Month: June 2024

Addis Ababa: The Russian language is spoken today by more than 250 million people on the planet and its relevance is confirmed by the widespread use of various multilateral structures as an official or working language, Ambassador Evgeny Terekhin said.

Speaking at the Russian Language Day celebrated at the ECA in Addis Ababa today, Russia Ambassador to Ethiopia Terekhin stated that the Russian Language Day is a date that is inextricably linked with the name of the Great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, who was born on this day.

“This holiday takes on a special meaning as we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the birth of the poet, who in Russia is deservedly called the ‘Sun of Russian poetry’.”

According to him, the Russian language is an integral part of both domestic and world history and culture.

”Russian is (also) one of the international languages, and one of 6 officials languages of UN.”

Moreover, the Russian Language Day is included in the international calendar of significant dates of the UN as
part of the program for the development of multilingualism and cultural diversity, it was learned.

For his part, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Education Chief Abdoulatlye Salifou said the joint celebration of the Russian language shows our solidarity to Russian speaking countries.

The Russian Language Day was established by the decision of UN Department Public Information in 2010, he stated, adding that the language provides significant cultural contribution globally.

The Russian Language Day event was co-organized by the Economic Commission for Africa, Embassy of the Russian Federation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

During the event, various cultural activities, including medley of Russian music, and poetry recitals by students from the Addis Ababa Russian Centre for Science and Culture (Pushkin Centre) and the Russian Embassy School in Addis Ababa.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), has pledged to support tiers of government in holding political leaders accountable for improving access to potable water and sanitation services.

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Benson Attah, said this at the opening of the sub-national stakeholders’ webinar on ‘Vote 4WASH Campaign’ advocacy efforts and progress on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, the meeting is aimed at tracking political stakeholders’ commitment towards improving access to potable water and sanitation in the country.

He said the WASH Charter of Demand highlighted the need for budgetary allocations, institutional strengthening and political will in the sector.

Attah said there was a need for prioritising WASH in the political agenda at all levels and to make WASH everyone’s business.

‘Today’s meeting is to enable us review the vote for WASH campaign to see how we’ve been able to engage political stakeholders to support WASH implementation in the country.

‘We cannot overempha
sise the role of access to potable water and sanitation in the country, undermining WASH services in the country affects human development outcomes,’he said.

Attah urged selected states and their coordinators to continue to work with key stakeholders through advocacy efforts to ensure WASH prioritisation.

Ms. Bibian Ama from the NEWSAN secretariat, urged states to improve on their efforts as the Programme had a timeline that was running out and the need for progress to be made.

Mr Musa Buba, Managing Director of Taraba Water Agency and Sewerage Corporation (TAWASCO), commended the efforts of NEWSAN in promoting advocacy for sustainable water and sanitation services in the country.

He said access to WASH cannot be overemphasised by anyone as it is central to sustainable development at all times.

Buba said the agency would continue to support the CSOs in the state for a cleaner and healthier environment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five states of Osun, Gombe, Taraba, Plateau and Jigawa h
ad representatives who spoke about advocacy efforts with commitment to do more in the coming days.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Addis Ababa: The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church concluded its annual meeting today.

Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, His Holiness Abune Mathias, has issued a statement regarding the conclusion of the Holy Synod Assembly.

In his statement, he denounced the recent messages circulated regarding current issues which do not represent the Church and are not accepted by the Holy Synod.

He said that the Holy Synod has passed beneficial resolutions for the Church and the people of the country.

He explained that conveying fatherly advice and preaching based on the Holy Scriptures has had a biblical foundation since ancient times. However, he said that some recent messages circulated regarding current issues do not represent the Church, are not accepted by the Holy Synod, and are also strongly denounced by the church.

To prevent such practices in the future, His Holiness Abune Mathias mentioned that the Holy Synod has decided to develop a code of conduct regarding issuing o
f statements and preaching activities.

He stated that the Holy Synod Assembly has extensively discussed the draft religious affairs regulation and forwarded its recommendations for improvement to the concerned government body.

The Patriarch added that before the draft regulation is finalized, the Holy Synod has established a committee to follow up on the incorporation of the proposed amendments.

He revealed that the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church has approved a ten-year master plan to modernize its administration and has decided to implement it.

The Holy Synod has decided to put into practice the organizational structure prepared to facilitate implementation, in accordance with the Church’s canon and the Ecclesiastical Code.

He announced that the Holy Synod has approved the annual budget for the Ethiopian year 2017.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Senate has mandated the Committee on Solid Minerals to investigate the cause of a rockslide in Farin Doki community, Shiroro Local Government of Niger.

