Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, accused Russia on Thursday of deliberately targeting diplomatic missions, calling the attack a violation of the Vienna Convention.

He urged the international community to strongly condemn the strike.

“We express solidarity with our EU colleagues and are ready to provide assistance,” Sybiha posted on X, along with photos showing damage to office spaces.

READ ALSO: How 23-year-old armed robbery suspect was arrested -Police

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos also condemned the attack on X, stating, “I strongly condemn these brutal attacks, a clear sign that Russia rejects peace and chooses terror.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at least eight people were killed and dozens injured in the airstrikes.

However, The Kyiv Independent reported the death toll had reached at least 10.

The Russian military reportedly used a combination of drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missiles in the assault.

Ukraine, which continues to pursue membership in the EU, has been defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than three and a half years.

Source: dpa/NAN

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Trump, who for weeks had been threatening new sanctions against Russia for failing to halt the conflict, announced instead last Friday that he would hold an August 15 summit with Putin in Alaska.

A White House official said on Saturday that Trump was open to Zelenskiy attending, but that preparations currently were for a bilateral meeting with Putin.

The Kremlin leader last week ruled out meeting Zelenskiy, saying the conditions for such an encounter were “unfortunately still far” from being met.

Trump said a potential deal would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both (sides)”, a statement that compounded Ukrainian alarm that it may face pressure to surrender more land.

Zelenskiy says any decisions taken without Ukraine will be “stillborn” and unworkable.

On Saturday the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said that any diplomatic solution must protect the security interests of Ukraine and Europe.

“The U.S. has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday. “Any deal between the U.S. and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine’s and the whole of Europe’s security.”

EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss next steps, she said.

READ ALSO: Oba Adetona and the hypocrisy of religionists, By Bolanle Bolawole

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told U.S. network ABC News that Friday’s summit “will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing this terrible war to an end”.

He added: “It will be, of course, about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that Ukraine decides on its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation, deciding on its own geopolitical future.”

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, now holds nearly a fifth of the country.

Rutte said a future peace deal could not include legal recognition of Russian control over Ukrainian land, although it might include de facto recognition.

He compared it to the situation after World War Two when the United States accepted that the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were de facto controlled by the Soviet Union but did not legally recognise their annexation.

Zelenskiy said on Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people today.”

A European official said Europe had come up with a counter-proposal to Trump’s, but declined to provide details. Russian officials accused Europe of trying to thwart Trump’s efforts to end the war.

“The Euro-imbeciles are trying to prevent American efforts to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict,” former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev posted on social media on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a vituperative statement that the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union resembled “necrophilia”.

Roman Alekhin, a Russian war blogger, said Europe had been reduced to the role of a spectator.

“If Putin and Trump reach an agreement directly, Europe will be faced with a fait accompli. Kyiv – even more so,” he said.

CAPTURED TERRITORY

No details of the proposed territorial swap that Trump alluded to have been officially announced.

In addition to Crimea, which it seized in 2014, Russia has formally claimed the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as its own, although it controls only about 70% of the last three.

It holds smaller pieces of territory in three other regions, while Ukraine says it holds a sliver of Russia’s Kursk region.

Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin analyst, said a swap could entail Russia handing over 1,500 sq km to Ukraine and obtaining 7,000 sq km, which he said Russia would capture anyway within about six months.

He provided no evidence to back any of those figures.

Russia took only about 500 sq km of territory in July, according to Western military analysts who say its grinding advances have come at the cost of very high casualties.

Ukraine and its European allies have been haunted for months by the fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and hoping to seal lucrative joint business deals between the U.S. and Russia, could align with Putin to cut a deal that would be deeply disadvantageous to Kyiv.

They had drawn some encouragement lately as Trump, having piled heavy pressure on Zelenskiy and berated him publicly in the Oval Office in February, began criticising Putin as Russia pounded Kyiv and other cities with its heaviest air attacks of the war.

But the impending Putin-Trump summit, agreed during a trip to Moscow by Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff last week, has revived fears that Kyiv and Europe could be sidelined.

“What we will see emerge from Alaska will almost certainly be a catastrophe for Ukraine and Europe,” wrote Phillips P. O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

“And Ukraine will face the most terrible dilemma. Do they accept this humiliating and destructive deal? Or do they go it alone, unsure of the backing of European states?”

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said on Sunday that Kyiv’s partnership with its European allies was critical to countering any attempts to keep it away from the table.

