Sir: That a witchcraft conference was held in Nigeria, at the University of Nigeria Enugu to be precise is no longer news. From the day the conference was announced, it was controversy all the way. The conference met with stiff opposition from religious bodies. The stiff opposition had to come because the conceptualization was wrong from the beginning.
The naming of the conference was against the objective the organizers aimed at. They should have named the idea African indigenous science or knowledge. Yes witches practice African science but they are not the only one doing that. Naming the conference witchcraft conference was confusing because witchcraft cannot stand as an umbrella name for African science. African indigenous science is broader than witchcraft.
There are Africans with deep knowledge, astounding sciences and they are neither witches nor wizards. That you know how to do sciences that are indigenous to Africa does not make you a witch or a wizard. The organizers should have put into consideration the negative perception majority of Africans regardless of their religion leaning have about witches. Even many that have benefitted from African native medicine still believe it is witchcraft! A conference whose goal is to tap into African knowledge should have been given a theme that is all encompassing.
There is nothing bad for the organizers of the UNN conference to want to have a parley on witchcraft; after all, it is an African reality. It is even a good idea for Africans to focus on how to get African witches to begin to use their knowledge for the development of the continent but describing it as witchcraft conference is a mixed up that should certainly make some people to opt out.
We heard that some Christian groups stood against the conference on witches. Those were the ones that have access to the media; that was why we heard about them. There are those that are neither Christian not Muslim that certainly opted out that we did not get to hear about and they should have been part of the conference because they are versed in African knowledge or science but are not in agreement with witchcraft. An average Yoruba person grew up to know that the Ogbonis, Babalawos and others like that are not witches but they practice some form of African science. How do you know call a witchcraft conference and expect them to show up?
If the conference had been tagged as African native science conference or something like that, definitely it would have welcomed not only witches but also other groups that practice African science and that would have created a better environment for cross-fertilization of ideas. It is a fact also that some Christian denominations and Islamic clerics practice some form of African science. These ones too will certainly not show up for a conference on witchcraft whereas they would have been great addition to a conference like that.
There are a lot of misconceptions about African native knowledge. Many believe it is all dark. Many believe it is all spiritual. In actual fact, African native knowledge is of two types, herbal and spiritual. There are those that practice both, Babalawos in Yorubaland are good example. The witches are spiritual and there are those who only understand the medicinal uses of our flora, the different herbs God endowed Africa with.
These facts have to be taken into consideration for success to be made out of this foray into the realm of African indigenous science. Certainly, the field of medicine, agriculture, the military, internal security and so on stand to gain a lot from a foray into African indigenous knowledge.
Sir: Henry Boyo was one of the very few analysts on financial affairs that I knew that was consistent with his journalistic interventions. I have been an ardent reader of his assessments on IMF/World Bank policies which affect the Nigerian economy, the flawed CBN’s policy of saving money and from which the federal government uses at the normal rate without interest. Henry Boyo was an old generation writer that stayed true to himself, patriotic to the Nigerian state and to his views until the end. He didn’t write and contradict himself like many people without conviction.
I was shocked to hear of his death, same way I was to hear that Professor Tam David-West passed on to the region of permanent silence a moment ago. No thanks to the political bankruptcy of the Nigerian state, he wasn’t celebrated by government for his developmental views or called out for proper recognition. I often wonder why governments push the boat out for people who love to mouth nothingness by shouting and not thinkers.
Henry Boyo was a thinker; he had the experience and authority (moral) to engage in the fierce dynamism of journalism and he engaged without fail.
His death in some way has taken away the common purpose needed to pursue the development of Nigeria because unlike many a writer today with love for tribalism, hiding under the journalistic radar to fan the embers of hatred for governments that they do not fancy, campaigning for preferences in other camps, Boyo was principled and never appraised governments policies so as to attract attention of people in the corridors of power.
He wasn’t an inert writer, but one who was methodical about his views; he didn’t celebrate one government’s policies and castigate another. He behaved well like the polished writer that he was.
I wonder what would become of Nigeria if all of the old brigades leave the scene, because many members of the old generation put country first before region and interests. The love for arts comes with historical context, not context to defeat views of the right exposed by the people of the left, they believed in the historical context for the common good.
I love old-fashioned views because order is the first law of the universe. Thanks to order of the universe, Boyo was pushed to feel for the teeming population of Nigerians who suffered under the burden of privation due to governmental policies that were impervious to their needs and spoke on their behalf.
He was a powerful writer on a pedestal but didn’t allow fame to get into his head. How can when he knew the purpose of the writing gift that he had: challenge government’s policies so the browbeaten can feed better and live better lives.
