The Sexual and Gender Based Violence Justice Network (SJN) Cluster in Benue State has passionately appealed to corporate organisations and owners of business outfits to assist in providing much-needed resources to support the operation of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the society.
The SJN Project Lead, Barr. Solumtochukwu Ozobulu who is leading this advocacy, made this appeal during an advocacy and sensitisation visit to the management of DeFudi, one of the leading fast-food restaurants in Makurdi, Benue State.
Solumtochukwu Ozobulu, Lead, SJN Cluster
Stressing the fierce urgency of the support for such a life-saving and noble cause, Barr. Ozobulu stressed the need for individuals and bodies in the society to support the smooth and uninterrupted operation of SARCs to ensure provision of all necessary medical, legal, psychosocial, shelter and other forms of support which survivors and victims of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) are in dire need of.
Responding, the management of De Fudi expressed willingness to support survivors of domestic abuse and SGBV with skills acquisition training that would give them the necessary financial and economic basis as well as boost their employability status either working for others or themselves.
The SJN Cluster, led by Lawyers Alert Nigeria, has been in the vanguard of advocacy for the establishment and operationalization of SARCs and the current drive aims at encouraging corporate organisations to shift their CSR focus to give back to the society by providing succour and support to vulnerable and broken survivors of SGBV in dire need of a lifeline to bounce back from the torture and trauma of the scourge of SGBV.
ESLF TAKES SENSITISATION AGAINST SGBV TO SCHOOLS IN BENUE.
The Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) of the immediate past First Lady of Benue State, Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) has admonished teenagers to speak up and take safe-preservation measures to curb the menace of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV).
Advocates from ESLF who took the SGBV sensitisation message to two schools in Makurdi namely, NKST Secondary School, Makurdi and Olive Tree Redeemer’s High School, Makurdi, shared fliers containing helplines which survivors of SGBV and their families could call for the attention and assistance of relevant persons, agencies and NGOs armed with ready remedies.
Partners from other organisations such as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Foundation for Justice, Development and Peace (FJDP), Centre for Gender Studies (CGS) of Benue State University, Makurdi as well as Okaha Women and Children Development Organisation (OWACDO), Women’s Midlife Support Initiative (WOMSI) which both represented the Benue Non-Governmental Organisations Network (BENGONET) all lent their voices to the advocacies to schools.
The sensitisation visits were part of the ongoing 16-Days of Activism against SGBV which has witnessed heightened advocacies against the menace across the world.
The annual 16-Days of Activism which is commemorated every across the world, commenced on 25 November and will run through until December 10th which is World Human Rights Day. The theme for this year is, “UNITE! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.”
NYNETHA Public Health and Development Initiative Benue has joined the global community to mark World Noma Day 2023 to raise awareness about the noma disease which affects the mouth region usually in children of between 2 to 6 years old.
The non-communicable, disease is “a severe and aggressive gangrenous process (a condition wherein body tissues die due to infection or lack of blood supply) that affects the mouth, nose, and lips mainly occurring in malnourished children in the developing world.
The mortality of noma is high and the survivors harbor such facial deformities that they are often rejected from society and family life.
To tackle this health menace, NYNETHA Benue urged the public to report suspected cases to public health facilities where treatment for noma is free-of-charge.
The organisation called for increased budgetary funding to help fight the noma scourge and urged families to improve children’s oral health care and nutrition.
Noma is treatable with basic oral hygiene, antibiotics and wound dressing if detected and managed during the first weeks of the disease, likely noma symptom to look out for is when the gums and lining of the cheeks become inflamed and develop sores (or ulcers) which develop a foul-smell, causing bad breath and skin odour.
NYNETHA Public Health and Development Initiative is a Community Based Organisation (CBO) working on Adolescents Sexual Reproductive Health and other public health concerns.
Civil Society Organisations and concerned stakeholders have called on the Benue State Government to take urgent steps to fix the challenge of funding, untrained staff and lack of proper working tools hindering the take-off of the Benue Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) as well as amend the Benue State Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2019 to remove gaps hindering the prosecution of perpetrators of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the State.
