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The Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N681.33 billion as March 2021 federation revenue to the Federal, States and Local Governments Councils and relevant Agencies in the country. In the month of March 2021, N154 billion was transferred to the non oil revenue savings and the balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $ 72.413 million. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the virtual meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for April 2021. The gross statutory revenue for the month of March 2021 was N466.687 billion, Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue was N181.712 billion and Exchange Gain was N2.931billion. The sum ofbillion was added as augmentation, bringing the total distributable revenue to N681.330 billion. The communiqué indicated that from the total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received N212.146 billion, the State Governments received N179.242 billion, and the Local Government Counci...

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Sidie Tunis has pledged his commitments and actions of the ECOWAS Parliament to address all issues against women in the ECOWAS Sub-region. Tunis made this known on Thursday during the closing of the delocalized meeting of the ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment, Education, Science and Culture, Health in Monrovia, Liberia. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delocalized meeting with the theme “Empowerment of Women in the West African Region” was held to proffer solutions to factors limiting women in the sub-region. Tunis gave the assurances that the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament under his leadership will work with all stakeholders to ensure that women issues are addressed to the fullest. “It is gratifying to witness the successful end of this all important meeting of the Joint Committees on Social Affairs, Gender, and Women Empowerment, Education, Science and Culture an...

Hon. Laadi Ayamba, Member of the ECOWAS Parliament from Ghana have recommended that Member States should implement and adopt a regional binding law to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. Ayamba made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament delocalized meeting holding in Monrovia, Liberia. According to Ayamba, Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage are some of the oldest cultural practices that violates the right of a girl child. Ayamba said that Ghana as a country have made FGM a punishable offence under the law but unfortunately, some parents send their children to neighbouring Member States to get the procedure done. This she said can be stopped if all countries of ECOWAS makes FGM a punishable offence under their national laws, explaining that if a defaulting parent is caught in one country they can be arrested in another country. “My constituency is one of the highest place where FGM is practiced an...

UN task ECOWAS Parliament on policies to protect women in informal sectors The Deputy Country Representative of the United Nations Mission in Liberia Mrs Sangeeta Thapa, has called on the ECOWAS Parliament to come up with policies that protect and recognize the contributions of women in the informal sectors. Thappa made the call on Wednesday during a Technical Session on “Strategies to Empower Women Working in the Informal Sector” at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament delocalized meeting in Monrovia, Liberia. According to Thappa, women in the informal sector contribute a lot to the economy of countries in the ECOWAS Region but unfortunately, they are invisible and their contributions are not recognized. Thappa however called on the ECOWAS Parliament not to limit their focus on women in the formal sectors but also push for policies that will protect and recognize women in the informal sector. She said that the UN Women have been doing a lot to support Women Informal Cross Border Tr...

UNIABUJA, others offering illegal admission – JAMB The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has mentioned the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) among Nigerian universities issuing illegal admission to some candidates. The board made this known in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, on Wednesday in Abuja. JAMB, however, warned candidates that only admission through its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) was valid and not otherwise. JAMB advised candidates not to accept admissions not processed through CAPS. “The attention of the Board has been drawn to illegitimate admissions purported being conducted by some universities, including the University of Abuja. “These universities have been reported to be issuing admission letters to candidates without recourse to the board. “It is, therefore, pertinent to state that such admissions that have not been processed, approved and accepted on the CAPS are null and void. “As such, as...

Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has begun the disbursement of N148 million grants to 1,400 public secondary schools across the state. Ganduje made this known while inaugurating the disbursement at the Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano as part of activities making the state’s Education day. He said that the grants will enhance the free education and Almajiri integration policy of the state. Ganduje added that the free and compulsory education policy introduced by the state can only be sustained through consistent funding. “We are providing cheques to schools for daily maintenance… We are providing Tablet computers to Education Officers across the 44 LGAs for data generation, analysis management and transfer of data such as enrollment, discipline among others to the headquarters without physical appearance. ” “Outside Koranic recitation and Western education, the Almajiris are being thought various skills so that they can also fend for themselves after graduation,” Ga...

A Gambian representative to the ECOWAS Parliament, Honorable Fatoumatta Njai has challenged the Community Parliament to reject list of countries that are short of thirty percent women’s representation to the Parliament. Speaking in an exclusive interview at the official Opening Ceremony of the Fifth Legislature’s delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women Empowerment / Education, Science and Culture/Health, currently holding in Monrovia, Liberia on the theme, “ Empowerment of Women in the ECOWAS Region.” Njai said that some countries lack female representation in the Conference of Bureau, this according to her is disregarding the ECOWAS Rules of Procedure. “The Rules of Procedures mentioned that each member country should have a female representation at the Conference of Bureau. Each country has three members in the Conference of Bureau, so each country can at least have one female member which will be thirty percent representation. I thin...