Loyalty is an essential commodity that cannot be counted on forever in Nigeria but it is only thanks to loyalty that soldiers win wars. Nigeria will change for good when writers in the class of Boyo from every corner and bend begin to shake the polity with developmental views without hidden agenda.
Henry Boyo was a good writer and he drove the machinery to make writing better.
HE made his mark as a doctor, notably as the personal physician to Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, the magnetic politician whose election as Nigeria’s president on June 12, 1993, was controversially annulled by self-styled military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
The sudden death of General Sani Abacha, who extended the injustice, on June 8, 1998, followed five years of ruthless oppression of the pro-democracy opposition, including presidential claimant Abiola. Abiola’s similarly abrupt passing one month later on July 7, 1998, was supremely suspicious, particularly in the context of an intense campaign for his release from detention and restoration of his ruptured electoral mandate.
Dr Ore Falomo, who died on November 9, at the age of 77, was said to have been allowed to see Abiola about two weeks before his death, following demands that Abiola should have access to medical care. Falomo’s role in the Abiola saga showed his progressive complexion. He wasn’t a politician but was significantly involved in the pro-democracy effort intensified by Abiola’s travails.
Falomo’s position on Abiola’s death reflected his courage and forthrightness. He said in an interview: “There is no argument about Abiola’s death. He died on July 7, 1998 at about 3pm at Aguda House when he was being visited by an American delegation. He died shortly after being offered a cup of tea by the leader of the delegation. On that day, Abiola was very alert. He recognised Susan Rice whom he saw last in 1982. The Americans came with a flask containing tea. The flask had three layers. Why should they come with their own tea, special tea? Is it normal for visitors to come with tea and offer a prisoner? It was abnormal…It was a conspiracy.”
Falomo added: “It is now left to all of us to find the cause of Abiola’s death. He died 15 minutes after the tea. My conclusion is that the tea is probably fundamental to his collapse and sudden death. Abiola died in government custody. It is the duty of government to unravel the cause of Abiola’s death, after drinking a cup of tea… The Federal Government under General Abdulsalami Abubakar should be held responsible.”
After studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, from 1962 to 1968, Falomo returned to Nigeria and worked in the Lagos State Department of Health (1971 to 1972) and Ikeja General Hospital ( 1972 to 1973). He started building his own hospital in 1972, which demonstrated his professional ambition and vision. By 1978, he had completed and equipped his Maryland Specialist Hospital in Lagos, where he was Chief Medical Director.
It is testimony to Falomo’s professionalism that many high-status figures patronised him. His hospital offered “access to the latest technology and facilities with a compassionate, patient-centred care approach” and “a broad range of high-quality health and wellness services.” According to his daughter, he was unhappy about “the health services in Nigeria because of the deplorable state of things.” He was a former Chairman of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital’s management board.
His daughter shed light on his medical practice: “He was personal physician to the late legal luminary, Chief FRA Williams, in the last nine years of his life. Williams called my father when he was 75 and told him he needed to change his doctor…Chief Williams told my father that he had a fear that he may not make it to 80 in life… There was a celebration when Williams became 80. Then he made it to 84. Williams was ever grateful to God and to my father for that.”
Falomo was not only concerned about the health of Nigerians, he was also concerned about Nigeria’s health.
Sir: The House of Representatives during its plenary on Wednesday November 16, resolved to stop tertiary institutions from using both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) as criteria for securing admissions. The motion was sponsored by Hon. Ademori Kuye (APC, Lagos).
To my utmost surprise, the lawmaker did not suggest an alternative for conducting tertiary institutions’ admissions.
It is obvious that our tertiary institutions cannot admit all eligible students. According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and JAMB, out of over 1.5 million students that sit for JAMB every year, not more than 500,000 applicants actually gain admission. The situation only improved marginally with the establishment of some federal universities during the Jonathan administration. Even then, only two out of every five prospective students are able to secure placement based on the universities’ current carrying capacities.
Of course, if our tertiary institutions have the space to admit the entire students who apply to various courses, there would have been no need to conduct any examination to cut the number of applicants. Interestingly, the House of Representatives actually attempted to scrap the post UTME in 2017; then, universities simply adopted other strategies for selecting eligible students until the process was restored at some point.
Using students’ WAEC/NECO to determine the eligibility of the students for admission would make the already fraud-prone SSCE an open pool for cheaters to swim. It may invariably lead to high level of malpractices during the WAEC and NECO as students, seeing it as the determinant of their admission fate, would do anything just to pass.
The post UTME/JAMB examinations is very essential, in fact, vital to tertiary institutions’ admissions. Given the ratio between the capacities of the universities to the number of applications, it is the only appropriate and convenient method to sieve out the most eligible students to be admitted.
