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CSAR Validation : Resolve African Problems With Homegrown Solutions, TRI Urges Review Mission

Published

3 years ago

July 9, 2021

Joel Ajayi

African Union (AU) should focus more on Africa-oriented solutions in its bid to resolve socio-economic challenges within the Continent, given peculiarities of the countries, says Alhaji A.S. Adeleke, Commandant, National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) during Sectoral Consultation by the African Union Country Review Mission (CRM ) to the Institute on Wednesday.

In a statement signed by the Media Assistant to NC/CEO, AUDA-NEPAD/APRM Nigeria Abolade Ogundimu revealed that CRM which commenced its activities for the Validation of Nigeria’s Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) on 1st July, 2021 had embarked on Sectoral Consultation to critical stakeholders as part of the exercise in order for Nigeria to have a successful Second Peer Review Process.

The CRM led by its Lead Panel Member, Dr. Abdoulie Janneh, supported by Team of experts on four thematic areas of AU APRM are in the Country to interact with various segment of the society during the Validation exercise.

The Country’s Review Process is being led by the NGC of APRM Nigeria while Country Review Process is being conducted by AUDA/NEPAD/APRM Nigeria currently under the leadership of its National Coordinator/CEO, Princess Gloria Akobundu.

The NISS Boss and the erudite Management took turn to respond constructively to various questions of the CRM Team.

According to Adeleke,Africa’s peculiarity to various challenges should reflect in the solutions, not generalizing of solution and problems.

“We need to change our attitude to some of these problems confronting individual countries in Africa.

“There are global challenges like terrorism and recently, COVID-19 pandemic, how we have fared in those two vivid examples differ from other Continents.

“It is important to develop African Solution to African problems so that the Continent can achieve its set goals on socio-economic development.

“Nigerian government has made and still making frantic efforts in various areas of National life including improvement on electoral process, legislative backing on protection of People Living With Disability (PWD) among others ,,” he said.

Similarly, Prof. Etannibi Alemika, Study Group Coordinator, NISS said ” insecurity is a global challenge and Nigeria is part of global Community.

“Societies with monotheistic belief are more prone to terrorism, religious violence is alien to African culture because individual is free to worship many gods but our believe in foreign religion now come with extremism by some religious groups.

“As Africans, let us look at our peculiarity and remember that no nation develops with liberal model of development ” he said.

Other Dons of NISS including Profs. Oshita Oshita,. Mike Maduagwu,, Amadu Sesay of NISS, lent their voices to the discussions.

Similarly, Ms Ngozi Onyemuchara, Director, Administratiion , NISS reiterated the need for better deployment of Early Warning Mechanism to arrest many issues that are capable of degenerating to huge loss of human and economic resources of the society.

Mr. Ferdinand Katendeko, Coordinator of the CRM commended the Institute for its commitment to Security studies and research in the country.

Dr. Louis Mandama NGC Member ( Coordinating Northern Zone ) commended NISS and CRM for having a robust Consultation, saying “I am sure this discussion will not only enrich Nigeria’s Review but also Africa’s capacity for self-development” he said

Dr. Ugo Beke, NGC Member ( Coordinating the Southern Zone) also commended the process and President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to Self – Assessment of the country, through APRM process.

NISS is a Technical Research Institute that carried out final harmonisation of questionnaires and data harvested for Nigeria’s Second Peer Review conducted by APRM Nigeria, harmonised by four selected TRIs on four thematic areas…

[10:16 PM, 7/8/2021] Bolade nan: CSAR Validation: AU applauds Nigeria’s efforts on Refugees, IDPs

Dr. Abdoulie Janneh, Lead Panel Member, African Union Country Review Mission (AU-CRM) Team, applauds Nigeria’s efforts to stem challenges of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Country during its Sectoral Consultation for validation of Nigeria’s Country Self-assessment Report (CSAR) as part of the ongoing Second Peer Review Process of the Country.

Janneh gave the commendation when he led the Review Mission, accompanied by Members of National Governing Council (NGC) of African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Nigeria to National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMIPD) respectively on Wednesday.

The CRM Team met with Hajia Imaan Sulaiman- Ibrahim, Honourable Federal Commissioner, NCRMIDP and her Management on how IDPs, Refugees and Migrants were being treated in the Country amid COVID-19 pandemics and insecurity which is challenging the nation and the world.

According to him, the way Nigeria treats issue of the vulnerable groups is commendable.

He described the Consultation as “fruitful, open and a demonstration of exemplary manner.

” Nigeria’s approach in treating very difficult issue of Refugees and IDPs may be described as the best example on how to integrate them into a larger society,” he said.

Reacting to questions raised on IDPs and refugee related matters in Nigeria, Hajia Sulaiman-Ibrahim gave details of various peculiar strategies deployed by the Country through the Commission.

“We have Gender-sensitive resettlement initiative for single mothers and widows in our IPDs and refugee camps, while we also have transitional learning programme for the vulnerables in order to integrate them into the society.

“There is provision for refugees of school going age to acquire free basic education from primary one to Junior Secondary school (JSS) 3 as available to all Nigerians in public schools.

“The Nigerian refugees are not only from Africa but also Asia and the Commission ensures their enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),” she said.

The Honourable Federal Commissioner added that National Policy on Refugees and IDPs would soon be further strengthened to enhance Nigeria’s compliance with Kampala Convention on Refugees and other vulnerable groups.

She Commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the wellbeing of refugees and other vulnerable groups in the county.

She concluded, saying “I commend the commitment of Princess Akobundu-led APRM to the Review Process which is capable of giving room for great reforms in the country”.

