The school Nollywood built: How new Nigerian filmmakers got their groove on | Arts and Culture

In November 2020 while the COVID-19 pandemic was strangling creative endeavours across the planet, veteran Nigerian filmmaker Steve Gukas announced a new venture. Called First Features, it launched a search for 12 disciples, or first-time directors, to elevate storytelling standards in Nollywood, the world’s second largest film industry by volume.

For decades, Nigeria’s bustling industry has been known for its scrappy, do-it-yourself resourcefulness.

Local and foreign supporters and critics were united in pointing out that the industry was held up for years by bootstrapping directors and amateur producers shooting cheap, straight-to-video films using the most basic of resources since the ’90s.

Today’s Nollywood is a multibillion-dollar behemoth, but for all its real or perceived success, structural challenges remain. With little by way of government support or training infrastructure, budding filmmakers often struggle to get their start.

For London Film School-trained Gukas – the brains behind multiple Nigerian classics like 93 Days, the story of the Nigerian doctor who sacrificed her life to contain Ebola in Lagos – the solution was clear.

In 1993, just as the scene was being set for what is today Nollywood, the channel M-Net was establishing New Directions, a landmark training and development initiative for writers and directors across the continent. One of the inaugural beneficiaries was Gukas, who, upon returning home, was dissatisfied with the kind of training available in Nigeria.

“A lot of it was happening in silos, didactic, non-practical and very short term with little strategy about how you then launch the careers of these directors,” he tells Al Jazeera.

He felt a need to replicate that M-Net model but also make it more comprehensive and Nigeria-focused. “Beyond providing opportunity, we wanted to expose them to the entire journey of a director from story to screen. What does the director do? What does he bring to the table, and how does he harness the vision he has and share that with a team?” he says.

Training a new generation

Those thoughts crystallised into First Features, a 1-billion-naira (about $2.6m at the time) initiative spearheaded by Gukas and Dotun Olakunri, another seasoned filmmaker.

It is the first phase of an initiative that identifies 12 young directors and provides training, mentorship, funding and distribution support for their debut feature films.

The process of making the final shortlist is a competitive undertaking – almost 1,000 entries were received in response to a national call-out.

With all of the shortlisted filmmakers, Gukas was struck by their eagerness to learn. He also talks about a realisation that occurred in the minds of all the filmmakers who have had their films enter production so far.

“At around the halfway point of the training, it would dawn on them that if the process was this rigorous, one cannot possibly make more than one or two films in a year,” he says. This is at odds with the quick turnaround times that have characterised the Nollywood system.

Faculty members were found in Nigeria, Los Angeles, London and Johannesburg. Directors were paired with writers and the trainees were invited to a boot camp and masterclass sessions for six months in 2021 to develop their respective projects. The boot camp was held in Abuja, and while directors were physically present, some of the facilitators delivered classes virtually.

“We wanted the training to be oral, practical and experiential. But again, how to fund that and make it sustainable had always been a challenge,” Gukas says.

Responding to this challenge, First Features was rejiggered to deliver a final slate of 12 films that had some commercial viability. An original plan to deliver made-for-television movies of the month fell through as funding support from television stations failed to materialise.

Gukas’s Native Filmworks and Olakunri’s Michelangelo Productions put up initial funding and invited investor partners to get the first three projects off the ground. Additional investors meant the films now had to be distributed in theatres with commercial viability as a goal.

Olakunri says an additional development also factored into this decision, “We realised the quality of films that were being developed was much higher than what we anticipated and so decided they can go to cinemas or streaming.”

In setting up the projects, the directors were deliberately surrounded by experienced cast and crew on set to help boost confidence. Despite early challenges, the filmmakers began to blossom into professionals in their own right.

“They were fully involved. They grew during the training, sure, but those who have made their films grew even further. They went in and came out totally different,” Olakunri tells Al Jazeera.