The First Lady of the Republic of Liberia, Mrs Clar Marie Weah, has called for long lasting and meaningful solutions and actions to end all forms of violence against women and ensure women empowerment across all sectors. Clar made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the ECOWAS Parliament Joint Committee delocalized meeting in Monrovia, Liberia with the theme “Empowerment of Women in the ECOWAS region”. According to Clar, despite the much improved awareness of women’s worth in society, a lot of work remains undone to ensure women across the ECOWAS region are given the proper recognition. She however noted that now is the time when collective efforts needs to be taken to find long lasting solutions to issues that affect all women, and not just women in politics or business but all women in the region. “The theme of Empowerment of Women in the ECOWAS region, speaks of coming together to agree on a common approach. “For ensuring that no girl or woman in our region feels abandon...

In order to brighten the prospect of enhanced women participation in the politics of ECOWAS regional Parliament, Speaker Mohamed Sidie Tunis has said a major constitutional overhaul would be required to guarantee Affirmative Action for women. He disclosed this in an interview on Tuesday, after the opening session of the Delocalised meeting underway in Monrovia, Liberia. "it is practically impossible to implement an affirmative action for women without first understaking a holistic overhaul of the national constitutions of Member States and the parliament." According to him, the idea of enhanced women participation through deliberate policy like Affirmative Action is an idea whose time is long overdue. However, he cautioned that the chances of Affirmative Action will fair better, if Direct Election into the Community Parliament is implimented. Sidie explained that the parliament is committed to see Direct Election and Affirmative Action to fruition, insisting that, ...

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Mohamed Sidie Tunis has reiterated the need for concrete and deliberate actions on Women Empowerment, 25 years after Beijing Declaration, Speaker Tunis, who was on his way to Liberia for the Delocalised meeting on Women’s Empowerment, made this declaration on Monday 12 April, 2021 at the Mano River Bridge, when he was received by a delegation, consisting of ECOWAS staff and journalists. He said there couldn't have been a better venue for the Delocalised meeting than Liberia. This he said is against the backdrop of Liberia’s serial feats of electing women into prominent political positions. "Liberia is the most suitable country to host the Delocalised meeting on Women Empowerment because it was Liberia that blaised the trail in 2015, with the election of Africa's First Female President, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson. "Few years later, another woman was elected Vice President by Liberians." According to the Speaker, this is...

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Sidie Tunis has said the ECOWAS Parliament will engage with authorities of Member States to stop the extortion of ECOWAS citizens by Immigrations officials at all border posts. Tunis made this known on Monday while visiting Gbahjakeh Community in Bomi County, Liberia during an oversight visit to some communities across County on entering into Liberia through the Sierra Leonean/Liberian border. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tunis was on the visit to engage with ECOWAS Citizens in the border community to know their challenges and how the Parliament can address them. The major complains of ECOWAS Citizens in the border town of Gbahjakeh was extortion from immigration officials while trying to cross the borders between Sierra Leone and Liberia to trade. and even in the community. Tunis pledged the intervention of the Parliament as he plans to first of all engage with the relevant authorities in Liberia and other West African countr...

Bomi County (Liberia) Hon. Sidie Tunis, Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament has Ten Thousand Dollars to facilitate development projects in Sime Darby Central High School and the Liberia Government Hospital both in Bomi County, Liberia. Five Thousand Dollars to the Sime Darby Central High School in Bomi County, Liberia to fund some projects in the school. Tunis made the donations on Monday during an oversight visit to some communities across the Bomi County on entering into Liberia through the Sierra Leonean/Liberian border to attend the ECOWAS Parliament delocalized meeting. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tunis donated 5000 dollars to the Sime Darby Central High School and another 5,000 to the Liberia Government Hospital. According to Tunis, the visit to the institutions was aimed at bringing the ECOWAS Parliament to the people, engage with them to know their challenges and how their challenges can be addressed. At the Sime Darby Central High School, Tunis said...

Again, gunmen on Tuesday have razed the Divisional Police Headquarters, in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area in Imo State. This is coming on the heels of an attack on Owerri Correctional Centre and the Imo State Police Command headquarters, freeing 1,884 inmates and razing over 50 vehicles. Recall Vanguard had reported that Prof Yemi Osinbajo, former Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, and others visited the state to inspect the level of damage on the attacked security facilities. It was said that this new attack came shortly after the top government functionaries visited the state. Source: Vanguard