VOICE YOUR VOTE Nigeria

By Raphael O Duru In Lome, Nov 19, 2020 (VYVN) Sen. Biodun Olujimi has called on the Federal Government to utilize the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to fund Information Communication Technology (ICT) needed to run the education sector amid COVID-19 disruptions. In an interview with the Voice Your Vote Nigeria (VYVN) on Thursday in Lome, Hon Olujimi called on other ECOWAS member states to also push for the utilization of the fund in their respective countries. The lawmaker who is part of the Joint Committee of the ECOWAS Parliament converging on Togo to chart a course for effecting distance learning in West Africa, said that the region already had a funding source that could be utilized. The USPF was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to facilitate the achievement of national policy goals for universal access and universal service to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in rural, un-served and under-served areas in Nigeria. The Fund is be...

SHARE TWEET The novel coronavirus pandemic is the largest global health crisis recorded in the past decades, and China was the first country to feel the dealy impact of this virus called  COVID-19. Over 1.4 billion people life were put under threat by the virus,Wuhan was locked down, the epicenter of the corona virus outbreak in the China. But how did the virus spread throughout the city? And what led to the unprecedented lockdown? CGTN launches “The Frontline: China’s Fight Against COVID-19”, a 90-minute-long two-part documentary. In part one, the initial outbreak and the following two months are explored, and how a city of 11 million came to a standstill.

The 44th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial level was held today, 4th September 2020 in Niamey, the Republic of Niger. The purpose of the meeting was to review the political and security situation in the region, with particular emphasis on the political processes in the Gambia and Guinea Bissau.  The meeting, which was presided over by H.E. Kalla Ankourao, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Repiblic of Niger and Chair of the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial level was attended by Ministers of Foreign Affairs or Security from across ECOWAS Member States. Also in attendance at the meeting were the Honorable Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, H. E. Sidie Mohamed Tunis, H. E Muhamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and H. E. Abdullah Bureima, President of the UEMOA Commission.  In his opening remarks, the President of the ECOWAS...

NIGERIA WARNS GHANA, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH PRESS RELEASE FROM MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, ABUJA Nigeria Will No Longer Tolerate Harassment of Its Citizens in Ghana - FG The Nigerian Government is deeply concerned by the incessant harassment of its citizens in Ghana and the progressive acts of hostility towards the country by Ghanaian authorities, and will no longer tolerate such. In this regard, the Federal Government is urgently considering a number of options aimed at ameliorating the situation. The Federal Government has been documenting the acts of hostility towards Nigeria and Nigerians by the Ghanaian authorities. These include: - Seizure of the Nigerian Mission's property located at No. 10, Barnes Road, Accra, which the Nigerian Government has used as diplomatic premises for almost 50 years. This action is a serious breach of the Vienna Convention. - Demolition of the Nigerian Mission's property located at No. 19/21 Julius Nyerere Street, East Ridge, Accra, another s...

  US-trained Mali coup leaders want 3-year military rule By AFP/AP/Foreign Policy The overthrow, swiftly condemned by the U.S. government, could pose a setback in the regional fight against extremist groups. The United States has halted all security assistance training and support for Malian military forces that carried out a coup in the West African country after new details emerged that the coup was orchestrated in part by military officers who received training from the U.S. military. Col. Assimi Goita, a Malian military officer who declared himself provisional leader of the country, participated in U.S.-led military exercises and training aimed to counter extremist groups operating in the Sahel region. “It’s clear that several participants in the mutiny … have received U.S. training or assistance,” said J. Peter Pham, the State Department’s special envoy for the Sahel region of West Africa, on Friday. He stressed that the United States condemned the actions by the military offi...

BY Virginia Oruma The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is developing modalities to harmonize academic degrees, curriculum and equivalence in West Africa due to the growing internalization of education and culture in the region. This formed part of discussions at the Joint Committee meeting of the Committee on Education, Science and Culture and the Committee on Communication and ICT of the ECOWAS Parliament held virtually(Zoom). Addressing Parliamentarians, Mrs. Rachel Ogbe, Principal Programme Officer on Education of the ECOWAS Commission, speaking on behalf of the ECOWAS Commissioner on Education, Science and Culture, stated that ECOWAS seeks to achieve a number of specific objectives, the first being to develop regional criteria for the harmonization of pre-university qualifications, in particular the period of study, content of curricula, qualification assessment and other prerequisites for the establishment of equivalence of Member States’ accreditation syste...