A still from the set of It Blooms in June, directed by Korede Azeez, one of the beneficiaries of the First Features initiative [Courtesy: Native Filmworks]

Finding continuity

The first film from the project to see the light of day, the romantic comedy Cake, directed by Prosper Edesiri, was released in theaters in 2022. Subsequent entries like Love and Life, a star-studded drama with Nollywood superstar Rita Dominic in the lead, and It Blooms in June, directed by Korede Azeez, went straight to Amazon Prime Video.

For the directors, the experience has been life-changing.

“This is literally what it means for one to enter the industry,” Reuben Reng, director of Love and Life, tells Al Jazeera. “The vision I have always had for myself is telling stories that people can relate to. It is a miracle to be in the same room, directing people I grew up watching even before I knew I wanted to make films.’’

Dominic says her attraction to Love and Life was the prospect of working with a team supervised by Gukas. “I didn’t know Reuben’s work, but when I was assured he was under Steve’s tutelage, I was convinced,” she says. “I believe in giving young people opportunities, and if they are coming through a channel as legitimate as First Features, then why not?”

“When we got on set, it was difficult at first, and we had our disagreements,” she says. “What I admired about Reuben, though, is that he really knows what he wants, and in this industry, you need to have that.”

Then there is the matter of the films themselves – and continuity.

Beyond demonstrating that the directors are capable of seeing their projects to fruition, the films have not had much else going for them.

Akintunde Damilare, publisher of the industry platform ShockNG, has not been enthused by the quality of the titles so far or their rollouts. “After a year of delivering these titles, the filmmakers should have been incorporated into the mainstream Nollywood system. … Maybe the films did not make much of an impression, or perhaps we have a problem with plugging new talent into the ecosystem.”

“First Features is a great idea – picking and funding talent is important – but I don’t think the initiative is thinking too much about where these filmmakers go from here,” he adds. “And that gap needs to be considered.”

Despite the challenges and shortfalls of First Features, there remains a consensus among people in the industry that the project serves a need.

“For me, I think of it as a kind of film school, one that offers theory and practice with someone overseeing your work. I think that is important, and we need more to be honest,” Dominic says.

Gukas is mindful of the feedback and is hopeful that the project continues to improve through subsequent iterations.  “We want to continue to build a new crop of filmmakers who come to the art with a deeper understanding of what is expected of them as well as a greater commitment to growing the industry,” he says.

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Why can’t Nigeria stop the kidnapping of schoolchildren? | Boko Haram

About 300 schoolchildren are missing after the latest mass kidnapping in Nigeria.

It is every parent’s nightmare: the kidnapping of their children.

It happens all too often in Nigeria.

In the second mass abduction within a week, gunmen kidnapped what some reports say are about 300 school children.

Many viewers may remember the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram fighters 10 years ago.

Kidnappings remain common – with thousands of Nigerians seized in the past few years.

The government has promised to improve security, but the army is spread thin.

So why are the attacks still happening?  And what needs to be done to make them stop?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Kemi Okenyodo – Founder and executive director, Partners West Africa

Bulama Bukarti, Senior fellow, Tony Blair Institute for Global change

Sadeeq Garba Shehu – Security and defence consultant

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Nigeria abduction: At least 275 pupils missing after gunmen storm school | Armed Groups News

A search and rescue team has been deployed to find the missing children, mostly aged between eight and 15.

At least 275 pupils are missing after gunmen attacked a school in northwestern Nigeria in the second mass abduction within a week in the country.

Local government officials in Kaduna state confirmed the kidnappings from Kuriga school on Thursday, but didn’t provide figures as were working out how many children had been abducted.

Reporting from the capital, Abuja, on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Fidelis Mbah said school authorities told the state governor that about 25 of the abducted students had been returned to their parents, but 275 remained missing.

A search and rescue team had been deployed to try and rescue the children.

Mbah said that about 175 of those still missing are believed to be between the ages of eight to 15.