On the observation by the sponsor, Hon. Kuye, that students pay to purchase the JAMB forms and still pay for post UTME, may I suggest that the federal government assume the funding of the admission processes to lighten the burdens of parents, particularly indigent parents and students. In the end, the institutions can only admit students based on their respective capacities.
Considering the increasing number of qualified applicants that are unable to get admission spaces each year, the federal government will do well to establish more tertiary institutions and also provide more facilities and staff in the existing institutions to cater for the ever increasing number of applicants.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of integrity awards to two Nigerians – Bashir Abubakar, the Assistant Customs Comptroller-General, and Mrs. Josephine Ugwu, a former cleaner at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos – deserves commendation. The duo demonstrated rare integrity in the discharge of their official duties. Abubakar got his award for turning down a $412,000 (N150 million) bribe from drug traffickers to import 40 containers laden with Tramadol, a regulated and highly addictive drug. Ugwu, on her part, had also returned millions of naira discovered in the course of her duties on various occasions, including some dollars that an airport client had left in the toilet.
President Buhari who presented the awards to the beneficiaries at the opening of the two-day National Summit on Reducing Corruption in the Public Sector held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, reminded Nigerians of the need to embrace honesty in all they do. “Let me repeat with concern the need to uphold the values of loyalty, honesty, confidence, and integrity once cherished in our public service. Ethics and integrity are the basis of a society that is enduring,” the president said. He struck the right chord when he added that “dishonesty is not accepted by Nigerian society. Therefore, our traditional values of reliability, dignity and hard work must be regained. I am pleased that, despite the few bad eggs, many Nigerians are still holding on to our historically valued ideals of honesty and integrity. “
Abubakar’s award is particularly instructive. Not a few Nigerians see the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as a cesspool of corruption. It is believed that it is one of the best places to work and make quick money. The case of a former Comptroller-General of NCS, Abdullahi Dikko, readily comes into mind here. Dikko used his position/s in the NCS to make so much money illegally such that when the bubble burst, he was able to refund N1.5billion of the proceeds of crime to the coffers of the Federal Government last year, following an understanding he reached with the government.
Indeed, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was so irked by the non-prosecution agreement that its intention to prosecute the former Customs boss again was only stopped by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on November 25. Justice Dimgba said the agreement reached between both parties was binding on the EFCC.
Similarly, we cannot gloss over Mrs. Ugwu’s rare display of honesty. As a cleaner, her salary would not have amounted to much. Yet, she didn’t feel the urge to take what did not belong to her even when the opportunity presented itself. Twelve million Naira is quite huge for someone of her status and many people in her shoes would not think twice before absconding with it.
We commend President Buhari for honouring the duo. This is the least we can expect from a government that is fighting corruption and that also came into power on change mantra. With such recognition, more Nigerians would know that honesty is indeed the best policy. That a Customs officer would reject an offer of about N150million bribe is quite significant. It also tells us that there is no agency that cannot have a rebirth; it is indication that to be corrupt or incorruptible is an individual thing; it has nothing to do with organisations that people work for. This singular act is a big and refreshing boost for public perception of the NCS.
The same holds true for Mrs. Ugwu. The two awardees are Nigerians who , of their own volition, chose to reject the evil ways that many would have gladly travelled.
Perhaps the greatest lesson we have to learn as a people is to show more interest in how people became prosperous before celebrating them. We have to be wary of people who had nothing yesterday only to start living like oil sheiks the next day. When people realise that their new lifestyle that does not correspond with their earnings is likely to be interrogated, there is less tendency for them to want to amass ill-gotten wealth.
Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare has urged the newly inaugurated board members of the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) in the University of Abuja to work out a programme that will lead to the award of a post-graduate degree.
Dare made the call while inaugurating the members of the board in Abuja on Tuesday.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CYP Diploma in Youth Development Distance learning started in Nigeria in 2006 with an agreement and MoU between the CYP Secretariat in Zambia, the Federal Government, and the University of Abuja.
CYP and the Federal Government are to provide 50 per cent funding each, while the University of Abuja will deliver the programme and confer the diploma and certification.
According to him, the CYP Diploma programme is an 18-month pilot cycle programme, whose implementation was initially scheduled between April 2006 and Jan. 2008.
He explained that in 2009, the government constituted a committee to observe lapses in the conduct of the programme and make recommendations that would uplift the standard in tune with the desired objectives of the commonwealth youth programme.
He, however, noted that dwindling financial resources in the ministry and new directive from the National University Commission (NUC) that Nigerian Universities should stop running Diploma programmes, hampered the operations of the programme since 2011.
