The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Doctor flays AU’s, Fed Govt’s ill-treatment  of health workers who fought Ebola

    A doctor, Omen Ikorobia, who helped in the fight against Ebola scourge in Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, has taken to his Twitter handle to flay the African Union (AU) and the Federal Government for not honouring medical workers who fought the disease four years ago.

    The medic regretted that Dr Stella Adadevoh was not recognised for the role she played in stopping Liberian diplomat, Patrick Oliver Sawyer, from leaving the hospital and spreading the disease in Lagos.

    He dedicated the medal of honour he received from the AU without ceremony to those who died fighting the disease.

    In the tweet, which got over 6,500 likes and 3,700 retweets, Ikorobia said: “Four years later, African Union has remembered to present me and my colleagues with Medal of Honour for stopping Ebola in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

    “I dedicate this to Dr Stella A. Adedevoh and Justina Ejelonu. You guys are the real heroes; you died for us all.

    “Adadevoh stopped Sawyer. He made calls; she also made calls, pulling the right strings to stop him from plunging into the population and spreading the deadly virus.

    “She contracted Ebola in the process and died a most painful death. It was like self-sacrifice. She had organ failures, kidney shutdown, multiple seizures and strokes, profuse bleeding, heart failure and later on death. She died for Nigeria.

    “Adadevoh has not been properly honoured by her country whereas every year politicians troop into Abuja to share national honours for doing practically nothing, whereas real heroes are ignored.

    Read Also: No Ebola case in Nigeria, says FG

    “Nurse Justina Ejelonu worked with Stella and contracted the disease in the line of duty. She died without doing anything for herself or her family. No one remembers her.

    “We arrived Abuja after six months of risking our lives in West Africa to stop the menace few days after Dr Goodluck Jonathan had lost the presidential election in 2015. No one paid any attention to us any longer. All the initial plans to honour us were thrown out of the window.

    “The new government took no interest whatsoever, and till today, not even a handshake from a local government chairman, not to talk of monetary anything.

    “Politicians share billions each time they are leaving office after mindless self-help to the national purse. Yet, those who worked for the nation are never rewarded. This government has not as much as said a word to us, much less of recognising our contributions.

    “The day we arrived Sierra Leone, everyone was happy; they said we were from Nigeria and we had the magic. They sent us to worse hit areas and we went to duty patriotically. We did our best and Ebola stopped. The country took the whole accolade without even saying a word to us.

    “The African Union has casually tossed medals to us without any ceremony. I went to PH to pick up my piece from a junior staff of the state ministry of health who asked me to sign off on a piece of paper and be gone.

    “There were only two persons in the room. Nobody bothered with me. It was even the staff who told me that some people who picked up the medal earlier had tested it and that it was not even real gold so is probably worthless.

    “I spent my money and time to pick a piece of garbage after risking my life for Africa. I felt like a fool while leaving dejectedly.

    “This reminds me my experience in the field. An American passed out while we were on duty and I helped to resuscitate him. He was later diagnosed of Ebola and I quarantined myself. Few days later I developed fever and noticed blood in my toilet.

    “I asked my colleagues to send a letter to African Union that I may have contracted the deadly disease. Till today I never got any response. I stayed in self quarantine for 21 days without a word from Africa that I was fighting for.

    “My contemporary was airlifted to USA in a matter of moments but I survived by the grace of God or sheer luck. Never spoken to. Never tested. Never nothing. Being African is shitty. I don’t know if am a survivor or not. I just know that my life is worth nothing.

    “I dedicate this medal, though probably worthless to healthcare workers from Africa who died for their continent but were never appreciated or even recognised.

    “I live in hope that one day our land shall experience the kind of leadership that would value those who sacrifice for her and reward those who make genuine efforts.

    “For now, am just in severe pains

     

  • General, others express concerns over post-war disorders

    MILITARY officers and experts have advised the Federal Government, the military authority and communities affected by the current Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast to curtail the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) that will follow the war.

    They also advised troops in in the frontlines to seek help from experts instead of resorting to drugs and heavy intake of alcohol to suppress symptoms of PTSD.

    According to the military officers and experts, PTSD is likely to affect soldiers due to their unpalatable experiences in the warfronts.

    They urged military authorities to be more caring about the welfare of troops in the frontlines as well as their families while commanders in the warfronts need to be more vigilant about the state of minds of their troops before deploying them to battles rather than look only at their physical fitness.

