PROMINENT Nigerians are expected at this year’s edition of Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols organized by Maris Schools, Amachai, Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area within the Delta State Capital Territory.

Speaking with some journalists in Asaba, Delta State, on Monday, Comrade Fidelis Egugbo, said that the annual event is used to thank God for His goodness and also to prepare the people for the great feast of the Nativity.

He said, “we thank God for the gift of life and for providing a platform for people to sing His praises and thank Him annually for His goodness.

“For this year’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols of Maris Schools, Amachai, Okpanam, by the grace of God, the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Monday Onyeme, a Knight of St. Christopher and his friends are expected to grace the occasion.

“Deputy Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ochor Christopher Ochor, is a regular face at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and he is expected to attend this year’s edition with his wife, who took one of the lessons at last year’s edition.

“Also, the Star Prince, Prince Ned Nwoko, who is the Senatorial candidate of the PDP for Delta North, a man who is passionate about moulding the youths to take up their roles as future leaders, is expected to attend the event, in demonstration of his commitment to his people; remember, you cannot talk about the feast of the Nativity without talking about the three wise men who were guided by the “Star” and Prince Nwoko is, the ‘Star Prince.’

“Chairman, Delta North PDP, Chief Moses Iduh, a man who is evidently in love with education, has given assurance that he will attend the event with his good friend, Deacon Chuks Nwaebuni, a man whom I knew through Pastor Anthony Onyia, one of the pioneer club operators in Asaba – the Tonylinks Club.

“Chief Godwill Obielum is one of the benefactors of Maris Schools and he will also, attend the ceremony with of course, his friend, the Omenosa! Chief Isaac Onyesom, a renowned philanthropist.

“The member representing Ndokwa West at the Delta State House of Assembly, Anagba! Hon. Charles Emetulu who is the Chairman, House Committee on Education and members of his family have always attended ceremonies organized by Maris Trust Council, organisers of Maris Annual Public Lecture series and as such, he was at the first Holy Mass to signal the opening of Maris Schools and is seen as one of the benefactors of Maris Schools.; he will naturally, be there by the grace of God.

“The Maris Schools’ festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is a great festival that attracts Priests from the Catholic Church, the religious, Pastors from different churches because, it provide an opportunity for people to thank God, sing praises to Him, and opportunity to relax, meet old friends and for people to enjoy themselves in a convivial, education-friendly environment.

“There is no way we can list all those who have given assurances that they will attend this year’s event without naming the Chairman, PDP, Ndokwa West Chapter, Ogbuefi Lucky Okuji, who will attend the event with members of his family.

“One can recall vividly that in the past, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and his associates, Sen. Emmanuel Aguariavwado and his friends, representatives of the Minority Leader, Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, Chief Osisike and his family, Chief Emma Ejiofor, Mr Charles Aniagwu and Mr Paul Osahon, Chief Chika Ossai and members of his family, Mrs Chichebem Egwuyenga, Mr Jonathan Ochonogor, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, Dr. Kemi Emina, Sir Eddy Ogidi-Gbegbaje, the Taboweis, Sir Edemu, Mr Monday Uwagwu and staff of The Pointer Newspaper, Chief Christopher Oyemike, Mr Godwin Ossai, Mr and Mrs Diachi, Lady May Inije, Lady Patricia Nwawolo, Sir and Lady G.G. Iyawa and his brother, Sir P.A.B. Iyawa, Sir and Lady Ebenuwa, Mr B.M.O. Ebonwu and his family, Mr Geofrey Ubaka and his family, Mr Peter Dumbili and his family, Hon. Collins Iwebunor, Sir Anthony Okpala, Mr Harold Ojji, my colleagues, Nelson Egware and Amaechi Udemba, leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, among numerous others are regular faces at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

“For this year’s edition, Rev. Fr. Malachy Okonkwo of St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Okpanam, shall celebrate the Holy Mass at exactly 10 am at Maris Hall, Maris Schools, Amachai, Okpanam and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols follows afterward at same venue.

