds

Along with UNICEF, 30 other aid organisations operate in the area providing relief for the displaced, but they say they are underfunded and overstretched.
Given the scale of the crisis, UNICEF has revised funding requirements to $308m to provide life-saving assistance to families affected by Boko Haram violence across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. But the international donor community reacts slowly, as only 41 million, a mere 13 percent, has been received according to the UNICEF representative.
"We are witnessing a unique global situation, with an unseen number of high-scale, long-lasting conflicts. Never before were so many people forced to flee their homes. With everything that's going on, there is a lack of attention of what the people around Lake Chad have to endure," Van Steirteghem explains.
Further delay in funding for emergency operations in Niger and by extension the Lake Chad Basin will contribute to a deepening of the crisis and steeper financial requirements later on.
"Additional funding is needed to develop livelihoods for people in need, so that they can become self-reliant and once again a part of the economic development in the region," says Van Steirteghem.
This reportage was realised with the support of UNICEF, Postcode Lottery Fund and the Fund BJP.
SOURCE: Aljazeera.

Recession hit Lagos night clubs as big spenders evade recreation

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The manager of Rumours Nightclub, Tobi Ashiru, has complained about the slow pace of business and the near absence of big spenders at the leisure facility.

Ashiru told newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos that the lull had made most club owners to explore more creative approaches to boost their businesses.

“One of the biggest challenges for nightclub owners is not just attracting crowd, but getting the biggest spenders through the door.

“The difficulty comes though, not only from getting customers in the door, but maintaining profitable margins at the same time.

 “There is an old saying in the club business, which I’m sure, applies to most businesses, turnover is vanity, margins are sanity,’’ he said.

The manager told newsmen that payment of salaries and other expenses are being affected by the slow pace of business. “We have to worry about the health of the businesses, and managing all of our employees, while also trying to find new ways to attract the best crowds and the biggest spenders.

“With so much going on, it can be very easy for things to fall out of place or to get overlooked. “Re-invention and thinking outside the box in order to drive up falling sales is certainly the best and possibly the only way to survive in the hospitality business at the moment,’’ he said.

He told pressmen that the prevailing situation had made it mandatory for nightclub owners to continuously adopt bold and creative measures to build profit margins. “I believe that having repeat guests or regulars; can help build one’s profit margin because there is no incremental advertising or marketing expense to bring them in.

“Additionally, providing valuable word-of-mouth advertising, asking customers to sign up for online newsletter to notify clients about special upcoming events at the club. “Sending them discount coupons with each edition of the newsletter and tracking how many of these are redeemed can help profit margin.

“You can have one of the hottest venues in your city by consistently providing an exceptional guest experience,’’ Ashiru said.


SOURCE:Vanguardngr