The Ekiti State Government has announced the death of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Funminiyi Afuye.

Yinka Oyebode,Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.,in a statement said Rt. Hon Afuye died Wednesday evening at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado- Ekiti, where he was receiving treatment after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The late Afuye, 66, was a former Commissioner, Ekiti State Ministry of Information and two- time member of the State Assembly.

He was inaugurated Speaker of the sixth Assembly on June 6, 2019.

Aareonakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams,says Nigerians are hungary on account of the soaring food prices in the country which is hitting hard on the mass of the people .

He implored the federal government to consider proactive approach to take Nigerians out of poverty.

He spoke in Meiran, Lagos during the 2022 edition of Odo Erelu Festival,where he stated that the recent statistics stating that Nigeria is ranked 103 out of 121 countries in hunger level is serious, considering the fact that the country is blessed with arable farm lands, human and material resources.

He emphasized the need for urgent intervention,even as he noted that the survival of all human beings depends largely on the food they eat and consume.

“In Nigeria today, there’s no denying the fact that there is hunger in the land.Prices of food items and other consumable products are out of the reach of ordinary Nigerian citizens.What this means is that there is no
food security in Nigeria.Sadly, there is a big lacuna between the availability of food and individuals’ ability to access it in Nigerian markets.

For instance, the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, describes food security as a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food. However, this is not the case with Nigeria.Prices of food items in Nigerian markets are not stable.

“Majority of Nigerians usually groan at the rate at which prices of food and other items go up.This is a big issue that needs urgent intervention because our lives as human beings depend largely on the food we eat and consume.There is need for the Federal Government to introduce a lasting policy programme that will boost and enhance food production and also check its attendant effect.

“Cases of bandits and kidnappers killing and kidnapping farmers in their farms should be curtailed.Our price control mechanism must be stable,so as to give both the producers and the consumers the needed leeway to work and operate together without much trouble.

“There should be reforms in the agric sector. Farmers across the country should also feel safe and secured both in their farms and also in getting credit facilities.This is the only way out of this austerity and hardship that have been ravaging the country.”

Adams,also spoke on the need to celebrate the Yoruba deities and ancestors, saying the celebration of Odo-Erelu Festival is the group’s efforts at rekindling the hope of the Yoruba in celebrating their culture and tradition, pointing out that Odo-Erelu, like every other rivers in the south west have healing powers.

The Onimeiran of Imeiran kingdom, Oba Samuel Adewale Oroja,spoke about the healing prowess of Odo- Erelu,saying indigenes including residents of the ancient town had benefitted greatly from the river.

“I am happy to tell you that many people have testified to the power of God through Odo- Erelu here in Meiran town.Honestly,we need to appreciate the Aareonakakanfo for celebrating all the deities that had long been abandoned in Yoruba land.

“Aare is a messenger of God.Those of us that are very close to him marvel at the way he gets things done.I appreciate the loyalty and commitment of all members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in promoting the ideals of the group.

A non-governmental organisation, Challenged Parenthood Initiative, (CPI) has bemoaned high cases of sexual abuse against boy- child in Kogi State.

The Executive Director of CPI Eunice Abimbola Agbogun,who disclosed this during the Pay Attention to Him (PATH) project in Lokoja,said one out of ten boys in kogi state is being sexually molested.

Agbogun stressed that, globally, one out of six Boys suffers from sexual abuse which is currently high and needs urgent attention.

She added that, over time, there has been sustained advocacy on issues around the Girl Child, while enough attention has not been given to that of the Boy Child.

She lamented that many boys in Kogi State and Nigeria in general have been sexually abused but under reported because of fear of intimidation and stigmatisation.

She explained that the PATH project was initiated to address molestation, sexual abuse and all manner of negative influence affecting the boy child.

“We do not want to lose our boy child completely, so we feel we can start something quickly. Now, it is time to start. Many people do not know that Boys are sexually abused on daily basis, thinking that it girls alone.The impression in the public is that, only girls, women are sexually abused, which is totally wrong and should be corrected before things get out of hand.

“From statistics, we have discovered that one out of every 10 boys before they turn 13 are sexually abused in Kogi and Nigeria in general. This is very high. One in six Boys globally are also sexually abused. That is a high statistic, so we need to pay attention and begin to do something drastically now.When boys are abused, they always maintain the culture of silence.

“This sensitisation now will help them to speak out. Just as before now, with the girl child, there has been a culture of silence, but because of advocacy, and sensitisation, People are more confident that they can cry for help.We need to balance the equation by shifting our attention to the Boy Child, so that we can nip this issue in the bud”.

To reduce sexual abuse against the boy child, she implored public spirited individual, government at all level to support the organisation in a bid to change the narrative that boys are the only perpetuators of violence.

Climate finance committed by major multilateral development banks (MDBs) rose in 2021 with over $19 billion committed to climate change adaptation finance,a joint report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance,has said.

The report tracks the progress of MDBs in relation to their climate finance targets such as those announced at COP21 and the greater ambition pledged for the post-2020 period.

According to the report,total financing commitment by MDBs to low-income and middle income economies in 2021 of $50.666 billion, surpassed the annual expectations of $50 billion set in 2019 (https://bit.ly/3S5CbVC) at the UN Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit in New York.

Of the $50.666 billion of climate finance committed to low-income and middle-income economies, $47.24 billion was from the MDBs’ own account and $3.426 billion from external resources that were channelled through the banks.

The report said mitigation finance committed to low- and middle-income economies totalled $33.055 billion, or 65%, while adaptation finance totalled $17.611 billion, or 35%.

The report also records a notable increase in adaptation finance to over $19 billion in 2021, again beating expectations. A total of $19.187 billion was committed to climate change adaptation finance, with$17.611 billion, or 92%, committed to low- and middle- income economies, thus surpassing the expected collective delivery of increasing adaptation finance to $18 billion.

Kevin Kariuki, Vice President of Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth at the African Development Bank, commented: “As MDBs, we have steadily grown the amount, and access to climate finance over the last decade, thereby demonstrating the potential of multilateralism in tackling global threats. However, this is not near enough, and efforts to ramp-up the quantum of, and rate of access to, global climate finance, especially adaptation finance, in developing countries are necessary”.

He added, “This is why we have established flagship programmes such as the $ 25 billion African Adaptation Acceleration Program and the $20 billion Desert-to-Power, to accelerate climate action, while safeguarding the wellbeing of our people and nature”.

This edition of the report presents the multilateral development banks’ climate finance commitments data in two different chapters, with data for low- and middle-income economies and that for high-income economies presented separately.