“For us right now, a joint position with the Europeans is our main resource,” he said on Ukrainian radio.

Source: Reuters

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The envoy, who led the EU delegation from Abuja, held talks with the governor at the State House in Marina, Lagos.

At the centre of the bilateral discussion was the proposed ‘Omi Eko’ project— a visionary initiative designed to transform Lagos’ inland waterways into a world-class transportation hub.

The project, estimated to cost €410 million, is to be jointly financed through public and private equities, with all partners — European Union, French Development Agency, European Investment Bank and Lagos State Government — supervising its implementation.

After the completion of feasibility analysis by project partners, Sanwo-Olu said he was delighted that the project would formally take off next month.

He said the ‘Omi Eko’ initiative would harness the economic potential of the state’s aquatic ecosystem to solve socio-economic problems, while providing alternative for the residents in mobility.

He said: “With Omi Eko project, we are about to enhance the capacity of our infrastructure to provide quicker connectivity options for our residents. There will be more stations, more high-capacity electric boats and better water transportation services. The initiative will also enable us to expand the security and surveillance capabilities to make our waterways more navigable.

“The entire project fits into our vision of delivering integrated urban transportation system that will be efficiently operated. In terms of sustainability, the initiative is designed to adapt to future adjustments but the project has to commence so that we can have measurable progress before the expiration of our term in office. Omi Eko is one of the legacy projects my administration will be bequeathing to change the face of public transport system in Lagos.”

Sanwo-Olu said the EU’s investment in Lagos’ waterways would create a significant boost for tourism and further make Lagos to be more competitive for destination investors.

The governor said the state would be delighted to see the project taking off next month, urging the partners to ensure timely release of funding and front-loading of materials required for civil work on the project.

Sanwo-Olu also welcomed the planned move by EU-owned Infrastructure Development Bank to make a foray into the Nigerian financial system, describing the decision as a “positive step”.

The governor said the state government looked forward to deepen cooperation with EU member states, while pledging that Lagos would continue to enhance measures that would safeguard investments in the state.

READ ALSO: Court remands man, 55, for allegedly defiling two minors

Mignot said he brought “good news” from the EU investors, disclosing that groundbreaking would be performed by parties at the end of June to formally launch ‘Omi Eko’ project.

The envoy said: “We have good news both from the EIB and AFD; now we are ready to sign the agreements that will allow the over €400 million Omi Eko project to kick off. By the end of June 2025, we will be organising a launching event in Lagos where I will be joining the French ambassador to make landmark investment decision.”

Appreciating the commitment of Lagos government to the bilateral relationship made with EU, Mignot observed that the significant part of the European economic presence in Nigeria was largely resided in Lagos.

The ambassador said plan was underway to further strengthen economic cooperation with Lagos, noting that the European Chamber of Commerce had been rejigged to be more flexible and strategic in its broad economic partnerships in Nigeria.

He also expressed the interest of EU to commit more investment to technology sector, noting that German-owned GIZ had been taking the lead in the area.

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The EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, made this known during the launch of the Global Gateway initiative on Thursday in Abuja.

According to Urpilainen, the Global Gateway initiative was crafted to enhance connectivity, promote sustainable development, and strengthen economic ties between the EU and its partner countries, including Nigeria.

She said that through the initiative, the EU would support Nigeria to achieve enhanced infrastructure connectivity, including transport, energy, digital networks; support agriculture, economic growth, health and education.

“It will also promote sustainable development and environmental protection; and foster cooperation and partnerships with Nigeria and other partner countries.

“We are living in an increasingly fragmented world. The war that Russia started against Ukraine last year, the military takeover in Niger in July, and the escalation in Israel-Palestine conflict, are just stark reminders of that.

“In such a world, the Global Gateway strategy is our positive offer to build resilient connections in the world through strategic partnerships to jointly address the challenges of our times from fighting climate change to improving health systems,” she said

“Together, we intend to mobilise 300 billion Euros in investments by the year 2027, and half of them for Africa; it is 150 billion Euros by the year 2027; Nigeria features prominently in the Global Gateway investment package.”

Urpilainen said that the EU would support the 5G rollout in Nigeria, as part of its efforts to support the digital economy and it is working on a potential loan to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the digital and print sectors.

She added that the EU had committed financial resources to support the energy sector, including the setting up of mini grids and small hydropower plants for productive and public purposes.