    The observations were among those experts laid on the table yesterday at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre in Kado, Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    The military officers and experts examined the consequences of the current insurgency in the Northeast, as well as rising cases of kidnapping, banditry and other security challenges across the country.

    Read Also: Monarch to Army chief: call your men to order

    Focusing on PSTD, Brig.-Gen. Gbenga Okulate (retd), Lt.-Col. S. J. Dibal and Dr Ishaku Ali, of the Department of Mental Health, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), submitted that combat-related mental disorders will be inevitable after the war in the Northeast.

    At a symposium organised by Green Heroes Foundation, the military officers and experts said soldiers in warfronts are likely to face mental challenges, especially depression, hyper vigilance, emotional numbness, moral injury and dejection, among others, as a result of their warfront experiences.

    They submitted that this development would lead to an increase in domestic violence, anger, broken marriages, frustration, suicide attempts, drug abuse and stigmatisation as well as heavy intake of alcoholic substances.

    Buttressing his encounters with PTSD patients, Brig.-Gen. Okulate said there was the case of a particular military commander in the Northeast who became dejected and nearly committed suicide for having lost a large number of his troops during an operation.

    “The commander told me that the reality of the huge loss became unbearable for him when the wives of the affected soldiers started calling him to ask after their husbands,” he said.

    Brig.-Gen. Okulate (retd), a consultant to United Kingdom military, advised that for Nigeria to escape the experience of the last civil war where hospitals became filled with soldiers who had mental challenges, all hands should be on the desk while the government should help to tackle the challenges.

     

     

  • ‘Disagreement on template may delay implementation of new minimum wage’

    A disagreement between the Federal Government and organised labour on the template to use to work out consequential adjustment on wages may delay the implementation of the new national minimum wage.

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President Bobboi Kaigama told The Nation on the side-line of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, that while the government wants an amount to be fixed across all levels, labour wants the adjustment to be done in percentages.

    The immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had told The Nation that the government would run into trouble in the implementation of the minimum wage, if it carries out the consequential adjustment on percentage as the government would not have the money to implement it.

    The government has set up a technical committee comprising of government representatives and officials of the Public Service Joint Negotiating Council to work out the template for the adjustment from Grade Level One Step II to Grade Level 17.

    Kaigama, who threw his weight behind the call for a universal minimum wage – being canvassed by some world leaders at the 108th session of the global labour conference, assured workers that whenever the template is finalised, the government would be obliged to pay the arrears of the new wage.\

    Read Also: Why implementation of new Minimum Wage may be delayed

    He said: “We are concerned that the template for the implementation of the new minimum wage is not yet out. It is one thing to sign the law proscribing minimum wage and another is the implementation because there are two bodies in charge of negotiations.

    “But as soon as we finish this last leg, the effective date of the law is the day the President signed the bill into law. Rest assured that all employers of labour in Nigeria will have to pay the arrears. The President gave us one month to sort this out. But after setting up the technical committee, we discovered that there are hitches.

    “So, we decided to go back and prepare some scenarios, then back and look at them before agreeing on one which will cut across all levels in the service.

    “Government is of the opinion that we fix an amount across, but we believe that is not scientific. We believe we should take a percentage, even if that means you have to stagger it. We are preparing scenarios and at the end of the day, we hope to arrive at something.”

  • Emmanuel to modernise camp facilities

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel yesterday promised to upgrade facilities at the National Youth Service Corpse (NYSC) orientation camp to meet the required standard.

    He spoke at the opening and swearing-in ceremony of this year’s Batch “B” Stream I corps members at the scheme’s permanent orientation camp in Ikot Itie Udung, Nsit Atai Local Government Area.

    The governor assured the corps members of maximum security throughout their orientation course.

    He admonished them to refrain from cultism and other social vices that are capable of destroying their future.

    “I want to assure you that your security will continue to be in the front burner. I implore you not to deviate from the right ethos by engaging in cultism and other vices capable of ruining your future,” Emmanuel said.

    Read Also: Governor Udom Emmanuel and his 31 stooges

    Speaking through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr Effiong Ekpenyong, the governor urged the corps members to take advantage of the various Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneur Development (SAED) training during their three-week orientation course to prepare them for the post-service life challenges.

    He noted that such skills would change them from job seekers to employers of labour, if they pursue them with all seriousness.

    “I charge you to maximally utilise every opportunity the orientation course offers and benefit optimally from such exercise as the military drills, Man ‘O’ War training, lectures, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) and other social activities.

    “Let me reiterate that the SAED programme of the NYSC is designed to prepare you for the post-service life challenges.

