INDEPENDENT UN EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON MASS FORCED EVICTIONS IN NIGERIA

An independent United Nations human rights expert today voiced her concerns at the mass evictions planned by the River State Government in Nigeria which could leave hundreds of thousands of people homeless over the coming year.

"Forced evictions can only be justified in the most exceptional cases and in full compliance with international human rights law," Raquel Rolnik, the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, said in a news release.

In February the River State Government announced it would demolish all the waterfront settlements in Port Harcourt as part of an urban renewal strategy. The authorities have allegedly carried out demolitions at various sites throughout Port Harcourt in violation of a stay order issued by the Federal High Court to stop the evictions.

Ms. Rolnik emphasized that evictions should not result in individuals being rendered homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights.

"Nigeria, as State Party to several international human rights treaties must take all appropriate measures, to the maximum of its available resources, to ensure that adequate alternative housing or resettlement is available," she said.

The Special Rapporteur reminded the Government that, according to international human rights standards, people affected by forced evictions have the right to compensation and to procedural protection, including genuine consultation, adequate and reasonable notice, and the provision of legal remedies.

Ms. Rolnik also voiced concern that military personnel may assist in the forced evictions in Port Harcourt, and that this could result in multiple human rights violations.

According to local sources, Port Harcourt's military forces arrested over 1,000 residents on 5 August who were protesting against the demolition of their homes.

Ms. Rolnik reports to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council in an independent and unpaid capacity, as do all Special Rapporteurs.
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UN RIGHTS CHIEF CONCERNED OVER CIVILIAN DEATHS IN NIGERIAN CLASHES

The top United Nations human rights official today expressed deep concern over sectarian clashes in northern Nigeria, especially over reports of civilians killed during the fighting between a local Muslim sect and Government troops.

According to media reports, more than 800 people have been killed since the Boko Haram sect began an uprising last week.

In a <"http://www2.ohchr.org/english/press/newsFrameset-2.htm">statement issued in Geneva, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also pointed to wide-scale arrests and detentions, as well as people forced to take shelter in barracks for safety, as sources of concern.

"The High Commissioner recognizes that the Government faced a major crisis, with fighting taking place in the heart of the state capitals," it said. "She hopes, however, that the Government makes every effort to achieve security with full adherence to legality and respect for human rights."

Ms. Pillay also underscored the need to ensure that all possible measures are taken to prevent unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, calling on the Nigerian Government to investigate all incidents and bring offenders to justice.

"The High Commissioner extends her deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and to the wounded," said the statement, issued by the spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (<"http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Pages/WelcomePage.aspx">OHCHR).

Last week, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned "the unnecessary loss of human life and the destruction of property as a result of militant attacks." UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that Mr. Ban hopes that those behind the attacks "would be identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law."

Mr. Ban called on the Government, law enforcement, security agencies, and religious and community leaders to coordinate efforts to address "the underlying causes of the frequent religious clashes in Nigeria so that a resolution could be found through dialogue, tolerance and understanding."

Deadly fighting between Muslims and Christians in the Nigerian city of Jos last November killed several hundred people and displaced thousands of others, sparking a similar statement of concern from the Secretary-General.

UNICEF UNVEILS NEARLY $2 MILLION SCHEME TO FIGHT MALNUTRITION IN NIGERIA

The head of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today pledged nearly $2 million to shore up nutrition in Nigeria to stem child mortality in the African nation.

The $1.85 million scheme, which will augment <"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_50504.html">UNICEF nutrition programmes already in place, will support community-based feeding stations where families can bring children to receive preventative and curative assistance.

"Lack of essential health services, malnutrition, inadequate access to clean water and basic sanitation contribute to high rates of child mortality," said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman in the Nigerian city of Abuja, launching the project.

"Through close cooperation among the Government of Nigeria and religious and traditional leaders, there is hope," added Ms. Veneman, who recently wrapped up a visit to the northern states of Kebbi and Sokoto.

In Kebbi, she took part in the launch on 31 July of Nigeria's first-ever National Child Health Week, during which some 30 million youngsters were expected to be immunized against preventable diseases such as polio, which is contracted through contaminated food, water and faeces and mainly affects children under the age of five. Nigeria is one of only four polio-endemic countries in the world and the only endemic country in Africa.

