Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Video - Nigerian human trafficking survivor seeks justice in Mali
The government of Nigeria says itis starting the repatriation process of up to 20,000 girls who’ve been trafficked to Mali. In January, the national agency fighting human trafficking said many of these girls, who’ve been tricked with promises of getting jobs in Europe, ended up working as sex slaves in mining camps of Mali.
Precious is one of several thousand Nigerian girls and young women trafficked and sexually exploited in Mali. In two years she suffered countless indignities and almost lost her life. She is staying back to seek justice and compensation from the woman who trafficked her.
Related stories: Video - Nigeria struggles to rescue 20,000 girls from Mali sex trade
Video - Nigerian women trafficked to Europe for prostitution at 'crisis level'
Nigeria's international sex-trafficking ring
Parliament votes strenghten Buhari's leadership
Wins in Nigeria’s parliamentary vote look set to strengthen the position of President Muhammadu Buhari after his re-election last month, as he bids to boost a listless economy and defeat Islamic State fighters during his second and final term.
The former general’s party, the All Progressives Congress, has won more than 60 of the 109 Senate seats and is heading for a majority in the lower House of Representatives, according to partial results announced by the election commission.
The APC controlled the upper chamber during most of Buhari’s first term. But he regularly sparred with senior members, not least Senate President Bukola Saraki, which hindered his economic reforms and delayed the passing of budgets for months. Saraki’s loss of his seat in the Feb. 23 general elections and Buhari’s emphatic victory -- he won by a margin of 56 percent to 41 percent over opposition leader Atiku Abubakar -- mean the 76-year-old leader may have an easier ride from the legislature this time.
“The elections have strengthened Buhari’s parliamentary majority,” said Amaka Anku, the head of New York-based Eurasia Group’s Africa practice. “The upcoming battle for parliamentary leadership presents an opportunity for Buhari to forge a better relationship with the legislature and improve executive-legislative coordination. That could quicken the pace of routine governance tasks, like budget passage and confirmation of ministers.”
Buhari will need the help of lawmakers if he’s to make headway tackling Nigeria’s most pressing problems. While the constitution gives plenty of power to the president, many decisions -- including appointments of ministers and senior positions at the central bank -- have to be approved by the National Assembly.
“He is looking forward to a mutual and effective working relationship with the National Assembly toward improving the budgetary process and restoring the country to the January-December fiscal cycle,” the presidency said in a statement Monday. “The delay in the passage of budgets hindered timely execution of projects across the country.”
The economy, which is yet to fully recover from a 2014 crash in oil prices, and jobs will be a priority for Buhari. Growth accelerated to 1.9 percent last year, but it’s still far below the average of 7.4 percent during the first 15 years of this century. Unemployment almost tripled to 23 percent during Buhari’s first four years in power.
Islamic State
He’s also facing security threats, including an insurgency in the northeastern state of Borno being waged by Boko Haram and Islamic State and clashes between farmers and herders over grazing land that killed 2,000 people last year, according to Amnesty International.
“Buhari’s second term in office is unlikely to yield many surprises,” said Malte Liewerscheidt, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence in London. “Rather, Buhari 2.0 can be expected to double down on his well-known social intervention programs alongside a focus on infrastructure investment and protectionist policies. Moreover, major changes to the monetary and foreign-exchange policy seem unlikely, barring sustained shocks to global oil prices or domestic crude production.”
The central bank operates a system of multiple exchange rates and tightly manages the value of the naira, which the International Monetary Fund has said deters investors. Abubakar, Buhari’s main rival in the elections, pledged to float the currency if he won.
Nigerians also voted for governors in 29 of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory last weekend, and results are still coming in. The APC won Lagos, the commercial capital. The European Union said there were “systemic failings” and condemned security agencies for barring citizens from counting centers in oil-rich Rivers state, which is held by Abubakar’s People’s Democratic Party.
Even if Buhari gets a strong majority in parliament, there’s no guarantee he’ll make decisions quicker, according to Eurasia. Critics say he’s responded slowly to crises since coming to power in 2015. And lawmakers, including those in his own party, may continue to defy him.“It should not be taken for granted that just because they belong to the same party they would take the same position on issues,” said Kemi Okenyodo, executive director of Partners West Africa-Nigeria, an organization that lobbies for good government.
By Paul Wallace
BBC
The former general’s party, the All Progressives Congress, has won more than 60 of the 109 Senate seats and is heading for a majority in the lower House of Representatives, according to partial results announced by the election commission.