“I wish to state the need to sustain this specialised platform for capacity building in youth work as was considered appropriate to work out the programme to award a post-graduate degree.
“It is with this thought that the ministry deems it appropriate to reconstitute membership of the board of the centre to champion this noble course,” he said.
He explained that the programme would be under the Centre for Gender and Security Studies and Youths Advancement (CeGSYAD).
He, therefore, advised the newly inaugurated board members, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’allah to show sense of discipline, integrity, and commitment in operating the programme.
Also, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Olusade Adesola, represented by the Director of Education and Youth Development, Mr Ede Ogaba stressed the need to build on the capacity of youths in the country.
“Delivery of quality youth work services from trained youth work professionals is the right of young people.
“It also benefits institutions and society when adequately funded and comprehensive training is provided to practioners,” he said.
The committee chairman who is also the vice-chancellor of UniAbuja, assured the minister that the mandate in line with the Commonwealth youth programme would be more successful than in the past.
Na’allah, represented by the Deputy Provost, College of Health Sciences, Prof. Gadzama Ali said that the programme had developed a new curriculum, which would be used to run the programme effectively.
Similarly, Prof. Ekundayo Ocholi, the Director, Centre for Gender and Security Studies and Youth Advancement, UniAbuja said that the programme, which would be under the centre would cater for the needs of Nigeria youths.
“We are out to see that the youths in this country are not stagnated.
“This programme is a landmark and we are hoping that the lot of the youths will be moved forward,” she said.
The President of the International Olympics Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach has just paid a two-day working visit to Nigeria for the commissioning of the headquarters of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), SEGUN OGUNJIMI reports.
The President of International Olympics Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach was overwhelmed with the reception accorded him by the Federal Government led by Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare on Wednesday, November 13 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.
The Sports Minister reeled out the significance and benefits of the visit of the IOC boss to Nigeria. He disclosed that the visit of the IOC President to the country will help re-emphasise that Nigeria is highly respected in sports among the comity of nations.
The minister said: “You will agree with me that for Nigeria, the visit by the IOC President and his team is quite significant as it shows the place of Nigeria in the heart of the International Olympic Movement and it is also a clear sign that Nigeria is highly respected in the sports sector among the comity of African Nations.
“There is no doubt that Nigeria is in the vanguard of promoting the noble ideals of the Olympic Movement in Africa, which is well displayed by the country’s commitment to the construction of the headquarters of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), especially since 2006 when Nigeria won the bid to host the headquarters.
“The visit of the IOC President to Nigeria to specifically commission the secretariat is a clear indication of the commitment of the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the development of sports in Africa as a whole and Nigeria in particular. It is further a testament to our return to greater transparency in sports administration, which is engendering trust in Nigeria’s capacity to implement international best practices.”
The IOC President also visited the Moshood Abiola Stadium where he inspected the facilities of both Package A and B of the stadium and also asked questions regarding the facilities.
Bach also paid a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja where he was warmly received by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The IOC President met with Olympians, Olympic scholarship holders and he informed them of many programmes and opportunities of upgrading themselves through so many programmes on the IOC online platforms.
ANOCA headquarters in Jahi, Abuja
The Sports Minister on Thursday, November 14, broke a ten-year jinx as he led an international delegation with the President of the IOC to commission the secretariat of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).
The development effectively makes Abuja the Olympics City for Africa, according to the IOC President.
The minister described the event as “a landmark in the development of sports on the continent of Africa. It is a day that the entire black race should be proud of. And as Nigerians, we are proud to be a major contributor to the actualisation of this day.
“Aside from the obvious fact of the commissioning of the building that would from today be the administrative and technical hub of sports administration on the continent, we also have in our midst, leaders of the world governing body for sports, ably led by the President of the International Olympic Committee, Dr. Thomas Bach.
“The journey to this day started some 13 years ago when Nigeria alongside six other African countries bided to host the headquarters of ANOCA and become the Olympic capital of Africa. After a rigorous selection process, Nigeria was eventually selected as the host country for the umbrella body of the Olympic movement in Africa at the General Assembly, which took place in Kenya in June 2006.
“With the selection and signing of the Headquarters Cooperation Agreement on February 21, 2007, the ANOCA Secretariat, hitherto in Yaoundé, Cameroon was moved to Abuja, Nigeria.
“While biding as a host country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria had promised to build a benefiting headquarters for the continental body. On the road to fulfilling that promise, the foundation laying ceremony for the building was performed on July 6, 2009, by Dr. Jacques Rogge, the immediate past President of the International Olympic Committee.
“I must say we are indeed lucky to also have present here today to commission the building, the current President of the IOC, Dr. Thomas Bach.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the commitment of Nigeria to the completion of this edifice have been unwavering. It is for this reason that the Federal Government ensured the continued funding of the project from inception to completion.
“It is my sincere hope that the vision for which the project was executed would be achieved for the benefit of all stakeholders,” he said.
The minister, who earlier conducted the IOC delegation around the Moshood Abiola Stadium, revealed that “After 10 years of trying to get approval for the domestication of the anti-doping bill, the Federal Executive Council approved the domestication of that convention, that is historic.”
Thomas Bach formally named Nigeria as the Olympics headquarters of Africa.
He said: “Today, we are writing a sports history with the inauguration of the magnificent headquarters. You are establishing Abuja the capital of sports in Africa. With the inauguration, you are setting a new milestone for the development of sports.
“You all know how close Africa is to Olympic movement. I am honoured to share this historic moment with entire Africa. This building is motivation, the inspiration for the unity of sports in Africa.”
He further expressed his belief in the Nigerian sports community who according to him, has kept the Olympic spirit alive.
“What impressed me most is seeing how much the Olympic spirit is alive here in Nigeria. I had meetings with the schools, athletes, government officials and I saw everyone living with the spirit. The athletes I spoke to have the attributes of true champions.
“The Vice President, Sports Minister and every other government officials recognise the contributions of sports to a better society and a better future for the youths in the country,” he said.
Registered pharmacists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have rendered service to humanity by voluntarily destroying expired drugs worth N2 billion off their shelves. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports
It is no longer news that millions of Nigerians have fallen victim to expired drugs repackaged by unscrupulous individuals and sold to unsuspecting members of the public.
The motive behind the callous deed is nothing but the quest for quick and fat profit. In some instances, the loss arising from disposing of expired drugs becomes too much for the owners of such drugs to bear. So, to avoid such unpalatable experience, some pharmacists may find ways and means of getting the expired drugs off their shelves.
In such situation, the consuming public are forced to pay the price, financially and otherwise. However, the Abuja chapter of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) chose to tread the honourable but painful path. On Tuesday, members of the chapter voluntarily brought out expired drugs from their shelves and destroyed them content and package. According to the pharmacists, the drugs were worth about N2 billion.
Members willingly handed over the expired drugs to the leadership of the association for destruction, to avoid consumption by members of the public. Chairman of ACPN, FCT chapter, Wuyep Nankap, who spoke to The Nation at the burning site in the Kuje Area Council, said the move was meant to save lives. Nankap expressed dissatisfaction with the activities of some unregistered pharmacists who are in the habit of recycling fake and expired drugs for the consumption of the general public.
He said the burning of the drugs is an annual event which is expected to be carried out across the 36 states of the federation. The ACPN FCT boss advised members of the public to as much as possible avoid indiscriminate use of drugs without proper prescription by certified pharmacists.
He called on government to further assist members of the association by supporting them financially to keep them in business and to help cushion the effects of their losses. Nankap urged members not to relent in keeping Nigerians safe through the consumption of quality drugs.
His words: “We are committed in ensuring that fake and expired drugs are destroyed and do not find their way back into the market. This is our resolution and we are very committed to this cause.
Our members are sincere and we will remain committed.
“These expired and fake drugs we are burning today are worth over N2 billion. It is not easy for our members to willingly bring out these drugs for destruction. It shows their commitment to save lives. Government should assist us financially because we have lost so much.
“The Kuje Area Council officials are the once that provided this venue for the destruction of these drugs. We have vowed to make sure that all the drugs are burnt before we depart this arena to avoid scavengers taking advantage of the situation.”
Also speaking at the event, the National Secretary of ACPN, Sunday Chukwujieku, applauded the FCT chapter of the association for taking a bold step by destroying fake and expired drugs worth over N2 billion. He also called on Nigerians to apply caution before consuming drugs.
Investigation has revealed that expired and substandard drugs may contain toxic doses of dangerous ingredients that could cause mass poisoning. Poor-quality medicines compromise the treatment of chronic and infectious diseases, causing disease progression, drug resistance, and death.
Drug products have often been counterfeited, and the consequences are well understood to have affected the credibility of public health systems around the globe, as they often are ineffective, promoting drug resistance, severe illness and even death. Drug manufacturing takes substantial working capital and trained staff to ensure quality products. Cutting corners lowers expenses but increases risks for consumers.
Product counterfeiting is a global public menace that cuts across all segments of production. The incidence dates back to the ages and is motivated by the huge profit to be made. Of great concern is the counterfeiting/faking of drug products used in diagnosis, preventive, and curative medicine. Lately, Nigeria has witnessed increased cases relabelling and revalidating of expired drugs and the attendant consequences on the health of unsuspecting consumers.
