Category: Features

A new private sector-led push to recognise and reward teachers and, ultimately, drive the development of Nigeria’s education sector, has taken centre stage. This came on the strength of a partnership between Accugas Limited, a subsidiary of the British independent energy company, Savannah Energy, and Inoyo Toro Foundation, a not-for-profit charity. Both organisations partnered to recognise and reward outstanding teachers in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State. The gesture, if replicated, could be the template to restore the dignity of the teaching profession and revamp the education sector. Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports

He could barely hide her excitement. With a dummy cheque for the sum of N500,000 firmly in his grip, the joy of Aniefiok Ekanem Antia, a biology teacher at Itam Secondary School in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, knew no bounds.

Antia was one of the five lucky teachers who emerged winners in the “Grand Mentor Award,” the highest award category sponsored by the British independent energy company, Savannah Energy, in the recently-concluded Inoyo Toro Foundation’s Annual Awards for Teaching Excellence in Akwa Ibom State Public Secondary Schools.

The Inoyo Toro Foundation is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to the eradication of poverty through education. The foundation’s  annual awards for teaching excellence in Akwa Ibom State public secondary schools is focused on the achievements of teachers and rewarding them. The award is aimed at “restoring the integrity and pride of teachers, thereby motivating them to be more diligent in their work and producing better students.”

The foundation has been partnering with Accugas Limited, a subsidiary of Savannah Energy, for six years, with the latter remaining the sponsor of the highest awards category, “the Grand Mentor Award.”

Winners of that coveted category are rewarded with N500, 000 each. And at the 2022 award event in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, which coincided with the foundation’s celebration of its 15th anniversary, Accugas gave a total prize of N2.5 million to five teachers. Expectedly, Antia, who was one of the five teachers who were rewarded with N500, 000 each, was, indeed, excited.

“I want to appreciate Savannah and Inoyo Toro Foundation for this award. We see this award as our Nobel Prize. We know that the Nobel Prize is the highest prize an individual can have here on earth. This award will encourage us to work harder,” he said.

The other four lucky teachers, who shared in the N2.5 million prize money from Savannah Energy, included John Udoh (English); Ekpedeme Akpan (Mathematics); Joshua Effiong (Chemistry); and Akpan Inyang (Physics). The winners were selected by a panel, which rigorously reviewed the performances of teachers that participated in the selection process.

On the company’s initiative, the Head, Stakeholder Relations and Regional Manager, Southeast of Savannah Energy, Nigeria, Nkoyo Etuk, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Inoyo Toro Foundation to celebrate and reward teachers in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State who are making a verifiable impact in their schools.

“The teaching profession is a noble one, and we want to demonstrate that we appreciate the important roles that teachers play in shaping the minds, characters and lives of people in society. In addition to this, education is an important pillar of Savannah’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.

“This is why we have spent millions of naira to construct new classroom blocks, renovate classrooms, provide books and other teaching materials, equip laboratories, and fund key infrastructure across selected public schools in communities where we operate.”

As has been demonstrated by Savannah and other companies supporting the education sector, the task of revamping the education sector in Nigeria cannot be done by the government alone. More private sector investments and support are needed to restore the dignity of the teaching profession and improve the overall performance of teachers in Nigeria. Although Savannah’s gesture proved, once again, that the teachers’ reward can be reaped on earth, not only in heaven, it is not the first time a private organisation got involved in motivating teachers and driving the growth of education in Nigeria to complement the efforts of the government.

Before Savannah’s latest push to help change the fortunes of Nigerian teachers through a robust reward system and hopefully drive the growth and development of the education sector, several private organisations have been involved for some years in trying to motivate teachers and restore the dignity of the teaching profession.

Some of the private sector-led initiatives to reward and encourage teachers and also support the growth of the education sector include the Maltina Teacher-of-the-Year Award, the Cowbellpedia Prizes for Students, Teachers and Schools, and the Cadbury Bournvita Teachers’ Awards.

