₦airaland Forum

“We rescued the first girl in 1996. She was just about to be sacrificed to her family god for the returns of a bountiful harvest.
The last kid we rescued was a new born baby, only 8 days ago. His name is Mark. His mother had died from complications during child birth. Believed to be an evil child who had just killed his mother, he was sentenced to death. He was brought here (from the Niger/Abuja border) on a motorbike by one of our local converts.”
-Olusola & Chinwe Stevens

On Saturday 31st October, 2015, the AGEEF team paid its first official visit to the Vine Heritage Home. Owned by Olusola & Chinwe Stevens, the detached bungalows serve as home to 87 rescued children- boys, girls, babies, kids, teenagers and older teenagers. They all call them “daddy and mummy”. Walking through the smiles, excitement and greetings from these kids, we came to the sitting room, where we ran an interview session featuring the couple. Our most pressing question was- what is really happening?

It’s really sad to know that over 100 years after Mary Slessor abolished the killing of twins in Calabar, Nigeria; there are still communities in the Federal Capital Territory who are very much involved in the practice. There are about 50 communities who believe twin children are born of evil spirits- the spirits of wicked ancestors precisely, he said, and the penalty for their being born is death. The death sentence is not only restricted to twins. He listed the categories of the evil children:
Read more: http://ageef.org/help-the-killing-of-twins-in-2015/

JOB VACANCY IN A PR FIRM IN ABUJA

A PR company based in Abuja is recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Public Relations Manager

Job Description/Responsibilities
i. Planning, developing and implementing PR strategies, goals, budgets and tactics
ii. Researching and analysis of target audience and stakeholders. Advising clients on how best to reach their target audience
iii. Effective usage of all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage public reputation of clients
iv. Liaising with clients, marketing agencies and other third parties. Putting together hard hitting campaigns
v. Leverage existing media relationships and cultivate new contacts within business and industry media
vi. Coordinate all public relations activities
vii. Direct social media team to engage audiences across traditional and new media
viii. Researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media on behalf of clients
ix. In charge of keeping the company website updated with relevant content and articles
x. Developing contingency plans for immediate execution in the event of a crisis situation
xi. Keeping up to date with current affairs as well as industry related and local news

Requirements
First degree must be in Public Relations
Minimum of 5 years PR working experience
Must be resident in Abuja

Desired Skills and Qualities
• Must be a confident communicator and presenter
• Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Must possess excellent organizational and planning skills
• Have a full understanding of media needs and media relationships
• Be proactive, reliable, responsible and accurate with an attention to detail
• Possess the ability to keep information confidential
• Tactical understanding of all primary social media platforms
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Achievement orientated and results driven
• A wide degree of creativity and latitude
• Self motivated with a positive and professional approach to management

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates to send their CV and cover letter to: info@jodaypartners.com or/and amyrudy8@gmail.com

Application closing date: 31st October, 2015

A PR company based in Abuja is recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Public Relations Manager

Job Description/Responsibilities
i. Planning, developing and implementing PR strategies, goals, budgets and tactics
ii. Researching and analysis of target audience and stakeholders. Advising clients on how best to reach their target audience
iii. Effective usage of all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage public reputation of clients
iv. Liaising with clients, marketing agencies and other third parties. Putting together hard hitting campaigns
v. Leverage existing media relationships and cultivate new contacts within business and industry media
vi. Coordinate all public relations activities
vii. Direct social media team to engage audiences across traditional and new media
viii. Researching, writing and distributing press releases to targeted media on behalf of clients
ix. In charge of keeping the company website updated with relevant content and articles
x. Developing contingency plans for immediate execution in the event of a crisis situation
xi. Keeping up to date with current affairs as well as industry related and local news

Requirements
First degree must be in Public Relations
Minimum of 5 years PR working experience
Must be resident in Abuja

Desired Skills and Qualities
• Must be a confident communicator and presenter
• Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Must possess excellent organizational and planning skills
• Have a full understanding of media needs and media relationships
• Be proactive, reliable, responsible and accurate with an attention to detail
• Possess the ability to keep information confidential
• Tactical understanding of all primary social media platforms
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Achievement orientated and results driven
• A wide degree of creativity and latitude
• Self motivated with a positive and professional approach to management

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates to send their CV and cover letter to: info@jodaypartners.com or/and amyrudy8@gmail.com

Application closing date: 31st October, 2015

Apologies, we had issues inloading the pictures at first. For those of you in doubt about the authenticity of AGEEF, which is quite understandable, you could visit our website for more info or better still if you in stay within Abuja, you could join us in our next out reach on Saturday 3rd October 2015 to another IDP camp in Abuja.

Lots of able men and women are currently living in IDP camps located in different parts of Nigeria mostly in the Northern region, these set of people who once lived a normal life with their families and relatives now live at the mercy of concerned Nigerians like me and YOU.

A little show of love in any form for us could mean a lot to them, the way we could assist them are numerous;
We could sponsor a child/ children through school
Provide free health care service
Relief materials
or even volunteer as a field worker. etc

The fact is that a little help from us to them would mean a lot, it could save a posterity.
Please get involved.

“Sannuku” I greeted, as I stepped into one of the ten fences of the Internally Displaced Persons of Gwoza and Bama camp at Durumi Area 1, FCT-Abuja. This was on Saturday 26/09/2015, on an outreach mission with my colleagues.

I work with the Age Empowerment Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on mental emancipation and then visible empowerment.
Our outreach goal was to collect adequate information from these IDPs with the aim of developing a temporary engagement plan for these persons.

During a prior visit, we found out that the total number of refugees in that camp stood at 1,539. Of this number, only 563 are female and children- meaning we have 976 able-bodied men who are susceptible to depression resulting from frustration, which is similar to a time bomb that will definitely explode some day and bounce back as dangers to the society.
We must not let this happen!

As we went through, fence to fence, gathering necessary information from individuals (I must say thank you to the translators), It was a mixed atmosphere- of gratitude, sadness, and despair.
From BabaGana, the very lively 18 year old who was shouting “ba turanchi; ina son okada” while eating fish-head to the bright 25 Year old Sadia Ismail who recently suffered a miscarriage, didn’t have a home of her own at the IDP camp and spoke very fluent English- you could tell they were indeed thankful for life, but so worried about what tomorrow may bring.
By the way, some of the fences have already been issued a 6-weeks evacuation notice- the land owner needs to use his land.

Okay, now that we have talked about the situation, the question is- what are we going to do to change the situation? We all know talk without action is absolute nonsense.

I really wish you were with us at the IDP camp, maybe you’d get to feel as I do. But it really doesn’t matter, what matters is that these people are in dire need and we must help them.

We want to help erect batchers/tents. We want to help give scholarships. We want to help these people make a useful meaning out of their lives, even in their current situation; and together we are better! From volunteers to donors to partners to encouragers, we need you with us.

Our immediate intervention need is to erect 30 temporary batchers/tents for 30 families who have been asked to evacuate. We got a land for relocation, but we need to erect! The cost of one batcher is N20, 000 and that is equivalent to building materials such as: Wood (2x2, 2x3, 2x4), Plywood, Tarpaulin, Cement and Nails. We also need volunteers to join us in erecting.

I believe we can do something. Will you lend these 30 families a hand, too? Please contact us!

-Abimbola Oladapo
Age Empowerment Foundation, Abuja