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have not relented in their effort to apprehend perpetrators of the harmful practice and confiscation of the fake products. But the merchants of death have continued to devise crooked ways of getting their harmful products to the market.
It is scary to bring to note that while concerned agencies are making efforts to thwart activities of peddlers of expired products, some relabelled expired food and drugs still make their way to the markets without the agencies’ knowledge.
Only the perpetrators nabbed in these nefarious acts made the news. So the big question is: How do consumers identify and recognise relabelled or revalued food and drugs? Experts say that expiry dates and best-before dates are dates which are interchangeably being used by manufacturers to convey a date when a product is at its peak performance or no longer fit for consumption.
Technically, there is a slight difference. Expiry dates show the last day that is expected for a product to be used or consumed, while best-before date indicates that as from that date, the product’s freshness along with its quality are no longer guaranteed. Expiry date of a product is safety-based, while the best-before date is quality driven. Both are however important no matter which terminology or wording is used by the manufacturer’s label on the product.
Much as physically-challenged persons living in a colony at Karamajiji, an outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), do not like to beg, the larger society has continued to force them back into the streets. GRACE OBIKE reports.
The Federal Capital Development Administration is expected to clear the city centre of beggars and hawkers.
In 2006, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, was accused of stating that Abuja was not meant for the poor. That was after he had destroyed shanties, slums and illegal structures occupied by a huge population of the poorest of the poor.
Every day, the administration is faced with clearing the city of beggars who are sometimes relocated to their states. But the government has always complained of these beggars returning to the city after a while. A keen observer in Abuja will most likely observe that most of the cobblers, petty traders, phone accessory hawkers are physically-challenged persons. Most of them are believed to be residents of Karamajiji, a disabled colony behind the National Military Cemetery on the airport road.
The tiny colony of mostly well arraigned shanties is said to have been created by El-Rufai as a special location for them. It was supposed to be a place where the government and well-meaning Nigerians can go to help the disabled without them littering the streets of Abuja. But unfortunately, the vision never curbed street begging in Abuja as it has turned out that many of the beggars in the city are able bodied persons. Although some residents of the colony are involved in petty trading in town, a higher percentage of them transport themselves into town every day to beg for alms. However, many of them insist they hate to beg.
One of the female disabled beggars and resident of the colony, Sadiya Suleiman, said she felt that able bodied Nigerians and the government enjoy seeing them beg and not being independent.
Sadiya, who is a cripple, said several kind people have tried to empower them on many occasions by teaching them how to make soap, detergents and disinfectant. But she regretted that most people don’t feel comfortable buying products made by physically challenged persons. She said in most cases, the products get bad in their possession. In such instances, the products are given out to members of the colony free of charge. According to her, it has been difficult for them to overcome the challenge of rejection.
The mother of four said: “People most times come around and teach us skills which we enjoy. But one thing that annoys us is the fact that after learning the skill, people refuse to buy from us when we produce it. I don’t understand why. We have tried making soap, detergents, disinfectants and a lot more. We put it out for sale but people refuse to buy till it gets spoilt. So now we just share it among ourselves, which is one of the reasons why you see us out begging.
“If they were buying our products, we will at least have something to take care of our families. But able bodied people have refused to buy from us. The truth is that we don’t enjoy begging, people tell us to our faces how much we always beg. But they won’t understand what we are going through.
You told me that I was beautiful remember? Now imagine with all the beauty, me on the street begging. I hate doing it, people see us begging and think that we don’t have problems which is not true.
“The truth is that Nigerians enjoy seeing us beg because if they don’t, they will support us as we try to empower ourselves. They can end begging if they want to. Look at the shanty where we live, if they want us to stop begging, then opportunities should be provided for us. They only come here to make promises that they never keep. We feel that they are equally using us to beg. If people start buying from us and we are empowered then our children will not suffer because we will be able to take care of them with our business.”
Recently, the International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE) took relief materials to the community by providing free medical treatments as well as the distribution of food items and clothing. Director External Affairs, Research and Consultancy of ICICE, Garba Sani, said they found out that the community has generally been ignored by government and humanitarian agencies.
Sani said: “We are here to provide free medical services as well as the distribution of food items and clothing for the disabled community of Karamajiji. This is a community that has been generally ignored by either humanitarian support groups or the government itself. We identified the community as one that needs our support. For the support, we first take their details, then their vitals in form of basic tests like malaria, typhoid, blood pressure, sugar level and a lot more. Then we identify if there is any need for medication. They meet with our doctors and our pharmacists dispense the drugs.