    “Accordingly, you will be exposed to various Skills set during your three month orientation exercise, I admonish you to take leverage on this opportunity and learn a skill, as it would transform you from job seekers to employers of labour

    The State NYSC Coordinator Julius Amusan announced that 2,094 corps members registered for the Batch “B” orientation course and that 1,013 of them are men while 1,081 are women.

    Amusan advised the corps members to conduct themselves within the law to avoid getting into trouble in and after Camp.

  • Five Nigerians held in Ghana for raping woman in husband’s presence

    The Tema Police have arrested five Nigerians who allegedly raped a woman in the presence of her husband during  robbery at Community 25, Tema, Ghana.

    According to a report published on Ghanaweb, the suspects were apprehended last weekend.

    Read also: Police, hunters rescue priest

    Their mode of operation is attacking mobile money vendors, mostly women in their house with machetes and guns and raping them after taking away their valuables.

    Confirming the incident, Chief Superintendent Cecilia Arko, Crime Officer of the Prampram Divisional Police Command, said that four among the five suspects had attacked a couple at their residence at about 3:00 am barely a month ago.

  • Ondo deputy governor denies lobbying for NDDC’s MD job

    Ondo State Deputy Governor Agboola Ajayi has debunked the rumours that he was scheming for the top position at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
    According to a statement by his spokesman, Leke Akeredolu, the sponsors of the report are interested in blackmailing the deputy governor for the purpose of heating up the polity ahead of 2020 governorship election in Ondo State.
    “Agboola Ajayi cannot be sneezing and also be whispering at the same time. He is contented with his current position as the elected deputy governor of the state.
    “We also see the report as an attempt to pitch the deputy governor against his boss, Governor Olurotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and to finally cause disaffection between them.

    Read Also: Protesting Ondo youths paralyse activities at Governor’s Office

    “Let me clearly state that the deputy governor has neither lobby, nor has the intention to become the NDDC Managing Director.
    “It is bewildering and laughable that those behind the news story would allege that Agboola Ajayi has been making secret consultations with his alleged associates without the knowledge of his boss, Arakunrin Akeredolu.
    “We are challenging these busybody politicians to come out with evidences or desist from causing acrimony between the governor and his deputy.
    “We will like to inform the general public that the same set of politicians peddling the rumours about the purported resignation of the deputy governor to contest against his boss in 2020, are the same set of people behind NDDC published news story.”

  • Oyo officials storm streets, markets to rid Ibadan of refuse

    A combined team of Oyo State officials as well as officers of a private contractor managing refuse collection and disposal in the state, the West African Energy, yesterday stormed major areas of Ibadan to evacuated refuse dumps.

    It followed the directive of Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde that refuse dumps be evacuated within the metropolis.

    The teams, who visited major refuse hotspots with earthmoving machines, evacuated debris and warned residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse.

    The evacuation team was led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Gabriel Oguntola; his counterpart from the Ministry of Information, Dr. Bashir Olanrewaju; Chief Operating Officer, West African Energy Mrs. Ololade Oresanya and others.

    Also Read: We will rely on agric to turn around Oyo’s fortunes – Makinde

    Speaking during the evacuation exercise at Gege River in Ayeye area of Ibadan, Oguntola urged market women and inhabitants of areas close to major markets to see a clean environment as a precursor to good health.

    He said: “Governor Makinde has proclaimed zero-tolerance to indiscriminate dumping of refuse in the state and the committee charged with this assignment has commenced the evacuation of refuses at Gege River in Ayeye market, which has been filled up with heaps of refuse and waste.

    “We appeal to the traders and the people residing in the area to support the government in its bid to make the Oyo State clean and habitable to prevent any outbreak of epidemic and other communicable diseases that might be contacted from an unhealthy environment.”

    Olanrewaju told reporters that preparation was already in top gear to engage stakeholders to proffer waste disposal techniques and as a means of constant interface with the government on the issue of sanitation to avoid outbreak of disease that might be associated with indiscriminate refuse disposal.

    Mrs. Oresanya said her organisation has identified about 30 priority dumping sites in Ibadan that needed immediate evacuation.

  • Our agric policies ’ll guarantee self-sufficiency in food production, says Akeredolu

    ONDO State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, has urged support for mechanised agriculture as one of the major ways to ensure self-sufficiency in food production and tackle hunger.

    He said his administration would always promote policies that would guarantee increased production of major agricultural products.

    Akeredolu, who spoke during the flag-off of the 2019 Agricultural Season at Mariwo Farm Settlement in Ifedore Local Government Area, said the present food situation in the state and the country called for more dedication and commitment to agricultural development.

