General News
Speaker Abbas seeks end to sexual harassment on campuses…Lists legislative interventions on child labour, child marriage, others…As schoolgirls chat with Speaker, seek rights protection
By Saint Mugaga
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has called for drastic measures against child labour, sexual harassment, gender inequality, forced marriage, and other issues negatively affecting female Nigerians.
This is just as the Speaker assured young Nigerians, especially females, of legislative interventions that will make life easier, safer and better for them.
Speaker Abbas gave the assurance in Abuja on Thursday when he hosted young female Nigerians in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, tagged ‘Girls’ Chat with the Speaker.’
The Office of the Speaker organised the session in partnership with the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development.
At the ceremony were the wife of the Speaker, Hajia Fatima Abbas-Tajudeen; Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon Kafilat Ogbara; and several senior aides of the Speaker.
While October 11 is designated for the International Day of the Girl Child, the theme for the 2025 edition is ‘The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis.’
The Speaker, who usually specially celebrates the girl child, and dedicates time and resources to gender campaigns, on Thursday had an interactive session with schoolgirls.
The girls drawn from across the country, mostly teenagers, represented public and private schools at the secondary and tertiary levels.
The girl children, who came tops in an online poll earlier conducted by the Office of the Speaker and an advocacy group, Gender Mobile Initiative, asked Speaker Abbas sundry questions concerning issues affecting young and female Nigerians.
While noting that child marriage is on a downward trend due to public enlightenment and advocacy, the Speaker stated that cases of child labour are still on the rise.
He said: “My major concern is girl and child labour which is still endemic in this country. A lot of girls, instead of going to school, are being sent to work in the house of the rich and those who are doing well. This is an area where the National Assembly – the government – must pay extra attention.
“We need to ensure that no girl under a certain age is allowed to be seen working as domestic staff in the houses of the well-to-do families. Those children, by implication, are being denied access to education. Not many of those families that are engaging them are allowing them to school at the same time.
“A significant number of girls are not allowed to go to school because of that and we need to come up with legislation for stronger laws that will significantly diminish this menace. This is one area of concern.”
Speaker Abbas, who said it was “indeed another day of history,” noted that girls in Nigeria are doing better than the boys.
He said: “It is very gladdening to say what I see today, particularly from the academic point of view, girls generally in Nigeria are doing a bit better than their counterparts – boys. I see the results from senior secondary schools; I see results from tertiary institutions; I see results from even primary schools, where almost every school you go to, you will find out that the girls are at the top. That is a very promising signal that the initiatives started in 2011 have started bearing fruit.
“We believe there are so many areas to cover but for me, it is a good beginning. I congratulate you girls for the good performances that you have given particularly in the academic sector.”
The Speaker however noted challenges particularly in the rural areas “where girls up till now are not given their rights particularly access to education.”
“I believe that with the current efforts being made by the National Assembly as well as the Executive (arm of the government) under the Ministry of Women Affairs, so much will be achieved within the next two years with this administration,” he added.
Responding to the series of questions posed to him, the Speaker stated that the National Assembly, particularly the House, “is doing so much in changing the narratives especially on women’s participation in parliament.” While noting that the House is considering a bill seeking to reserve seats for women and Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs).
“The course that we have taken is ensuring that we have more representation of women in parliament because that is where laws are enacted. Once we have more women (in parliament) they will have more say in terms of women’s and girls’ interests. The first and the most significant is to have as many women as possible in the parliament,” he said.
Speaking on sexual harassment in schools, Speaker Abbas noted that “as a teacher, I am privileged to know so much about this endemic abuse. Having been a teacher at the primary school level and at tertiary institutions, I know the extent of the problem we are encountering in that regard. And we are doing the best we can. The major issue is resources to actually get the Acts implemented.
“All we need in this country is to set good examples. Once we are able to set good examples of one or two of those culprits, I’m sure others with such tendencies will begin to review their actions.
“We will support this initiative of taking the campaign to all the nooks and crannies of the country; to all our tertiary institutions that enough is enough on the issue of sexual harassment of female students particularly by lecturers and other leaders of the institutions. We will not take it anymore. We will do everything possible to ensure that we put a permanent stop to it.”
Earlier, the Executive Lead, Gender Mobile Initiative, Omowumi Ogunrotimi, noted that the 10 girls “represent girls across Nigeria.” She added that there are “millions of girls who are not able to be in this room today and we hope that their questions will represent both the struggles and the aspirations of the millions of girls.”
After, Sophia Ofure Onojetah asked about gender equality in politics and governance, especially women’s representation in parliament.
Tioluwani Faparusi asked about efforts by the government to curb sexual harassment in schools especially the sexual offences bill.
Sabiya Aminu Suleiman asked about child marriage and paedophilic crimes in society.
Some girls also asked questions about the enforcement of the Child’s Rights Act at the subnational levels and the fate of children in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.
Others asked about safety in schools especially with the infamous abduction of Chibok and Dapchi by terrorists.
There are also questions about girl-focused policies and programmes in Nigeria.
Speaker Abbas, who answered all the questions, noted that most of the responsibilities fall with the Executive arm of the government which is responsible for the enforcement of laws.
The Speaker however stated that the House will continue to make laws that will protect the rights of Nigerians, men and women, both young and old.