The rockslide buried 30 informal miners alive in a gold mining site.

This followed the adoption of a motion at plenary on Thursday in Abuja on an ‘urgent need to address incident of the rockslide.’

The motion was sponsored by Sen. Mohammed Sani (APC-Niger East).

Sani said that on June 3, a catastrophic rockslide occurred at an open pit gold mine, resulting in 30 local informal miners being buried alive in the Farin Doki Community.

He said that the site was near Erena in Shiroro Local Government, Niger East Senatorial District.

Sani said the miners, in their quests for gold and lithium minerals, met their untimely death as the avalanche caved in; burying them under tons of rubbles.

He said the tragic incident underscored the urgent need for a holistic action to be taken to address the dangers faced and posed by local mining activities across the coun
try.

Sani said it was imperative to secure the mining sites to forestall future occurrence and avoid further loss of life.

‘This will go a long way to ensure that mining activities are conducted safely and legally to prevent future tragedies and improve the overall well- being of miners across the country,’ he said.

He expressed worry that bodies of the deceased had yet to be recovered for proper burial by their respective families.

According to Sani, conscious efforts should be made by relevant agencies of government for the recovery of the bodies for burial.

He said given that Nigeria was desirous of diversifying its economy, adding that the mining sub-sector was lucrative enough and should be adequately exploited for the socio-economic development of the country.

‘As such, the appropriate authorities should as a matter of urgency and necessity, initiate thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident so as to identify any existing lapses.

‘As part of remedies to bring sanity t
o the system, strict regulations should be introduced in order to protect the lives of those who depend on this industry for their livelihood.

‘It is also apt for relevant committees of the National Assembly to step up their oversight of mining activities across the country for the purpose of harnessing the benefits that abound in the sector,” he said.

The Senate, after observing a minute silence in honour of the victims, commended the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, for his swift response in monitoring the situation.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to come out with strict safety measures and regulation on mining activities in Nigeria in line with international best practices.

The Senate also called for deployment of adequate security apparatus to the mining communities to maintain vigilance around mining areas to prevent further incursions and intrusion by informal miners.

It urged the National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies of government to expedite act
ions on the recovery of the remains of the deceased in the catastrophe.

According to the upper chamber, such recovery will ensure that the bereaved families have final closure on their loved ones.

The Senate also urged the committee to accelerate the passage of the Mine Ranger Bill currently before the Senate.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Addis Ababa: The Oromia region disclosed that preparation has been finalized to plant trees during upcoming rainy season as part of Green Legacy Initiative.

A high level delegation of Oromia Regional State conducted a visit in West Wollega Zone to witness agricultural activities.

On the occasion, members of the delegation have planted trees in Bojii Dirmajjii district West Wollega Zone.

Oromia Region Agriculture Bureau Deputy Head Elias Kadir said preparation has been finalized to plant tree seedlings across the region during the upcoming rainy season.

Apart from trees to increase forests, attention has also been given to seedlings of fruits and vegetables.

Moreover, the community in the region is benefiting from planting of coffee trees, avocado, papaya and other to increase their income and improve livelihood.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, says the Federal Government, under the watch of President Bola Tinubu will make police hospitals the best in the country.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim said this on Thursday in Abuja, during an assessment tour of infrastructure and welfare facilities of police hospitals, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

‘From the tour, what I see is drive for excellence and dedication to duty among personnel of the police hospitals we visited.

‘I can assure them that under the present administration of President Bola Tinubu, help will come and we will make police hospitals the best in Nigeria,’she said.

The minister described the tour as a key component of the Renewed Hope Police Agenda, under the current Federal Government administration.

The minister commended the personnel for their dedication and resilience in the face of challenging circumstances.

‘Our government recognises the critical role that quality healthcare plays in the well-being of both ou
r serving and retired officers.

‘We are committed to enhancing the quality of these facilities to ensure they meet the highest standards of care.

‘This will be done by upgrading equipment, improving infrastructure and providing the necessary resources to support healthcare professionals in their noble work,’she said.

In her remark, the Managing Director of MD Abubakar Police Hospital in Dei-Dei, Dr Ruth Okunbo, thanked the minister for the visit.

Okunbo, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, said the hospital had been useful in the advancement of healthcare delivery, for both families of police officers in the barrack and neighboring communities.

She called for the intervention of the minister in the correction of the leaking roof of the hospital and provision of an ambulance for emergency cases in the hospital.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister, during the tour, visited MD Abubakar Police Hospital, Dei-Dei, Police Hospital, Area 1, Police Hospital, Utako and Mohammadu Buhari Pol
ice Hospital, Area 11.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria