Friday, July 20, 2018

Nigerian NGO and Others Win 2018 WISE Awards


Nigerian NGO and others are among the winners of the 2018 WISE Awards. See the press release for details of all the winners.

The 2018 WISE Awards Winners Announced

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Video: Rome Statute 20th Anniversary High-level Commemorations Generate Strong Calls for Justice


Rome Statute 20th Anniversary High-level Commemorations Generate Strong Calls for Justice

High-level representatives of more than 30 States in attendance included the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 17, 2018/ -- On 16 and 17 July 2018, an event was held at the headquarters of International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “the Court”) (www.ICC-CPI.int), in The Hague, The Netherlands, to mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the ICC. High-level representatives of more than 30 States in attendance included the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representatives of national Senates and Parliaments, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as officials of international and regional organisations, civil society and academia. Speakers reiterated their support to justice and accountability for the gravest crimes listed under the Rome Statute.

 (Left to right) ICC Registrar Mr Peter Lewis, ASP President H.E. O-Gon Kwon, President of Nigeria H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, ICC President Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji and ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the high-level commemorations of the Rome Statute’s anniversary on 17 July 2018 ©ICC-CPI (Source: International Criminal Court (ICC)


The event featured a keynote address by the President of Nigeria, H.E. Mr Muhammadu Buhari, as well as remarks by the President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, Mr O-Gon Kwon; ICC President, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji; ICC Prosecutor, Mrs Fatou Bensouda; ICC Registrar, Mr Peter Lewis; UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel, Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares; Chair of the Trust Fund for Victims (“TFV”), Mr Motoo Noguchi, and other high-level guests.

Graca Machel's Keynote Speech – Mandela Rhodes Foundation “100 for the 100th"




Graca Machel Keynote Speech  – Mandela Rhodes Foundation “100 for the 100th”– July 14, 2018

[Since 2005, 444 Mandela Rhodes Scholars from 23 African Countries have been awarded the Scholarship]


***
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, as we all know there are countless events taking place across the world in honour and celebration of the centenary of the birth of Africa’s great son, Nelson Mandela. Every aspect of Madiba’s life and passions will be recalled.

Full Text of President Buhari's Speech At The ICC 20th Anniversary Celebration



KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS
TUESDAY, 17TH JULY, 2018


Protocols:

I am honoured to be with you here today to celebrate the anniversary of this vital global institution. I say "vital" because the world needs the ICC.

2. Let me start by congratulating you, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, on your election as President of the International Criminal Court, and also thank the judges of the Court for electing you, a cherished son of Nigeria. Nigeria is very proud of you, Mr. President.

3. Let me also express my gratitude to the International Criminal Court for inviting me to speak on this occasion.

4. As we know, the International Criminal Court was established twenty years ago as a global court, inspired by the Nuremberg trials of World War II war criminals, to hold people accountable for crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes of genocide and aggression.

5.​In addition to preventing impunity, promoting adherence and respect for the rule of law and fundamental freedoms worldwide and to punishing those in leadership positions responsible for the most appalling crimes and atrocities, the ICC has given hope for justice to so many, by demanding strict adherence to the rules of international humanitarian law.

Friday, July 13, 2018

Happy Birthday Professor Wole Soyinka!

Happy Birthday to Prof. Wo̩lé S̩óyinká, who was born on July 13,1934

The lionised Nigerian playwright, poet, essayist, actor and film director was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Black writer to win the prize. He is regarded as the greatest African writer of drama. He has narrated his growing up in Abeokuta, in the south west of Nigeria in his bestselling autobiography, Aké: The Years of Childhood.


See all the BESTSELLING BOOKS BY WOLE SOYINKA


Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Nigerian Government Supports Google's Next Billion Users Plan



 PRESS RELEASE

FG Supports Google's Next Billion Users Plan




Google CEO Sundar Pichai welcomed the Vice President to the meeting held at Googleplex, the corporate headquarters of Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc., located in California, United States

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 11, 2018/ -- *VP Osinbajo Meets Top Google Executives in First Leg of US Investment Road Show
*FG, Global Firm working on making content cheaper, localized, accessible to Nigerians
*Google Artificial Intelligence Centres coming to Nigeria soon.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Fisherwomen of Lake Chad Show Optimism in Face of Multiple Challenges


UN News/Dan Dickinson Fisherwomen like Falmata Mboh Ali (right) hard at work on Lake Chad, which has shrunk to a tenth of its original size over the past decades leaving dwindling stocks of fish.

 Fisherwomen of Lake Chad Show Optimism in Face of Multiple Challenges

NEW YORK, 05 July 2018 / PRN Africa / -- In her nets she has perhaps fifty fish, a good enough catch, given she started fishing just five hours earlier. But, it is not sufficient to feed her eleven children.

“I can sell this fish and use that money to buy grain to feed my family,” she said, “but the grain doesn't go far. I have been fishing for twenty years and it is becoming more difficult to catch fish.”

Fishing has traditionally sustained communities in the Lake Chad Basin area, supporting nearly 30 million people living along its shores in Chad, but also Cameroon, Nigeria  and Niger.

Action Needed To End Deadly Clashes Between African Herders and Farmers: UN Chief




Action Needed To End Deadly Clashes Between African Herders and Farmers: UN Chief

NEW YORK, 28 June 2018 / PRN Africa / -- More than 80 people in central Nigeria were killed in land disputes between the two sides this week. However, this has been a long-standing issue with similar incidents occurring in other countries in Africa, causing more than 1,000 deaths over the past year alone, according to media reports.

Girls Groomed for Suicide Missions Fight Back Against the Extremists of Lake Chad


UN News/Daniel Dickinson In Bol, Chad, the Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed (l) meets Halima Yakoy Adam who survived a Boko Haram suicide bombing mission.

Girls Groomed for Suicide Missions Fight Back Against the Extremists of Lake Chad

NEW YORK, 06 July 2018 / PRN Africa / -- “It was market day in Bol and I was with two other girls who like me carried explosives,” the young woman told UN News. “I was just 15 years old. I was given drugs and had been trained by the extremist Boko Haram terrorist group to be a suicide bomber.”

The local authorities detected the three teenage girls and tried to arrest them, but the two other girls detonated their explosive vests, killing themselves and seriously wounding Halima Yakoy Adam. She survived but had both legs amputated below her knees.

UNICEF Nigeria Welcomes Release of Over 180 Children Suspected of Boko Haram Ties from Administrative Custody



In November 2016, UNICEF Child Protection Officer walks with children at Maiduguri transit centre, Borno State, Nigeria. © UNICEF/UN038572/Naftalin (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada).

UNICEF Nigeria Welcomes Release of Over 180 Children Suspected of Boko Haram Ties from Administrative Custody

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 9, 2018 /CNW/ - UNICEF welcomes today the release of 183 children from Nigerian Armed Forces, in Maiduguri, Borno State, northeast Nigeria. The release comes after the children, aged 7-18, were cleared of ties with Boko Haram insurgents.

"These 8 girls and 175 boys are first and foremost victims of the ongoing conflict and their release is an important step on their long road to recovery," said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. "We will be working with the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and partners to provide the children with all the assistance they need. I also want to commend the action taken by the military and the authorities, it demonstrates a clear commitment to better protect children affected by the conflict."