The stakeholders made this known during a one-day parley in Makurdi the State capital organised by Spring of Hope for the Girl Child Development Initiative (SHoGDI) in partnership with Benue Non-Governmental Organisations Network (BENGONET) to step up advocacy for the operationalization of the Benue SARC.
Exposing some mind-boggling revelations during his presentation, human rights lawyer and VAPP Law expert, Barr. Victor Eboh pointed out disturbing lacunas in the Benue State VAPP Law including the lack of a provision for establishment of the State SARC which, by implication, makes the existing centre an “illegal” one unknown to law.
Barr. Victor EbohMimidoo Uhundu, ED of SHoGDICSP Ann Ameh
Eboh who is a Legal Officer with Lawyers Alert Nigeria also noted that the centre is currently not domiciled in any Ministry, Department or Agency and is, therefore strictly “on its own” with a pariah status tag that denies it of much-needed budgetary provisions and funding required to run such a place.
He pointed out that the Benue VAPP Law is lame in as much as magistrates’ hands are tied with the current Law giving them jurisdiction only over cases with 5 years maximum punishment upon conviction, whereas the VAPP Law prescribes 14-years imprisonment as punishment for rape, which is 9 whole years above what a current magistrate in Benue is allowed by law to handle.
Eboh urged Benue to emulate States like Bauchi, Kaduna and Lagos where the VAPP Law is well-coded, magistrates empowered with adequate jurisdiction and the Law being well implemented with SARCs that are fully operational.
Facilitating a session on Understanding SARC, the Coordinator of Benue SARC, Dr. Laadi Swende who described SARC as a One-Stop Shop offering emergency services free-of-charge to survivors of SGBV, lamented that the Benue SARC had been unable to operate since it was commissioned in January due to teething problems and prescribed the provision of medical equipment, training of relevant staff, provision of consumables (including medicals and paperwork) and continuous funding among others for services to commence. She recommended that the already existing SARC be operationalized and new SARCs established in all Council Wards in the state to enhance accessibility.
Making a presentation on how to advocate for causes, Dr. Beatrice Onoja who stood in for the Chairman of BENGONET, Lazarus Mom called on advocates to employ smart advocacy, distinctly define their causes, be specific, gather data and evidence to support their argument. She further urged them to identify their target audience, develop compelling messages, create action plan, mobilise resources, implement various advocacy activities, monitor and evaluate progress, build relationships and communicate success.
Making her remarks, the Executive Director of Spring of Hope for the Girlchild Development Initiative (SHoGDI), Mimidoo Mirabelle Uhundu who lamented that that since the establishment of the Benue SARC in January 2023 to offer free emergency medical treatment, counseling and justice support services, “nothing apart from the physical structure is on ground to facilitate the functionality of the SARC”.
Ms Uhundu noted that incidences of SGBV however continue to rise in the face of acute shortage of support for the survivors and victims of Sexual Assault and other forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and confirmed the collaboration of SHoGDI with BENGONET to bring together stakeholders within the Gender and Reproductive Health space “to find and adopt strategies to engage with this new Government towards activating the SARC as a matter of urgency”.
She described SHoGDI as “a humanitarian NGO founded as a youth-led, women-focused, non-profit organization with the vision to see “A World Where Girls and other marginalized communities are free from all forms of Abuse” by pursuing the mission of “empowering girls, women and other marginalized communities towards eradicating all forms of abuse, while the collaborating body, BENGONET is a community of NGOs and CSOs founded as a network for peace building and development.
Heads of MDAs such as the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Aondowase Kunde, represented by Mr. Dooyum Orkar, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, expressed commitment to the SHOGDI cause and pledged their support every step of the way to achieve a world free of the malaise of GBV and SGBV.
