Tag: UN

Professor Tijjani Bande Appointed Acting President UN General Assembly [2017]

Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Professor Tijjani Bande emerged as the Acting President to preside over the 81st Plenary Meeting of UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters following the absence of the President of the Assembly, Peter Thomson, who was on an official travel to the Central African Republic.

Professsor Tijjani Bande

Professor Bande’s presidency at the Plenary Meeting happened just nine days after he presented his credentials to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Nigeria was appointed one of the 21 Vice Presidents of the General Assembly on June 13, 2016 at the 71st session of the General Assembly.

UN Security Council Adopts 1st Resolution on Boko Haram Crisis

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted its first resolution – 2349 (2017) addressing Boko Haram’s presence in the Lake Chad Basin towards protecting civilians affected by terrorism.

The resolution followed a report of its mission to the region earlier this month.

The Council strongly condemned all terrorist attacks, violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses by Boko Haram and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Region. The UN body also condemned killings, abductions, child, early and forced marriages, rape, sexual slavery and the increasing use of girls as suicide bombers by the Boko Haram terrorists.

The Council encouraged governments to enhance regional military cooperation, and to move “vigorously and decisively” to cut funding flows to individuals, groups, undertakings and entities on the ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, which includes Boko Haram.
It urged Lake Chad Basin Governments to implement consistent policies to promote defections from Boko Haram and ISIL, to deradicalize and reintegrate those who had already defected and to ensure there was no impunity for those responsible for terrorist attacks. On the humanitarian front, the Council urged all parties to the conflict to ensure respect for and protection of humanitarian personnel, and to facilitate safe, timely and unhindered access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid.

UN Trains 34 Aviation Security Personnel to Combat Terrorism in Nigeria

The United Nations Aviation School Project has begun a 120-day `Train the Trainer’’ programme holding simultaneously in Lagos and Abuja to train 34 Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel to combat  terrorism in Nigeria.

Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Affairs of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), confirmed that the training started on March 6 with personnel from both the NCAA and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) attending the UN-initiated programme – NCAA has four participants, while FAAN, which provides security surveillance at all the airports, has 30 participants.

The training is holding at the FAAN Training School in Lagos and at the NCAA Training Hall in Abuja.

Adurogboye explained that the objective of the training was to effectively mitigate the threat posed to civil aviation by terrorist organisations.

“The training will also provide a key element for robust national aviation security policy to meet global standards in infrastructure, safety and security. In addition, this initiative will enhance the capacity within the UN system to help interested member states to implement the multiple dimensions of countering terrorism,’’ he said.

Adurogboye said Nigeria was chosen for the pilot programme in appreciation of its clear and well-documented road map on developing the aviation sector, with particular emphasis on safety and security.

The programme is being anchored by Redline Assured Security Company of United Kingdom on behalf of the UN.

The Director General, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, is coordinating on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The UN Project coordinator is Mr. Douglas Melvin while the four resource persons for the programme are Neil Coull, Clare Broolley, Kelly Porter and Ish Rahman.