Kidnappings for ransom are common in Africa’s most populous country, where heavily armed criminal gangs have targeted schools and colleges in the past, especially in the northwest, although such attacks have abated recently.

Idris Maiallura, the local councillor for Kuriga, said he had been to the school and that the gunmen initially took 100 primary school pupils but later freed them while others escaped.

Parents and residents blamed the abductions on a lack of security in the area.

Amnesty International called on the authorities to safely rescue the students and hold the perpetrators to account.

“Schools should be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life,” the rights group said on X, as it called on the authorities to also “take measures immediately to prevent attacks on schools, to protect children’s lives and their right to education”.

People gather in an area where gunmen kidnapped students in Chikun, Nigeria, on March 7, 2024 [AP Photo]

‘The government has neglected us’

“We don’t know what to do, we are all waiting to see what God can do. They are my only children I have on Earth,” Fatima Usman, whose two children were among those taken, told the Reuters news agency by telephone.

Another parent, Hassan Abdullahi, told Reuters that local vigilantes had tried to repel the gunmen but had been overpowered.

“Seventeen of the students abducted are my children. I feel very sad that the government has neglected us completely in this area,” Abdullahi said.

Kidnappings for ransom by armed men have become endemic in northern Nigeria, disrupting daily lives and keeping thousands of children from attending school.

In 2014 the Boko Haram armed group kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno state’s Chibok village.

The last major reported abduction involving pupils in Kaduna was in July 2021, when gunmen took more than 150 children in a raid. They were reunited months later with their families after they paid ransoms.

Since coming to office in May, President Bola Tinubu has made reducing insecurity one of his priorities, but the armed forces are battling on several fronts, including against a longrunning battle in the northeast of the country.

Al Jazeera’s Mbah said that in recent weeks, Nigeria has seen a spate of attacks and abductions, and the military has stated that they lack the weapons to be able to confront and overpower armed groups.

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Dozens of pupils abducted by gunmen in Nigeria’s northwest | Armed Groups News

Gunmen escape with children from a government primary school in Kuriga town in Kaduna state.

Gunmen have attacked a school in northwestern Nigeria and kidnapped dozens of pupils as they were about to start the school day, local residents and authorities say.

Police in Kaduna state did not immediately comment on the abductions, which happened at the Local Government Education Authority School in the town of Kuriga on Thursday.

The number of pupils taken was not immediately clear.

The assailants stormed the school shortly after morning assembly about 8am (07:00 GMT), taking the pupils hostage before any help could arrive, Joshua Madami, a youth leader in the area, told The Associated Press news agency.

“They were surrounded from all angles and left with almost 200 pupils and students,” Madami said.

According to Salasi Musa, chairperson of the Chikun Local Government Area in Kaduna, the number of pupils abducted was “far more than 100”.

Abductions of students from schools in northern Nigeria are common and have become a source of concern since 2014 when Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls in Borno state’s Chibok village.

Kaduna state, Nigeria

In recent years, the abductions have been concentrated in the northwest and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travellers for large ransoms.

The last major reported abduction involving schoolchildren was in June 2021 when gunmen took more than 80 students in a raid on a school in the northwestern state of Kebbi.

‘We don’t know what to do’

Parents of the missing children told the Reuters news agency that the gunmen started shooting sporadically on arrival at the school before abducting the children and escaping.

The school educates primary and secondary school students.

“We don’t know what to do. We are all waiting to see what God can do. They are my only children I have on Earth,” Fatima Usman, whose two children were among those abducted, told Reuters by phone.

Another parent, Hassan Abdullahi, told Reuters that local vigilantes had tried to repel the gunmen but were overpowered.

“Seventeen of the students abducted are my children. I feel very sad that the government has neglected us completely in this area,” Abdullahi said.