“In 2022, we launched a digital economic package for Nigeria. With EU and European Investment Banks, investments worth 820 million Euros, it is a lot of money.

“We are already supporting the roll out of digital IDs nationwide, mobile network expansion with MTN in Lagos and other states.

“We are also about to launch the construction of a line between Katsina and Daura twin lines, and we are proposing to reinforce the Nigeria-Benin interconnection of the framework of the West African power pole,” she said.

Urpilainen said that education “is the most transformative investment anyone could make. So, an empowerment project is being launched in North Western Nigeria in cooperation with government to promote quality basic education in the northern regions.”

She said Nigeria was also a major beneficiary of the student mobility and higher education cooperation project under Erasmus+ with more than 2,020 students from Nigeria granted scholarships for studying in the EU in 2022.

The EU is committed to a long-term partnership with Nigeria under the Global Gateway to achieve shared goals and objectives.

“The EU’s long-term commitment will see investments into the following sectors of the country: Agriculture (€42,000,000), Energy (€37,000,000), Health (€45,000,000), Digital (€55,000,000), Education (€45,000,000), and Social Protection (€46,000,000).”

Mr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, said that the Global Gateway initiative aimed at achieving collective regional and global prosperity was in full alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

According to Tijani, “the core of this administration’s agenda is a developed Nigeria that is not only for a few, but for all, providing the Government the opportunity to actualize its plans in sectors that it wants to focus on.”

“Africa’s relationship with Europe has deep historical roots, and has been built on years of shared values, collaboration and mutual respect.

“While we enjoy geographical proximity, we also have increasingly intertwined culture, and more importantly, a shared future.

“As we seek a better future together, we can only fully actualise and realise this dream by leveraging the ties that we have always had.

“We can build a more resilient world. If we empower and enable Africa to leverage its resources to contribute to the world, while strengthening its local economies,” he said.

Tijani said that working with the EU gave Nigeria the opportunity to leverage its structure and historical resources to do more for the world, specifically also for Africa.

“For us in the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, our role takes on further significance as we have a portfolio that will be central to all we want to achieve under the Global Gateway programme.

“Nigeria is a country that is extremely blessed; not only are we blessed with natural resources that can provide opportunities for us to help meet global challenges, food security, we are also blessed with a very young, agile population.”

Tijani said that the investment of the Nigerian government was to provide opportunities for young people to participate in the global economy.

Source: NAN

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Tinubu won the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and was sworn in on May 29, 2023.

Calling on the EU to allow Nigeria to breathe, the Presidency said the final report of the of the EU which described the election as faulty was a product of a “poorly done desk job that relied heavily on few instances of skirmishes in less than 1000 polling units out of over 176,000 where Nigerians voted on election day.”

In its position presented in a statement issued on Sunday by Mr. Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, the Presidency declared that there was no substantial evidence provided by the European Union or any foreign and local organisation that was viable enough to impeach the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.

“We find it preposterous and unconscionable that in this day and age, any foreign organisation of whatever hue can continue to insist on its own yardstick and assessment as the only way to determine the credibility and transparency of our elections,” the Presidency declared.

The Presidency urged the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow Nigeria to breathe.

The statement by the Presidency reads in full:

“Sometimes in May, we alerted the nation, through a press statement, to the plan by a continental multi-lateral institution to discredit the 2023 general elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The main target was the presidential election, clearly and fairly won by the then candidate of All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“While we did not mention the name of the organisation in the said statement, we made it abundantly clear to Nigerians how this foreign institution had been unrelenting in its assault on the credibility of the electoral process, the sovereignty of our country and on our ability as a people to organise ourselves. We find it preposterous and unconscionable that in this day and age, any foreign organisation of whatever hue can continue to insist on its own yardstick and assessment as the only way to determine the credibility and transparency of our elections.

“Now that the organisation has submitted what it claimed to be its final report on the elections, we can now categorically let Nigerians and the entire world know that we were not unaware of the machinations of the European Union to sustain its, largely, unfounded bias and claims on the election outcomes.

“For emphasis, we want to reiterate that the 2023 general elections, most especially the presidential election, won by President Bola Tinubu/All Progressives Congress, were credible, peaceful, free, fair and the best organised general elections in Nigeria since 1999.

“There is no substantial evidence provided by the European Union or any foreign and local organisation that is viable enough to impeach the integrity of the 2023 election outcomes.

