SR SahelReporters

By Aviashima Toom 1.Madam please may you tell us why you are here?  Thank you very much, the reason why we are here is that as women we believe that if we pull our self and strength together we can achieve so much, and we, that is myself and my and my colleague agreed that women should be supporting women.  We put this idea together "The Substantial Woman" to help encourage women, teach women that supporting women well get us to where we are going. And to launch what we are doing in our programme, we decided that we should do something that support the environment, and we decided to plant trees. Planting trees is part of the woman nature because we are care givers by nature, we believe that we should direct our care in one direction. We believe that if we direct our care into plants we will also direct our attention to people living around by providing the necessary encouragement for the nation.  So we are encouraging women to get up and do something,

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Ayuba Waba has said that, they would resist all attempt by many industries who have tried to used  the  excuse of  Covid-19 to laid off workers without reaching to the processes of social dialogue. He stated this while addressing journalist during the  first Central Working Committee meeting between NLC and ULC. Waba said that, they have actually resisted that and that was part of what they would be looking at during the meeting. According to him, the meeting was timely especially at a period where across different sectors are going through a difficult challenges. Promising that they are going to make far reaching pronouncement especially to the extent that they would engaged employers of labour  that have tried to undermine the fundamental human right of workers, including state governors. "Remember we have written to two state governors, one have responded, and one have not been able

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja. As part of its effort to support the Federal Government’s drive to combat the Coronavirus pandemic, KAS Consult LTD has begun the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth N50m to secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The Company also launched its protection pack called KAS 3 in 1, which consists of medically approved face shield, a cotton face mask and a portable hand sanitizer spray with up to 70 percent alcohol which is produced in Nigeria. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of KAS Consult, Ademola Kasumu, disclosed this during a press briefing to commemorate the World Mask Week in Abuja on Thursday. Among those schools who benefited from the donation were Junior Secondary School Karu,  Community Secondary School Asokoro, FCT Mass Education Karu, Federal Government Boys College Gudu, and many other schools within the precinct of Abuja. According to him “Just recently, Presidential Task forc

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called on Nigeria among others countries to step up measures for mothers to continue to breastfeed during the current pandemic while observing all necessary safety and hygiene precautions. In a joint statement issue by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), in Abuja, Said breastfeeding still remain the best formula for mothers and babies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement which was issued in commemoration of the world Breastfeeding week with the theme “Support Breastfeeding for a healthier planet’, urged governments to find innovative solutions to protect and promote women’s access to breastfeeding counseling as a critical component of breastfeeding support. It reiterated that “breastfeeding saves children’s lives as it provides antibodies that give babies a healthy boost and protect them against many childhood illnesses. While researchers continue to test breastmilk from mothers with confirmed o

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja. Security operatives deployed to disperse members of #RevolutionNow movement in Abuja Wednesday shaved off the hair of a protester with a knife and broken bottle. The victim revealed that the officers asked him to prostrate on the floor before one of them pulled out a knife while another used a broken bottle to cut off his dreadlocks and shave his hair. The young man disclosed that the security agents harassed him for wearing "brown hair' since he was not a woman. Another protester with bruises on his back, who gave his name as Damilare, said he was dehumanised and battered by the security operatives for taking part in the protest to demand better governance from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. He explained that he was flogged with iron and chain and kicked to the ground for no reason. According to him "I was beaten by more than four soldiers and policemen.  "They slapped me several times and kicked m

By Doris Nnaji A 60-year-old gardener, Sunday Akpan, who allegedly defiled an 11-year-old fish hawker, on Wednesday appeared in a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Yaba, Lagos. The police charged Akpan, who resides in Ebute Ilaje, Bariga Lagos, with defilement. He pleaded not guilty. The prosecution counsel, ASP Nurudeen Thomas, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on July 15, at 10 a.m. at his residence in Bariga, Lagos. He alleged that Akpan tricked the minor into following him home to collect money for the fish he bought. Thomas said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Chief Magistrate P.E. Nwakpa admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum. Nwakpa adjourned the case until Aug.17 for hearing. 

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja  The West African Examinations Council has released the timetable for the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, The PUNCH has learnt. The Federal Government had announced that the examination would begin effective August 17, 2020 through September 12, 2020. WAEC Nigeria in a statement on Tuesday signed by its Head of Public Affairs, Demianus Ojijeogu, advised candidates to disregard other versions of the examination timetable in circulation. The statement was titled, ‘WAEC Releases Timetable For The Conduct Of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) For School Candidates, 2020’. The statement read, “The West African Examinations Council, Nigeria wishes to inform its stakeholders-schools, parents and candidate-that the Final International Timetable for the conduct of WASSCE for School Candidates, 2020 has been released. “The Council notes that several versions of the examination timetable have been in circulation and enjoin

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja. In order to mitigate the harrowing effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on the Tourism Industry, the National Mirror Committee on Tourism has taking a step towards introducing a guidelines for the resumption of tourism sector in the country. The outcome followed a recent meeting by a committee to find a common ground for post Covid 19 and to also foThe a way forward in reviving the Industry. The Working Group of the Mirror Committee according to a release on Tuesday by the Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON in Abuja, disclosed that the Committee on Tourism and related Services met online to review the Health and Safety Measures for Tourism & Hospitality Establishments – Post Pandemic (Covid-19) Resumption Standards. According to the statement,  Chairperson of the Committee and the Director General of the National Institute for Hotels and Tourism Mrs. Chika Balogun said at a difficult period like this, stakeholders in the Tourism sector need to

By Aviashima Toom, Abuja   The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to account to Nigerians the status of the failed $460 million Abuja Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) awarded in August 2010 by the immediate-past its administration. The APC also challenged the PDP to explain the over $2billion China loan it administration took between 2010 and 2013 alone; $16billion spent on power; fuel subsidy rackets; counter-insurgency funds that were allegedly diverted. The ruling party was reacting to a statement issued by the Media Office of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on the standard sovereign guarantee and sovereign immunity clause embedded in Nigeria’s loan agreements with China to fund the ongoing national railway projects. In a statement signed Monday in Abuja by the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Yekini Nabena, described Atiku’s comment as “unresearched, unintelligent and pedestrian.” “As the Minister f