The APC controlled the upper chamber during most of Buhari’s first term. But he regularly sparred with senior members, not least Senate President Bukola Saraki, which hindered his economic reforms and delayed the passing of budgets for months. Saraki’s loss of his seat in the Feb. 23 general elections and Buhari’s emphatic victory -- he won by a margin of 56 percent to 41 percent over opposition leader Atiku Abubakar -- mean the 76-year-old leader may have an easier ride from the legislature this time.
“The elections have strengthened Buhari’s parliamentary majority,” said Amaka Anku, the head of New York-based Eurasia Group’s Africa practice. “The upcoming battle for parliamentary leadership presents an opportunity for Buhari to forge a better relationship with the legislature and improve executive-legislative coordination. That could quicken the pace of routine governance tasks, like budget passage and confirmation of ministers.”
Buhari will need the help of lawmakers if he’s to make headway tackling Nigeria’s most pressing problems. While the constitution gives plenty of power to the president, many decisions -- including appointments of ministers and senior positions at the central bank -- have to be approved by the National Assembly.
“He is looking forward to a mutual and effective working relationship with the National Assembly toward improving the budgetary process and restoring the country to the January-December fiscal cycle,” the presidency said in a statement Monday. “The delay in the passage of budgets hindered timely execution of projects across the country.”
The economy, which is yet to fully recover from a 2014 crash in oil prices, and jobs will be a priority for Buhari. Growth accelerated to 1.9 percent last year, but it’s still far below the average of 7.4 percent during the first 15 years of this century. Unemployment almost tripled to 23 percent during Buhari’s first four years in power.
Islamic State
He’s also facing security threats, including an insurgency in the northeastern state of Borno being waged by Boko Haram and Islamic State and clashes between farmers and herders over grazing land that killed 2,000 people last year, according to Amnesty International.
“Buhari’s second term in office is unlikely to yield many surprises,” said Malte Liewerscheidt, an analyst at Teneo Intelligence in London. “Rather, Buhari 2.0 can be expected to double down on his well-known social intervention programs alongside a focus on infrastructure investment and protectionist policies. Moreover, major changes to the monetary and foreign-exchange policy seem unlikely, barring sustained shocks to global oil prices or domestic crude production.”
The central bank operates a system of multiple exchange rates and tightly manages the value of the naira, which the International Monetary Fund has said deters investors. Abubakar, Buhari’s main rival in the elections, pledged to float the currency if he won.
Nigerians also voted for governors in 29 of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory last weekend, and results are still coming in. The APC won Lagos, the commercial capital. The European Union said there were “systemic failings” and condemned security agencies for barring citizens from counting centers in oil-rich Rivers state, which is held by Abubakar’s People’s Democratic Party.
Even if Buhari gets a strong majority in parliament, there’s no guarantee he’ll make decisions quicker, according to Eurasia. Critics say he’s responded slowly to crises since coming to power in 2015. And lawmakers, including those in his own party, may continue to defy him.“It should not be taken for granted that just because they belong to the same party they would take the same position on issues,” said Kemi Okenyodo, executive director of Partners West Africa-Nigeria, an organization that lobbies for good government.
By Paul Wallace
BBC
Monday, March 11, 2019
Video - Nigerian sex traffickers used fan-ids to exploit women and girls
According to reports Russia's World Cup was used by Nigerian sex traffickers to entrap unsuspecting women. Traffickers used fan IDs allowing visa free-entry into Russia to ferry women and girls into the country.
Friday, March 8, 2019
Women in Nigeria brace for local election upsets
Nigerian women are hoping to use Saturday's local elections to change the country's political dynamics by triggering an upset in the polls.
Women's groups have been mobilising support for female candidates seeking office, appealing to women voters to utilise their numerical strength to support their own during the governorship and state house of assembly elections.
"Women have to rise up and now that some of us are here to challenge the status quo, it should be an encouragement," Adebisi Ogunsanya, who is running for the first time, told Al Jazeera.
"I encourage them to vote for me because I understand what their problems are," Ogunsanya said on Thursday as campaigning ended.
She is seen as a dark horse in the race to become the governor of Lagos state because of her minimal political experience. She's also contesting under a new political platform, the Young Progressive Party (YPP), in the commercial capital, Lagos.
Ogunsanya will be up against 38 male and six other female candidates.