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Preview: Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou – heavyweight boxing fight | Boxing News

Who: Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou
What: Heavyweight boxing fight (10 rounds)
When: Friday, March 8, 2024 at 23:00 GMT
Where: Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Francis Ngannou believes his strong showing in his pro boxing debut against Tyson Fury has given him confidence ahead of his bout against British heavyweight Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia.

The former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou will fight Joshua at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Friday.

Ngannou made his debut in October, losing via split decision to WBC world champion Fury in a non-title bout.

The Cameroonian-French fighter almost delivered an upset when he dropped Fury to the canvas with a left hook in that fight.

“I feel confident enough, based on my training, the hard work that I put in,” Ngannou said in his pre-fight press conference on Wednesday.

“It (fight against Fury) was a good experience and it definitely guided me better to have proper training.

“Every space I have open, I am going to hit … I am not going to leave any stone unturned and any opportunity unexplored.”

Much of the pre-fight narrative is presuming a win for Joshua that would put him in line to fight Fury, provided Fury – the WBC champion – beats Oleksandr Usyk – the WBA, IBF and WBO champion – in their rearranged May 18 bout that will crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000.

Ngannou is ready to make more headlines in his fast-track bid to become a boxing champion so soon after dominating the UFC scene.

“I’ve exposed myself – the guy who is coming next time [Joshua] knows what to deal with,” Ngannou said after arriving in Riyadh.

“I’ve lost that element of surprise. So how can I surprise him again? What can I pull from my sleeve once again?”

Ngannou, who has a 17-3 mixed martial arts record with 12 victories by knockout, will once again be the underdog when he faces two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua, but the Briton said he would not make the mistake of underestimating his less-experienced opponent.

“He’s been boxing. His first dream was to be a boxer, which people forget. He was part of the Cameroonian team,” Joshua told reporters.

“I know what I am up against, I look at all of these small details. I spar, I do my film study, all that type of stuff.”

A rags to riches story

Ngannou once toiled in a sand mine, scavenged for food to avoid starvation and slept rough in a car park, so facing former two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua is just another stop on his rags to riches journey.

“I’ve had a lot of experience in life,” the softly-spoken Cameroon-born fighter said with characteristic understatement.

“I’ve built my fighting spirit as high as anyone else.”

Ngannou has crammed a lot into his 37 years.

The child of a single mother, he had to walk six miles to school and from the age of 10 he shovelled sand from open quarries, his meagre income helping to buy food and books.

“It was work meant for adults, but we didn’t have any options,” said Ngannou of his back-breaking labours which paid less than $2 a day.

“I didn’t like my life, I felt like I missed my childhood.”

In 2012, at the age of 26 and fired by dreams of becoming a professional boxer, Ngannou, now boasting a towering physique carved from his brutal work in the sand pits, made a break for Europe and a better life.

Crammed with others into the back of a pick-up truck, he crossed the unforgiving Sahara, travelled through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.

Then, after half a dozen failed attempts, he finally made it over the Mediterranean to Spain where he was promptly jailed for two months for making an illegal crossing.

He took a train to Paris and lived in a car park before local boxing coach Didier Carmont found him a place to live and a gym in which to train.

Despite an early fascination with Mike Tyson, Ngannou graduated towards Mixed Martial Arts and in 2021 became the UFC world heavyweight champion.

Many scoffed when he opted to make his boxing debut against world champion Tyson Fury in the so-called “Battle of the Baddest” in October last year.

The doubters were silenced, however, when Ngannou sent Fury to the canvas in the third round before losing only on a controversial split decision.

However, Ngannou’s reputation and bank balance soared. He was paid $10m for his night’s work, a windfall which has helped the once shoeless Cameroonian buy a luxurious home in Las Vegas.

‘I can knock Joshua out’

On Friday, Ngannou will return to Riyadh to face 34-year-old Joshua whose career could take a big blow if he loses.

“Of course I can knock Joshua out,” said Ngannou. “I believe if I land on anyone, I will knock them out. The question is how to land. That’s the hardest thing.”

