The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Psychologist says more women attempt suicide than men

    Clinical Psychologist, Miss Titi Tade, on Saturday, said more women attempted suicide than men.

    Tade of Suicide Research and Prevention Initiative (SURPIN) made the assertion while delivering a lecture titled, ‘Depression, vis-à-vis Suicide Rate in the Country, at the July Congress of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos State Chapter

    According to her, while more women attempt suicide, women also have more chances of survival than men.

    Tade, also a Deputy Director, Medical Social Services at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), noted that this was so because women were more prone to depression than men.

    She said women also were more likely to seek help out of depression than the men.

    “More women attempt suicide than men and more women survive suicide attempt than men because the method they adopt or substances they take for the suicide are usually milder than the men.

    “Out of five women that attempt suicide, four have the tendency to survive, while only one out of five men that attempt such survive,” she said.

    According to the psychologists, over 90 per cent of suicide cases are caused by depression.

    Tade said 78 per cent of suicide cases globally occurs in the underdeveloped countries while the developed countries record only 22 per cent.

    According to her, suicide is a mental case and it kills about one million people daily, while youths and children of about five years are also involved.

    Read Also: C-U-L-P-A-B-L-E Chilling accounts of how parents, society worsen suicide cases in adolescents, children

    “Suicide occurs in every 40 seconds and about 20 to 25 people attempt it, but do not succeed.

    “The second highest cause of suicide is failed relationship, while others are terminal or physical illness, genetic factor, cultural factor, social isolation, bereavement, unemployment, amongst others,” she said.

    Tade advised Nigerians to reduce stigmatisation, discrimination on mental health issues, over spiritualism and improve communication as well as school mental health programme.

    She also urged the government to address the issue of shortage of mental health professionals while the media should desist from its sensational reporting of suicide cases towards curbing the menace.

    Mrs Adeola Ekine, Chairman, NAWOJ, Lagos Chapter, lauded the Psychologist for mentoring the association’s members and sharing from her wealth of experience.

    Ekine encouraged women to be closer to their children and give them adequate and effective advise that would guide them to take the right steps in life, as cases of youths involved in suicide were on the increase.

    According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), over 30 members of the association attended the congress.

  • Poverty alleviation: Over 3000 Abia youths to participate in World Bank assisted programme

    Over 3000 youths drawn from six local government areas of Abia State have been selected to be trained in a World Bank assisted youth empowerment programme.

    This is even as the state government has formally keyed into the YESSO; a World Bank-assisted programme, designed to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.

    Mrs. Rita Okengwu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education in the state, said this during the launch of the first phase of the orientation training for the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the programme.

    Speaking at the event, which took place at Amapu Ntigha in Isiala-Ngwa North Local Government Area of the state, Okengwu said the 3,863 beneficiaries were drawn from six pilot LGAs representing the three senatorial districts in the state.

    She listed the LGAs to include Isialangwa north and Isialangwa south (Abia central), Ohafia and Umunneochi (Abia north) as well as Ugwunagbo and Ukwa East (Abia south).

    She commended Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu for mustering the political will to provide the multi-million naira counterpart fund to qualify Abia for the programme.

    Read Also: UNDP partners Elumelu Foundation to empower 100,000 young entrepreneurs

    In a speech, the YESSO Focal Person, Mr. Endi Ezengwa, said arrangements were being worked out to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.

    Ezengwa said government would work with the leadership of town unions and traditional institutions to monitor the implementation process.

    Dignitaries at the launch included the traditional rulers of Amapu Ntigha and Ohambele Autonomous Communities, Eze Nelson Asonye, and Eze Anthony Wabara, as well as Chief Ginger Onwusibe, representing Isialangwa North Constituency in the Abia House of Assembly.

    Others were the Peramnent Secretary, Ministry of Poverty Reduction and Rural Development, Rev. Ernest Onyeukwu, and Executive Secretary/Permanent Secretary, State Planning Commission, Mrs. Adanma Iheuwa, among others.

    In their separate goodwill messages, they commended the World Bank and Abia government for the programme meant to alleviate the plight of the poor and vulnerable in society through job creation.

     

  • Nigeria is two countries in one: Backward north, developing south, says El-Rufai

    Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State on saturday, painted the picture of Nigeria as that of two countries in one: a developing South and a backward, less educated and unhealthy north, with the highest number of poor people in the world.

    He also drew similarities between the development indicators of the North and those of war-torn Afghanistan.