A total of 80 female candidates will be vying for state governorship positions across 29 states. They will face a total of 987 male candidates, many of whom are well-funded and grounded in political history.
However, what female candidates lack in financial muscle is compensated by their voting power as they constitute 47 percent - 39.6 million out of 84 million eligible voters registered by the electoral commission.
Breaking barriers
Women's groups such as the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) are providing support to ease the burden of female candidates as part of its commitment to growing the pool of women in the political space.
"We are providing technical support to our women seeking elective positions. We encourage our women to vote women and we also encourage the women to pay attention to the manifestos of the various candidates," NWTF spokesperson Mufilat Fijabi told Al Jazeera.
The group, established in 2011, aims to address "growing concerns about gender imbalance in elective and appointive positions", according to a statement on its website.
'All-boys club'
Some political analysts, however, are not convinced women can pull off any major upsets in Saturday's elections.
"The top of the tickets for the major parties is basically an all-boys club. There will be a couple of female deputy governors but that won't be an upset," Stanley Azuakola, founder of vote-watchdog Civic Monitor, told Al Jazeera.
"Frankly, women are yet to collectively see the lack of female voices at the table as a serious issue," says Azuakola.
February's presidential and legislative elections were marred by allegations of violence, vote-rigging, and voter suppression.
This resulted in low voter turnout across the country with voters and electoral commission officials killed and injured.
The scale of the election violence, especially in Lagos, has left Ogunsanya and other candidates worried about security for Saturday's vote.
But she's confident women will turn out despite the risks to support female candidates.
"Barring any threats and violence, I expect the women to vote for me," said Ogunsanya.
By Mercy Abang
Al Jazeera
Women's groups have been mobilising support for female candidates seeking office, appealing to women voters to utilise their numerical strength to support their own during the governorship and state house of assembly elections.
"Women have to rise up and now that some of us are here to challenge the status quo, it should be an encouragement," Adebisi Ogunsanya, who is running for the first time, told Al Jazeera.
"I encourage them to vote for me because I understand what their problems are," Ogunsanya said on Thursday as campaigning ended.
She is seen as a dark horse in the race to become the governor of Lagos state because of her minimal political experience. She's also contesting under a new political platform, the Young Progressive Party (YPP), in the commercial capital, Lagos.
Ogunsanya will be up against 38 male and six other female candidates.
A total of 80 female candidates will be vying for state governorship positions across 29 states. They will face a total of 987 male candidates, many of whom are well-funded and grounded in political history.
However, what female candidates lack in financial muscle is compensated by their voting power as they constitute 47 percent - 39.6 million out of 84 million eligible voters registered by the electoral commission.
Breaking barriers
Women's groups such as the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) are providing support to ease the burden of female candidates as part of its commitment to growing the pool of women in the political space.
"We are providing technical support to our women seeking elective positions. We encourage our women to vote women and we also encourage the women to pay attention to the manifestos of the various candidates," NWTF spokesperson Mufilat Fijabi told Al Jazeera.
The group, established in 2011, aims to address "growing concerns about gender imbalance in elective and appointive positions", according to a statement on its website.
'All-boys club'
Some political analysts, however, are not convinced women can pull off any major upsets in Saturday's elections.
"The top of the tickets for the major parties is basically an all-boys club. There will be a couple of female deputy governors but that won't be an upset," Stanley Azuakola, founder of vote-watchdog Civic Monitor, told Al Jazeera.
"Frankly, women are yet to collectively see the lack of female voices at the table as a serious issue," says Azuakola.
February's presidential and legislative elections were marred by allegations of violence, vote-rigging, and voter suppression.
This resulted in low voter turnout across the country with voters and electoral commission officials killed and injured.
The scale of the election violence, especially in Lagos, has left Ogunsanya and other candidates worried about security for Saturday's vote.
But she's confident women will turn out despite the risks to support female candidates.
"Barring any threats and violence, I expect the women to vote for me," said Ogunsanya.
By Mercy Abang
Al Jazeera
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Video - Nigeria struggles to rescue 20,000 girls from Mali sex trade
Nigeria is struggling to bring home an estimated 20,000 girls trapped in Mali. The victims of the sex trade are kept in appalling conditions. Officials say collusion between law enforcement agents and traffickers is hampering the rescue efforts.
Related stories: Video - Nigerian women trafficked to Europe for prostitution at 'crisis level'
Nigeria's international sex-trafficking ring
20,000 Nigerian girls trafficked to Mali for prostitution
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