Wednesday 16th August, 2023 marked the official commissioning by the Executive Governor of Benue State Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of the first-ever indigenous pharmaceutical industry in Benue State Nigeria, VINCAL Pharmaceutical Industry Limited, established by Pharm. Emmanuel Otobo Idoko, who Governor Alia professed “represents the new face of Benue of my dream…and requires every support for what he has started.”
According to Gov. Alia, “what is begun here must be something that all the young people should be looking up to as a tall pole on how Benue will be shaped”. The Governor who noted that VINCAL was already employing people for the State in line with his employment plan for the people, assured Idoko that “as we have come to commission this facility, we are beginning this journey with you and you will gain the government support which will be a collaborative partner with you in this industry…which serves as a security against disease for us”.
Gov. Alia congratulating Pharm Idoko“Vincal provides security & jobs for Benue people”, Gov. Alia affirms.Commissioning VINCAL pharmaceutical industry to the glory of God and the good of humanity.
Lending his voice, former Director General of National Agency for food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, who commended the VINCAL production factory, noted that having inspected many pharmaceutical companies across the world – in Russia, China and the US – he knows most of them started even smaller. “So what you have started here is a very big thing and it is big because, as DG of NAFDAC…I observed that more than 70% of essential medicines needed in this country were imported either from China, America or India. So I observed that if, for some reasons, medicines cannot come from India or China, what would be the fate of 200 million Nigerians? When I looked at it from that perspective, I arrived at the inescapable conclusion that the availability of quality pharmaceutical products made available to Nigerians at affordable prices was a national security issue.”
Ex. NAFDAC Boss, Dr. Paul OrhiiGov. Alia & Dr. Paul OrhiiWith staff of NAFDAC Dr. Paul Orhii, former DG NAFDAC endorsing VINCAL products.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman/CEO of VINCAL Pharmaceutical Industry Limited, Pharmacist Emmanuel Idoko said he was motivated to go into production of drugs to help curb the prevalence of fake and substandard drugs and drug products in the state as the factory is equipped with a pharmaceutical laboratory that could carry out quality test on other companies’ products which would naturally scare fakers away and provide a pharma security for the people of the State.
Idoko who also stressed that his decision to take the bold step of pioneering the pharma industry in the State was borne out of a burning desire that “we must develop our own land”, added that VINCAL has so far employed over 100 persons and, at full capacity, could employ more than three thousand employees.”
Gov. Alia & Pharm IdokoPharm. Emmanuel Idoko giving his speechVINCOFF for childrenVINCAL B-COMPLEXAQUAVINCAL
The astute industrialist who said he was well equipped with the will and skill for drug production, disclosed that VINCAL commenced production with a liquid line and, given the much-needed support and partnership he seeks, the industry would go into the tablet, powder, injectable, eye-drop and infusion lines.
The historic event had in attendance a crème of personalities from the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria including the President of the Pharamaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Prof. Cyril Osifo, PSN State Chairman, Pharm. Igoche Ojobo Benedict and Chairperson of the Association of Community Pharmacist of Nigeria, Benue State chapter among other dignitaries, friends and well-wishers.
The fact that Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) also have sexual urge and should enjoy sex like other Persons without Disabilities, as well as give birth to children, access contraceptives, seek medical attention on Sexually Transmitted Infections and make other Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) decisions without discrimination just like everyone else have again been emphasized.
A Programme Officer with Disability Rights Advocacy Center – DRAC, Michael Brian Mulungi made this emphasis during a technical meeting of stakeholders who converged in Makurdi the Benue State capital to develop the Standard Operating Procedures for Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) for the implementation of a National Policy on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Benue State.
Mulungi maintained that “the COST OF NOT BEING INCLUSIVE IN PROGRAMMING IS FAR HIGHER than the cost of being inclusive” and asserted that the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) CANNOT be achieved without inclusion of PWDs in the scheme of things” in view of its mandate to “Leave No One Behind” (LNOB).