Joshua, a former unified WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, comes into the fight on the back of three successive wins.

Before that, however, he lost back-to-back fights with Oleksandr Usyk who will fight Fury for the undisputed heavyweight title in Saudi in May.

“This Friday it’s going to go down, so I can’t wait for the opportunity to show my skills and combat this person who thinks he can knock me out,” Joshua said of Ngannou.

“I believe I can knock him out. Definitely. I would love to knock him out and make a statement.

“He has to be ready for the shots which are coming his way because I’m a man who will be standing in front of him, bringing him a lot of hell.”



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Haiti gang leader warns of ‘genocide’ if PM returns | Politics

NewsFeed

The gang leader behind an armed uprising in Haiti while Prime Minister Ariel Henry is out of the country has said there will be a civil war if Henry returns.

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When is Ramadan 2024 and how is the moon sighted? | Religion News

For most countries, the first day of fasting is likely to be March 12, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

The first day of fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Mecca will be Monday, March 11 or Tuesday, March 12, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

Ramadan is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar, which begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries rely on the testimonies of moon sighters to determine the start of the month.

How is the Ramadan moon sighted?

For the moon to be visible, the crescent must set after the sun. This allows the sky to be dark enough to spot the small slither of the new moon.

After the sun sets on the night of March 10, 29th of Shaaban month in the Hijri calendar, moon sighters face west with a clear view of the horizon for a first glimpse of the crescent moon.

If the moon is sighted, the month of Ramadan begins, with the first fasting day being March 11. Otherwise, Shaaban will complete 30 days, and the first fasting day will be March 12.

In Saudi Arabia, testimonies of people who have spotted the moon are recorded and the Supreme Court makes a decision on when Ramadan should begin.

When does Ramadan begin in different countries?

According to Crescent Moon Watch, a moon tracker run by the United Kingdom’s Nautical Almanac Office, Ramadan’s new moon will begin on March 10 at 17:23 GMT (8:23pm Mecca time), with no sightings of any type expected that night.

On March 10, the new moon should be visible only in the Pacific, near the Hawaiian Islands and parts of French Polynesia. It is unlikely that most of the world, including the Middle East, North America and Europe, will be able to see the new crescent with the naked eye.

The new moon could possibly be seen without optical aid if the skies are clear across most of the world on March 11. Telescopic sightings are likely in southern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.

For most countries, the first day of fasting will likely be March 12.

The moon phases of Ramadan

Lunar months last between 29 and 30 days, depending on the sighting of the new moon on the 29th night of each month. If the new moon is not visible, the month lasts 30 days.

Why is Ramadan holy?

Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.

Throughout the month, observing Muslims fast from just before the sunrise prayer, Fajr, to the sunset prayer, Maghrib.

The fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations to achieve greater “taqwa”, or consciousness of God.

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayers, charity, and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca if physically and financially capable.

In many Muslim-majority countries, working hours are reduced, and most restaurants are closed during fasting hours

How do you wish someone for Ramadan?

Various Muslim-majority nations have a personalised greeting in their native languages. “Ramadan Mubarak” and “Ramadan Kareem” are common greetings exchanged in this period, wishing the recipient a blessed and generous month, respectively.

When is Eid al-Fitr?

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr. In Arabic, it means “festival of breaking the fast”.

Depending on the new moon sighting, Eid al-Fitr, which lasts three days, will likely start on April 10 or 11.

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‘No justification for Gaza carnage’: Nigeria Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar | Politics

Doha, Qatar — Israel must stop its war on Gaza, and the world needs to drop its “double standards” over the killings in the besieged enclave, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told Al Jazeera.

Tuggar was visiting Qatar as part of a delegation led by Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nigeria and Qatar signed a series of memorandums of understanding and discussed potential collaboration in sectors such as energy, trade, labour, agriculture and more.

