Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Video - New breakaway faction yet to register as party ahead of polls in Nigeria
Still in Nigeria, internal rifts in the ruling All Progressive Congress are deepening. A group of party members announced they were forming a break-away faction, just months before next year's elections. The splinter group is compromised of politicians from six states, who have indicated that they will be backing a candidate under a new party, known as the Reformed A-P-C. CGTN's Kelechi Emekalam takes a look at how much the new party could change Nigeria's political landscape.
Video - Nigeria's epicentre of unrest over land and resources
The fight for fertile land and other resources between farmers and cattle herders in central Nigeria has forced hundreds from their homes. In Jos, central Nigeria's Plateau State, food shortages are feared as the economy suffers because of the rising violence and lack of investment.
Vice-president of Nigeria meets with Google's CEO
Yesterday Pichai tweeted: “Happy to welcome the Vice President of Nigeria @ProfOsinbajo to the Googleplex today — great to chat with him about the opportunities of Nigeria’s digital economy”.
Osinbajo, who arrived in the US yesterday, is leading a public-private sector collaborative investment roadshow to the US, where he will be speaking to global industry leaders in IT and entertainment sectors in Silicon Valley in San Francisco and in Hollywood, California, until tomorrow (11 July).
The vice-president yesterday tweeted that at a fireside chat with LinkedIn co-founder Allen Blue he described the role the role of the recently inaugurated Technology and Creativity Advisory Group to drive policy in tech innovation and entertainment.
In a press release today the vice president’s office said Osinbajo has spoken extensively about the commitment of Nigeria’s federal government to supporting the growth of technology and creative industries in the country through its policies and reforms.
180 child soldier handed over to UN by Nigerian military
Nigerian army says it has handed over 183 child "foot soldiers" freed from the Boko Haram terror group to a UN agency and the government.
The children aged between seven and 18 years old were released to the Borno State government and UNICEF in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, which has borne the brunt of Boko Haram's decade-long insurgency.
Army spokesman John Agim told CNN the children were being used as "foot soldiers" by the militants.
"Boko Haram militants send them for different kinds of operations, but they are under-aged. So, they need to be rehabilitated before they are released to their families," Agim said.
However, a UNICEF Nigeria spokeswoman said the group of eight girls and 175 boys were released after they were cleared of any affiliation with Boko Haram.
Eva Hinds said the agency "views the children as children," and therefore they could not be classified as child soldiers or "being affiliated to violence without any judicial process. From our perspective, children are easily coerced into doing things to stay alive."
"Their involvement is still an allegation," she added.
The children are being rehabilitated and given psychological support, Hinds said.
Around 8,700 children released from armed groups have been rehabilitated in the country since 2017, according to UN figures.
Mohamed Fall, who heads UNICEF Nigeria, said their release from the military was "an important step on their long road to recovery."
"I also want to commend the action taken by the military and the authorities, it demonstrates a clear commitment to better protect children affected by the conflict," Fall said.
Last month, the army said it had rescued 148 hostages, most of them women and children, from Boko Haram militants.
Over 1,000 hostages were also freed in May by the military after a week-long battle with insurgents in northeast Nigeria.
Boko Haram has devastated vast swathes of northeast Nigeria over a ten-year period and has kidnapped more than 1,000 children in Nigeria since 2013, according to a recent report.
The group sparked global outrage after militants seized 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok town, Borno in 2014.
Some of the girls were freed last year following negotiations between the government and the militant group.
The children aged between seven and 18 years old were released to the Borno State government and UNICEF in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, which has borne the brunt of Boko Haram's decade-long insurgency.
Army spokesman John Agim told CNN the children were being used as "foot soldiers" by the militants.
"Boko Haram militants send them for different kinds of operations, but they are under-aged. So, they need to be rehabilitated before they are released to their families," Agim said.
However, a UNICEF Nigeria spokeswoman said the group of eight girls and 175 boys were released after they were cleared of any affiliation with Boko Haram.
Eva Hinds said the agency "views the children as children," and therefore they could not be classified as child soldiers or "being affiliated to violence without any judicial process. From our perspective, children are easily coerced into doing things to stay alive."
"Their involvement is still an allegation," she added.
The children are being rehabilitated and given psychological support, Hinds said.
Around 8,700 children released from armed groups have been rehabilitated in the country since 2017, according to UN figures.
Mohamed Fall, who heads UNICEF Nigeria, said their release from the military was "an important step on their long road to recovery."
"I also want to commend the action taken by the military and the authorities, it demonstrates a clear commitment to better protect children affected by the conflict," Fall said.
Last month, the army said it had rescued 148 hostages, most of them women and children, from Boko Haram militants.
Over 1,000 hostages were also freed in May by the military after a week-long battle with insurgents in northeast Nigeria.
Boko Haram has devastated vast swathes of northeast Nigeria over a ten-year period and has kidnapped more than 1,000 children in Nigeria since 2013, according to a recent report.
The group sparked global outrage after militants seized 276 girls from a boarding school in Chibok town, Borno in 2014.
Some of the girls were freed last year following negotiations between the government and the militant group.
Monday, July 9, 2018
Video - President Buhari optimistic about defeating insurgents in Nigeria
Nigeria's President Muhamadu Buhari is in the north east of the country, to mark military successes recorded against Boko Haram insurgents. The one-week long celebration is being held amidst renewed claims that Boko Haram is all but defeated. CGTN's Kelechi Emekalam takes a closer look at how much the offensive against Boko Haram has achieved.
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