President Muhammadu Buhari promised again on Monday that all children kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists would be set free during his regime.

He spoke at a breakfast dialogue on ‘‘Stop the War on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts, Dividend of Silencing the Guns’’, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, held on the margins of the ongoing 33rd African Union Summit.

Nigeria, Uganda, Norway, the AU Commission and Save the Children sponsored the dialogue.

Buhari said, ”A number of schoolgirls from Chibok and Dapchi earlier abducted by Boko Haram have regained their freedom.

”We commend the gallant efforts of the Multi-National Joint Task Force and the partners in supporting the reintegration of the girls.

”Let me categorically reassure you of the steadfast commitment of the Government of Nigeria to ensure the freedom of all kidnapped children from the shackles of Boko Haram.

”We will not relent until every child, boy, or girl, every Nigerian adult in custody of Boko Haram, is freed.”

Among the children being held is Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi schoolgirl denied freedom on account of refusing to denounce Christianity.

ABN TV reported that 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014, by Boko Haram but 57 of the girls escaped to safety almost immediately.

The insurgents eventually went away with 219 of them. Over a number of years, 107 of the Chibok girls regained freedom but till date, 112 are missing.

A State House statement on Monday said Buhari urged African countries and stakeholders on the continent to strengthen the protection of children from the six grave violations during armed conflict.

He noted that the six grave violations were killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children as soldiers; sexual violence against children; abduction of children; attacks against schools or hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access for children.

Buhari added, ”It is for this reason that the Nigerian government has severally condemned, and is combating frontally the dreadful activities of terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the so-called Islamic State.

”Of course, the severity of these grave violations varies from country to country.

”The incidence of a single violation of children rights in any country is an indelible dent on the African consciousness and is to be deplored and condemned,” he said.

He told AU leaders that they must continue to protect children, taking time to brief the session on efforts Nigeria had made so far to do so

”To stem the tide of out-of-school children, Nigeria embarked on an all-inclusive reconstruction of schools vandalised by the ravaging terrorist activities of Boko Haram, while returning children are rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.

”Our nomadic education policy is also being implemented to reduce the number of out-of-school children. We have also prioritised de-radicalisation and de-mobilisation of ex-combatant children of Boko Haram insurgents”, his media aide, Mr Garba Shehu, quoted him as saying.

Buhari made a call on the AU Peace and Security Council to spearhead the strategy to stop the war on children and adopt the Child Protection Architecture within the African Peace and Security Architecture and the Road-map on Silencing the Guns.

He added, ”The call to action is now for accountability by all African States to the rights of the children caught up in wars.

”Let us stop the war on children. This is a wake-up call for us all to create the enabling environment for rooting out the impact of armed conflicts against our children across the continent”

-PUNCH

The governors of the South-East geo-political zone rose from a closed-door meeting at the Government House, Enugu, disclosing their plan to forward a bill to South East State Houses of Assembly to enact a law to back-up the South East Regional Security Programme.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting which lasted over five hours, the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi stated that the arrangement with the States Houses of Assembly will arrive at a name for the regional security outfit.

Engr. Umahi, who maintained that the South-East Governors had earlier formed their joint regional security on July 28, 2019, and consequently inaugurated the committee on August 31, added that the Forum had written the Federal Government concerning the security outfit.

According to him, “at an appropriate time, we shall be inviting the Federal Government to note the details of our Joint Security Programme”.

The governors assured the people of the South-East zone that “we have our State Vigilante and the Forest Guards in all the South East States, who work with the security agencies daily in our various communities for the protection of lives and property”.

They reassured the people that “the protection of their lives and property is paramount to us and we are committed to just doing that”.

On ongoing rehabilitation of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the South-East governors, while noting the quality and speed of work by the contractor, PW Nig. Ltd expressed satisfaction with the progress so far made and assurances of integrated safety and landing facilities, fencing and drainage system incorporated in the package.

The Forum, therefore, “commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his prompt response in full release of special funding for the project”.

The Forum also commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State “for making more land available and his commitment in the overall success of the project”, as well as the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Works Committee Chairman on the project, Sir. Engr. Chris Okoye and his team, for their commitment and constant supervision and monitoring of the project.

The governors assured the people that President Buhari, the Aviation Minister, the President’s Chief of Staff and all other stakeholders are committed to the re-opening of the Enugu airport by March 31, 2020, saying: “All inconveniences are regretted”.