He explained that although PwDs have every right to access the minimum package of SRH services available to everyone else, there are unfavourable factors such as stigmatization, communication barriers, ignorance of service providers, inadequate capacity of service providers to manage clients with disabilities and the general condescending attitude of healthcare workers, among others that have hindered PwDs from enjoying this right.
Mike Brian Mulungi, Program Officer, DRACObinna Ekwujeronye, E.D Disability Advancement Initiative (DAI)Emma Enenche Umele of Swift Media World & other stakeholders combing through the SOP draftMike Mulungi, Program Officer, DRAC
Mulungi further said DRAC and other stakeholders developed a National Policy on SRHR of PwDs to give a policy direction to the government, CSOs, development partners, media practitioners and the organised private sector on how to deal with the reproductive health concerns of Persons with Disabilities especially Women and Girls with Disabilities (WGwDs) and ensure that all SRH programmes reach and serve them.
The DRAC disability rights advocate explained that the National Policy had 5 thematic areas which include “increasing knowledge and improving access to SRHR for PWDs and inclusion of PWDs in health governance (policy formulation)”. Others he said include “ensuring partnership, collaboration and capacity building with various stakeholders as well as promotion of research, monitoring and evaluation for evidence-based programming for PWDs”.
Making his own remarks earlier, Executive Director of Disability Advancement Initiative -DAI, Mr. Obinna Ekwujeronye noted that the stakeholders meeting was a “Policy to Action (P TO A)” step aimed at stepping down the National Policy to the State level.
Ekwujeronye who observed that “most women suffer triple jeopardy” quickly cautioned that “if we do not help them, we would be doing the society a great disservice” and pointed out that the push for SRHR for PWDs should be done strictly from a “rights perspective and not inspired by pity”.
He thanked the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) for sponsoring the SRHR project and the twin implementing partners: DRAC and D.A.I. for advancing the course of PwDs.
Bem Anshe, Chairman JONAPwD Benue State making an inputCynthia representing NMA making a presentationTersoo Gaadi, Min of Health & Human Serv.Philomena Ahangba, DRACGroup photo of participants and staff of DRAC, DAI
Stakeholders in attendance including the Chairman, Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPwD), Mr. Bemshima Anshe, Emmanuel Igbe of the State Primary Healthcare Board and Blessing Ogbonna of Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BAN) all commended the parley and added it was indeed an eye opener to them about current issues affecting PWDs.
Participants were drawn from the Federal Medical Centre, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Benue State Primary Healthcare Board, Ministry of Health and Human Services, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and JONAPwD among others.
DRAC is a non-profit organisation that works to promote the human rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in order to facilitate their inclusion in the larger development agenda.
The war against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Benue State today recorded a major milestone as the State Governor, Samuel Ortom today commissioned the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) known as Dohapitu Clinic, designed to cater for the “health, psycho-social, legal and socio-economic” needs of survivors of SGBV.
Governor Ortom who described SGBV as “an evil we must all fight” pointed out that men too suffer abuse and prescribed early sensitisation of children about the menace of SGBV rather than the ignorance-breeding silence that is capable of ruining their lives.
The Governor hailed his wife’s doggedness in executing the war on SGBV and lamented recent brutal attacks on vulnerable persons at the internally displaced persons camps in the State which left many dead and others maimed for life.
Speaking earlier, First Lady and Founder, Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF), Dr. Eunice Ortom thanked the State Government for providing the counterpart funding for the Benue SARC and affirmed that the centre would live up to expectation and protect vulnerable survivors of SGBV.
On her part, Coordinator of the SARC, Dr. Laadi Swende who thanked the State First Lady for envisioning the establishment of the centre pointed out that the DOHAPITU Centre as a “one-stop shop”, would provide holistic care including emergency care, family planning, prevention of sexually transmitted infection, psycho social care (short and long term), legal and law enforcement services as well as economic empowerment for SGBV survivors.