“We estimate treating about 500-700 disabled members of the community and their families. All our outings are voluntary so what we are spending here for the exercise in terms of cash is about N700,000. What we found surprising here is that after all the tests, we find this people to be a lot fitter than most able bodied people in terms of blood pressure and sugar level. Basic ailments like malaria are the ones commonly found here. We urge other humanitarian agencies and the government to come to the aid of these people. This is a community where there is no clinic and there is no adequate facility to transport them to the nearest hospital and the government can do it.”
Head of the ICICE medical team, Dr. Amina Kumalia, said despite the people being disabled, the environment is reasonably clean.
Kumaila said: “Usually, before we take on a community, we pay them a previsit to inspect the place and meet with the community head and discuss before giving them a date. When we met with the head of this community, he said that usually the community members are over 500. Most of the patients that we have seen are cases of malaria, peptic ulcer and the rest. But cases of hypertension and diabetes are not common with the patients we have seen so far. But many of the children have skin infection and a few cases of upper respiratory tract infection.
“One thing about this area is that despite the people being disabled, the environment is reasonably clean. When we spoke with them, they said that they have problems of housing and medical treatment. We have two cases here that we took outside to a tertiary hospital for treatment.”
Another disabled person, Lawal Maikudi, said he was able bodied until age 27 when he was about getting married. Maikudi who is a cripple, insisted that not all of them staying in the colony are beggars.
He said: “I have lived in Karamajiji for about 15 years and I repair motorcycles for able bodied and disabled persons alike. The thought that all disabled persons in Abuja are beggars is false. Most of us have businesses that we are involved in. I used to be a hunter before I got crippled. I was not born a cripple. I was 27 years old and about getting married when I woke up one cold morning after sleeping outside and could not move my legs. The legs dried up by evening of that day and I have been like this since then. It was after the incident that I took to repairing motorcycles.
“We need assistance from the government and well-meaning Nigerians to enable some of us improve our petty businesses and those without businesses among us should be enabled. I don’t blame the government for driving us from the streets for begging. You see, I have six children and they are all in school. But sometimes when I find it difficult paying their fees and my other bills, I resort to begging. But when I get customers and have some little money, I don’t beg because I don’t like begging at all. If we are made self-sufficient, we won’t beg anyone for money.”
Another member of the colony, Ado Alhassan, is a father of four children. Alhassan said he used to sell petty items in the city centre before he was chased away by officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB).
Alhassan said: “Officials of the AEPB disturb us because of begging. But the people that create the greatest nuisance while begging are the able bodied beggars. You see men and women who are very healthy begging all over the place and when the environmental board officials arrive, they run away and we are the ones left to be caught. If, for instance, you drive towards most of the bridges, especially around the Central Mosque, the able bodied beggars will troop out of their hiding places and descend on your car, begging. But if they see one cripple or blind among them, that is when you will see environmental officials coming to chase and catch us.
“We don’t like begging but they won’t allow us sell our wares in peace. When we try to, they attack us and cart away our wares. All I have to say is that if the government does not want us inside the city, they should carve out a place for us where we can conduct our business in peace, so we can feed and pay our children’s fees.”
OSAGIE OTABORtakes a look at benefits ahead of the domestication of the National Health care Act next year in Edo State.
From January 1, 2020, the Edo State Healthcare Insurance Scheme (ESHI), which is the domestication of the National Health Act, will take-off in the state.
The ESHI Agency came into existence with the assent to the Compulsory Health Insurance Bill by Governor Godwin Obaseki, and the launch of Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).
With ESHI, residents in the state are expected to access quality healthcare provided they enrolled for the scheme.
To ensure smooth take-off of ESHI next year, Governor Obaseki provided N1 billion as the state government’s contribution to the scheme in next year’s budget and another N1billion for Primary Health care reform.
During the presentation of the 2020 Budget, Governor Obaseki had said: “The government is committing N1billion as its contribution to the scheme, while we expect workers across all sectors to sign up to the laudable initiative, which enhances their access to quality healthcare services.”
The ESHI is one of Governor Obaseki’s cardinal programmes aimed at reforming the health sector.
In 2016, he assembled stakeholders in the health sector and urged them to develop a robust policy to reform the health sector. The initiative gave birth to the Edo Health Improvement Programme known as EdoHIP.
•One of the wards in the inaugurated health care facility
The EdoHIP ensures the rehabilitation of existing primary healthcentres with 24 hours electricity and supply of potable water. They also set out to train the health personnel on the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) tools to capture patients’ data as well administer drugs and bill patients.
It is an extensive programme to revamp Primary Healthcare (PHC) across the state with a goal to locate at least, one functional PHC center in each ward in the state, with the target set at 200 PHCs.