The Forum equally applauded the federal government on the speedy and quality work on the ongoing Enugu-Port Harcourt federal highway, with reservations on a number of sections yet to be attended to, “especially the Abia-PH axis being handled by a Chinese Company”.

According to the Forum, “Our findings show that they are not yet properly funded, as to effect reasonable work before the rainy season. While thanking Mr President and the Hon. Minister of Works for this road, we appeal that all the companies be fairly funded so as to attend to most of the deplorable sections before the rainy season.”

On the 2nd Niger Bridge, after a brief on the progress of work from the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, represented by his deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, the Forum and other stakeholders who were present at the meeting commended President Buhari, the works minister, the President’s Chief of Staff and the Managing Director of National Social Insurance Authority (NSIA), Mr Uche Orji, for making the all-important project a reality.

“With the level of funding by Mr President, we are confident that this project shall be completed in his tenure”, the Forum declared.

They thanked members of Imeobi Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo for visiting them during the meeting, assuring them that their useful advice was noted with a pledge to work with them for the benefit of the people of the zone

The Abia State Police Command has warned members of the Indigenous People of Biafra to steer clear of the burial of the parents of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ene Okon, said the police would not allow IPOB to participate in the burial.

He added that if members of the proscribed organisation were seen anywhere around the burial venue, the police would scatter the burial.

IPOB had earlier asked the Nigerian army and other security agencies to better face the real security challenges confronting the country, instead of stopping them from burying His Royal Majesty Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and his wife.

The pro-Biafran said its members were not coming for war but to pay their last respects to the parents of their leader.

But the CP said he had reached out to the traditional prime minister of Afaraukwu, Kanu’s hometown, to make it clear that the burial would not hold if IPOB members attended.

He said, “Whoever thinks along that line is fooling himself. IPOB will dance during the burial and the police elephants will dance too.

“They (Afaraukwu community) should tell IPOB not to go near the area, let alone participating in the burial.

“If the community fails to adhere to the police’s warning the burial will not go on smoothly because we are going to scatter the place. IPOB is proscribed by the Federal Government.”

Okon added that no one should expect him, as the Commissioner of Police, to sit and allow a proscribed group to operate in the state.

“We will not tolerate any flag, IPOB insignia or the group’s member disguising as Jewish or Zionist Church members during the burial.”

He insisted that the police would only provide security for the burial on the condition that no member of IPOB would be seen around the venue.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has pledged to turn around the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to enable it to compete with the likes of Cable News Network (CNN) if the $500m loan the ministry requested is approved.

He stated this when he appeared before Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans to defend the $500m loan the ministry applied for from President Muhammadu Buhari’s $29.96b loan for funding critical infrastructure in the country.

The minister explained that if the fund was approved, the NTA could be upgraded to enable it to send out signals that would be at par with CNN, “because we have the manpower and the technology.”

He explained that the creative industry was not just about Television alone, but the film, music, fashion and photography, adding that there was no better platform to showcase Nigeria’s talents than having a digital system.

He said the creative industry employs no fewer than one million young persons, directly and indirectly, noting, “If this project is approved, there will be more visibility for our people in the music, fashion and film industries.

“In 2014, we made $23m from music alone and about $53m in 2019 and we are looking forward to making $83m in 2025. You can imagine the kind of growth we will have if only we digitise all the NTA stations in the country.”

He said the project for which the ministry planned to borrow the $500m was about employment and revenue generation, saying the industry contributes 1.492 to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Apart from agriculture, which is the largest employer of labour in Nigeria, especially the youths, the next largest employer of labour is the creative industry,” he said, insisting that the $500m would go a long way in improving the creative industry.

“The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2006 gave June 17, 2015, as the deadline for all members of the organisation to migrate from analogue to digital. Regrettably, we were unable to meet the deadline alongside most countries in sub-Sahara Africa, the deadline was moved to 2017, which was not reliable and today the target is June 17, 2020,” he stated.

He restated the need for the country to meet the new deadline because if the world migrates from analogue to digital and Nigeria remains analogue, it meant that it would be unable to enlighten, entertain and educate Nigerians.

He said the loan was aimed at establishing the media and culture industry centre at the cost of $245m, digitise all NTA stations at $11m and construct integrated television services to infuse on the network, which is a signal distributor and essential component of the digitisation project.