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Understanding The November Rain In FCT And Other Parts Of The North-NiMet

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, through it’s Central Forecast Office (CFO) has explained the recent rainfall witnessed in the northern part of the country especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th November, 2023.
The Agency observed from it’s social media handles, that this took the public by surprise as it is expected that at this time of the year the north should be transiting or have transited into harmattan season, which is characterized by dust, cold and winds.

Explaing further, NiMet CFO disclosed that observation indicated an opening that linked mid-latitude Trough with the thermal-lows over the West-Africa. This mid-latitude trough pull the Inter-Tropical Discontinuity (ITD) far northward above the country (from approx. Lat 8.00N to about 12.00N withing 48hrs), by implication there was mass influx of moisture far into the country, especially to the western half of the country. Conversely, ITD is expected (normally) to have a southward displacement during this season.

According to NiMet, with this moisture influx, and already high energy in the atmosphere, it is only natural that there would be condensation and formation of clouds. The cloud build-up over the Northwestern and Northcentral parts of the country (including Abuja, FCT) resulted into thunderstorms that was experienced recently on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th November, 2023.

Climate variability is the main factor responsible for this phenomenon. It results in modulation of natural atmospheric processes which contributes to short-term fluctuations in weather, due to both natural and anthropogenic influences on the global atmospheric processes, which has given way to changes in patterns of weather and climate conditions in the atmosphere. This is not exclusive to Nigeria alone, the statement reads.

In recent times, human activities particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, have led to an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This enhanced greenhouse effect is causing changes in the Earth’s climate, a phenomenon commonly referred to as climate change.

NiMet observes, monitors, predicts and reports weather and climate information on all our socio-media platform, including our website. The weather of the days in question were equally forecasted and was well reported. However, this is not a change in the season as predicted, rather, fluctuations based on temporary weather modulators.
NiMet assures it will continue to update the general public on necessary weather updates.

NEMA launches reviewed National Contingency Plan as Information Minister applauds initiative

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has launched a reviewed National Contingency Plan 2023-2025 as the Honourable Minister of Information Alhaji Idris Mohammed applauded the initiative aimed at strengthening disaster preparedness and response in the country.

Director General NEMA Mustapha Habib Ahmed who launched the plan in Abuja described the occasion as “significant milestone in our collective efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our nation.” He added that plan has become imperative given that ” Nigeria has experienced quite a number of human and natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other unforeseen events which can occur at any moment, causing immense devastation and disruption of the functioning of the society. It is our duty, as disaster managers and citizens, to ensure that we are adequately prepared to respond swiftly and efficiently to such situations.”

He appreciated the participation of stakeholders towards the review of the plan and said “we represent a diverse range of expertise, backgrounds, and organizations, all united by a common goal: to launch and put into formal use an effective National Contingency Plan that will guide us in times of crisis.”

Furthermore, he said “the past months and years, countless hours of hard work, research, and collaboration have gone into the development of this plan. Experts from various sectors have contributed their knowledge and experience, drawing upon lessons learned from past disasters and incorporating the latest best practices in disaster management.” He specially thanked UNICEF for collaborating and supporting NEMA in the process of reviewing the plan.

He also spoke on the areas covered in the plan that “NEMA in collaboration with UNICEF and other stakeholders carried out a risk analysis of Nigeria in 2021. The exercise was carried out across the geo-political zones of the country and covered different risks and hazards at the Local Government Areas (LGAs) level, including floods; epidemics; conflict and violence amongst others.”

“The objective of the analysis was to identify, assess and rank risks with a view to understanding related vulnerabilities and capacities, while fostering effective risk management approaches among agencies addressing the same or similar threats. The outcome of the risk analysis guided the review of the National Contingency Plan.”

The Director General NEMA said the Agency will continue to focus on disaster preparedness actions including continuous revision of risks across the country, supporting States in development of contingency plans and also focus on Early Warning System to enable communities understand the risks they face and linkages to ensure they are able to prevent, prepare and respond to these risks.

He therefore emphasized on preparedness as very important to save lives and minimising the impact of emergencies.

The Honourable Minister of Information in a goodwill message delivered by Director of Information in the Ministry Alhaji Suleiman Haruna commended NEMA for developing the National Contingency Plan for Nigeria, with broad spectrum of stakeholders to address the nation’s emergency preparedness.

He said “disasters have taken a toll on citizens year by year, resulting in loss of lives and livelihoods, and leading to negative multiplier effects.

“Today’s launch is timely as it resonates with the government’s drive to protect citizens from all risks to their well-being, including security, displacement, epidemics, and conflict.

“The plan evaluated twelve (12) different risks, including flooding, health epidemics, and conflict, with a plan to mitigate their impact. Some of these risks are natural, while others are caused by humans, even though poverty and socio-economic disparities were identified as contributors to the latter.

