HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNDER THE KALEIDOSCOPE

On the 28th of April 2022 in Abuja, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), held its 25th National Stakeholders' Consultative Forum (NSCF) on Human Trafficking & Presentation of three National Policy Documents. The documents launched are:

*The National Policy on Protection & Assistance to Trafficked Persons in Nigeria

*The National Action Plan on Human Trafficking in Nigeria

*Protocol for Identification, Safe Return & Rehabilitation of Trafficked Persons

                L-R: Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi (DG NAPTIP) & Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa

The minutes of the last NSCF held on the 21st of November 2019 (pre-Covid19), were presented. Dame (Barr.) Julie Okah-Donli was DG NAPTIP then.

*Mrs. Sadiya Umar Farouk - Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development, Represented     

*Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi - DG NAPTIP

*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa - Independent Conflict Transformation Strtegist/Gender Expert

*Olubiyi Olusayo - Director, Research & Programmes Dept., NAPTIP

*STF Chairman/HSAGs or Co-Chair/NAPTIP Zonal Directors

*Olatunji Rasheed - Asst. Director, Research & Programmes Dept.

*Arize Orakwe - Director, Training & Manpower Development Dept., NAPTIP

Stakeholders were very frank in their discussion. A communique was then issued. It is indeed noteworthy that the NAPTIP 25th Stakeholders' Meeting was successfully held. I look forward to the 26th edition, which I'm sure would build on the gains so far.

     

GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN THE SECURITY SECTOR

Between the 11th and 13th of April 2022, I was a valued member of Faculty for the Customised Training of Officers (women and men) of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) in Abuja, towards the development of their Gender Policy. The training was organised by the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) in collaboration with Country Associates Network (CANET).

                      Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa @ the Conference Hall of the DSS in Abuja

The Modules I taught are:

*Understanding Gender Mainstreaming

*UNSCR 1325 in the Context of Gender Mainstreaming, Mediation & The Security Architecture

*Development of Gender Sensitive Action Plans

Other Modules are:

*CEDAW, CRC, Child Rights Act (2003), Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act - VAPP (2015), National Gender Policy, etc by Barr. Rhoda Tyoden (Former National President, International Federation of Women Lawyers - FIDA)

*Understanding Gender as a Social Construct by Mrs. Ebi Emuzie (Ag. Director, Training & Development)

*Achieving Gender Equality through Multi-Sectoral Approaches in the Security Sector/Gender & Human Security/ by Princess Jumai Idonije (SA Technical to the Minister of Women Affairs)

*The Role of the Criminal Justice System in the Implementation of the VAPP Act by Ms Ene Ede (1st FCT VAPP Coordinator)

*The Importance of Gender in Policy Formulation/Gender & Performance Management by Dr. Jumai Ahmadu (Director, Reform & Coordination, FCTA)

*Gaps in Women's Participation & Representation in the Small Arms & Light Weapons Process by Mimidoo Achakpa (IANSA Women Network, Nigeria)

*Listening & Communication Skills by Mrs. Okiemute Olori (John Maxwell Licensed Speaker & Trainer/Youth Mentor/Bradcaster/Gender Advocate

*Experience Sharing in Designing a Gender Policy in the Security Sector by Brigadier-General Thomas (Rtd) - Former Gender Advisor to the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS)

*Gender-Based Violence & Cyber Security by Morrison Udobong (Head, ICT NCWD) 

                   Photo L-R: Brigadier-General Thomas (Rtd) & Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa

On the whole, it was three days of intensive coaching for the officers of the DSS from the various Commands, who converged in Abuja to understand how gender can be mainstreamed into their proposed  'Gender Policy'. I look forward to reviewing the Policy when it's ready eventually

Photo L-R: Two DSS Officers, Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa & Ms. Ene Ede (Ist VAPP Coordinator, FCT)

                                                      Cross Section of Course Participants

28th March 2023. Dr. Dayo facilitating @ the DSS HQ, Abuja during the 'External' validation meeting for the Draft Gender Policy of the DSS

28th March 2023: Dr. Dayo Kusa (3rd right) @ the validation meeting for the Draft Gender Policy of the DSS 

Related Links

*Gender inequality and internal conflict    oxfordre.com

*Reasons people remain in abusive relationships    https://lnkd.in/eSfGcXgB

*Gender/Race mainstreaming & the US Supreme Court: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed as first black female Judge in the Supreme Court in 232 years!    whitehouse.gov