“It is worth restating that the limitation of EU final assessment and conclusions on our elections was made very bare in the text of the press conference addressed by the Head of its Electoral Observation Mission, Barry Andrews. While addressing journalists in Abuja on the so-called final report, Andrews noted that EU-EOM monitored the pre-election and post-election processes in Nigeria from January 11 to April 11, 2023 as an INEC accredited election monitoring group. Within this period, EU-EOM observed the elections through 11 Abuja-based analysts, and 40 election observers spread across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. With the level of personnel deployed, which was barely an average of one person per state, we wonder how EU-EOM independently monitored election in over 176,000 polling units across Nigeria.

“We would like to know and even ask EU, how it reached the conclusions in the submitted final report with the very limited coverage of the elections by their observers who, without doubt, relied more on rumours, hearsay, cocktails of prejudiced and uninformed social media commentaries and opposition talking heads.

“We are convinced that what EU-EOM called final report on our recent elections is a product of a poorly done desk job that relied heavily on few instances of skirmishes in less than 1000 polling units out of over 176,000 where Nigerians voted on election day.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Presidency speaks on ‘increase’ in Tinubu, VP’s salaries

“We have many reasons to believe the jaundiced report, based on the views of fewer than 50 observers, was to merely sustain the same premature denunciatory stance contained in EU’s preliminary report released in March.

“We strongly reject, in its entirety, any notion and idea from any organisation, group and individual remotely suggesting that the 2023 election was fraudulent.

“Our earlier position that the technology-aided 2023 general elections were the most transparent and best organised elections since the return of civil rule in Nigeria has been validated by all non-partisan foreign and local observers such are the African Union, ECOWAS, Commonwealth Observer Mission and the Nigerian Bar Association.

“Unlike EU-EOM that deployed fewer than 50 observers, the Nigerian Bar Association that sent out over 1000 observers spread across the entire country for same election gave a more holistic and accurate assessment of the elections in their own report.

“NBA, an organisation of eminent lawyers and an important voice within the civic space, reported that 91.8 per cent of Nigerians rated the conduct of the national and state elections as credible and satisfactory. Any election that over 90% of the citizens considered transparent should be celebrated anywhere in the world.

“It is heart-warming that INEC, through its National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, has come out to defend the integrity of the election it conducted by rejecting the false narratives in the EU report.

“It is also gratifying that the electoral umpire, as an institution that is open to learning and continuous improvements, has also committed to taking on board more ideas, innovation and reforms that will further enhance the integrity and credibility of our electoral process.

“As a country, we have put the elections behind us. President Tinubu is facing the arduous task of nation-building, while those who have reasons to challenge the process continue to do so through the courts.  In just one month in office, Nigerians appear satisfied with the decisive leadership of President Tinubu and the manner he is redirecting the country to the path of fiscal sustainability and socio-economic reforms. We urge the EU and other foreign interests to be objective in all their assessments of the internal affairs of our country and allow Nigeria to breathe.”

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The president spoke during a telephone conversation with the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel.

The European Council is the EU institution that defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union.

According to President Tinubu, Nigeria and the whole of Africa would require the help and partnership of her friends and development partners like the EU to address the excruciating poverty in the continent.

While requesting the EU to look at specific areas of security challenge like the Lake Chad and coastal areas, the Nigerian leader promised to remain in contact with the European Union and other member states.

He said poverty and insecurity were priority areas for his administration and he would do all that was required to address them.

The council president used the opportunity of the telephone conversation to once again congratulate President Tinubu over his election.

While pledging the commitment of the council towards a stronger cooperation and partnership with Nigeria based on mutual respect and common interests, he pointed out that Nigeria was important to the EU and the International Community.

Mr Michel urged the Nigerian leader to continue to work with the EU in all relevant areas.

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Organised in partnership with the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, the first leg of the training was held in in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, on November 7, 2022 with 32 female journalists in attendance, predominantly from the southern parts of the country, while the second training which is expected to be attended by 35 female journalists selected from the northern parts of the country, will be held in Abuja on 21 November, 2022.

The specific objective of the media component is to ensure that, “The Media, including New and Social Media, provides fair, accurate, ethical and inclusive coverage of the Electoral Process”.

The overall goal is to “Support the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria with the media (broadcast, print and online media) helping to facilitate the key ingredient of credible elections through engagement and professionalism in coverage and reportage of the electoral processes”.

