Sanctity, Safety of Civilians should be Top Priority even in War, Says ICRC
The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for August stood at 57.1 index points, indicating further expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 17th consecutive month.
The index grew at a faster rate when compared to the index in the previous month. .
According to the PMI report for August 2018, which was released yesterday by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), out of the 14 sub-sectors surveyed, 13 reported growth in the review month.
These sub-sectors include electrical equipment; nonmetallic mineral products; cement; furniture and related products; plastics and rubber products; textile, apparel, leather and footwear and petroleum and coal products.
Others are chemical and pharma- ceutical products; paper products; fabricated metal products; printing and related support activities; food, beverage and tobacco products and primary metal.
The transportation equipment sub-sector, however, declined in the review month.
The production level index for the manufacturing sector was recorded at 59.3 points, growing for the 18th consecutive month in August 2018. This also indicated a faster growth in the current month when compared to its level in the preceding month.
The report, prepared by the Statistics Department of the apex bank to aid policy decision, further revealed that 13 of the 14 manufacturing sub-sectors recorded increase in production level.
Also, at 56.9 points, the new orders index grew for the 17th consecutive month, showing increase in new orders in August.
Similarly, 11 sub-sectors reported growth; one remained unchanged, while two contracted in the month under review.
Furthermore, the PMI report showed that the employment level index in August stood at 55.5 points, indicating growth in employment level for the 16th consecutive month. Of the 14 sub-sectors assessed, nine reported increased employment level, three remained unchanged while three others reported reduced employment level in the review month.
The report also showed that the manufacturing sector inventories index grew for the 17th consecutive month At 57.1 points, though at a slower rate when compared to its level in the previous month.
It stated that 11 of the 14 sub-sectors recorded growth, while three recorded decline in raw material inventories.
Meanwhile, the composite PMI for the non-manufacturing sector stood at 58.0 points in August, indicating an expansion in the non-manufacturing PMI for 16 consecutive months. The index grew at a faster rate when compared to that in July 2018.
Fourteen of the 17 sub-sectors recorded growth in agriculture; repair, maintenance/washing of motor vehicles; information and communication; water supply, sewage and waste management; educational services; wholesale/ retail trade; finance and insurance; arts, entertainment and recreation; real estate rental and leasing; health care and social assistance; transportation and warehousing; management of companies; accommodation and food services; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said the sanctity and safety of civilians should be a top priority at all times, even during war.
Speaking in Abuja at the closing of a four-day meeting organised by ICRC at the National Defence College on how international humanitarian law and human rights law applies to the operations of members of Nigeria’s security and defence agencies, Eloi Fillion, ICRC Head of Delegation in Nigeria said: “At all times, the sanctity and safety of civilians should be a priority in any security situation.
He said: “The knowledge of fundamental human rights such as the right to life, to dignity, to freedom, to legal representation and to a fair trial is all the more powerful when such rights are respected and enforced in the heat of action. It is my hope that this meeting expounded such knowledge.”
The ICRC in a statement, said the meeting was the first of its kind, and was organised in partnership with the National Defence College and brought together 25 people from various security and defence agencies from across Nigeria as well as civil society organisations and members of the academic community.
The statement said the meeting sought to strengthen the participants’ understanding and application of laws guiding armed conflict and internal security situations as well as the protection of vulnerable people during such times.
It reminded that the “ICRC advocates the respect of the rights of people affected by armed conflict and violence by reminding authorities and security agencies about their legal obligations under international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL).”
It added that: “Since the beginning of this year, nearly 3,000 officers of the armed forces, police and security forces have been trained on such principles with the ICRC’s support.”
The statement further said that: “Protecting the lives and dignity of people affected by armed conflicts and other situations of armed violence is at the core of the ICRC’s neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian action.