*Tracking Affirmative Action in Ogun State    guardian.ng

*Affirmative Action: Court orders Nigerian government to reserve 35% of public offices for women    premiumtimesng.com

*Buhari will implement judgement on 35% Affirmative Action - Dame Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs    premiumtimesng.com

*Gender Equality and the empowerment of women by UN Women    https://pos.li/2l0qjj

*We must raise girls to be brave, not perfect    http://t.ted.com/u4Kibak

*Why 50+ is the prime of every woman's life    dailymail.co.uk

*From torment to triumph through mindfulness: How abused women (men) can heal themselves  and their families    amazon.com

*Breaking the silence on Domestic Violence (DV) in Nigeria: We must all be advocates    allafrica.com

*Domestic Violence: Minister advocates compulsory psychiatric evaluation for couples before marriage    thenationonlineng.com

*Breaking the silence on GBV in Nigeria: We must all be advocates    allafrica.com 

 

 

 

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN POLICY & DEVELOPMENT

On the 1st of April 2022, the Young Professionals in Policy & Development (YouPaD) and Freidrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) , in continuation of the Agora by YouPaD Policy Discussion series, held an interactive session on the theme: 'The gendered climate crisis - Examining inter-linkages with girls' & women's rights/security'. Some of the participants are:

*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa - Independent Conflict Transformation Strategist

*Ms. Zainab Yunusa - Feminist Climate Justice Advocate/Moderator

*Mrs. Hauwa Mustapha - Director, Tubali Development Initiative

*Baliqees Salaudeen - Co-Founder/Head of HR & CSR, Green Republic Farms

After animated discussion, the following were the salient issues:

*Climate change affects men and women differently.

*The fact that one is a woman does not automatically qualify one to speak on behalf of women in the rural areas. An elite woman in the city may not really understand what the lower and under class women go through.

*Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are highly politicised by government officialsto the extent that they may not be fit for purpose as regards the target audience.

*Elite portfolio-carrying NGOs 'key into' the distorted NDCs in order to have a taste/slash of the 'action' (pecuniary gains) for their fake outfits which claim to be working for women and girls. There is a difference between the theory and practice of gender activism. 'Gender careerists' are not helpful to the cause of disadvantaged women, vis-a-vis the climate crisis. 

*Climate-smart farming is the way to go.

*Remember that climate action is SDG 13.

*Do whatever you can in your little corner to assuage the burden of climate change.

*The inter-generational gap between and among women could be breached via 'cross mentoring' - young women teaching older women what they know and vice versa.

*Gender sensitivity is key for effective and efficient climate action.

                                                  Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa @ the discourse

There was a film at the start of the discourse titled: 'Climate 101', where the nitty gritty of what constitutes the greenhouse effect was explained. Besides, the disproportionate burden of climate change for women and girls was highlighted. At the end of the interaction, another film, 'Nowhere to hide', which depicts different perspectives of the farmer-herder crisis, a natural resource based conflict was viewed. It was indeed a Friday afternoon/evening well spent for me...   

 

CIVIL-MILITARY COOPERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE SECURITY IN NIGERIA

 Between the 28th and 30th of March 2022, I was the anchor at the three-day parley in Abuja by the Conference of Civil Society in Nigeria. The convener was Comrade Adams Otakwu. The theme of the conference was: 'Civil-military cooperation (CIMICO) for maximum security in Nigeria'. Some of the participants are:

*Dame Paulin Tallen - Minister of Women Affairs

*Boss Mustapha (Rep. by Mrs. Fowowe Ogunboye, Special Services Office) - Secretary to the Govt. of the Federation (SGF)

*Gen. Lucky Irabor (Represented by Rear Admiral A.O. Ayobanjo) - Chief of Defense Staff

*Maj. Gen. Parker Undiandeye - Director, Psychological Warfare, Dept. of Civil-Military Cooperation, Defense Headquarters

*Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya (Rep. by Brig. Gen. o. Adegbe) - Chief of Army Staff

*Vice Admiral Awa Gambo  - Chief of Naval Staff

*Air Marshall Isiaka Amao (Rep. by Air Commodore A.E. Nweke, Director, Civil-Military Relations, NAF) - Chief of Air Staff