The IPC initiative aims to position female journalists to deliver impactful, public-interest and investigative reporting of the electoral process especially by incorporating the use of data tools in reporting the electoral process and the elections.

The sessions are targeted to place female journalists at the frontline on elections reporting to write and produce special reports that are professional, inclusive, conflict-sensitive, fact-checked and data driven.

Participants at the training would be required to pitch impactful story ideas for which the resource person shall be providing mentorship guide and editorial assistance.

The Executive Director IPC, Mr. Larne Arogundade, in a statement said that “within the framework of supporting the media by improving the gender stereotyped representations of women’s political participation, the skill-enhancing session for the journalists is imperative to re-direct and prospect opportunities for new impactful and professional reporting of the electoral process while empowering female journalists as agents of change”.

Mrs. Motunrayo Joel, Deputy Editor Africa- Check, Nigeria, Dr. Titi Osuagwu, University of Port- Harcourt, and Taiwo Obe, Founder Journalism Clinic, facilitated the first training in Port-Harcourt, incorporating the topics; “Factual accuracy and combating fake news: The place of fact checking and data use in reporting of 2023 elections”, “Electoral Processes & 2023 Elections: According Priority to Issues of Women and other underrepresented groups” and “Impactful Reporting of Electoral Processes and 2023 Elections: Focusing on Issues & Telling Stories That Matter and Conflict-sensitivity and safety in election reporting.

Mrs. Moji Makanjuola, CEO, International Society of Media in Public Health, David Ajikobi, Nigeria Editor, Africa Check, and Taiwo Obe, Founder Journalism Clinic, will facilitate the upcoming training in Abuja.

IPC plans to train and mentor a total of 140 female journalists drawn from the print, online and broadcast media hubs during the pre and post elections cycles.

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The leadership made the declaration in reference to the criminal activities of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.

CAN president, Dr Samson Ayokunle, made the assertion Tuesday evening in an interactive session which some Christian leaders had with the European Union delegation led by the EU Chief Election Observer, Ms. Maria Arena who are on a mission to the country from 1-5 March in preparation for the coming general election observation.

The EU delegation wanted to know the position of the association on the preparation of all the stakeholders – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security agencies and the political parties.

Ayokunle who also doubles as the co-chairman of the Nigeria Inter Religious Council, NIREC, explained that the security situation in the country might not allow the general election to be credible, free and fair if the voters were not allowed to go out to exercise their inalienable rights because of fear of being harmed or kidnapped or killed.

“We call on the Federal Government and the security agencies to wake up to the security challenges in the country where terrorists, bandits and kidnappers are operating with impunity and nowhere is safe and secure again. If the trend continues, many voters may not participate and the outcome of the election may not be credible,” the CAN president said.

He observed that the government appeared to be struggling to nip the ugly situation in the bud, their present effort was far from being enough.

“We have been struggling with this situation now for the past thirteen years, yet, we are still where we are!,” he said.

He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to be apolitical in the assignment and asked the members of the commission who are card carrying members of the ruling party to step down or be flushed out in order to avoid compromised election results.

Ayokunle tasked INEC to borrow a leaf from its counterpart in Gambia where their recently conducted elections were far better than Nigeria’s elections.

All election observers, including All Africa Conference of Churches’ delegation that he led there adjudged the election to be credible.

According to him, “Gambia’s elections were more credible, free and fair. It was also free from security harassment and there was a level playing field for all the parties involved. We are supposed to be doing better because we have more resources and more capacity than Gambian.”

The CAN president who disclosed that CAN had no candidate for the office of the president however reiterated the position of the association on the need to have a Christian president as the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari who is a Muslim and would have spent eight years in office by the time he is handing over to the next president.

According to him, “Although Nigeria is practising democracy, because of our peculiarities which include multicultural, multi-tribal, and multi-religious nature, ours should be a ‘home grown democracy’ where every divide should be given a sense of belonging. Even if the constitution is silent on the six geopolitical zones rotational representation, the political parties should be wise enough to make use of it in sharing the leadership positions. We have warned all political parties against fielding either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian Presidential candidates. Since President Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim from the North, in the interest of equity, fairness, social justice and cohesion, the next president should be a Christian from the South.”

After the interactions, the leader of the delegation, Ms Maria Arena thanked the leadership of CAN for honouring their invitation and promised to be carrying the association along in their assignments.