She explained that the inclusive name DOHAPITU was a coinage from the native terms Dooshima (in Tiv), Ohaha (in Igede), Okpikutu (in Etulo) and Ihotu (in Idoma) which all mean love, resonating the care and compassion which the Benue SARC stands for.
When the establishment of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre was pronounced by the First Lady on December 10th, 2022 the last day of 16-Days of Activism against SGBV, it was applauded. 50 short days later, this pronouncement has become a living reality: a fully functional clinic for vulnerable persons who have being badly battered by the blows of domestic brutality and buffeted by the storm of sexual molestation; offering them health and hope, safety and succour…and a temporary “home” away from home.
30 survivors of Gender Based Violence have received skills and entrepreneurship training as well as start-up kits for the production of liquid soap, wigs and reusable sanitary pads from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) after a 2-day programme organised in partnership with Eunice Spring of Life Foundation (ESLF) in Makurdi, Benue State.
Presenting certificates to the trainees last Friday, State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Tabitha Igirgi admonished them to make the most of their newly-acquired skills so as to reap the rich dividends of their enterprise within few months.
The UNFPA Focal Person in the State and Assistant Director at the Benue State Planning Commission, Mr. Matthew Ge who pointed out that big businesses start small, advised trainees on quality production and product branding to make them more marketable and noted the psychological and economic relevance of the training.
Wig makingTine Agernor, ESLF Programme Mgr.James Nyikwagh taking a session on entrepreneurshipMarketing items produced during trainingTabitha Igirgi, Commissioner of Women AffairsMatthew Ge, UNFPA Focal Person
On his part, Programme Manager of ESLF, Tine Agernor who explained that trainees were carefully selected GBV survivors some from Internally Displaced Persons camps in the State, pointed out that the training was targeted at economic empowerment of GBV survivors to help mitigate the incessant cases of GBV spiked by lack of alternative income sources in homes and added that the start-up packs would aid instant take off of their businesses.
Speaking on behalf of the Director General, Benue State Planning Commission, Permanent Secretary at the Commission, Mr. Gbagi Stephen appreciated UNFPA for sustaining the programme since 2007 and commended the State government for providing the critical counterpart funding that enabled Benue State have access to funding for such programmes. Mr. Gbagi thanked the State First Lady, Dr. Eunice Ortom who, through her Foundation, implemented such life-changing programme to help reduce the scourge of GBV.
Beneficiaries of the programme who appreciated ESLF, UNFPA and the State Government, said they would put the knowledge they had gained to use and described the opportunity as a step forward for them to achieve better lives for themselves, their families and communities.
Ahead of the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child which holds every October 11th, participants at an all-female summit in Benue State have tasked governments, development partners and other relevant bodies to take urgent and deliberate steps to protect and improve the lot of girls and women including those with disabilities in the society.
The participants made this known at a summit tagged “State of the Nigerian Girls Summit” (SONGS) organised in Makurdi by Okaha Women and Children Development Organisation (OWACDO), a Non-Governmental Organisation, in conjunction with the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development supported by Action Aid Nigeria.
PWD SessionBecky Akor & Martins facilitate a focus group discussion sessionThe Ndubuisi sisters also lent their voicesMrs Joy Ijuwo, Exec. Director, OWACDO
The participants drawn from upper primary school, lower secondary schools, out of school category, children’s parliament and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), had focus discussions covering a range of issues including career path, child marriage, Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHHM), academic challenges, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) as well as other issues including safety at home and in school among others.
Addressing the summit, Executive Director of OWACDO, Mrs. Joy Ijuwo who pointed out that the focus group pre-summit was a prelude to the forthcoming International Day of the Girl Child, explained that the activity was organised due to the high premium placed on girls, added that their recommendations would be collated and presented at a larger summit in Abuja come October as well as to organisations for intervention.
The robust feedback, responses and concerns raised by participants were harvested from a mix of highly participatory exercises including experience sharing, question and answer sessions which, according to Mrs. Ijuwo, would aid strategic planning for the girl child by a number of concerned organisations.