Dr. Louis Mandama, member, NGC APRM Nigeria, representing Sen. Abba Ali said ” upon completion of the ongoing Review Process of Nigeria, it will not only benefit the Country but the entire Continent”.

He was at the Consultation with Dr. Ugo Beke, another Member of the NGC.

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Dikko And The New Vision Accountability and Development in Sports

Published

5 days ago

December 16, 2024

The Gleamer

Felly Mammah N.

Since the Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhaji Shehu Dikko assumed office on the 30th of October, 2024, he has systematically and deliberately been putting in place structures that would result to proper development of sports in Nigeria. Shortly after he was first appointed by President Bola Tinubu as a leading strength of sports, the Director General (DG), Hon. Bukola Olapade was appointed to compliment his efforts.

Many sports analysts believe that the duo of Dikko and Olapade who have been very visible in sports administration will be one of the best combination to take the sports sector to the next level. The DG no doubt, is the head of administration in the Commission, but it should be noted that the financial enablement to manage the affairs of staff and the political might that shops for the finance needed in the running of the sector rest on the Chairman who has the task of liaising with the President directly.

It is also, worthy to note that there is a huge difference between the administration of in the Civil Service as it is controlled by a Permanent Secretary and Directors while the administration of a Commission involves Board Members and experts whose voices and actions are also, game-changing; more so as Commissioners are likely going to take charge of the different zones to proffer solutions for a way forward. The defunct Ministry of Youths and Sports Development which later in 2023 metamorphosed into the Ministry of Sports Development on the assumption of President Bola Tinubu, produced a minister who was not versed in sports administration and as a result, faced mass criticism especially from men of the media.

These men of the pen profession are the torchlight of global sporting activity; they equally keep the history of both sports participation globally as well as the records of athletes’ performances. Their torchlight on past Minister’s and particularly the recent past, have revealed that most of the people who presided over sports administration do not really have any knowledge of the sector before their appointment.

The exit of the immediate past Minister, Sen. John Owan Enoh, refreshingly paved the way for change and this has brought in sports personnels that are expected to place sporting activities in the digital world. Suffice it to also, say that the new management of Sports Commission in parts of her changes is expected to sanitize athletes’ attitude and character for better reflection of children who have seen and communicated with their peers in the Western world.

However, the clarion call for President Tinubu to remove politics in sports may have changed the leadership of sports going by what many sports fans saw in the last outing of both Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, where a country like Nigeria did not measure up to her potentials.

Despite the poor performance of atheletes during the World Olympics Games, the past immediate past Minister deserves to be commended that during his tenure, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) Games was reawakened as the participation of our Super Eagles brought back hope and jubilation to sports fans including the President and higher authorities. Yes whopping sum of N12 Billion was released two weeks to the Olympics Games and at a time the country was not financially stable. Despite the presidential financial support, the medals presented to the country were crisis and ignorant of both the atheletes, Nigeria Olympic Committee and the Atheletic Federaton to do the needful.

Therefore, it is heart-warming that the President harkened to the appeal of his fellow sports lovers to handpick a known figure in the sports arena to share his wealth of experience that gave him both a name in Sports and positions as the former Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), Chairman League Management Company (LMC), FIFA match Commissioner of significance, 2nd Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and presently, CAF Committee Member, in addition to his new portfolio as Chairman NSC.

My reference point here is that Alh. Dikko has been given the authority to effect positive change in sports sector, co-ordinate over 40 Sports Federations in the sector, welcome ideas of both sports stakeholders, individuals and veterans of sports that will enable him x-ray the reasons for poor performances in the sector and to chat a way forward for success story. There can never be a new testament without an old testament, thus the reason Alh. Dikko’s doors have remained opened to receive courtesy calls that included the visits by past administrators and foreigners who want to facilitate with whom the cap fits.

Still, in the mood of celebration to formally welcome Alh. Dikko to office was the peculiar power of sports which gathered momentum and the crowd for happy moments as seen in the recent novelty match organized by his friends, associates and sports veterans at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja recently. That gathering clearly announced not just a man who has made a name for himself at a height in global political decision making in sports circle, but a man who has also, given voice to our country’s leagues and international activities.

Sports is a significant sector that comprises emotion, tension, happiness, sadness even death and hope irrespective of the fact that it has the potential to feed many mouths. The sector cannot be compared to other Ministries with delayed bureaucracies and frustration of abilities. While in the civil service the head will rather submerge a growing talent for fear of power thrown, a coach who discovers a talent takes the credit for showcasing a star athelete discovered. Sports has been proven to generate revenue as well as attract public partnership which are all aimed at enhancing podium performance by the athletes.

Shehu Dikko’s business vision and wide participation in football contributed in making him the right candidate to place the sector in its expected level, increase the GDP of the country’s economy and equally be accountable with administrative roadmap for success.

The novelty match organised for him by his sports fans and League managers had the likes of Samson Siasia, Victor Ikpeba, Mutiu Adepoju, Dominic Iorfa, Ahmed Musa in attendance to share their joy with him as they displayed their talent with their foot.
Others that graced the occasion were Super Sports General Manager, Felix Nwogu, former and present Chairmen of House Committee on Sports, NFF President, NOC members and persons from across the globe. That singular act indicated a clear fact that Dikko can actually gather momentum with persons that can support his ideology to deliver as charged by the presidency.

However, the Chairman’s meekness to open his doors to all does not mean weakness neither does it mean that he has not commenced work officially. His work is more of brain tasking because ideas actually rule the world. I will boldly say that he has resumed work with like minds that will not only be on the same page with him but will as well be on success Guinness Book with him.

Felly Mammah N.
Press Officer (NSC).

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