The federal government and international partners has launched an appeal, seeking a $306 million to fast-track assistance to address the deteriorating food security and nutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states.

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The fund aims to reach 2.8 million people with food assistance, nutrition supplies, clean water, healthcare, and protection support between May-September lean season where 4.8 million people, including the vulnerable are estimated to be facing severe food insecurity.

The plan also includes improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene to combat infectious diseases, especially among the over 2 million internally displaced persons.

Approximately 700,000 children under five were projected to be acutely malnourished in the next six months, including 230,000 at risk of death without timely intervention in the region.

The appeal is also part of the broader 2024 UN-coordinated Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria, aiming to address the critical needs of those affected by the crisis.

At the plan’s launch, the National Emergency Management Agency’s director-general, Zubaida Umar, emphasised the importance of mobilising funds to prevent malnutrition-related deaths and health issues.

The UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, Mohamed Malick Fall, announced an $11 million contribution from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund to initiate the emergency response.

UNICEF’s acting representative in Nigeria, Dr Rownak Khan, highlighted the race against time to deliver lifesaving nutrition to every child in need, with admissions for severe acute malnutrition already surpassing annual estimates.

The FAO’s interim representative in Nigeria, Dominique Koffy Kouacou, called for urgent interventions to support vulnerable populations’ immediate and long-term needs.

The World Food Programme’s country director, David Stevenson, stressed the need for peace and production to address the conflict in the northeast.

The stakeholders said efforts to protect lives must be coupled with strengthening resilience by supporting agricultural livelihoods, which sustain over 80 percent of the vulnerable population.

According to them, this is the fourth operational plan launched by the UN and partners for the BAY states, which underscored the need to tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, including advancing peace-building efforts, enhancing healthcare, supporting food production, improving social services, and mitigating climate change effects.

President Bola Tinubu has written the House of Representatives, seeking its approval for the federal government to grant (reimburse) N24 billion promissory notes to Kebbi and Nasarawa state governments.

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The N15 billion and N9 billion promissory notes for the Kebbi State and the Nasarawa State respectively are for the takeover of the airports’ built by the two states by the federal government.

The president’s request was conveyed in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Abbas Tajudeen and read at plenary on Thursday by the deputy speaker, Hon Benjamin Kalu who presided over the sitting.

The letter reads: “Aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft, and carriage of passengers and goods by air” were under the control of the Federal Government as provided in the 1999 Constitution (As amended).

“Establishment of a promissory note programme in favour of the Kebbi and Nasarawa State governments for the reimbursement of the respective costs of the construction of newly built airports in those states that have been taken over by the federal government.

“The House of Representatives is invited to note that at the Executive Council meeting of the Federal Executive Council FEC, which was held on the 23rd day of May 2023, it was approved as follows:

“That a promissory note in the sum of N9,000,542,651,786.11 be issued to the Nasarawa State government as a refund for the take over of the newly constructed Nasarawa Airport.

“That a promissory note in the sum of N15,137,336,95.88 only be issued to Kebbi State government as refund for the takeover of Birnin Kebbi International Airport.

“I urge the House of Representatives to consider and grant concurrent approval for the establishment of the promissory notes programme in favor of the Kebbi and Nasarawa state governments, respectively, as prescribed in paragraph two above.”

In another letter, President Tinubu transmitted the National Anti-doping Bill, 2024 to the House asking to expeditiously pass it ahead of Olympic coming up in July 2024.

“The National Anti-doping Bill, 2024 seeks to create an administrative independent National Ant-doping organization which is a cardinal requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the world anti-doping code and international standard for code compliance with codes by signatories.

“The enactment of this vital legislation will also help Nigeria avoid imposition of signatories consequences including loss of hosting rights and participation at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events,” the letter reads.

The Nigeria Labour Congress took action on Monday by closing the gates of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Ilorin, Kwara State, in a bid to challenge the earlier imposed electricity tariff hike.

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Labour union representatives, stationed at the IBEDC offices in Challenge and Baboko market areas in Ilorin from as early as 7 am, secured the premises by locking the gates, denying access to both employees and customers.

Despite some IBEDC workers lingering nearby, many were unable to enter the premises due to the actions of the labour unions.

Comrade Muritala Olayinka, the Chairman of NLC in Kwara state, stated that the shutdown was in compliance with directives from the national Secretariat of the NLC.

Olayinka affirmed that the IBEDC facilities would remain closed until receiving a contrary instruction from the NLC Secretariat in Abuja.

“The Directive from the National Secretariat of NLC said that the picketing is for today but we will get in touch with the leadership of NLC if it will continue”, he said.

Earlier, the labour unions had given the NERC, till May 12 to withdraw the recent hike in electricity tariff or face unprecedented industrial action.

The ultimatum was issued in a joint letter to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, dated May 3, 2024, and copied to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, the Ministers of Labour and Power and the electricity distribution companies, DisCos, among others.