New template to revamp education beckons

Beyond the excitement of the Savannah Energy-sponsored award for teachers, which also coincided with last year’s edition of World Teachers’ Day, the event, once again, brought to the fore the need to leverage the initiative to address the declining standard of education in Nigeria, especially among public schools as reflected in the welfare of teachers, poor infrastructure in schools and underfunding of the education sector.

October 5 every year is marked as World Teachers’ Day to celebrate teachers around the globe. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) describes it as “a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally.”

In Nigeria, last year’s Teachers’ Day celebration was an opportunity to reflect on the standard of education, which has regrettably been declining, forcing many parents to send their children to private schools rather than public schools. One of the major factors responsible for the decline in standards in the country’s education sector is the inability of the various levels of government to fund public schools and motivate teachers adequately.

For instance, UNESCO recommends that at least 15 to 20 per cent of a country’s budget should be allocated to the education sector because education is the bedrock of national development. Unfortunately, that percentage of budget allocation has been observed only in the breach by successive administrations. Allocation to the education sector has languished below 10 per cent of the national budget for the past several years. The percentage allocation in the 2022 budget for education was 5.4 per cent, representing the sum of N92.79 billion from the N17.13 trillion total budgets – the lowest in seven years (2016–2022).

Interestingly, Nigeria’s highest allocation to education was N484.2 billion, representing 10.7 per cent of the 2015 budget, from a total of N4.5 trillion ($22.6 billion) budget. The underfunding of education over the years has resulted in poor infrastructure, lack of essential teaching equipment, ill-equipped libraries, inadequate training of teachers, low morale among teachers, and an increased number of out-of-school children, among others.

The 2019 Statista data published in February 2021 also showed that Nigeria has 13, 640 junior secondary schools and 27, 042 senior secondary schools. According to the database of teachers from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Nigeria has 2,108,342 registered teachers, with 1,250,000 licensed teachers as of Q2 2022.

While Nigeria, based on the TRCN data, appears to have a considerable number of teachers, a sizable number of these teachers have been found to be less than qualified. For instance, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, in 2018, ordered the sacking of 4,562 out of the 15,897 teachers that Kaduna State government newly recruited to replace the 22,000 unqualified teachers it sacked earlier in 2017.

There was also the case in Edo State where the former governor, Adams Oshiomhole, made a huge spectacle of the standard of the state’s education system when he identified a teacher who could not read her age declaration certificate after 20 years as a teacher. The embarrassing incident illustrated the deficit of qualified teachers in Nigeria. These cases may seem isolated, but not a few stakeholders believe that they reflect the state of the teaching profession in the country currently, especially in public schools.

And this was why President Muhammadu Buhari pledged to restore teachers and the teaching profession to their rightful position. This, according to him, will be by implementing the professional teaching and teacher qualification framework standards which will impact the performance of teachers and academic performance in schools.

During last year’s World Teachers’ Day celebration, Buhari said: “This government has commenced full implementation of the professional teaching and teacher qualification framework standards that will impact education outcome and teacher performance at the pre-school, basic, secondary and tertiary levels.”

The government has also introduced some initiatives which are aimed at improving the quality of education in Nigeria. These include the introduction of Universal Basic Education (UBE), the introduction of the education tax fund and the approval of a special salary structure for teachers.

On the welfare of teachers, the National President of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, at the same event, urged the federal government to fast-track the implementation of the 2020 incentives, and the new welfare packages promised to them two years earlier by President Buhari. Still, on the welfare of teachers, a development educationist, communication consultant, and Facebook Community Accelerator award winner in 2021, Dr Peter Ogudoro, advised the government and school owners to invest in teachers’ growth.

“Functional education delivered by highly-motivated teachers should be considered Africa’s route out of the pervasive poverty on the continent,” Ogudoro said. Will Ogudoro’s sound and incontrovertible argument hit the right chord in the ears of other private organisations and force them to borrow a leaf from Savannah Energy, Inoyo Toro Foundation, Nigerian Breweries, and Cadbury, among others, and invest in initiatives that reward teachers?

Will it encourage the government to walk the talk in improved budgetary allocation to the education sector? Time, they say, will tell. But unless and until this is done, the consensus of stakeholders is that succour may not come the way of Nigeria’s beleaguered education sector any time soon.