*DCP Oyeniyi Yemi John - Rep. IG of Police

*ACP Marcus Ishaku 

*Osaigbovo Ehis (Press Secretary to Minister of Police Affairs) - Rep. Minister of Police Affairs

*Amb. Nuhu Mohammed - Nigeria's Permanent Representative to ECOWAS

*Ms. Ene Ede - ED, Equity Advocates

*Barr. Mohammed Abubakar - Fmr. Governor of Bauchi state/Conference Chairman

*Comrade Adams Otakwu - Convener, Conference of Civil Society of Nigeria

*Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa - Independent Conflict Transformation Strategist/Event Anchor

*Ms. Solene Dujo - Representative of the French Embassy

*Col Shakes Mashalaba - Defense Adviser, South Africa High Commission

*Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi (mni) (Represented by AACG David Abi (fsi) - Commandant, NSCDC

*Kenneth Iheasirim (mni) - Rep. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

*Dr. Mohammed Auwal - Moderator

*Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa Rtd. (Rep. by Chigbu Chilee,  Deputy Commander, Narcotics) - Chairman, NDLEA

*Tony Njoku Esq. (Rep. by Benedict Agu, SA to ES & Head of Monitoring Dept, NHRC) - ES, NHRC

*Hajia Hadiza Abubakar, ED Broad Sustainable Women Empowerment Programme (BISWIP) - Special guest 

The conference sub-themes are:

*Contours of Civil-Military Cooperation & Collaboration in Nigeria: Identifying gaps & re-calibrating strategies for maximum security.

*Identifying & Curbing Foreign Threats To Internal Security Through Civil-Military Cooperation & Collaboration: Lessons From The International Community.

*Addressing Issues of Human Rights, Media Reportage& Non-Adversarial Resolutions Through Civil-Military Cooperation In The Fight Against Insecurity.

*Civil-Military Cooperation, Effective Legislative & Judicial Processes In The War Against Insecurity.

             Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa @ the premises of the conference, Merit House, Abuja

The following were the resolutions at the end of the three-day conference:

*The Conference of Civil society of Nigeria, with support from the 36 states and 774 local government areas of Nigeria, shall co-opt more CSOs  and individualsinto the CIMICO network. The strategy is for all Nigerians to own the fight against insecurity.

*Going forward, there shall be annual Civil-Military Conferences to consolidate the gains of CIMICO in Nigeria. There shall also be Civil-Military Week, Sports competition between civilians and the Military, visit to IDP camps, etc

*The overall aim of CIMICO is to boost the morale of both the troops and the public.

*The success of CIMICO shall send signals to the international community as regards the improved human rights record of Nigeria.

*The faithful implementation of CIMICO shall underscore the expression of interest of citizens and security operatives alike in sustaining the partnership for enhanced security.

*Coferees condemn the recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train and condole with the families of the victims. Conferees condole with the families of fallen heroes, military and civilian alike in the course of insecurity in Nigeria...

I look forward to the second edition of the conference next year... 

Photo L-R: Representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Barr. Mohammed Abubakar (Fmr. Governor of Bauchi state & conference chair), Dame Paulen Tallen (Minister of Women Affairs) & Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa (event anchor)

                                     Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa (middle) with Service Chiefs

 

                       L-R: Comrade Adams Otakwu (Conference Convener & Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa

 

 

 

BETTER EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY (BESDA)

 On the 24th of March 2022, I was in Port Harcourt under the auspices of Roost Foundation & BESDA (Better Education Service Delivery) as a facilitator for the training of NGOs on the following:

*Synopsis of Gender Based Violence (GBV), Sexual Exploitation Abuse (SEA) & Sexual Harassment (SH)

*Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), Discipline & Reporting Channels for SGBV, SEA & SH in schools

*Risk Assessment Management & Mitigation: Goals, Timeline & Cost

*Principles of Stakeholder Mapping

*Code of Conduct for teachers

The trainees were from Oyo, Rivers and Eboyin states

                                Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa @ Abazillon Hotel, Port Harcourt

BESDA is a World Bank assisted project, while RF is a front-line NGO dedicated to stemming the tide of SGBV, irregular migration, etc. It was a training of trainers session. The trainees were then expected to step down the knowledge they had acquired in their respective locales. Eight states: Kaduna, Ebonyin, Niger, Kebbi, Katsina, Oyo, Rivers & Zamfara states have been chosen as the pilot sates. More training sessions follow shortly in other states...