By Felix Umande, Makurdi
Member representing Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency if Benue state, Arc. Dr. Austin Asema Achado, has inaugurated the Achado EduCare Scholarship Committee and launched the scholarship portal with the aim to support deserving undergraduate students from his constituency to achieve their academic dreams.
In his speech, Achado emphasized that youth development is a key aspect of his 5-Point Agenda, and the scholarship is a step towards realizing this vision.
Achado while presenting a cheque of twenty million naira (#20,000,000) to the committee to mark the official launch of the scholarship portal, highlighted his commitment to education, citing the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Center Aliade.
“My commitment to our people’s education is visible in several sustainable initiatives we have embarked upon. It is the same conviction that has fueled my efforts in the establishment of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Center Aliade, which is billed to take-off in September 2026. By bringing a University Campus to our Constituency, tertiary education will no longer be a distant dream but an opportunity for every constituent, for learning and growth.” Dr. Achado said.
Inaugurating the committee, Achado tasked them to be transparent and inclusive. “I am here to formally inaugurate this committee, charged with the sacred duty of selecting deserving undergraduate students who will benefit from this year’s fund. I charge this committee to be transparent and inclusive in the assignment. To alleviate the stress of students traveling long distances or standing in queues, we have made this scholarship entirely contactless and digital.
“We have built a dedicated portal for seamless collation of applications. Decisions made will be backed by data, free from human bias, while disbursement of funds to the beneficiaries will be done within one month, from today.”
The lawmaker urged students to take advantage of the opportunity, emphasizing that the scholarship is open to all constituents, including non-indigenes living and working within the constituency
A twelve-member committee was inaugurated for the scholarship program with Mr. Iorfa Stephen Undiar as the Chairman while Akuji Shiaondo is Secretary.
In an interview with Press Icon Newspaper, Undiar assured that the committee will carry out its mandate with utmost transparency and fairness and that the scholarship is open to all deserving members of the constituency, regardless of party affiliation or background. “The scholarship is apolitical, meant for every deserving student in our constituency,”
He also noted that the number of beneficiaries will depend on the volume of applications received after the deadline.
By Saint Mugaga
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement has called for increased budgetary allocation to the Bureau of Public
(BPP) in the 2026 fiscal year to fast-track Nigeria’s transition to a full electronic procurement system
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Unyime Idem, made at the presentation of the Bureau’s 2026 budget estimates before the National Assembly.
Idem said the Bureau occupies a strategic position under the Public Procurement Act 2007 in ensuring transparency, accountability, value for money and due process in the management of public resources.
“Given the urgent need to transition to an e-procurement system in Nigeria, I call on the leadership of the National Assembly and members of this committee to increase budgetary provision for the Bureau in 2026 to facilitate the process,” he said.
The chairman, however, reminded the Bureau that the committee had approved funds in previous budgets to support electronic transmission and digital procurement processes.
He charged the management to ensure that provisions for e-transmission would not reappear as recurring items in subsequent budgets.
“We have approved budgetary provisions in the past for electronic transmission. We expect that with this allocation, e-transmission should not continue to reappear in future budgets,” he said.
Idem also urged the Bureau to urgently forward a comprehensive proposal for the amendment of the Public Procurement Act 2007, noting that nearly two decades after its enactment, evolving realities in digital procurement and global best practices make amendment imperative.
The committee assured the Bureau of constructive oversight and thorough consideration of its proposals in the interest of good governance.
While presenting 2026 budget, the Director-General of the Bureau, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, said the proposed N32.18 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year would focus on digitalising Nigeria’s procurement system and strengthening transparency across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said the proposal comprises N17.87 billion for capital expenditure, N8.47 billion for overhead costs and N5.84 billion for personnel.
Adedokun said the 2026 proposal prioritises digitalisation of public procurement, including the deployment of an e-procurement platform that will eliminate manual submissions from MDAs effective March 1, 2026.
According to him, the implementation will be phased, with about 20 agencies to be onboarded by September 2026.
The Department of State Services (DSS) will on February 25, arraign former Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on alleged cybercrime and breach of national security, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court (FHC) fixed the date after the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the case to her.
The DSS, on Monday, filed a three-count criminal charge against el-Rufai following his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The charge, instituted by the Nigerian secret police, is marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026.
The service accused el-Rufai of breaching the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, (2024), and the Nigerian Communications Act (2003.)
In count one, el-Rufai was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja, did admit during the interview that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the NSA, Mr. Ribadu.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In count two, the ex-governor was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja, did state during the interview that he knew and related with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of NSA, without reporting the said individual to relevant security agencies.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count three alleged that el-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting NSA’s phone communications.
The act, which the DSS said, the ex-governor admitted during an interview on February 13, on Arise TV’s prime time programme in Abuja “and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”
NAN recalls that el-Rufai had, during a live interview on the TV station, claimed he overheard Mr. Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 after his return from Cairo, Egypt.
The former governor was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday over corruption allegations.
He was granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday but was said to have been immediately taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The ICPC’s spokesperson, John Odey, who confirmed the development in a message shared on a journalist’s WhatSapp group Wednesday night, simply said: “Malam Nasiru el-Rufai is in the custody of the commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”
NAN
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