Meanwhile, Ayokunle has advised all churches in Nigeria to make the first week of March a Week Of Soul Winning. He urged all churches under the umbrella of the association to be using the week as a period of soul winning so that bloodletting and all other crimes might reduce.

He urged Christians to share their faith, their testimonies and spread the gospel of God’s love and mercy to all who had not known the Lord through Jesus Christ.

He said the should preach the Kingdom of God to the world.

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The envoy said this on Monday at the premiere of “HOPE”, a documentary film, sponsored by the EU.

Created by Factstory, a subsidiary agency of the global French newswire service, Agence France-Presse, AFP, and also a production company specialising in audio-visual, online and editorial content present in 150 countries.

The documentary ”HOPE” was based on the ravaging effects of insurgency on displaced populations in Northern Nigeria.

It tracks the steps of an 11-year-old girl, Mariam Ibrahim, from Bama, whose father was killed when the town was overran by the insurgents in 2014.

In addition, it also features Muhammad Bello, a former fisherman from Baga, who fled with his family to Zabarmari, a dozen kilometres north of Maiduguri, due to heavy fighting in his hometown in 2015.

Isopi said she was happy and proud of the premiere since it was her first official public event, after presenting her Letters of Credence to President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday morning.

“I’m proud that this premiere presents my very first official and public event as Ambassador of the EU to Nigeria after presenting my Letter of Credence to President Buhari, this morning.

“The film HOPE tells us about the challenges that the residents of the North East faced in their daily lives of which their sources of income were destroyed by the insurgency.

“A decade after the start of the insurgency in the North East of Nigeria, the region is still suffering from the loss of lives and property, food insecurity and a very poor standard of living.

“More than two million remain displaced from their homes, while hundreds of thousands are living in over crowded displacement sites, without proper access to sanitation and clean water.

“More than 3 million people have food insecurity and an equal high number of children are suffering from acute malnutrition. The number of out of school children has also increased exponentially,” she said.

She added that the EU, as Nigeria’s partners in development, has committed about 130 million euros over the past four years to assist the Nigerian government in rebuilding, rehabilitation and peace efforts.

“This support has contributed to the restoration of basic services, such as health and nutrition, agriculture, sanitation, social protection education , conflict management, among others.

“Thanks to this support; we are happy to see people are gradually returning to their communities with hope for a better future,” she said.

Also speaking, Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Farouq, agreed with the EU envoy about the importance of food security saying that the ministry, through the Northeast Development Commission was seriously addressing the issue.

Farouq, who was represented by the Executive Director, Disaster Management, Dr Suleiman Abubakar, added that President Buhari had similarly shown commitment to address the issues of food insecurity and malnutrition.

“By initiating the national poverty reduction with a bold strategy, which specifically aims to address hunger, malnutrition and poverty through economic growth and social protection programmes.

“Furthermore, the government’s focus on promoting local production, providing loans to farmers and skills acquisition to others to enhance the social economic capacities of the people.

“It is, therefore, worthy to know that the EU had been a key partner of the ministry in addressing some of the humanitarian challenges in the North East.

“So, we further call on the EU to continue to support our efforts towards addressing the issues of food insecurity, particularly in the North East,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The governor also reiterated his administration’s commitment to intensify the campaign against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the state.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by the Ambassador and Head of the European Union, EU, delegation to Nigeria and Economic Community of West Africa State, ECOWAS, Ketil Karlsen, at the Lagos House, Marina, on Friday, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State would not take her partnership with the European Union for granted.

Governor Sanwo-Olu also charged Karlsen to ensure that his handover to his successor was seamless so that the good work he did could be advanced.

“We appreciate your support so far. You have shown that when we work together, we can achieve so much. I want to implore you to ensure that your handover to your successor is seamless so that the good work that is ongoing can be advanced.

“We will not take our partnership with the European Union for granted. We know what is expected of us and we will continue to make ourselves available in all engagements,” the governor said.

Speaking earlier, Karlsen commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his visionary leadership and good work he has been doing in Lagos State since he assumed office two years ago.

He also praised the governor for the role he played during the COVID-19 pandemic period as well as ensuring that over 260,000 Lagosians were vaccinated against coronavirus.

Karlsen also stressed the need for a continuous and cordial relationship between the European Union and Nigeria, and Lagos in particular.

The Ambassador and Head of the European Union, EU, delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, who raised concern over Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, commended Lagos State government for addressing the issue through the Mirabel Center, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre in the State, which according to him had done very well in addressing the problem.

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