News
Reps to engage state legislatures on domestication of Child Rights Act
The House of Representatives would engage the 36 states Houses of Assemblies on the need for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Child Rights Act, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila has said.
According to the Speaker, the engagement would be technologically conducted due to the urgency and critical nature of the issue, considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the escalation of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls in the country.
The Speaker disclosed this while hosting some sexual and gender-based Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in his office on Friday, where he added that the House would consider working on sexual violence-related laws to make them conform with the current realities.
Some of the CSOs at the meeting include Women Advocacy Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Education as a Vaccine (EVA), Dorothy Njemanze Foundation, Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Programme, Action Aid, Malala Fund, Heir Women Development and Disability Rights Advocacy Centre, among others.
The Speaker also disclosed that the House would work towards ensuring that the services of CSOs working on sexual and gender-based violence are classified as essential services.
He said: “My question has always been, first of all, why do we have this very significant uptick in cases of rape right now as opposed to in the past?
“is it because of cultural shift and people are now emboldened to report these cases? Or is it just actually an uptick, with more cases of rape?
“I’m not sure which one it is, but whichever one it is, it’s been brought to the forefront, and it is incumbent upon us as legislators, in fact, upon every Nigerians to confront it and eliminate it as much as we can.
“I believe the House has been very responsive on this matter. Fortunately, it falls in line with our 9th Assembly Agenda, the issue of women and the sanctity of their dignity and the constitutional rights of the dignity of their person.
“Fortunately, we had a motion on the issue on the floor of the House yesterday (Thursday), robustly debated with enough time. Because it (this issue) is beyond the dignity to person; it is a fundamental human right that has been abused.
“We reached far-reaching resolutions on the issue, and we even resolved to wear black on our next sitting to show solidarity and the seriousness with which we have taken the issue.
“On Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Child Rights Acts and the domestication of both, I’m aware that about 27 states are yet to domesticate them. But we, as a Federal House, will take that initiative to the states.
“I intend to write and communicate to all the Speakers of all 36 States for them to be proactive about this piece of legislation. Hopefully, we will set that up sometime next week to have a meeting, obviously by zoom conference with all the Speakers on a single item agenda which will be the issue of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act and the Child Rights Act and the domestication of same.
“I’m sure, by the time we are through, I think all 36 States would, unless there is a reason which I cannot even think of, why any State would oppose such.
“I assure you, every single member of this House is on the same page with you on this matter”.
The Speaker expressed concern of domestic and sexual violence-related laws, saying, “I think the bar has been set very low in Nigeria in terms of definition.
“Perhaps, as a House, we need to look at the legislation to tighten the noose, tighten the definition and even rape because, universally, rape is considered by criminal definition, sexual intercourse and penetration without consent.
“Now, it is the most difficult crime to prove because of how to establish consent. Sometimes it’s obvious there was no consent, but sometimes, it’s a slippery slope and it’s a grey area as to what exactly is a consent.
“Sometimes we have situations where women gave the consent and thereafter withdraw the consent, but I believe the mantra has to be sustained that no is no and it doesn’t matter at what stage.
“So, maybe in our legislation, the definition of rape needs to be loosened up but to the extent that a man will know that no is no.
“Part one of the resolution we reached yesterday (Thursday) was that every police station establishes a unit for sexual offences, separate from everything else.
“These are the kinds of things we are looking at to give teeth and to give bite to the offence of rape. So, we will need your input since women are most affected.”
Earlier, representatives of the sexual and gender-based CSOs had complained about the refusal of many states to either pass or domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Child Rights Acts.
Due to the escalation of rape in the country in recent times, the CSOs demanded a state of emergency on domestic violence against women, while seeking for a deliberate criminalization of such offences since many victims of such violence do not come forward or get properly documented either at the hospital or police station.
They also pleaded for intervention over reported cases of aiding and abetting by police officers, which oftentimes lead to mishandling of cases of sexual violence.
Also, the CSOs requested the intervention of the House on funding for establishments of CSOs that handle issues of sexual and gender violence to enable victims to have justice at all times.
When the CSO’s complained that their services were not classified as essential by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, which made it difficult and almost impossible to respond to pleas by victims of rape and other gender-based complaints, the Speaker assured that the House Ad-hoc Committee on COVID-19 would liaise with the PTF on classifying it as essential.
Overland Airways, Nigeria’s longest serving private domestic airline, in partnership with Niger State Government, is pleased to announce the commencement of flight services to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport Minna, the capital city of Niger State from Lagos and Abuja, effective April 23, 2025.
Overland Airways will operate three (3) weekly flights on the Minna-Lagos-Minna route and three (3) weekly flights on the Minna-Abuja-Minna route. These flights will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using Overland Airways’ brand-new Embraer 175 aircraft.
Flights will depart Lagos to Minna at 8am and Minna to Lagos at 3pm. Flights from Minna to Abuja will depart at 9:30am while Abuja to Minna will depart at 2pm.
Capt. Edward Boyo, Chief Executive Officer and Accountable Executive of Overland Airways says: ‘We are excited to commence flight services to Minna from Abuja the Federal Capital and Lagos the Commercial hub of Nigeria. This flight services will facilitate trade, tourism and economic activities in Niger State and its environs and support the Government of Niger State in its quest to attract more direct investments and improve the livelihood of citizens of the State. We thank particularly His Excellency Mohammed Umar Bago, the Executive Governor of the Niger State for his passionate commitment to the growth and development of the State and for making the dream of a connected Niger State come true.”
