Former Chief Press Secretary to Godwin Obaseki of Edo state,
Prince John Mayaki, has condemned the reported kidnap of an Appeal
Court Judge, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme on Wednesday by gunmen,
urging the governor to focus his energy on tackling security
challenges in the state and lessen his focus on politicking.
Mayaki, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC
described the incident as yet another avoidable sad occurrence and
further indication of the complete breakdown of law and order in
Edo State.
Mayaki accused Obaseki of focusing exclusively on politics at
the expense of governance.
“Security is at its lowest level ever in the history of Edo
State due to the incompetence of the state’s Chief Security
Officer, Mr Godwin Obaseki. Today, families in Edo State are made
to bear unimaginable pain as a result of senseless criminal attacks
including kidnappings, killings, and violence”, he said in a
statement yesterday.
Speaking further, he said; “Not long ago, the state was thrown
into a state of confusion over similar kidnap of Prof. Sylvanus
Okogbenin of Irrua Specialist Hospital even though he was
travelling within Benin City, in broad daylight, with a retinue of
attached police officers, some of whom were killed. His release was
secured after a reported payment of ransom and the Governor made
another empty promise of avoiding a repeat.
“Since the Governor’s empty promise, a metaphor for his entire
stay in office, more citizens have been kidnapped and killed. Other
residents, irrespective of status, are now afraid to move around or
conduct businesses for fear of being kidnapped or attacked. Worse
still, instead of curbing this ugly development, Governor Godwin
Obaseki is directly compounding the problem with his association
with notorious thugs and tacit encouragement of violence just to
further a selfish political ambition,” he said.
Mayaki recounted incidences where political allies of the
Governor vowed to visit any voice of opposition to Mr Godwin
Obaseki’s second term bid with violence.
“Without a doubt, Mr Godwin Obaseki has sanctioned violent
repression of political opponents in Edo State and this sad
development has triggered a cascade of events contributing to the
larger insecurity witnessed in the state. When the highest body in
the state turns a blind eye to the brutal assault of citizens
because of their political choices, other criminals take a cue and
participate in the free for all,” he said.
Mayaki also queried the effectiveness of the pseudo-state police
set up by the Governor.
“Mr Obaseki established ‘Operation Wabazigan’ and got his
illegal Assembly to approve huge sums for it from the state
treasury. However, in spite of this, security in Edo State has
grown worse because funds meant for this security outfit were
mismanaged and diverted, with the hired officers used principally
for the intimidation of political opponents.”
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Minister of Agriculture and Rural
Development, Sabo Nanono
FG launches Gender Policy to deepen
Women Involvement in Agricbusiness
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has launched the National Gender Policy
in Agriculture. The Document would promote and ensure the adoption
of gender sensitive and responsive approaches towards engendering
plans and programmes, in such a way that men and women have equal
access and control of productive resources and facilities to bridge
gender gaps.
Speaking at the launch held in Abuja, Alhaji Sabo
Nanono, said that the document would provide a policy direction for
the different roles of women and men in Agriculture for development
and gender equality in access to resources as well as equal
opportunities in maximizing means of livelihood and also necessary
condition for progressively realizing the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).
Nanono further said that ‘’ the National Gender Policy
in Agriculture is expected to drastically reduce the vulnerability
of women to biases in agriculture, address the unequal gender power
relation and bridge gender gap’’
He explained that ‘’ when implemented will
be a tool for achieving gender – based reforms and increasing
productivity by men and women along all the value chains in the
sector improves food security ,reduces hunger, poverty and sustain
the livelihoods of men and women who rely on agricultural value
chains for common good’’
The Minister stressed that ‘’ this event no doubt, is
a unique platform aimed at contributing to the attainment of the
on- going agricultural reforms and development agenda of the
present administration’’
He informed that ‘’the National Gender
Policy in Agriculture is hinged on the National Gender
Policy (2006) and its Strategic Implementation Framework (2008) as
developed by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social
Development’’.
He emphasized that ‘’ it is important to note that
women make up about 50% of Nigeria’s population
and are responsible for carrying out 70% of agricultural labour,
50% of animal husbandry related activities and 60% of food
processing activities but have access to less than 20% of available
agricultural resources which is a serious impediment to their
maximizing agricultural production and that is why the launch of
this policy document is apt’’.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion and
Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Dr. Abdullahi
Adamu, said that the role of women in the Agricultural sector
cannot be overemphasized because ‘’ women are in involved in all
the processing from clearing of the farm, harvesting and packaging
of agricultural products’’
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary,FMARD,
Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar, represented by the Director, Special
Duties /Gender, Mr. Zubairu Abdullahi, said that ‘’ to achieve
the task of bridging gender gap in Agriculture Sector, the Ministry
apart from pursuing and encouraging the establishment of gender
friendly policies, has initiated various women friendly programmes
and activities aimed at mainstreaming gender into agricultural
activities in collaboration with relevant organizations’’
Dr M.B Umar pointed out that ‘’ as a Ministry, we are
committed to the socio-economic empowerment of women and men in the
sector. We therefore, acknowledge, acting in line with the
Sustainable Development Goals declaration, that gender equality is
a prerequisite for eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable
human development’’.
For: Director, Information (FMARD)