The turbaning ceremony of Alhaja Lateefat Yoyinsola Makanjuola as the Iya Adini Musulumi of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, and Alhaji Monsur Kehinde Alli-Balogun, as new lmam of the mosque was an elaborate event graced by de crème de la crème in the Lagos business and religious circuits. The event was also a moment to celebrate the life and times of their iconic progenitor, Alli-Oloko Balogun, whose legacies have continued to live and thrive 90 years after his demise. Associate Editor ADEKUNLE YUSUF reports

It was pomp and splendour when, on Sunday January 8, the entire Lagos Island and its environs stood still in celebration of the life and times of one of Nigeria’s wealthiest and influential businessmen. On that day, descendants of the late Alli-Oloko Balogun took advantage of the turbaning ceremony of two of the man’s great-great grandchildren to celebrate the legacies of their progenitor who literally still lives on after almost a century after his passage.

 The grand ceremony was organised by the Alli-Oloko Balogun Descendants’ Union to honour their own. Extolling the virtues of the late business magnate, Alli-Balogun’s offsprings took turns to reminisce on the legacies and achievements of the late philantropist and his impact on Lagos State and the Muslim community, especially with his imposing mosque built nearly a century ago.

 Alli-Balogun’s descendants spread across many generations of accomplished children and grand-children to great-great-great grandsons and daughters. Though it has been 90 years since the business genius passed away, his image and name still loom large among Lagosians.

 Indeed, Alli-Balogun bequeathed wealth and a good name that have lasted from generation to generation to his family and community. His children, grand-children to great-great-great grandsons and daughters have continued to extol the virtues of the legendary business tycoon by living up to his name in character, conduct and philanthropy.

 Alhaja Lateefat Yoyinsola Makanjuola, wife of Caverton boss, Mr Aderemi Makanjuola, is the great-great-granddaughter of the legend. Mrs Makanjuola, a renowned educationist, has impacted on many lives through her school, which she has run for many decades. Apart from impacting lives through her career exploits, Mrs Makanjuola has also imbibed the life of a philanthropist, just like her progenitor, by putting smiles on people’s faces.

A very loving, relatable, caring and generous woman, Mrs Makanjuola has continued to be true to herself with her down-to-earth attitude, with people saying she mixes freely with all irrespective of status, background or age. It was no surprise when the descendants found her worthy to bestow on her the title of Iya Adini Musulumi of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, thereby propagating her renowned business tycoon great-great-great grandfather’s love for Islam.

 Looking regal in a white flowing gown matched with green headgear and other clothing accessories at the occasion, the ever-smiling Alhaja Makanjuola was elated to accept the title. Speaking after her turbaning ceremony, she described Alhaja Makanjuola described Alli-Balogun as a legend.

 She said: “The occasion is significant because we remember our great legend. When we talk about someone that is specially chosen first by the Almighty Allah and the community, we will say my great-great-great-great grandfather was a legend.

 “It is a historic day for us as a family, which is why we put everything aside today to celebrate him. We are extremely excited that his offsprings are being turbaned as the Imam of the mosque he built almost over 100 years ago. He single-handedly built his mosque amid no other mosque around. It’s a matter of charity beginning at home when you have your own on top of things you built to glorify and worship Allah.

 “It is an everlasting legacy that we should have one of us to be part of ‘The League of Imams in Lagos State,’ and I pray that the Almighty Allah continues to increase his knowledge, and guide him right at all times.”

 On her turbaning, she said it came to her as a surprise as she had thought she was still young for the title. “But well I can see now that even the Imam of Lagos and our own newly installed Imam are quite young. That was why I accepted it. I am so elated and I feel honoured. I pray to the Almighty Allah to continue to guide me just to live the legacy and keep it going for our children coming behind us,” she said.

 The newly installed Imam of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, Alhaji Monsur Kehinde Alli-Balogun, gave all the glory to Almighty Allah for the new feat. “Although I never expected that I would become the Imam of the family, just as a popular saying goes, ‘if you are not chosen you can never become a leader.’ I thank God that I was chosen.