The Centre for Family and Reproductive Health Support Initiative (CFRHSI), a Benue-based advocacy working group on family planning, has appealed to Governor Samuel Ortom to approve the timely release of the 2022 budgeted Family Planning fund as well as increase domestic funding “for improved access to quality Family Planning services in the next budget cycle”.
The group which made this appeal on Thursday at the official launch of the 2021 Family Planning Budget Performance Scorecard for Benue State, noted that its appeal was coming against the backdrop of dwindling support from international donor partners and termination of the World Bank’s Save One Million Lives intervention in Family Planning.
Cross section of participantsRep of Director of Public Health launching the budget performance scorecardGroup Secretary, Lazarus Mom, presenting the Family Planning budget performance scorecard in Makurdi.
Presenting the performance scorecard prepared with data generated locally from budget documents of the State Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Board, State Planning Commission, partners and relevant Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Secretary of the advocacy group, Mr. Lazarus Mom, established that the scorecard indicated areas of high, low and average performances in the 2021 period under review.
Mom maintained that the Benue State government made “good progress on target” in two areas scoring high in “Government budget allocation for family planning funding need” (up to 95.6%) and performed excellently (scoring 100.0%) in its “Expenditure on funds released from Ministry of Finance to Ministry of Health (or agency)”.
However, he pointed out that government only made “partial progress on target” in 3 areas scoring 52.9% each in both “budget allocation for Family Planning released as scheduled”, and “government expenditure on allocated Family Planning funds”, as well as earmarked N20 Naira 44 kobo as Annual General Government Expenditure on Family Planning per Woman of Reproductive Age (15-49 years).
On the negative end, he explained that the State Government performed poorly both on “budget allocation for Family Planning as a percent of allocation to health capital budget” (a tiny 1.2%) and on “budget allocation for Family Planning as a percent of allocation to health budget” (an abysmal 0.8%).
Mr. Mom who pointed out that “until 2021, there was no budget line for Family Planning in Benue State” explained that “approval for the creation of the budget line took nearly 8 years (from 2014) and series of advocacy visits to over 8 different Commissioners of Health supported by Pathfinder International.
Mom lamented that despite the allocation of 20 million naira for Family Planning in the Benue State 2022 budget, nothing had yet been released 4 months to the end of the year, and called for improved prioritization of family planning budget as well as sustainable financing from local sources.
On his part, representative of Pathfinder International, Mallam Yusuf Nuhu reiterated tge pledge to support CFRHSI and charged the group to push for policy enactment which was key to creating enabling environment for programmes to thrive.
Yusuf harped on the need to have Family Planning Champions (media personalities, religious or traditional rulers) who always advocate for the issue of family planning and add their voice to media advocacy and awareness creation on Family Planning.
Mallam Yusuf Nuhu, Pathfinder Int’l representativeBarr. Victor Eboh and Miriam of Lawyers Alert Nigeria
Making a presentation on Financing for Family Planning Commodities he admitted that financing was challenging and proposed ways to surmount this challenge.
He charged State and FG to tap from the largely untapped huge resources in the private sector through social marketing, Public Private Partnership (PPP) and called for government and media engagement to increase the voice and visibility of the group’s advocacy to help achieve set objective.
In their separate goodwill messages, representatives of the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Board, Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, State Assembly House Committee on Health and Human Services, thanked Pathfinder and its implementing partners for developing the scorecard and assured of legislative and other support needed to apply pressure for fund release.
Other highpoint was setting up of a 5-man Committee made up of CSOs and the media for advocacy visits to key stakeholders to advance the cause of family planning in the state.
Advocacy visit to the Executive Secretary, Primary Heath Care Board, Mrs Grace Ashi Wender
Located at Hudco Quarters High Level in Makurdi the State Capital, CFRHSI had commenced work in 2014 under the name “Advocacy Working Group”, but metamorphosed to its current name, Centre for Family and Reproductive Health Support Initiative.
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