    The governor spoke at the Northern Youth Summit in Kaduna organised by Northern Hibiscus, an NGO.

    He said that for the problems to be tackled effectively, the governors of all the 19 northern states have to work together.

    His words: “Looking at the statistics, Nigeria appears to be a middle income country. But, if we segregate those statistics across states and zones, you will see that, in terms of human development indicators, Nigeria consists of two countries; there is a backward, less educated and unhealthy northern Nigeria, and a developing, largely educated and healthy southern Nigeria.

    “We have to speak the truth to ourselves and ask why is it that northern Nigeria has development indicators similar to Afghanistan, a country still at war?

    “We have the largest number of poor people in the world, most of them in northern Nigeria. Nigeria also has the largest number of out of school children, virtually all of them in Northern Nigeria.

    “Northern Nigeria has become the centre of drug abuse, gender violence, banditry, kidnapping and terrorism. We have also been associated with high divorce rate and breakdown of families. These are the challenges that confront us. This is the naked truth that we have to tell ourselves.

    “We must therefore, as leaders at all levels, have conversation about the way forward for our part of the country. Because increasingly, as many of you must have seen on social media, we are being considered as the parasite of the federal economy, even though, that is not entirely true. Because northern Nigeria still feeds the nation. The richest business man in Nigeria is still Aliko Dangote, not someone from Southern Nigeria, thank God for that.

    “So, we still have a lot to be proud of. We should be proud of our culture and tradition, as well as unity. You hardly can find someone from northern Nigeria convicted of 419 or being a Yahoo boy. That is something we should be proud of.

    Read Also: El-Rufai appoints 39-year-old as Chief of Staff

    “We are generally considered to be more honest and less corrupt than other Nigerians. That is something we should be proud of. In addition, our demographic superiority gives us a very powerful tool to negotiate in politics. And that is something we should be proud of and we should preserve. So, we have every reason to unite and not be divided.”

    He asked northern youths to rise up to the challenge.

    He said:”I therefore call on you the youth, you account for 80 per cent of the northern population and the future of this region lies in your hands, not in the hands of dinosaurs like me.

    “I’m 59 and among the oldest five per cent of the northern population. I shouldn’t even be governor; I should have been governor 10 years ago. But ‘na condition make crayfish bend’, so we are here.”

    He said the theme of the summit -’Awakening the Arewa Spirit’- was apt as it would help in preparing the next generation of northern leaders.

    He told the summit organizers to send recommendations from this talks to the Chairman of northern State Governors Forum.

    “We have to do something about the situation of northern Nigeria and we must do so as a group of 19 Governors, not individual state Governors,” El-Rufai said.

    Also speaking, the sponsor of the event and immediate past Chairman of House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumini  Jibrin said  while the North is currently in a dire situation, it  has not lost everything.

    He stressed the need to reawaken the Arewa spirit and called for role models across board, adding that “we have to mould leaders, we have to create ourselves into leaders.”

    In her opening remarks, founder of Northern Hibiscus Initiative, Aisha Falke, said the summit organised to examine the numerous challenges of the north, with a view to finding lasting solutions to them.

    She said the NGO has also taken the bull by the horn with a 16-year action to empower the youths with useful skills, especially those who are not privileged to have the formal education.

  • Flood: Lokogoma residents accept removal of structures on waterways

    Residents of Lokogoma District whose houses are earmarked for demolition by Development Control Department have accepted the exercise as the only way to stop the deadly flooding from taking lives and destroying property in the area.

    The residents made their position known in Lokogoma, yesterday during a tripartite interface with Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) officials from the Department of Development Control, developers of the affected estates and off-takers (owners of the affected buildings).

    Director of the department, Muktar Galadima, who led the FCTA team for the final meeting with the residents prior to expiration of the two-week vacation ultimatum earlier handed them, expressed delight that the affected residents are willing to comply.

    After a tour of the affected areas, in company of the other parties, Galadima stated that all was set for the planned removal of all the structures in the next one week.

    He said: “We are here because we promised to go along with the residents’ associations. The whole objective is to save lives and properties and we don’t pray for future occurrence of these unfortunate incidents. That’s why we are here this morning in conjunction with the residents’ associations.

    “We moved from estate to estate. Where we have this constriction of the stream corridor, those structures identified, we are going to capture them as we had earlier on indicated. We are coming back next week for proper implementation of that decision and that’s why we are here this morning.

