The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending impunity and facilitating recourse to justice for victims, as well as ensuring punishment for perpetrators.
Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said this on Monday, in a statement issued by Dr Umar Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations Office, in the Ministry of justice.
Malami was speaking at the opening of the five-day 18th Session of the assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute, at the International Criminal Court (ICC), at the Hague, Netherlands.
He said Nigeria was also committed to criminalisation of starvation as a weapon of war under the Rome Statute of the ICC.
“The idea of criminalisation of starvation was mooted by Switzerland. We in Nigeria therefore, call on all state parties to jointly support the initiative.’’
He, however, decried the numerous challenges the International Criminal Court (ICC), had been facing.
“The challenges include: increasing attacks against it and its officials, possibilities of further withdrawals from the Rome Statute, weakening of the Rome Statute system and its support across the globe.
Other challenges, he said, included reduction in multilateral engagement amidst rising tides of hostility, discrimination, and repression around the world.
Malami said Nigeria desired to see ICC overcome all its present challenges and become a global, independent and impartial Court, with capability to rid the world of impunity, the type that characterised World War I and II.
“Nigeria is also determined to work together with state parties to oppose efforts to undermine the works of the Court, its independence and impartiality.
“In particular Nigeria strongly condemns threats against the ICC in some parts of the world, its officials, and those cooperating with the Court.
“We consider such attacks as calculated attempts to undermine and cripple the fight against impunity and the laying of a solid foundation for a peaceful and just world, not only for the present generation, but also for the unborn ones.’’
He put forward Nigeria’s call on all civilised nations of the world to rise up to this critical challenge, “if we must safeguard the present and future generations from extermination.
“Nigeria is committed to recognising the Rome Statute system of justice as key in advancing accountability at the international and national levels, for sexual and gender-based violence and violence against children as grave crimes, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.’’
Malami informed the gathering that the Boko Haram elements had been considerably decimated through the efforts of the Nigerian Security Forces and the support of proximate neighbours and other friendly states.
“Gradually therefore, normalcy is returning and Nigeria is coming out of the woods and will indeed also come out of the numerous cases initiated against her at the ICC.
“Nigeria is not a jungle, it is a peace and justice loving country which is aspiring to develop and create a conducive environment for foreign and other investments, to generate jobs and create opportunities for the teeming population.
“Therefore, impunity being a critical element that could prevent these lofty ideas from fruition, does not have a place and will never be tolerated in all facets of our criminal justice system,” the minister said.
FG begins remodelling of grazing reserves into ranches in 7 states
The Federal Government has begun remodelling of grazing reserves into ranches in seven states as part of efforts to transform and modernise the country’s livestock industry.
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Prof. Bashir Usman, made this known on Tuesday in Zaria at the opening of a three-day capacity building workshop on the remodelling of grazing reserves into ranches.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was organised by NCNE for 120 nomadic education extension agents and other officers of the commission.
Usman, who was represented by the Director, Social Mobilisation and Women Development in the commission, Alhaji Mohammed El-Nafaty, listed the selected states as: Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Kaduna and Zamfara.
He said that the existing grazing reserves had already been carved out, demarcated and gazetted.
He added that 141 out of the 416 grazing reserves, spread across the six geo-political zones of the country with a total of 3.4 million hectares of land have been gazetted.
He stressed that the idea behind developing the grazing reserves into ranches was to provide state -of-the- art grazing resources for livestock herders in the country.
This, according to him, will curtail the persistent farmer-herder conflicts that are threatening peace and security in the country.
He noted that transformation and modernisation of Nigeria’s livestock industry would cause a paradigm shift from a predominantly traditional, informal and
uncoordinated industry, to a more formal and organised one.
“This can be achieved through the transformation of grazing reserves into ranches otherwise known as Intensive Livestock Production Systems.
“This entails training and re-training of front line staff and other key stakeholders, effective community mobilisation and sensitisation through extension services.
“It also involves the identification, mapping and clustering of pastoralist and their communities in the existing grazing reserves as evidence based data preparatory for the full implementation of ranching concept in the country.
“It equally entails the provision of the requisite resources and infrastructure to serve as a window of opportunities for the livestock producers to have access to improved production facilities and social amenities.
“Other provisions include schools, security, markets, clinics, livestock service centers, access roads, milk and meat processing centers along the value chains as well as other critical infrastructure,” Usman said.
The NCNE boss disclosed that the commission had established 17 Model Nomadic Education Centers in the gazetted grazing reserves and would work closely with the Coordinating Office of the National Livestock Transformation Plan.
Earlier, Dr Abdu Ardo, Director, Department of Extension Education and Skills Development, NCNE, said that the training was organised to build the capacity of participants to mobilise and sensitise pastoralists on the remodelling process.
Declaring the workshop open, Mr Andrew Kwasari, Special Assistant to President Mohammadu Buhari on Agriculture, said that the measure would end the protracted famers-herders clashes over scarce land and water.
Kwasari, who is also the Coordinator, National Livestock Transformation Plan, said that the extenstion agents would demonstrate to famers and pastoralists how to promote livestock production in the country.
“I hope in the next six months, we will begin to have success stories that would help the full implementation of the livestock transformation plan,” he said.
