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ECOWAS harmonising framework, policy for its standby force —Commissioner

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it is working towards harmonising framework and policy documents for the management of logistics for its Standby Force (ESF).

The Standby Force constitutes the use of force as a last resort if diplomacy fails.

Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, made this known at a four-day workshop to review the documents, in Kano on Tuesday.

Musah, who was represented by Dr Cyriaque Agnekethom, Director Peacekeeping and Regional Security, said that the documents spelled out the logistics requirements by the Troop Contributing Countries, ECOWAS, and other partners.

He explained that the workshop was organised to review and harmonise the documents to address emerging contemporary security challenges.

He recalled that the Commission had earlier recruited a consultant in 2019 to develop the policy and guiding documents for the management of ECOWAS Logistics Depots (ELDs).

He explained that the ESF logistics concept was created in 2005 to provide a platform for the coordination of all key logistics support and procedures for the ECOWAS Standby Force.

According to him, both documents were reviewed during internal expert workshops and are now ready for an independent expert validation.

“The documents are expected to be rich enough to address contemporary challenges and in tune with international best practices.”

The commissioner further said that the logistics concept also provided a conceptual understanding of sustained operations, considering that the dynamics of the contemporary security environment and peace support in the region had continued to evolve.

This, he said, underscores the need to adapt the original ESF logistics concept to accommodate emerging realities.

He added that to deploy the ESF efficiently, when necessary, ECOWAS had established a Multidimensional Logistics Depot in Lungi, Sierra Leone, and a Humanitarian Logistics Depot in Senou, Mali.

Earlier, Dr. Sani Adamu, acting Head of ECOWAS Peace Support Operations, decried the challenges of peace keeping operations over the years.

He said that it was for this reason that ECOWAS decided to put in place an effective framework to enhance the ESF’s deployment capacity.

Adamu said that the overall objective of the workshop was to review and harmonise the policies in line with UN and AU standards of procedures.

He said that the participants would review the logistics concept, existing statutes, policies, and other strategic instruments relating to ESF’s objectives as an instrument for conflict prevention and management.

“It was also organised to update, harmonise, and finalise the policies on ECOWAS logistics bases, in line with AU and UN principles.

“It was also to review and adopt a standard organogram for the ELD, among others,” he explained.

A participant, Mr Francis Babatunde, said the two documents, if reviewed, would enhance the deployment capacity of ESF for strategic roles towards a formidable regional security framework.

 

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Renowned Kano Politician Ahmadu Haruna Zago Dies

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Renowned Kano Politician Ahmadu Haruna Zago Dies

Alhaji Ahmadu Haruna Zago, a prominent Kano politician and Managing Director of the Kano Refuse Management and Sanitation Board, has passed away.

Multiple sources confirmed to Nigerian Courier that the politician died after a prolonged illness.

Zago was an active participant in the politics of the Second Republic, where he was a member of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

He also played a role in the National Republican Convention during the aborted Third Republic.

Following Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999, Zago joined the defunct All Peoples Party (APP), later serving as the party’s acting chairman in Kano State.

He played a key role in the APP’s victory in the 2003 general elections, which saw Malam Ibrahim Shekarau elected as the Executive Governor of Kano State.

Zago was subsequently appointed as Political Adviser to Governor Shekarau’s administration.

A fearless politician, Zago was known for his willingness to engage in any political conflict without fear or favour.

 

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Nigerian Tracker Publisher Abbas Yusha’u, Emerges National Treasurer, Northern Online Media Group

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The Northern Online Media Reporters and Publishers (NORP) elected its national executive members on Saturday.

The election, held in Kaduna at Arewa House, Kaduna, was supervised by the Electoral Committee of the Union.

Comrade Musa Mohammed from Kaduna State emerged as the new Executive National President in a keenly contested election.

He polled 287 votes to defeat his rival, Comrade Lynn Adda, the former NUJ chairman, of Taraba State, who got 138 votes.

Comrade Femi Adi from Kogi State emerged as the Executive National Secretary with 210 votes.

He defeated Comrade Rayyan Al-Hassan, who polled 207 votes.

By the constitution of the Union, the Deputy National Secretary and National Assistant Secretary Positions are reserved for persons who come second in both.

Therefore, Comrade Lynn Adda and Comrade Rayyan Al-Hassan emerged as Deputy National President and National Assistant Secretary accordingly.

Others who emerged unopposed are Comrade Zaharaddeen Ishaq Zailani – National Financial Secretary; Comrade Abraham Suleman – Asst. National Financial Secretary, and Comrade Abbas Yusha’u Yusuf – National Treasurer.

In his acceptance speech, Comrade Musa Mohammed urged members of the group across the 19 northern states to take advantage of social media platforms to fight fake news and promote good governance.

According to him, social media platforms can only be reliable for information dissemination when professional journalists take over and use them professionally.

“Our greatest headache is the citizen journalist problem, where anyone can post anything online without verifying the source or authenticating such stories.

But the good thing is that professional journalists are taking over now,” he said.

While urging members to work within the ethics of the profession, he expressed commitment to ensuring the unity and progress of the Union within the three-year term of office.

He, however, thanked the members who turned out for the election and prayed for their safe return to their destinations.

 

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Max Air Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Kano Airport, 53 People Safe

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Fifty-three people narrowly escaped death when a Max Air aircraft, with registration number 5N-MBD (B733), crash-landed at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred as the aircraft, carrying 53 passengers and 6 crew members, arrived in Kano from Lagos. According to one of the passengers, the front tire of the plane burst into flames around 10:19 p.m.

“Immediately the tire burst into flames, smoke filled the cabin, and we had to evacuate through the emergency exit,” the passenger said. “As we were exiting, the fire service was already spraying the plane with water to contain the flames.”

Confirming the incident, Kano Station Manager of Max Air, Malam Bello Ramalan, said all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated. He expressed gratitude for the safety of everyone on board and apologized for the inconvenience caused.

“I would like to apologize for the inconvenience and thank God for the safety of all on board. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our primary concern,” he said.

Ramalan explained that the aircraft had overshot the runway during the emergency landing, and standard safety protocols, including the evacuation of passengers, isolation of the pilots, and coordination with investigation authorities, were immediately followed.

“We are working with the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Aircraft and Equipment Department (AED) to investigate the incident. Preliminary reports suggest that a tire issue caused the incident.”

Max Air’s Kano Station Manager reiterated that safety remains the airline’s top priority and the company is fully cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the incident and implement necessary corrective actions.

“Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience caused,” he concluded.

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