    “The road corridor has already been defined. We had discussions and interfaced, so now we have to implement the resolutions.”

    Treasurer, PENGASON Phase I Estate, Ayodele Awoshika, who spoke for his organisation, said it is a welcome development, adding that: “residents of the estate have been facing severe incidents of flooding due to the constriction of the river channel.”

    Another resident, Vice Chairman, Lokogoma Residents’ Association, Dauda Kya also expressed happiness with the planned demolition of houses built on the waterways.

    It could be recalled that today’s interface came few days after the residents paid an unscheduled visit to the FCTA, where they were received by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Sir Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa, who told them that there was no going back on planned removal of illegal structures in Lokogoma to save lives and property.

    Some of the affected estates visited include, I-Pent 2 and 5, PENGASON Phase I, Efab Estate and High Crest Distrust Estates.

  • NAFEST 2019: Stakeholders storm Benin for final preparations

    A high-powered delegation from the National Council for Arts and Culture, led by the Director-General, Otunba Segun Runsewe, will embark on week long facility tour in Benin starting from 8th to 12th, July.

    Key players that are expected to participate in the facility tour and National Technical Committee meeting include, the Edo State government, all commissioners of culture in the 36 states along with Directors, Art Councils and History Bureau in the 36 states including FCT.

    According to Runsewe in a statement, Benin will experience a historic NAFEST embellished in royal splendour as the NCAC in collaboration with the Edo State Government is leaving no stone unturned stepping up preparations towards a successful outing come October this year.

    Read Also: Revamping Benin heritage

    The DG was positive given the impressive commitment from enthusiastic stakeholders and indeed the private sector enthusing that the theme of this year’s NAFEST, “Our Royalty, Our Pride” has been aptly coined to suit the occasion.

    Runsewe added that he anticipates a successful Technical Committee Meeting which will include a robust lineup of activities amongst which are visits to Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, in his palace.

  • ‘Abuja’s new terminal encouraging hospitality industry’

    General Manager (GM) Fraser Suites, Mr. Deniz Isikci, has revealed that the complete change of the new terminal of the Abuja Airport compared to its past look is encouraging the hospitality industry in the country.

    He said that the new look presents Nigeria’s nature of great hospitality to visitors and tourists be it in form of the food, weather etc.

    Isikci said this at a press gathering in Abuja while revealing that Fraser suites was recently awarded the best service apartments brand in Nigeria 2019 by the World travel awards.

    He added that the luxury hotel also received the certificate of excellence from the website TripAdviser which means from all the properties and established listed on TripAdvisor, only less than 10% receive this award.

    The GM also said that Nigeria is safer than most places in Europe and other parts of the world which people need to be made more aware of.

    His words, “We recently got awarded the best service apartments brand in Nigeria 2019 by the world travel awards; it is one of the most prestigious awards in the world. This year, they are celebrating the 26th year of the awards.

    “We also received the certificate of excellence from the website TripAdviser which means from all the properties and established listed on TripAdvisor, only less than 10 percent receive this award which is a prove of our excellent service and in return excellent reviews from guests that are posted on the website. We are proud of our industry, the hospitality industry, because for those who might not know it, after construction, the hospitality industry is the second industry that interacts with other industries.

    Read Also: Buhari inaugurates 15m capacity terminal at Abuja airport

    “When a hospitality business is sited in a location, it interacts with more than 45 industries, which are positively affected. When an industry like ours is established, it indirectly supports other industries to employ more and produce more that supports the local economy, which in our case we are trying to do our best.

    “With that aspect, receiving this two important awards, I believe will help. I have been in this country for the last two years and believe me, it is safer than most of the major locations in Europe. I have seen no problem and people are more hospitable than in Europe, so when I talk to people, I tell them to come to Nigeria and enjoy the weather, food and hospitality so I hope that these two awards will change other people’s bias of this country because they will say there is a location in Nigeria that consistently provides excellent services.

    “Nigeria is blessed; the type of fruits found cheap in this country is difficult to find in other places; we just want to advertise it on our own. By the way, I believe the new terminal is supporting it in a positive way because the moment you enter into the new terminal, it feels hospitable because I think it completely shifted the look of the first perception because it is a great terminal to be in and we are doing our best and these awards will help and support us have the chance in assisting our immediate community.”

    Isikci added that there are plans to expand the Frasers brand to other parts of the country and continent. He also said that Africa is receiving only 3 percent of the tourism money of the world and Fraser Suits is looking to key into the growth.