A virtual meeting of the ECOWAS coordinating committee of Ministers for transport, logistics, free movement and trade, set up within the framework of the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) held on the 12th of June 2020.  Among others, the Ministers deliberated on the harmonisation of measures to facilitate the opening of trade and transport corridors for equipment, medical supplies and humanitarian personnel involved in the fight against COVID-19, the flow of essential goods and associated workers; as well as modalities for the implementation of the emerging Action.  Setting the tone for the meeting, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E Jean-Claude Kassi Brou maintained that the occurrence of the COVID 19 pandemic has forced ECOWAS Member States to put in place drastic barrier measures (physical distancing, quarantine, closure of schools, shops and places of worship as well as the total or partial ban on public transport in urban areas).  This situation, he h...

A group of Concerned Nigerians have kicked against Nigerian Prison Service asking its new recruits to converge for a training under the increasing number of Covid-19 patients in the country. It wondered how would the government closed schools and higher institution of learning and yet ordering new recruits of over 50persons to gerder for training in Lagos.  The group member , Ikechukwu Iheanacho said ,"Government is yet to reopen Schools and other institutions due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The N.Y.S.C. Camps are closed. Government is also advising against Crowding of people. But we're hearing that newly recruited staff of the Nigerian Correctional service who were sent home from training camps since the outbreak are being asked to return to camp immediately. What does this portend especially now that the virulence of this disease is high with cases in Lagos quadrupling by the day? What measures have been put in place for the safety of the recruits and their handlers right...

The Committee of Experts set up by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for Transport, Logistics, Free Movement and Trade in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, held a virtual meeting on the 8th of June 2020 to firm up guidelines for the harmonization and facilitation of Cross Border Trade and Transportation in the region.  The experts are providing sectorial technical advice to the statutory decision-making bodies of ECOWAS to ensure uniform and coordinated improvement of the transport and logistics sectors while enhancing the growth of intra-regional trade, free movement and economic growth in the ECOWAS region. Addressing participants, the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Infrastructure Mr. Pathe Gueye said besides the coordination and strengthening of the fight against the Covid-19, the meeting is meant to help the region to navigate itself out of the difficult situation where it now finds itself.  Chair of the meeting and representative of Niger...

In a dark, windy night, a gang of extremely vicious terrorists launched a sudden assault on a village. The household which was attacked first was quickly filled with gunfire and flames, and burst into flames.   As the family struggled to survive, another family in the village not only stood by and let the situation get worse, but made sarcastic remarks on the misfortune, saying that “this family must had irritated the terrorists, and thus incurred the revenge now.”   To its surprise, the family that was brutally assaulted fought back against the attackers desperately and wouldn’t flinch in the face of life-threatening danger.   After battling with the family for a long time, the terrorists got frustrated and realized that they had unwisely started the war by attacking a tough family that won’t yield. Then the Mob decided to shift their focus somewhere else.         Surprisingly, the family that mocked the victims became the ne...

We can't afford another  lock down The exacerbating COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on people around the world with over four million people affected and over 280 of them already dead. The world is on a partial lockdown, with only essential workers active while non-essential workers and social life has been grounded. While scientists and laboratories are racing to find a cure, all other sectors are doing what they can to contribute towards curbing the pandemic - Apple and Google are working on solutions to track people affected by Covid-19 and the WHO on its part is supporting all affected countries to cushion the effect of the virus. Even traditional medicines have also been employed to defeat the virus as advocaes of traditional medicines have already coined the slogan: “United Against Covid-19”. Within the ECOWAS sub-region, Nigeria as at 10th of May, had the highest recorded death toll of 143, more than double the 49 deaths recorded by the member-state with the seco...

True or False U.S. politicians reveal their cold-bloodedness in pandemic response By Zhong Sheng Viruses are common enemies of human beings and the COVID-19 pandemic poses common challenges for all countries. It is a humane and just act for countries to do their best to help others in the pandemic while maintaining strict prevention and control policies at home. However, some U.S. politicians and their followers are being cold-blooded even though they always speak of Bible verses. They described China’s donation to other countries as “politics of generosity,” medical teams as “geopolitical expansion,” and material supports as “mask diplomacy.” Their narrow mind and vicious manipulation are really astonishing. Saving lives comes before everything as life is invaluable, and goodwill shall be repaid with greater kindness - those are China’s traditional virtues. China received strong support from the international society when it had a hard time battling the novel coronavir...

Blame game not able to save lives    The exacerbating COVID-19 pandemic is taking lives around the world. However, some U.S. politicians, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are “cooperating” with right-wing media outlets such as the Fox News to cover their incapability of pandemic response and shift blames to others. They spread the rumor that the virus was manmade and escaped the Wuhan Institute of Virology, saying China covered up pandemic information. They even accused the World Health Organization (WHO) of delaying virus response. It is reported that according to a Republican strategy memo, the party now sees attacking China as an opportunity to buy their chances in the 2020 election. However, such political manipulation exactly revealed their vicious intentions. The origin of the novel coronavirus is a serious and scientific issue that calls for meticulous and professional investigation from scientists. The “patient zero” of the 1918 influenza pand...