“Rev. Fr. Mark Nwoko, the Spiritual Adviser of Knights of St. John’s International, Commandery 550 and Rev. Fr. A. Dunkwu are among Priests who have confirmed that they will be personally present at the event; Rev. Fr. John Konyeke will be unavoidably absent at this year’s edition as his academic activities at the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt will not permit him to attend.

“Choir groups from St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Okpanam and Catholic Church of the Ascension, Asaba have given assurances that they will be at Maris Schools to join the pupils and students in singing to the glory of God.

“It is really time to make joyful noise to the Lord as we believe that with God, it can only be better and it is our responsibilities to make the world better than we met it.”

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to remove roadblocks of regional integration by investing time and resources on reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers in West Africa.

Speaking at the opening of the 89th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray said in order to diagnose the state of the region, four strategic objectives have been identified, noting that these would be the focus of “our Management in the next four years. We call this the Commissions 4 by 4 (4 x 4) comprising specific deliverables or results to be realised within our mandate.”

Touray said one of the objectives is to deepen regional integration, adding that “here we intend to invest time and resources on reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers in our Community and improve the business environment for our private sector, fully operationalise the regional payment system to reduce difficulty of transactions in local currencies and over-reliance on international currencies (the US dollars/euros); we also intend to introduce ECOWAS VISA, at the first instance for diplomatic and service passports.”
 
He also stated that another objective is Enhanced Peace and Security, where there is an intention to fully implement the ECOWAS Action Plan against Terrorism, fully operationalise the ECOWAS Maritime Security Architecture, fully operationalise the National Early Warning and Response Centres and build synergy with the ECOWAS Early Warning and Response Mechanism, and continuously build ECOWAS mediation and response capacity.
 
Touray also said another of the strategic objective is good governance, including good corporate governance to build confidence in the private sector, stressing that: “We will be focusing on building a stronger regime against anti-constitutional changes of government and supporting our Member States to deepen democracy. Our target here includes completing the democratic transitions in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali and strengthening both ECOWAS Court and ECOWAS Parliament to play their respective roles in improving governance in our region.”
 
He said ECOWAS is equally interested in Inclusive and Sustainable Development, under which there is the intention to increase “our commitment to food security, regional highway development, energy access, disaster response, gender mainstreaming, and climate action.”
 
He added that: “Besides these four strategic objectives, we have identified two enablers, namely capable institutions and equitable partnerships. Under these capable institutions initiative, we intend to look at our processes and our human and financial resources with respect to partnerships.”

In her address, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Community of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau and President of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, Dr. Carla Suzi Barbosa lamented that the economies of the countries of West Africa have witnessed the regressive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine-Russia, through food crisis and scarcity of other products that constitute essential goods for the regional populations.

She said: “Furthermore, our sub-region has been troubled by human insecurity and violent extremism, and more recently by new waves of coups d’état, guided by uncertain compromises — which represents elements of fragility of some Member States in implementing mechanisms that guarantee the sustainability of the values ​​of democracy and good governance.”

She stressed that as a consequence, “we are witnessing increasing situations of human poverty and vulnerabilities such as climate change, irregular rainfall, waves of internal displacement, forced migration, communities kidnapped by armed bandits, among others.”

The Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, in his message charged all the ministers to take the deliberations at the meeting to heart as the entire sub-region depends on them.

He said: “As an assembly of stakeholders with a collective responsibility of deciding on matters relating to integration and development in our region, it behaves on us to discuss all items on our agenda with an open mind in order to find solutions to the numerous challenges threatening our region, including the new wave of food insecurity and persistent obstacle to free trade, particularly on the Lagos-Abidjan Corridor.

“The interest of the citizens of our Community must be paramount and we need to avail ourselves of the opportunity presented by this meeting to articulate positions that will advance the achievement of sustainable economic integration and development of our region.”

The Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the UN Women Nigeria Country Office convened a high-level Orange the World Ceremony and the Lighting of the UN House to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism for the year. During the event, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Nigeria and heads of government and agencies concertedly called for policy action and escalated interventions
 
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an annual international campaign. It commences on 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women). It climaxes on 10th December (Human Rights Day), indicating that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide. The global theme of the 16 Days of Activism for 2022 is UNiTE! Activism To End Violence Against Women and Girls!”
The United Nations leverages the annual 16 Days of Activism campaign to draw attention to the need for concerted action towards preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls. The event aimed to strengthen partnerships to end violence against women and girls among UN agencies, Government MDAs, Diplomatic Missions and Development Partners, Security Agencies, CSOs and Media, among other stakeholders, while increasing visibility and public support for the local efforts to end violence against women and girls.
In Nigeria, 30 per cent of girls and women aged between 15 and 49 reported having experienced sexual abuse.  The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey shows that 14 per cent of women in Nigeria have experienced physical violence. Cases of violence against women increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. A UN report revealed that by April 2020, cases of gender-based violence increased by 56 per cent after only two weeks of lockdown.
UNICEF reports that “six out of every ten children experience some form of violence – one in four girls and 10 per cent of boys have been victims of sexual violence”.  Notably, violence against women in the home usually involves the abuse of children and other household members.
“Another major aspect of this ceremony is the official orange lighting of the UN Building.  The light initiative is integral to the UN Women and the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign and is used to “symbolize a brighter future without violence.” The “orange” comes from the fire ignited by the many women’s groups dedicated to combating violence against women around the world. We call on our partners to join us in promoting the orange campaign throughout the 16 days and beyond so as to galvanize more support to end violence against women and girls. We must sustain the momentum for a brighter future where men and women, girls and boys enjoy equal rights, devoid of discrimination and all forms of violence” said Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS in her special remarks.
The 2020 Trafficking in Humans Report found that 70% of globally trafficked people are young girls and adult women. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2019 reported that women and girls together account for 72% of all human trafficking victims detected globally, with girls representing more than three out of four child trafficking victims.
Most cases of sexual violence are not reported to the authorities. Fewer than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek the help of any sort.  Most women who seek help look to family and friends, and very few look to formal institutions such as the police and health services. In some cases, women who accuse men of sexual assault have faced backlash and apathetic attitudes from security agencies. The United Nations believes there is a need for deliberate action by government and security agencies to improve response to gender-based violence, prosecution, and redress for survivors.
“We are calling for an increased spotlight on the many forms that this violence can take and the culture of silence that often surrounds its victims. Much progress has been made recently with the Violence Against Person’s Prohibition Act which has been passed into law by 34 out of the 36 states. This has been made possible by the collective efforts of government, civil society, development partners, UN agencies, and the donor community. Let this be an inspiration to us for further partnership and coordination,” remarked Matthias Schmale, UN Resident Coordinator in his welcome address.
Part of the event was an exhibition What Was She Wearing? (Curated by Education As Vaccine with support from the Government of Canada and Frontline Aids) the exhibition addresses one of the most pervasive myths of rape culture. It also aims to create new conversations and disrupt harmful social attitudes to prevent violence and ensure access to justice for all survivors.
The event’s highlight was lighting of the UN House in orange. The light initiative is integral to the UN Women and the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign and “symbolises a brighter future without violence.” The “orange” comes from the fire ignited by the many women’s groups dedicated to combating violence against women worldwide.
The event drew participants from high profile delegations such as top-level government officials, high level UN Delegation, Donor Communities, Civil Society Organizations, young women organizations, male champions, persons living with disabilities, among others.

The Yobe state Governor, Hon. Mai Mala Buni CON, has urged clerics in the country to continue praying for the prosperity of Nigeria and its leadership.

He made the call today when the National Leader of Jama’atul Izzalatu Bid’a wa ikhamatu Sunnah (JIBWIS), Shiek Abdullahi Bala Lau, paid him a courtesy call in Abuja.

He said religious leaders have great roles to play in shaping the thinking of leaders, the people and government for a better country.

“You serve as reminders, guiding leaders in government and the society.

“Your summons and preaching should guide leaders to serve God and humanity for an improved welfare to the people.

“You should always and continuously remind leaders of their roles in serving God and the people.

“You should not abandone leaders to their ideas and wisdom in piloting the affairs of state or country” Gov. Buni said.

Earlier, Shiek Bala Lau, said he led Yobe state leaders of the Islamic organization to congratulate Gov. Buni on the award of the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger CON to the Governor.

Lau assured Buni of JIBWIS support for his administration to succeed.

“We will continue praying for Yobe state and Nigeria for sustainable peace, progress and prosprity” the cleric assured.

Signed
Mamman Mohammed,
DG, Press and Media Affairs.

The President and Chairman of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr. Agyekum Donkor has been awarded the prestigious Prix de la Fondation by the Crans Montana Forum at a ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland.

The award was presented to Donkor last Friday by His Royal Highness Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Crans Montana Founder and Chairman, Jean Paul Carteron.

The Crans Montana Forum is a world leading international institution dedicated to Public-Private Sector Cooperation. It has become an elegant meeting place for high level officials and top decision makers from Governments and Business and Prix de la Fondation is awarded in recognition of an accomplished work and serves as a solemn encouragement.

At a cocktail held at the Fairmont Hotel in Geneva ahead of receiving the top award, Donkor highlighted the global economic downturn created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

He said: “The whole world is in economic turmoil as a result of two external shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. As a result of these challenges, there have been escalating prices of food and energy and economies all over the world are suffering.”

Donkor lamented that food and energy prices have gone up tremendously which has affected the global commodity supply, resulting in price hikes in various jurisdictions, leading to severe economic challenges. He noted that inflation is on the high side, especially with countries that had been experiencing low inflationary records like Japan. Japan had rather been fighting deflation but now they are also battling inflation, he disclosed.

Later in a presentation to the Crans Montana Forum, Donkor told the audience that the ECOWAS Bank for International Development was more interested in the solutions more than the challenges. He called for the need to change our orientation and re-engineer our value system if we are to rise above the economic circumstances we find ourselves.

“Unless there is a change within, there cannot be a change without,” the EBID President counselled stating, “it is necessary to reinvent foreign policies and diplomatic action based on the necessary and unavoidable acceptance of the other.”

The award is an acknowledgement of Dr. Donkor’s numerous contributions to the socio-economic development of the sub-region by spearheading strategic economic initiatives for creating jobs and providing dynamic leadership to champion wealth creation for vulnerable population groups. A lawyer and development banker by training, his illustrious career, spanning close to three decades, has been a testament of people-centred leadership in a corporate setting.

Donkor focuses on implementation of change to drive progress not only in the West African sub-region, but also to stimulate a wider international impact through regional integration and engagement. Under his capable leadership, EBID has achieved several remarkable successes including balance sheet growth of 22% and 158% oversubscription of its 2021 UEMOA bond issuance concluded within 24hrs, both an indication of increased investor confidence.

Within two years of assumption of office as President of the Bank, Dr. Donkor, has recorded an impressive operational and financial performance to the admiration of all stakeholders.

Present at the Crans Montana ceremony were Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Ghana’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Emmanuel Kwame Asiedu Antwi as well as the Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Hon. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, who is also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament.

The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) is a leading regional investment and development bank, owned by the fifteen (15) ECOWAS Member States. Based in Lomé, Togo, the Bank is committed to financing developmental projects and programs covering diverse initiatives from infrastructure and basic amenities, rural development and environment, industry, and social services sectors, through its private and public sector windows. EBID intervenes through long, medium, and short-term loans, equity participation, lines of credit, refinancing, financial engineering operations and related services.