“In developing prevention and mitigation measures regarding human-induced risks, I call on implementing agencies to design strategic communication plans that deploy participatory, dialogic, and horizontal methods rather than the usual dissemination through radio and television.
Strategic communication plans aim for specific audiences and apply a mix of communication channels, including mainstream, folk media, interpersonal, IEC, and new media, ensuring that the message development process is inclusive, consistent, and frequent.”

In a remark, the County Representative of UNICEF Nigeria Cristian Munduate said the UN agency was delighted to work with NEMA in the review of the Contingency Plan.

Munduate who was represented by the UNICEF Chief of WASH Jane Bevan said “we mapped the likelihood of 12 specific risks in the reas of flooding, epidemics, and armed conflict and/or violence across all LG of the country. The risk analysis was launched in December 2021, and is available for all interested stakeholders to read on the NEMA website.”

“In 2022, UNICEF supported NEMA in updating the risk analysis. In addition, in the
course of 5 workshops that convered State Emergency Management Agencies or
SEMA representatives from 22 states, the five zonal contingency plans launched today were developed. While these plans are multi-risk plans, they especially focus on floods primarily, these also consider associated risks, such as cholera. The plans cover all the zones of Northwest, North-Central, South-South, Southeast, and Southwest.

Ministry mounts digitization training for staff

By Emmanuel Daudu

To ensure that all categories of its staff could have practical hands-on capabilities to get paper letters, proposals, files, and other forms of documents received through their registries, un-bound, scanned, quality-checked, and indexed (the four critical stages of digitization), the management of the Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy has again mounted a digitization training for its staff beginning from Monday, 27th through to the 28th of November, 2023.

Olujimi Oyetomi,
Director, Press & Public Relations in a press release said, the training was arranged through the Human Resources Management Department of the Ministry and executed by Centrifuge Consulting at the Nigerian Capital Market Market Institute, Abuja.

The benefiting staff of the Ministry were taken through the gamut of enterprise content management (ECM), which describes the state of information, documents, and file management in the ministry before and after the introduction of digitization to the entire business and departments of the entire ministry.

It should be noted that digitization started in the Federal Civil Service in 2019, and the situation that existed in the Service portend high chances of losing a document from a file or leakage of confidential information, significant loss of man hours due to difficulty in locating files/documents, high overhead costs from multiple duplications and distribution, and typically, paper-based archives/store become cumbersome as a repository for documents.

At this batch of training, not less than forty-five more staff from all the departments and units, especially those from the registry, were selected to benefit. Many of the Ministry’s staff have been trained, and these new crops of staff enabled the Ministry to be seen as foremost amongst the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Civil Service to have scaled the deployment of digitization.

So, with proper prosecution of the digitization training, the Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy would have benefited from positive information sharing, reduced storage space, efficient workflow, express search and retrieval, environmental friendliness, cost saving, support mobility, prevention of losses, security encryption, and disaster recovery.

UAE @52: Humanitarian Minister Commends UAE Partnership, Seeks For More Collaborations

Nigeria’s Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, has commended the existing partnership between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Federal Government to collaborate with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in addressing humanitarian crises and poverty Challenges in Nigeria .

According to Rasheed Olanrewaju Zubair, (ANIPR),Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Honourable Minister, MHAPA, in a press release on Sunday
26/11/2023,the Minister who was a special guest of honour at the 52nd independence day anniversary of the United State Embassy, over the weekend in Abuja said the exceptional roles and developmental stride, the UAE shared with Nigeria cannot be downplayed .

“I commend the gaint strides and good relationship between the UAE and Nigeria and seek for further collaboration to expand the frontiers on investment and Humanitarian support in the years ahead” she said.

The Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation Minister Commended the UAE for renewed partnership, saying that she looks forward to a fruitful engagement with the UAE Government and other stakeholders at COP 28 later in the month in Dubai.

Earlier the Chief host of the event and UAE Ambassador to Nigeria His Excellency, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi, said the 52nd Independence Anniversary with the Theme “Today for Tomorrow” was inline with the Vision of the government of the UAE.

Al-Shamsi, said the year 2023 is dedicated to sustainability, under the theme, ‘Today for Tomorrow’. which will include initiatives, activities and events that draw upon the UAE’s values of sustainability and the legacy of its Founding President, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Aside the Minister of Himanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation who attended the event among other Ministers and top Government officials to mark the 52nd anniversary ,Also attended was the Deputy Senate President,Senator Jubrin Barau, who was the Chairman of the occasion.

