General
We’ve Spent $20m On 120,000 Families In North-East Nigeria—UNICEF
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Over 120,000 families in conflict-hit northeast Nigeria have been reached so-far with food and nutrition support in a $20 million (£16.1m) multi-year joint project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed.
UNICEF further disclosed that it was working together with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Action Against Hunger (AAH) to give families in Borno and Yobe States greater access to food and to protect children from malnutrition
It estimated that more than 4.4 million people are struggling in crisis and emergency food security levels in the two states, worst-hit by the Boko Haram conflict.
“We are building a system not only to treat children for malnutrition, but to help families who have been devastated by the conflict to prevent their children from becoming malnourished in the future”, said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria said in a statement.
It explained that the three-year project is being carried out in collaboration with the primary health-care agencies of the government of Nigeria and Borno and Yobe States.
It is providing vitamin and mineral supplements for mothers and children, funding for families with severely malnourished children to buy nutritious food, treatment for children with diarrhoea, and advice for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers on how they can provide the best possible nutrition for their children, the statement said.
With high levels of malnutrition even before the start of the Boko Haram conflict, the two most-affected states have seen food insecurity and malnutrition rates rise dramatically as a result of the fighting. In an already poor area, agriculture and markets have been disrupted by the fighting, which intensified towards the end of last year. The majority of food and seed stocks have been depleted, looted or destroyed, and many of the 1.8 million people who have fled their homes because of the conflict have had to leave behind what little stocks they had. Displacement has left many families with no means of earning a living, UNICEF said.
Although this is the harvest season, when more food would normally be available, an estimated 55,000 people in Borno state are living in famine-like conditions. That number is predicted to double by the middle of next year, making longer-term interventions such as the DFID-funded project all the more important.
The project, which began in April and runs through March 2019, has already treated 30,000 children for severe acute malnutrition.
More than 100,000 pregnant women have received iron folate; 60,000 children have been treated for diarrhoea, which can cause malnutrition or make it worse; 350,000 children have been given vitamin A supplements, boosting their immune systems and helping to protect them from illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles, which are frequently fatal in the area; and 40,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have been helped with information on the best ways to feed young children in the circumstances in which they live.
An additional part of the project is a system of providing funds directly to families with the lowest incomes to enable them to buy nutritious food to prevent relapse after children have been treated for malnutrition. So far, more than 7,000 families have received this cash assistance.
“Access to cash has proven effective in helping internally displaced families to have a rich and varied diet, ensuring good nutrition for their children as well as enabling them to meet basic needs”, said Sory Ouane, WFP Nigeria’s Representative and Country Director.
Working with Nigerian government authorities, UNICEF is administering the nutrition aspects of the programme in Borno state, which has the heaviest burden of malnutrition, while WFP is managing the cash transfers and AAH is managing both aspects of the project in Yobe state.
“The fact that this is a multi-year commitment enables us not only to save children’s lives today, but to provide families and the most vulnerable young children with protection from malnutrition in the future as well”, said UNICEF Representative Fall.
In the three northeast Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, an estimated 400,000 children under the age of five will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year. It is an extremely dangerous condition, making a child nine times more likely to die from an illness than a properly-nourished child. UNICEF, AAH and other partners working in these three states have so far this year managed to treat more than 130,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, including those in the DFID-funded project.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
About $20 million has been put down by Swedfund to support efforts that limit climate change in Africa and help communities adapt to its effects.
The funds would be deployed by the Helios Climate, Energy, Adaptation and Resilience (CLEAR) Fund to back African companies that reduce emissions, strengthen resilience and create green jobs.
Swedfund’s investment is expected to contribute to significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and to help businesses and small farmers adapt to a changing climate.
The investment strengthens Swedfund’s work to drive a sustainable and inclusive green transition in Africa.
Africa contributes less than 3 per cent of global carbon emissions but faces some of the most severe climate impacts. At the same time, the continent’s energy demand is expected to triple by 2050.
Swedfund’s investment in Helios CLEAR will help channel capital to businesses that drive low-carbon growth in areas such as renewable energy, sustainable transport, climate-smart farming, efficient use of resources and digital climate solutions.
“By investing in this sector, we can reduce emissions, build resilience and create green jobs, all vital for sustainable growth that benefits more people.
“Africa currently receives only a small share of global climate investment, yet the potential for climate-smart business is enormous.
“Through Helios CLEAR we help build the next generation of African climate-focused businesses,” the Investment Director for Energy and Climate at Swedfund, Ms Gunilla Nilsson, stated.
Helios CLEAR Fund is a Pan African growth equity fund managed by Helios Investment Partners, one of Africa’s leading private equity firms.
The fund targets investments that deliver measurable climate mitigation and adaptation outcomes. The fund is supported by multiple development finance institutions.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, has alleged that the gazetted tax laws are different from the ones passed by the National Assembly.
Speaking on Wednesday during plenary at the green chamber, the opposition lawmaker the emphasised that content of the tax laws as gazetted was not what members of the parliament debated, voted on and passed.
In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, becoming an act. The new laws are the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA), 2025.
In September, they were gazetted by the federal government.
On the floor of the House yesterday, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Tajudeed Abbas, Mr Dasuki, while raising a matter of privilege, after reviewing the gazetted law and what was passed, he found out some discrepancies, appealing to the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, the votes and proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation, are brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.
He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be presented to Nigerians would undermine the integrity of the legislature and violate constitutional provisions.
“Mr. Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole.
“The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment. Mr Speaker, this is the breach of the Constitution.
“This is the breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this House,” Mr Dasuki said when rising under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules on a Point of Privilege.
In his remarks, Mr Abbas promised that the parliament would look into the matter.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Over 90 illegal mining sites have been reclaimed and 300 offenders prosecuted since the deployment of the Mining Marshals, a specialised task force established to secure Nigeria’s mineral assets.
This information was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, at the South West Leaders Conference held recently in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He described the crackdown as a turning point in the battle against mineral theft and insecurity in mining communities.
“We created the Mining Marshals to tackle insecurity and illegal mining head-on. I’m proud to say that peace is returning to our mining fields,” he said.
According to Mr Alake, the initiative has strengthened investor confidence and improved government revenue.
“When you protect the minerals, you protect national wealth. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Mining Marshals,” he stated.
He noted that beyond arrests and reclamations, the Marshals have restored safety in key mining corridors and curbed the activities of illegal foreign operators. “We are taking back control of our natural resources from criminal networks,” Mr Alake emphasised.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining the momentum through digital surveillance, stronger local intelligence, and inter-agency coordination.
“Our success proves that security is the bedrock of sustainable mining. We will keep refining this model until every site in Nigeria is safe, legal, and productive,” he added.
Launched last year, the marshals were given the mandate to stem theft and all nefarious activities around the nation’s minerals so that benefits are not extracted by the wrong people.
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