    Media representative of Fraser Suits Abuja, Barr Haroune Audu, revealed that unlike what many might think, 98 percent of the Fraser staff are Nigerians and the brand plans on training enough Nigerians who can one day take over the helm of affairs.

  • Kwara to spend N11.2b on revamping schools

    Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Saturday said that his administration will expend a sum of N11.2 billion in revamping the infrastructure in the state’s schools.

    The governor added that the aim is to save the deteriorating conditions of schools in the state.

    AbdulRazaq said this during the launch of a new ultra modern library complex in Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Moro local government area of the state.

    The library complex was funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TEDFUND).

    He added that “apart from that, this would lead to facelift of those schools and create a conducive environment for learning, contracts to be awarded will also inject some money into the local economy with multiple effects on the public.”

    Represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi, the governor decried the decay in the infrastructural facilities in the state before his assumption of office.

    Said he: “Everything is messed up in Kwara State, the decay will take years to fix but we are convinced that we will succeed if everybody supports us. We are starting on ground zero. We are faced with criminal breakdown of basic infrastructure across every sector in the state, especially in the education and health sectors.

    “Just last week, we had to pay N250 million to offset two months’ salaries the state government owed workers across the state colleges of education. We also paid an additional N50 million to secure re-accreditation for two of the colleges.

    Read Also: Kwara Govt reinstates salary of ‘sunset workers’

    “We still have a backlog of arrears to pay these teachers. We have promised to steadily offset these backlogs with an appeal to the workers to return to work after many months of industrial action to protest the neglect of the schools by people elected to serve the public. The decay in the infrastructure across our primary and secondary schools is better imagined. The more any patriot sees such a thing the sadder he becomes because it points at a bleak future unless something urgent is done.

    “It was so bad that funds meant for upgrades of facilities at the primary schools were diverted with serious consequences for the state.

    “Our government is determined to raise a generation of children who are able to cope with the education needs of the 21st century.”

    Also speaking, the Executive Secretary Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, described the library as the best in the country, pledging that the fund would always support laudable projects.

    In his message, the project consultant, Architect Mahamud Faworaja, said the library is a complete research centre and runs twenty-four hour service.

    Earlier, the vice chancellor of KWASU, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, who reeled out his achievements, commended TETFUND for its support which he explained would boost learning and research work.

  • ‘Banditry killing farming, cattle breeding’

    Rampaging foreign and domestic bandits’ violence and abductions is literally choking people and agriculture to death in Zamfara and other states, a member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Bello Hassan Shinkafi, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation On Sunday, Shinkafi who represents Shinkafi/Zurmi Federal Constituency expressed concern that the widespread insecurity in parts of the North portends serious food insecurity for Nigeria as too many farmers now feel insecure to visit their farms due to rampant killings and abductions.

    “I am telling you authoritatively, that our farmers are now doing next to nothing here (in Zamfara); it is rainy season but now, when some of them go to the farm, these bandits follow people and kill them on their own farms. Even yesterday in my own constituency in Shinkafi, they killed about five people in the farm – right there in their farm; it is not a mere story!In many cases, if they catch you and they did not kill you, they will abduct and go with you and then, ask for a ransom; the ransom they usually demand, even the entire village cannot afford to pay such amount.

    According to Shinkafi, the situation is now so bad that entire inhabitants of many villages have completely stopped rearing cattle, sheep and other domestic animals because it only leas to losses and risky visits from bandits. This, he warned may lead to famine if not checked. “Yes, in many towns and villages, you can no longer do it (cattle rearing); they call you and tell you to come and deliver your cows and livestock, they tell you when and where to bring those things and you must comply because if you fail to do so, your life is gone.

    Read Also: I did my best to address security challenges in Zamfara, says Yari

    “Even in the markets, some people whose cattle had been rustled dare not claim them; if you identify your two stolen cows, those bandits instruct their people to release them to you but once they release your two cows to you, you will be forced to come back with twice that number, it is so serious!The situation portends food insecurity and government should redouble efforts towards tackling the situation with regards to security. Those bandits come out with big boxes of ammunition while you only see our security personnel with a handful of ammunition; so, how can you, as a human being, face such kind of well-armed people?

    “Government should now increase whatever supplies, give our security personnel whatever volume of ammunition they need and give them a free hand to go ahead because many times, the soldiers will say that they had not yet received an order (to go ahead), except in situations where they (soldiers) come face to face with the bandits. So, if you call them to say ‘This is what is happening,’ they will say that they are waiting for an order, before they receive the order or go there, things have already happened. These are the unusual problems we are facing in the area.