The seven emirates who formed UAE are The UAE was founded on 2nd December 1971, with the sevent Emirates which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

CONYSSA, FCT To Speak on the Society Approach In Combating Contemporary Internal Security challenges

Maryam Aminu

The FCT Administration has nominated the Coalition of Nigeria Youth on Security and Safety Affairs CONYSSA, FCT to speak on the Society Approach in Combating Contemporary Internal Security challenges for enhanced operational effectiveness at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Nigeria study Tour to FCT

In a statement by the FCT Coordinator, Zaka Nehemiah, he said “the Coalition was nominated by FCT Administration for their activities and swift responsiveness to all Security challenges across FCT

The event is schedule to hold on 27 November to 3rd December 2023 at FCDA conference Hall, Abuja

The program which aims to address security challenges has its theme as : the whole of Government/ Society Approach in Combating Contemporary Internal Security Challenges for Enhanced Operational Effectiveness

All is set for Governor Uba Sani Unity cup in Kaduna state

Barring any last minute change, all is now set for the commencement of the much talked about Governor Uba Sani Unity cup, this Saturday, 25/11/2023 in Kaduna state.

The competition will see teams from the twenty three local government area compete for honour in the about two weeks football fiesta with the winner going home with a giant trophy and other prizes.

More so, the competition is geared towards raising a new football club for the state.

Chairman of the tournament, ex-International, Tijani Babangida told the media that the organization would be top notch as everything has been put in place for a smooth organization of the event.

He thanked the Governor for given him such wonderful opportunity to midwife a football club for the state, maintaining that with the tink tank technical committee he has put in place he is very confident that only the best players would be selected at the end of the day.

“I want to assure our amiable Governor, Senator Sani Uba that we are going to come out with a very formidable squad that would be capable of representing Kaduna in any of the leagues. you know Kaduna state is blessed with untapped football talents, and with the technical team that we have put in place, they would definitely select only and nothing but the best players, and I am very sure that we will have a good football competition,”

The matches are expected to be played at three centers which are, the Kudan Township stadium, Kudan, the Ahmadu Bello stadium, Kaduna and Kafanchan Town stadium, Kafanchan.

KOGI DEMOCRATIC RIGORS: COURT SET ELECTION TRIBUNAL

Usman Aliyu

The Kogi off-cycle governorship election petition tribunal, constituted by the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an-Dongban, is set to begin sitting this Saturday

David Umar-Mike, the tribunal secretary who disclosed this to journalists in Lokoja today said: “By God’s grace, the tribunal will be sitting this Saturday, November 25. David Umar-Mike further explain that they will take expart motions; this is because all they have at hand right now are the exparte motions that will be taken on that Saturday.
“But the work proper may take a few more days because counsels will have to go and start looking for documents at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the rest of them before they file their various petitions.”

He said the constitution of the election tribunal was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act (as amended).
Mr David Umar-Mike who responded to the question of how ready the tribunal is said: the tribunal registry has since opened for business at the state High Court of Justice complex, Lokoja.

Youth Minister Assures Nigerian Youth of Sound Mental Health Condition

Maryam Aminu

The past few years have been a time of adaptation to major changes, especially in terms of mental health. As a Nation, we have faced disruptive and stressful events including kidnapping, financial stressors, insurgency, a high level of violence situations that many were unprepared to deal with.

Many factors have come to surface in the recent years that are stress- and anxiety-inducing. Protecting our physical and mental wellbeing is paramount not only to the quality of our lives in general, but also our ability to function at work. Due to the Minister’s passion for the well-being of Nigeria Youth, she spoke about her commitment to ensuring Nigeria Youth enjoys sound mental health.

The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim made the disclosure at the Nigerian Air Force Conference and Suites, during a ministerial roundtable and launching of policy document on mental health, organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Thursday 23rd November, 2023 in Abuja

Dr. Ibrahim described the National Mental Health Act of 2021 as a milestone in Nigeria’s commitment to mental health, which provisions for the promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental health conditions.

She said the key provision of the act include Integration of mental health into primary healthcare, protection of the rights of persons with mental health conditions, and strategies for community based mental health services. Adding that it is pivotal to include mental health in the National Health Insurance Scheme.

She called on all stakeholders to collaborate and tackle the challenges of mental health . She said, “it is time to draw all stakeholders together to engage in conversation surrounding mental health as it is fundamental to overall health care.”

The Minister noted that the theme of the conference, ” Achieving Universal Health coverage for mental health,” was apt because the mental health of a person affects how he thinks, feels, and acts adding that it is the first step towards a healthy society.

She observed that achieving universal health coverage for mental health means ensuring that all Nigerians have access to quality mental health services without facing financial hardship.

She disclosed that the Ministry was planning to establish a professional department that would be dedicated to the mental well-being of the youth.

Dr. Ibrahim acknowledged that implementation, collaboration, and sustained efforts are key to realizing the vision.