In the first phase of the implementation of EdoHIP, the state remodeled 20 PHCs. Areas where PHCs were remodeled included Sasaro Primary Healthcare Centre in Akoko Edo Local Government Area (LGA); Uwelu PHC, in Egor LGA; Ugbekpe PHC in Etsako Central LGA; Ewoyi PHC in Esan North East LGA; Ukpenu PHC in Esan West LGA; Eguare PHC in Igueben LGA; Ofumengbein PHC in Ovia South West LGA and Iyakhara PHC in Owan East LGA amongst others.
The renovated health centres are equipped with solar-powered electricity, boreholes and laboratories to ensure rural dwellers have access to quality healthcare.
On November 1, the remodeled health centres were inaugurated, marking the official launch of the Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF).
When the scheme becomes operational, members of the public would not be attended to at the secondary health centres without referral from the PHCs.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who spoke at the event, which held at Ofunmwengbe PHC in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State, said the BHCPF would commit N573m to enable Edo people benefit from essential services after the details are worked out and the healthcare system begins to function.
According to him, “the fund is disbursed to states equitably and on per capita basis using a poverty index determined by the World Bank”.
He said: “This will guarantee that the BHCPF will reach the deserving population and reduce inequality in access to health services, particularly by the vulnerable. Public health emergencies and other emergency medical services shall also be addressed through the fund.
“President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is committed to its mandate of improving the health and productivity of Nigerians in its commitment to human capital development, consistent with national goals in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). His desire is to lift 100million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.”
Last week, the Edo State Primary Health Development Care Agency (EPHCDA), began the enrolment of residents into ESHI. The purpose was to galvanise the people to take advantage of the offerings from EdoHIP.
Executive Secretary of EPHCDA, Dr. Mbarie Imuwahen, said the team visited communities in Ovia North East to register and enroll some of the rural dwellers in the programme so they can benefit from the government’s move to make them access quality healthcare seamless.
FACTSHEETS ABOUT THE EDO STATE HEALTH CARE INSURANCE
N1 billion – Amount budgeted for health care insurance in 2020 budget.
N1billion – Amount budgeted for primary health care reforms.
Targets setting up 230 primary health care centres across the state.
N573m–Amount committed by BHCPF.
100 million Nigerians to be taken out of poverty in 10 years.
Dr. Imuwahen noted that the state’s Ministry of Health was working to achieve the government’s directive for the efficient operation of the Health Insurance Scheme.
According to her, “the team was in Egbatta and Odunna community in Ovia North East for registration and enrolment of residents into the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund/Health Insurance Scheme. The communities are close to the Odunna Primary Health Care Centre, which is among the 20 centres that were recently reconstructed.
“These are efforts to ensure a smooth kick-off of the Health Insurance Scheme in the state. We are happy that we are making progress. The health insurance scheme will ensure that the state government deploys the requisite materials to meet the health needs of residents in the state and it is important to get accurate data towards the realisation of this goal,” she said.
Governor Godwin Obaseki, on his part said the focus of his administration is to improve the lives of the people through good education and provision of basic healthcare services accessible to all Edo people and residents.
He said: “The bulk of money that accrues to the state is dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Edo State through quality health and education.
We are spending more than 50 per cent of our recurrent expenditure on healthcare and education.
“Edo Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) will enable us deal with health challenges in the state. This means a total revamp of our entire health system from basic to secondary and specialist care. Edo-HIP is comprehensive,” he added.
He continued:”The focus of my administration is to establish 230 PHCs across Edo State as the centers will serve as referral centers. You will not be attended to in General Hospitals without a referral from your PHC.”
On training and support for health officials, Obaseki said: “We have set-up in Information Communication Technology (ICT) system to help capture information and pass it to a central database. The information gathered will be used for referrals. All over the world, healthcare services are not cheap but affordable, which is achieved by pulling resources together.
“We have established a Health Insurance Agency in Edo State backed by law for every citizen, as it is now compulsory for every Edo citizen to have health insurance. You will be given a card that will enable you to access healthcare in the state provided you are enrolled. For civil servants and local government workers in Edo State, they will be compulsorily enrolled into the scheme from January 1, 2020. Finance will not hold citizens back from getting quality healthcare.”
Officer-in-Charge of World Health Organisation (WHO) in Nigeria, Dr Peter Clement, noted that Governor Obaseki’s vision to consolidate the PHC agenda and the BHCPF was a demonstration of strong stewardship towards the attainment of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Clement urged Obaseki to leverage the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, saying it would help to enhance EdoHIP’s implementation.
“Both the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPBCDA) gateway will be crucial in fostering social health insurance and revamping of the primary healthcare facilities respectively under Edo-HIP,” he added.