During her four-day visit to Nigeria, one of only four polio-endemic countries in the world and the only endemic country in Africa, she also announced UNICEF's allocation of more than $5 million to efforts to eradicate the disease.

Insecticide-treated bednets are also being handed out to curb the spread of malaria, the number one killer of under-five children in Nigeria.

"Knowledge is key," Ms. Veneman stressed, underscoring that if communities understand the importance of basic hygiene, "child deaths can be reduced and girls and boys can be given a healthier start in life."

National Child Health Weeks will be held twice a year in Nigeria – Africa's most populous country with nearly 150 million people, most of whom live in poverty – in close cooperation with the Government.

BAN VOICES ALARM AT DEADLY SECTARIAN CLASHES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed his concern over reports of another round of sectarian violence in northern Nigeria, which has apparently led to scores of deaths.

Mr. Ban "condemns the unnecessary loss of human life and the destruction of property as a result of militant attacks," his spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in response to a question. "He hopes that those behind the attacks would be identified and brought to justice in accordance with the law."

Media reports say at least 100 people have been killed since Sunday as a result of the clashes, which have pitted local Muslims against police forces.

Mr. Ban offered his condolences to the people of Nigeria and to the families of those who were killed or wounded during the violence.

"The Secretary-General calls upon the Government of Nigeria, law enforcement and security agencies, as well as religious and community leaders, to work together to address the underlying causes of the frequent religious clashes in Nigeria so that a resolution could be found through dialogue, tolerance and understanding."

Deadly clashes between Muslims and Christians in the Nigerian city of Jos last November killed several hundred people and displaced thousands of others, sparking a similar statement of concern from Mr. Ban.
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NIGERIA, NIGER HARDEST HIT BY 2009 MENINGITIS EPIDEMIC – UN HEALTH AGENCY

A vast majority of the nearly 25,000 suspected meningitis cases and more than 15,000 deaths worldwide in the first three months of 2009 have occurred in the so-called "African meningitis belt," hitting Nigeria and Niger the hardest, the United Nations health agency has reported.

The bulk of the cases in the meningitis belt, stretching from Senegal to Somalia, has been in northern Nigeria, reporting 17,462 suspected cases and 960 deaths, and Niger, with 4,513 suspected cases and 169 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Vaccination campaigns are underway in the two countries, with the support of WHO, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the non-governmental organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

WHO, which is supporting the Nigerian Health Ministry's efforts to boost disease surveillance, has had technical experts on the ground since last month.

Along with its partners, WHO has released 2.3 million doses of vaccines to Nigeria and 1.9 million to Niger. Nearly 13 million doses were stockpiled for 2009, but more are needed for this meningitis season which will run from January through June.
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MASSIVE UN POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY IN WEST AFRICA

MASSIVE UN POLIO IMMUNIZATION CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY IN WEST AFRICA
New York, Feb 27 2009 2:00PM

Some 53 million children under the age of five, including every girl and boy in Nigeria, have been targeted by a mass polio immunization campaign across West Africa, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced today.

The door-to-door polio eradication drive is planned to sweep through eight countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Togo, and Nigeria, aiming to reach every child even in the remotest of areas.

The campaign, employing 162,000 trained immunizers, will attempt to stop last year's outbreak which hit northern Nigeria and spread to six countries in West Africa after the wild polio virus had already re-infected Niger in 2007, as well as Chad and Cameroon in Central Africa.

"The highest priority was to reach every child in Nigeria, which was one of the four endemic countries, and in the high-risk areas across the region," said Miranda Eeles, a spokesperson for UNICEF.

The total cost of the campaign is $29 million for the seven countries, with an additional $38 million for Nigeria, including the cost of the vaccine, operational costs, social mobilization and surveillance.

The campaign, which kicked off today and started earlier this month in Ghana, involves the health ministries of all the countries, as well as support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Rotary International, among others. It is being organized as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Contracted through contaminated food, water and faeces, polio is a highly infectious and incurable viral disease, which mainly affects children under five, attacking the nervous system. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs, and among those paralyzed, five to 10 per cent die when their respiratory muscles become immobilized.
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