The Niger State Ministry of Transport in collaboration with the New Niger Development Project (NNDP), jointly stated, “It has been an uphill journey to bring the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport to fruition—from its construction to its operationalization. Today, we are immensely proud to see this dream become a reality. We are honoured to have Overland Airways as the pioneer airline for this project, setting the foundation for expanded air travel connectivity in Niger State. Mr. Governor is particularly proud of this achievement, which aligns with his vision of modernizing infrastructure and boosting economic development in Niger State.”
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the New Niger Aviation, Alhaji Liman Katamba Kutigi, says: “This partnership with Overland Airways will ensure regular and robust flight services from Abuja and Lagos to Minna, Niger State. We are thrilled to partner with Overland Airways, which has a reputation for excellent customer service and reliability, and look forward to working together to reposition the aviation sector and economy of Niger State.”
“Known as the Power State, Niger State, the largest state in Nigeria by landmass and host of major hydroelectric power dams and other businesses, requires reliable air services to drive its economic development and Overland Airways is uniquely positioned to meet this need”, says Capt. Boyo.
Overland Airways service offering has evolved from an all-turboprop fleet to a mixed fleet with the introduction of brand-new Embraer E175 jets. In October 2024, Overland Airways renewed its IOSA safety certification for the 5th consecutive time reaffirming its position as a safe and leading African carrier.
Industry leaders have identified important measures to secure telecommunications infrastructures in the country and ensure that investments in the telecoms space are protected.
They argued that as much as the effective implementation of the Executive Order on the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) is important, the Order cannot solely guarantee infrastructure safety except certain internal and standardisation issues are first resolved by operators.
Speaking at the 7th Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo) Summit on CNII implementation held Thursday in Lagos, the industry leaders highlighted pressing issues such as infrastructure vandalism, unauthorized installations, and cable theft, while proposing actionable solutions to safeguard the country’s critical national infrastructure.
Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), stressed the importance of proper infrastructure maintenance and installation to prevent vandalism and theft.
He highlighted the widespread issue of stolen manhole covers and poles, attributing the problem to poor maintenance practices. “When properly installed, these components are difficult to remove. However, due to negligence, they are often left unsecured, making them easy targets for theft,” he said.
Adebayo also pointed out that community resistance to infrastructure projects has significantly hindered progress. He recounted instances where local communities prevented trucks from accessing sites due to previous unaddressed damages caused by contractors.
“A diesel supplier was blocked from entering an estate because a previous contractor had damaged their property and failed to make repairs. This lack of accountability breeds distrust and delays crucial projects,” he explained.
He urged stakeholders to foster better relationships with communities to prevent such conflicts.
Another critical issue Adebayo identified was the unauthorized installation of infrastructure without government approval, leading to inadvertent damage during road construction projects.
“Government agencies often damage unregistered infrastructure simply because they were not documented in official records. Proper approvals and collaboration with authorities will ensure accountability and protection of critical infrastructure,” he noted.
He called for improved industry coordination to resolve these challenges internally before seeking external solutions that are promised by the CNII provisions.
Echoing these concerns, Tony Emoekpere, President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), emphasised the need for standardisation and better coordination among stakeholders.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges go beyond technical issues, extending into environmental and moral concerns.
“We are dealing with a moral challenge. An engineer who switched from diesel to gas generators encountered a new problem—workers began stealing engine oil instead, as they could no longer siphon diesel. These issues require both technical and ethical solutions,” he explained.
Emoekpere argued that standardisation is the key to long-term sustainability. “If infrastructure is deployed in a suboptimal manner, failure is inevitable. We need to establish proper standards that all stakeholders—government, private sector, and the public—can align with,” he stated.
He also emphasized that Nigeria has strong policies, such as local content policies, but implementation remains a major challenge. “We must move beyond discussions and focus on actionable steps, follow-ups, and policy enforcement,” he added.
The importance of addressing cable theft and vandalism was further stressed by Wale Owoeye, CEO of Cedarview Communications Limited.
He described the alarming frequency of cable cuts, which disrupt network operations and drive up maintenance costs.
“Cable theft is a serious issue. Airtel representatives told me they experience a cable cut every six minutes. The assumption that all black cables contain valuable copper leads to reckless vandalism,” he explained.
To combat this growing problem, Owoeye proposed three key approaches, including reorientation, enforcement, and proactive measures.
“We need to engage local communities in their native languages, educating them on the consequences of vandalism. Strict legal penalties, including long-term imprisonment, should be enforced to deter offenders,” he said.
He also emphasized the need for preventive strategies rather than reactive responses. “Prevention is always more effective and cost-efficient than restoration,” he noted.
As a proactive measure, Owoeye proposed the creation of a dedicated fund to support advocacy and awareness campaigns across Nigeria.
To demonstrate his commitment, he pledged to contribute N500,000 quarterly as a seed fund and encouraged other industry players to follow suit.
“This is like planting a seed. With collective effort, we can grow it into a sustainable solution for protecting Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure,” he said.
The speakers collectively emphasised that addressing these challenges requires collaboration among industry players, government agencies, and local communities.
They called for a concerted effort to enforce policies, engage stakeholders, and implement practical solutions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s telecommunication infrastructure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed that the representatives of the petitioners seeking to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District have now provided their contact details.
In a statement on Wednesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said:
“The contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission.”
He added that INEC has formally notified the senator about the recall petition.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address,” Olumekun stated.
He further explained that the same letter had been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.
Speaking on the next step, Olumekun said INEC would now verify the signatures to ensure that more than 50% of registered voters in Kogi Central signed the petition.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission,” he said.
Olumekun reassured Nigerians that the recall process would be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
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