Also Speaking,the Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, while launching the policy document on mental health, said that his Ministry, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, facilitated the process of enacting the National Mental Health Act to promote and protect the rights of persons with mental health conditions.

He therefore encouraged all healthcare practitioners and facilities to take advantage of the opportunity to improve their standard of care for people with mental health conditions in Nigeria.

In his goodwill message delivered via Zoom, the Director General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged the support of his organisation to Nigeria in her stride towards a healthy mental condition in the country, noting that there is no health without mental health.

ECOWAS, ENACT to launch WENDU report, see registration link

By Emmanuel Daudu

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the ENACT (Enhancing Africa’s capacity to respond to transnational organised crime) project are pleased to announce the official launch of the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) Report. This significant event will take place on November 27th, 2022, and will offer valuable insights into the statistics and trends on illicit drug supply and use in the West African region.

According to a media summary made available to journalists by Mr. Kouadio Serge Programme Officer IT and Communication, ECOWAS, said, the comprehensive report will provide extensive data on drug seizures and arrests, including the types and quantities of drugs seized, as well as the number of individuals arrested, categorized by gender. The insightful discussions during the event will cover the latest estimates and trends concerning drug abuse, drug supply, and trafficking in substandard and counterfeit medicinal products across West Africa.

Click to register : https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89420501993?pwd=VMqs9fbwbbcaJQdRADkHA36yj0xrpe.1

Contact : +2348069219029

Date: November 27th, 2022

One of the key highlights of the report pertains to the efforts made by national governments and their responsible institutions in curbing the supply of drugs within the sub-region. The data from 2020 to 2022 revealed that a total of 157,130 tonnes of drugs were seized, indicating an upward trend in the quantity of drugs seized in the sub-region. Notably, the report showcased that cannabis accounted for 68.96 percent of the seized drugs, followed by pharmaceuticals at 19.21 percent, cocaine at 2.23 percent, heroin at 1.96 percent, tramadol at 1.81 percent, and other substances at 0.8 percent.

The official launch event will serve as the platform for unveiling the insightful 2020-2022 report of the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU). It is expected that the report, through its detailed and significant findings, will contribute immensely to the collective efforts in addressing and managing the challenges associated with illicit drug supply and use in West Africa.

A notable observation highlighted in the report is that cannabis remains the primary drug for which individuals seek treatment in West Africa. In the years 2020-2022, cannabis accounted for over fifty-five percent (55 percent) of all treatment admissions.

The official launch of the West African Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (WENDU) Report will be a groundbreaking event, serving as an invaluable resource for policymakers, law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders actively engaged in addressing the complex issues related to illicit drug supply and use in the West African region.

Performance Bond: Marine & Blue Economy Minister, Oyetola, Perm Sec, take the lead in making CEOs sign on

By Emmanuel Daudu

The era of not having a specific person to be held responsible for performance gap and service failure in the Maritime and Blue Economy Sector may soon be over as the Honourable Minister, Adegboyega Oyetola supported by his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani have replicated the performance bond, which they both signed with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, with the Chief Executive Officers of the Agencies under the Ministry.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola charged the heads of agencies under the ministry to work assiduously to realise their deliverables as captured in the Performance Bond signed by him noting that the execution of the performance bond, in addition to the completion of key projects within the ministry would no doubt position Nigeria as one of the maritime nations in the world.

In a Report by Jefe Precious Ufuoma Jeremiah signed by
Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Press & Public Relations on Thursday, Oyetola reiterated the charge from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ministers to “unfailingly demonstrate innovative thinking and an unrelenting focus on results,” the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was set to position Nigeria as a premier maritime nation. The same charge was given to the Heads of Agencies under the Marine and Blue Economy.

The laudable event was held today, 23rd of November, 2023, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos following from cascading down of the performance bond to the Directors of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and Heads of Agencies and their directors through a Ministerial Deliverables, from 21st to the 23rd of November, 2023.

Minister Oyetola and his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ajani sat through the Cascading Retreat with the Chief Executives of the Agencies of the Marine and Blue Economy Sector, guided the latter to come up with their respective contributions to the Ministerial Deliverables for the Sector, critique the submissions, cleaned them up and got each Executive to adopt and sign.

The signing-to was led by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)’s Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, followed by Nigeria Ports Authority ( NPA)’s Dr. Muhammed Bello Koko.

The others that signed in quick succession are the Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Commondore Emmanuel Duja Effedua; the Acting Registrar of the Council for Freight Forwarding of Nigeria (CRFFN), Chinyere Uromta; Akutah Pius Ukeyima, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji of Nigeria Inland Waterways (NIWA) couldn’t sign because he was unavoidably absent, and his representative at the event, Olawale Adetola could not sign on his behalf.

The highlight was when the Chief Executives were invited to the podium to display their deliverable documents so as to be seen to be committed to, by all present.