The visit came at a time when Nigeria faces mounting economic and social challenges with armed attacks proliferating and an inflation rate at 30 percent.

Yet Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million people and Africa’s largest economy, is also eyeing a greater role in regional and global affairs.

Tinubu leads the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) established in 1975. The bloc faces an uncertain future with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announcing in late January they are quitting the regional grouping.

Al Jazeera sat down with Tuggar in Doha to learn more about what the government has in store for Africa’s largest economy.

Al Jazeera: Over the past week, there have been many meetings between Qatari and Nigerian officials. What are some of the key agreements and partnerships that have been made?

Yusuf Tuggar: Qatar has this Arabic concept of the word “irth” which is legacy, or inheritance. Nigeria is here to forge a common irth, legacy, inheritance with Qatar. They’re both major gas producers and if they work closely together, they can establish or expand further their market share.

We have cargo planes that go to Nigeria and come back empty. They take electronics and all sorts of other stuff from Qatar to Nigeria. They can be filled with agricultural produce because we have 12 huge river basin development authorities that we invested in during the oil boom in the 1970s, with dams ready for irrigation. Nigeria produces a lot of pineapple, a lot of mangoes that can be readily exported to Qatar.

There are so many opportunities. We want to see some of the big players here going to Nigeria and doing business. We’ve already signed several MOUs (memorandums of understanding). Even today, we signed MOUs on labour because we have huge human resources that Qatar can put to good use that we can apply to the medical sector and several others. The sky’s the limit.

And then of course, Qatar is also strong in services, airports. We have so many airports that are in existence that are underutilised that can be turned readily into cargo airports. We’ve got ports, we need more ports to be developed.

Al Jazeera: What are some of the upcoming gas projects?

Tuggar: There are several ongoing gas projects in Nigeria that we hope Qatar can invest in. We have so many opportunities for floating LNG projects. We’ve got an LNG plant that has run out of gas that is right next to us in Equatorial Guinea. All it needs is a pipeline, to pipe Nigerian gas to Equatorial Guinea and Bob’s your uncle. This is something that Qatar can take advantage of.

We have a Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline that is in the making to supply 15 African countries with gas and it can go on to Europe. I know Europe is looking to phase out gas but let’s work with the reality. The reality right now is that gas is still in demand.

We have a trans-Saharan gas pipeline. The leg of the pipeline within Nigeria has gone very far, it’s almost completed and it’s supposed to deliver gas all the way to Algeria. And you throw in Algerian gas and it can go all the way into Europe. These are all projects that are ongoing that Qatar can be a part of when it comes to gas.

But we’re not just looking at gas, we’re looking at agriculture, the health sector. All the relevant ministers are here; we’re looking at metals refining for rare earths; Nigeria is rich in lithium. This is something that can be taken advantage of.

Al Jazeera: Regarding the biggest conflict in the world right now, in Gaza more than 30,000 people have been killed. What are your thoughts on this?

Tuggar: There is no justification for the carnage that is going on in Gaza. It has to stop. There is no justification for the complete disregard for the proportionality of force that is being meted out on innocent civilians, on kids on children, on babies on women.

Nigeria has been consistent with its support for a two-state solution. The state of Palestine has every right to exist as an independent sovereign nation, the same way that Israel has a right to exist as an independent sovereign nation.

But this carnage is completely out of hand and totally unacceptable. There is no way to explain the double standards; it has to stop.

Al Jazeera: Regarding the war in Ukraine, the US and EU have been pressuring other countries to join in on sanctions against Russia. Nigeria has maintained a neutral, non-aligned stance. How difficult or easy has it been to maintain this stance?

Tuggar: [The non-aligned stance] has been the policy of the state of Nigeria since its inception, since it was created in 1960. Nigeria was part of the non-aligned movement and has remained so and at the moment we’re currently practicing what is now referred to as strategic autonomy.

