NOLLYWOOD ACTOR JUSTUS ESIRI IS DEAD

Veteran Nigerian actor, Justus Esiri.

Nollywood movie industry has been hit with another sudden death and it's veteran actor Justus Esiri.

He passed way on Monday night after a short-time battle with an undisclosed ailment in his hometown.

Few months ago, Nigerian singer and Mavin record member, Dr Sid introduced Justus Esiri as his father. Dr Sid real name is Onoriode Esiri, he is the youngest child of the deceased.

As at the time of this report, no detail has been released regarding Justus Esiri's death but it is a shock to everybody as the family only released this few hours ago.

A source said the now late Justus Esiri has been secretly battling an age related illness for a while but his family chose to make it a secret until his sudden demise Monday night at the age of 71.

Last year over four top Nollywood stars including Pete Eneh and Enebeli Elebuwa died.

Pete Eneh died of untreated leg infection on November 15, 2012 at a private hospital in Enugu while Enebeli Elebuwa died of stroke on the 4th of December 2012 at a private hospital in New Delhi, India.

Just this last week two Nollywood actors died tragically. A source who claimed the angel of death has visited Nollywood might be proven true with the sudden demise of top Nigerian movie stars one after the other within the past 12 months.

Before his death, Justus Esiri was a member of the Order of Niger (MON). He came into limelight in the early 80's through the popular Village Headmaster TV series. He has also featured in many interesting Nollywood movies.

The late Justus Esiri was born in November 1942 in Oria, Abraka, Delta State. His studied at Catholic Secondary school in Warri in year 1948 before proceeding to Maximillan University in Munich, German in 1964.

He also attended Prof. Weners Institute of Engineering, West Berlin, 1967 and the Ahrens School of Performing Arts in 1968.

Justus Esiri, detoured into motion picture production in 1968 as a staff of the Schiller Theater, Berlin, Germany, where he stayed till 1976. During the 1977 FESTAC held in Lagos, he choreographed the Modern Dress exhibition.

He was Production Manager for Dinner With The Devil. He worked as News translator and Newscaster with the Voice of Nigeria (German Service).

CITIFMONLINE 

SOUTH SUDAN BRACES FOR RAINS

Road rehabilitation near a refugee camp in South Sudan in July 2012.

Flooding makes roads impassable in the country, making it hard to deliver

aid to those who need it. Photo by: Malini Morzaria / ECHO / CC BY-SA

The South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund is allocating $56.5 million in humanitarian support to South Sudan in anticipation of a rainy season that, last year, made 60 percent of the country inaccessible — adding to existing challenges such as food insecurity and an influx of refugees and returnees from neighbouring Sudan.

The money is expected to arrive from contributing donor countries starting at the beginning of March and will continue to pour in over the next two months, said Olga Aleshina, the senior portfolio manager for the South Sudan Common Humanitarian Fund, a part of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The funding stands to assist 1.5 million people with food, education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation projects in highly vulnerable areas; it will be directly administered by international non-governmental organizations, U.N. agencies and national NGOs, Aleshina told Devex.

Last year, the majority of the CHF’s funding went to international NGOs, U.N. agencies like UNHCR and UNICEF and the International Organization for Migration.

This latest funding announcement, which U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer made in Juba on Feb. 15, comes amidst a precarious time for South Sudan, which will commemorate its second anniversary as a nation in July.

The United Nations refugee agency recently reported a significant rise in the number of hepatitis E cases in refugees, with over 6,000 cases and 111 deaths since July. Skirmishes and breakouts of fighting between rebel factions in Sudan and southern Sudan are making it difficult for South Sudan to focus on building a new nation, Hilde Johnson, the head of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan, said Friday.

In his remarks, Lanzer said the Common Humanitarian Fund for South Sudan is a “vital tool to kick start the humanitarian operation at a critical time when the South Sudan Consolidated Appeal is less than 15 percent funded.”

In 2012, the United Nation’s consolidated humanitarian funding appeal for South Sudan was $1.18 billion; by the end of the year, 68 percent of it was funded. The Common Humanitarian Fund received 9 percent of that funding (about $118 million) with the support of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In 2013, the consolidated appeal for South Sudan is $1.16 million, estimated to meet the needs of 3.3 million people. The Common Humanitarian Fund’s initial donor pledge of $56.5 million is within the range of what the fund is expected to raise and distribute this year, Aleshina said.

DEVEX 

UNEP MEETS TO FLESH OUT 'TRANSFORMATIVE' AGENDA

The United Nations logo at the U.N. Environment Program's office

in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by: Linh Do / CC BY

The U.N. Environment Program’s budget and role in overseeing aid projects around the world will central topics of debate at a meeting of its governing council in Nairobi, Kenya, which kicks of today.

The program is projected to receive a significantly larger allocation from the U.N. regular budget than in previous years, after a U.N. General Assembly decision in December strengthened its role at a time of pressing environmental challenges. This week’s meeting of UNEP’s governing council will be the first since that decision. All of the United Nations’ 193 member and observer states are expected to attend the event, which runs until Friday, Feb. 22.

Under the proposed biennial budget for 2014-2015, UNEP will receive $47.6 million from the regular U.N. budget — a $34 million increase from the current one (though smaller from the original proposal of $50.7 million). This is subject to approval by the General Assembly, which, under resolution 67/213, called for a “secure, stable and increased financial resources” for UNEP. Voluntary contributions to the Environment Fund, which cover costs for environmental programs, are expected to increase from $191 million to $245 million.

The proposed budget is guided by the outcomes of Rio+20, a conference last June in Brazil where world leaders agreed to “upgrade” UNEP’s status. With more resources at its disposal, UNEP is expected to be “transformative in nature,” increase its reach and boost its global environmental assessments, capacity-building and technology transfer activities in developing countries, among other things.

UNEP is expected to add nine more positions in 2014-2015, reflecting its bigger role.

Apart from the budget, UNEP will also launch a number of reports, partnership and initiative at the event, which will include:

• UNEP’s proposed medium-term strategy for 2014-2017.
• A new initiative on technology transfer.
• A new partnership on sustainable off-grid lighting, which will include a number of projects in 15 African countries.
• The third edition of the Africa Environment Outlook.
• The announcement of two new National Goodwill Ambassadors for Kenya.
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DEVEX