    The 2019 edition is the second of its kind since current administration came on board.

    The governor, while insisting that more people, especially youths, had shown interest and commitment to agriculture and its value chain, added that his government had rolled out not a few interventionist programmes to boost the sector.

    Read Also: Ondo Poly shut over ASUP’s protest

    He listed the interventions as including the establishment of modern agricultural village at Jugbere in Owo Local Government Area, where 500 farmers would be engaged in four hectares of cocoa plantation each and distribution of 500,000 cocoa and 250,000 cashew seedlings to farmers to further boost cocoa and cashew production.

    Other interventions are arrangement to distribute additional 100,000 cocoa seedlings for the 2019 planting season and the registration of all farmers in the state forest reserves as a means of protecting the forest and ensuring adequate food production without hindrance.

    Akeredolu equally noted that his administration had trained over 2,500 youths on cassava value addition, besides partnering foreign and private investors.

    He said: “The state government is equally partnering the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on developing of banana, cocoa and coffee plantation.

    “We are equally in the race to participate in the Central Bank of Nigeria Land Clearing Scheme by providing enabling environment for the scheme in the state.”

  • NIMASA donates to flood victims in Anambra

    The Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) yesterday donated relief materials to victims of 2018 flood in Anambra State.

    Items donated include sewing machines, mattresses, blankets, diapers, cooking oil, detergents, noodles, bags of maize, flour, beans, salt, sugar, water, among others.

    NIMASA Director-General Dakuku Peterside said the items were palliatives to succour the victims.

    Peterside, who was represented by the Director of Internal Audit, Mr. Victor Onuzuruike, added that the donation targeted 20 states, and had already held in Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, Kogi, Ondo, Edo, Ogun, Delta, among others.

    He said: “We’re here principally to associate ourselves with the calamities that befell our brothers and sisters last year. We thought it wise to show concern to alleviate their plight. The items might not really solve all their problems, but we believe they will touch the lives of many.”

    Read also: Court jails ex-NIMASA DG Obi seven years

    The NIMASA DG attributed the late arrival of the items to bureaucracy in the system, and promised it would be corrected next time.

    He also promised to return to the state with increased package in view of the enormity of the disaster.

    “Managing over 18,000 persons is not an easy task in terms of accommodation, feeding and other logistics,” he added.

    Peterside called on other corporate organisations and spirited individuals to assist the government in taking care of victims, as the government alone could not handle the situation.

    Chairman of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Paul Odenigbo thanked the agency for the gesture, and promised a proper distribution of the items.

    “NIMASA has not done this before, remembering Anambra from far away Lagos. We expect more from them this year because we’ve been informed of impending flood which we have already made plans to mitigate,” he said.

  • Fayose’s ex-aide gets six months imprisonment over land dispute

    An Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court has sentenced a former Special Assistant (SA) to immediate past Governor Ayodele Fayose on Union Matters to six months imprisonment for unlawful entry into a land and malicious damage to a property.

    Senior Magistrate Omolola Akosile, in a verdict delivered on Monday, sentenced Fasuba to six months imprisonment with an option of N20,000 fine on each of the two counts.

    The defendant was found guilty of the two of the three-count charges he was arraigned for.

    Police Prosecutor Inspector Monica Ikebuilo said the former governor’s aide committed the offence on January 14, last year, at Moferere area of Ado-Ekiti in the Ado-Ekiti Magisterial District.

    Read also: PDP to anti-graft agency: stop persecuting Fayose

    Ikebuilo told the court that the defendants unlawfully entered the land and damaged the fence, property of Catherine Ashowo and valued at N350,000.

    The prosecutor said the offences contravene and are punishable under sections 81 and 451 of Criminal Code, Cap. C. 16, Vol. 1, Law of Ekiti State of Nigeria 2012.

    Fasuba was also charged with conducting himself “in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace in public place and thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 249(d) of Criminal Code, Cap. C. 16, Vol. 1, Law of Ekiti State of Nigeria 2012.

    But the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    Senior Magistrate Akosile held that the defendant had run contrary to the principle of law by entering the land in possession of the complainant and pulling down her fence.

    She said: “On Count I, the defendant is found guilty as charged; he is hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of N20,000 fine. On count II, the defendant is found guilty as charged; he is hereby sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of N20,000 fine.”

    The senior magistrate discharged and acquitted the accused of the third count.

    “The prison term is to run concurrently while the fine is cumulative,” Akosile said.