We get along with all countries, and we’re not the only country that has that policy. Nigeria has always been an independent sovereign nation. So we are not compelled to follow any other country’s lead. We do what is right for our people, what’s in the interest of our people.

We get along famously with both of them [the US and Russia]. They also don’t have a problem with us being autonomous, being an independent country, with the freedom to maintain relations with all nations.

Al Jazeera: Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have announced they’re leaving ECOWAS. Is there maybe a need to reinvent ECOWAS in any way?

Tuggar: No, there isn’t. There’s a process [for leaving] and it takes about a year. It’s one thing to pronounce that you’ve left, it’s another to really disengage from ECOWAS itself because every citizen of ECOWAS carries a passport. (An ECOWAS passport guarantees visa-free travel within the bloc). We’re waiting to see if they’re even going to print the passports which is going to cost millions of dollars.

We’re talking about 30 percent of, let’s say, Cote d’Ivoire, coming from Burkina Faso, and Mali, which means they would need new residencies or they will have to leave Cote d’Ivoire and the same thing with Nigeriens in Nigeria, in several other places. So it’s not as simple as it’s made out to be. The process of them leaving takes a lot more than just a simple pronouncement and there are certain procedures that have to be followed.

ECOWAS has shown clearly that there’s no bellicosity towards those countries because sanctions were removed out of humanitarian considerations. Fasting during Ramadan is coming up, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the Chairman of ECOWAS, heads of state and government pushed for the removal of sanctions. The ECOWAS leaders endorsed it and the sanctions have been removed, borders have been opened.

There’s no compulsion in the membership of ECOWAS, it’s up to the regimes in those countries to make a decision. ECOWAS is a union of a community of people and the emphasis is on the community, on the people, on the citizens.

Al Jazeera: In Nigeria, between 40 and 45 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. How does the government plan for economic growth and to address the issue of poverty?

Tuggar: We’re talking about 300,000 training centres across the country. We’re talking vast exponential job creation through ICT, information technology that is happening. we’re talking about providing fast-speed internet to the youth. We’re talking about business process outsourcing.

So these are all a lot of the opportunities but even before that, there’s a social investment programme that is ongoing, that provides directly to the poorest section of Nigeria because we can’t wait until the jobs are created. There’s a direct government intervention that has been going on so these are some of the measures that are being taken towards addressing this.

Al Jazeera: The country is seeing an exodus of youth going abroad for opportunities. What would be the consequences for Nigeria to seeing all this youth leave?

Tuggar: We have what we refer to as the 4Ds in my Ministry of Foreign Affairs – That’s democracy development, demography and diaspora. And the fourth D, the diaspora, is where we look to engage other countries that are in demand of our human resources, get them to invest in certain sectors so that we will be able to train enough skilled workers for both ourselves and the country that is demanding for that.

So doctors, nurses, and at the moment you actually even have Nigeria supplying software engineers to places like Lithuania.

We need to do it in a structured way. We’re not saying that Nigerians cannot go abroad to work. By all means they should. But at the same time, for every nurse that goes abroad, we want to be able to create many more in Nigeria that would cater for our needs. We need to partner with countries that are prepared to invest in those sectors.

Al Jazeera: We’re seeing unprecedented inflation; Nigerians are struggling with the costs. The prices of food and transport have more than tripled since President Tinubu took over and removed the fuel subsidy, even though he promised to ease an already bad situation. What are your thoughts on this? Has he failed to deliver on his promise one year in?

Tuggar: He certainly hasn’t. This is something that was anticipated. This is one of the consequences and, unfortunately, we are feeling it even more because we delayed for so many years, subsidy removal.

This is a sort of bitter pill that Nigeria has to take but there are other measures that are being taken to serve as palliatives for the situation that we’re facing.

You have to bear in mind also that Nigeria is not the only country that is facing these economic challenges; it’s almost global. Inflation is something that a lot of countries are facing, but we have to bite the bullet and do what is right now, for the future.