    “Also, you only see the military at the local government headquarters and they could be too thinly spread or distant to the rural villages where these killings and abductions happen. In some towns and villages where these killings happen, the bandits come and attack anytime they want and by the time  the military arrive after being called, those bandits would have killed, taken what they want , take away people’s cows and they burn food reserves that they cannot take away. That is the situation, we are in very serious problems in these areas; our people who were big farmers now lack food.

  • Don’t revisit Ruga, Bishop warns Buhari

    Anglican Bishop of Afikpo Diocese, Ebonyi State, Rt. Rev. Paul Udogu on Friday warned against revisiting the suspended RUGA settlement scheme for herdsmen. He said the federal government may still reverse the suspension, warning that establishing it would cause crisis and possibly disintegration of the country.

    In his presidential address/charge at Good Shepherd Anglican Church Ozizza Afikpo, during 1st session of the 5th synod of Afikpo Diocese, Udogu accused President Muhammadu Buhrai’s government of treating herdsmen and their cows specially.

    He condemned activities of armed herdsmen which he described as alarming and alleged that almost all the geopolitical zones of the country are under herdsmen’s siege.

    Read Also: Fatoyinbo’s rape scandal, Senator Elisha Abbo’s assault, RUGA suspension, others top this week News

    He therefore called on President Buhari to rise to the challenge before it becomes too late. “Few days ago, we heard that the federal government has suspended RUGA. We know that when you suspend something today, you can come back to it tomorrow but we want to say without mincing words; enough of that policy is enough.

    “Three days ago, a group of people in Northern Nigeria issued 30-days ultimatum to the federal government for them to reverse back the RUGA programme. But we are trusting God that the federal government will think twice and save this country from disintegration, war, and crisis. The directive to all Nigerians to surrender their guns to the police whether legally or illegally acquired is ambiguous and suspicious. Nigerians expect our security agencies to first disarm the Fulani herdsmen who are moving around with AK47 and other deadly weapons before asking innocent citizens to surrender arms,” he said.

    The Bishop called on the National Assembly to consider the recommendations of 2014 National Conference and to revisit issues of restructuring the nation as way of ensuring justice and equity to various zones in the country. He explained that a determined, sincere, sensitive, focused and unbiased leadership will stop the problems confronting the nation.

  • Police arrest three terrorists commanders, 87 others in Kano

    The Kano State Police Command has arrested three suspected Boko Haram commanders. Along with 87 other suspects, they were paraded for various offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, theft, and banditry.

    Kano state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, said one of the Boko Haram suspects was arrested at a Hotel in Sabon Gari quarters, while the other two were apprehended during a raid at their hideout within the metropolis.

    According to him, there are clear indications that Boko Haram insurgents were making attempts to regroup in Kano state, adding that they all confessed to being members of the dreaded terrorist group.

    IIliyasu explained that one of them was heading towards Adamawa state from Abuja but made a stop-over in Kano where luck ran out of him and was eventually arrested in a hotel. He said that three kidnapping suspects were also arrested by a team of police men drafted from Kano to Kaduna for abducting a four-year old girl, Khadijat Riliwanu of Naibawa Quarters, who was rescued at the residence of the female suspects.

    Read Also: Kidnappers abduct Kano doctor, demand N200m ransom

    He said 10 bandits were intercepted at Koki Quarters in a Toyota Hiace Bus heading to Badawa Quarters. When the vehicle was searched, they were found to be in possession of 22 various dangerous weapons, including long knives, short knives, large quantity of hard drugs, and intoxicating/ hallucinating substances, with new weapons of violence known in local parlance as ‘fate-fate, tsitaka and barandami.”

    Iliyasu further stated that 61 suspects were arrested at various criminal hideouts, while one Aminu who graduated from Kano University of Science and Technology, now undergoing a Master degree progarmme at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), was arrested alongside his accomplice for stabbing the night guard of the University and was found to be in possession of 15 stolen laptops.

    He said six armed robbers and kidnap suspects were arrested while Bashir Sani of Rimin Kebbe Quarters, Kano was apprehended in possession of a single barrel gun loaded with 15 rounds of cartridges, adding that during investigation, another one locally-made gun, one chemical/pepper spray, one jack knife, one walkie-talkie, one handcuff and a police belt were recovered from him.