We’re continuing to supplement and things are getting better. Our crude oil production has gone up, so has our gas production through LNG. We’re going to be feeling the effects of a spike in foreign exchange earnings, which would serve to ameliorate the situation and we’re plugging all the leakages in our economy.

Al Jazeera: There’s also been a surge in kidnappings across the country as well. Does the government bear any responsibility for this?

Tuggar: The government is always there to tackle the challenges.

At the same time, there are so many measures being taken to address these through the three different tiers of government. Because you have to bear in mind also that the responsibility is not simply on the federal government, the government at the centre.

Nigeria’s constitution prescribes rules for the three tiers. So you’ve got the federal government headed by Mr President, you’ve got state governments headed by governors and then you’ve got local government. We have 774 local government areas that are under state governments and they need to be working so that responsibility for them to work and work efficiently rests squarely on the state governors and the state governments.

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Around 170 people executed in Burkina Faso attacks, regional official says | Armed Groups News

The West African Sahel nation has been struggling to contain armed groups for a decade.

Around 170 people were “executed” in attacks on three villages in northern Burkina Faso a week ago, a regional prosecutor has said, as violence flares in the country.

Aly Benjamin Coulibaly said in a statement on Sunday that he had received reports of the attacks on the villages of Komsilga, Nodin and Soroe in Yatenga province on February 25, with a provisional toll of “around 170 people executed”.

The attacks left others wounded and caused material damage, the prosecutor for the northern town of Ouahigouya said, without apportioning blame to any group.

He said his office ordered an investigation and appealed to the public for information.

Ongoing violence

Survivors of the attacks told news agency AFP that dozens of women and young children were among the victims.

Local security sources cited by AFP said the attacks were separate from deadly incidents that happened on the same day at a mosque in the rural community of Natiaboani in eastern Burkina Faso and a church in the northern village of Essakane.

Authorities have yet to release an official death toll for those attacks, but a senior church official said at the time that at least 15 civilians were killed in the Natiaboani attack.

About half of Burkina Faso is outside government control, as armed groups have ravaged the country for years.

The violence has killed almost 20,000 people and displaced more than two million people in one of the world’s poorest countries in a region wracked by instability.

Anger at the state’s inability to end the insecurity played a major role in two military coups in 2022.

Current head of state Captain Ibrahim Traore has prioritised a strong security response in reclaiming land from the rebel groups.

Ibrahim Traore gives a news conference on October 2, 2022, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso [Anadolu Agency]

Coordinated attacks

There were a number of attacks on February 25, notably against a military detachment in Tankoualou in the east, a rapid response battalion in Kongoussi in the north and soldiers in the northern region of Ouahigouya.

In response, the army and members of the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland (VDP), a civilian force that supports the military, launched operations that were able “to neutralise several hundred terrorists”, according to security sources cited by AFP.

At the beginning of the week, Security Minister Mahamadou Sana described the wave of attacks as “coordinated”.

“This change in the enemy’s tactical approach is because terrorist bases have been destroyed as well as training camps, and actions were carried out to dry up the enemy’s source of financing, as well as its supply corridors,” said Sana.

Mosques and imams have in the past been the target of attacks blamed on armed groups.

Churches in Burkina Faso have also at times been targeted and Christians have been kidnapped.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) says that 439 people were killed in such violence in January alone.

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David Miliband on global crises: Gaza, DRC, Sudan, Ukraine | Conflict

The International Rescue Committee president discusses the urgent international responses required for ongoing emergencies.

In this episode, we explore the essential role of non-governmental organisations in confronting global emergencies.

The International Rescue Committee, initiated by Albert Einstein, is known for its impactful work.

The organisation delivers aid and hope to at-risk populations in conflict zones, notably Gaza, marked as the most hazardous area for civilians and aid workers.

Amid turmoil in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ukraine, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, talks to Al Jazeera.

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