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  “I give glory to Almighty God, and I give thanks to my family for giving me this opportunity. I pray that the Almighty Allah continues to be with them and watch over them in all their endeavours,” she said.

 The Chairman, Alli-Balogun Descendants Union (an offspring of Alli-Balogun), Otunba Nurudeen Adegboyega Ojora-Adejiyan, said the family took three of Alli-Balogun’s left-overs to heart. “The good name, Alli-Balogun, must not be tarnished, including family bond and the edifice named Wasinmi Mosque.”

 Continuing, she said: “For the mosque, we saw that we do not have a choice, because the old man fought a battle at the Lagos Central Mosque, left the place reminiscences of Sunny Ade’s song, ‘…maja, masaa, lafinmo akinkanju loju ogun. He left the battlefield, with his Imam and supporters and moved to this site to build the mosque, as well as a befitting house for the Imam by the side of the mosque.

 “Unfortunately, since the mosque started its Islamic chores, it has not been blessed with a direct-blooded relative to be chosen as an Imam despite the strong Islamic learnedness of its family members. We are, therefore, thankful to Allah, and appreciative of the Muslim community of Lagos led by His Eminence, Alhaji Sheik Sulaimon Abu-Nolla, the Chief Imam of Lagos, for supporting the family’s quest on the nomination of our son from the Busari branch of the family, Alhaji Monsur Kehinde Alli Balogun, to be turbaned as the Imam of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque after almost 90 years of our patriarch’s death.

 “The descendants’ union will not be found wanting in being at the forefront of supporting the Lagos Central Mosque, its Ratibis at all times as well as keeping the Islamic relics bequeathed to us with Allah’s guidance in better shape.”

 Another offspring of Alli-Balogun and the Vice-Chairman, Alli-Balogun Descendants’ Union, Dr Gbolahan Alli-Balogun, said all through life, the name Alli-Balogun has served him very well in good stead and described the turbaning of his bloodline as historic. He said: “This event is a slice of Lagos history for several reasons. No Alli-Balogun has been an Imam in the mosque. It has always been an issue of succession, so to say.

 “But this time around, that succession has now fallen on Alli-Balogun for the first time. So, for me, it’s a slice of Lagos history and a very memorable occasion for us. It goes beyond having our bloodline among the League of Imams. The extent of support the Alli-Balogun family has offered the Lagos Muslim family, whether in the central mosque or otherwise, is enormous. And you could see part of that today that most of the people who were turbaned are Alli-Balogun’s offsprings.

 “You can see the extent they go to contribute to the maintenance of the mosque. And, as I said earlier, the mosque is in good shape. Three or four years ago, we carried out an integrity test, because here is a mosque that is 98 years old. And the structure is still fantastic and could last another 100 years. As it is now, it is in a very good shape.”

 The highpoints of the event was the official turbaning of the new Imam of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, Alhaji Monsur Kehinde Alli-Balogun, by the Chief Imam of Lagos State His Eminence Sulaimon Oluwatoyin Abu-Nolla. This was immediately followed by the turbaning of other chiefs, including Alhaja Lateefat Makanjuola as the Iya Adini Musulumi of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, and Alhaja Falilat Sanusi as the Otun Mogajia of Alli-Balogun Family by the newly installed Imam.

 The Imam also turbaned Alhaja Wasilat Ayoka Alli-Balogun as the Iyalode Adini of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, Alhaja Riskat Abeni Alli-Balogun as the Majeobaje Adini of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, Alhaja Kuburat Shokunbi as Arowose Adini of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, Alhaja Sikirat Adeola Olowookere as Agbesinga Adini of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque, and Alhaji Dawudu Omotoyosi Ibrahim as Sanmori Adini of Alli-Oloko Wasinmi Mosque.

 Reputed to be one of the wealthiest in his era, the late Alli-Balogun was synonymous with opulence, business acumen and humanitarian services. The renowned businessman, who was born in 1830 and died in 1933, touched all and sundry. And 90 years after the demise of the wealthy businessman, religious leader and politician in Lagos in the late 18th century, he has remained unforgettable.

The Agu-na Eche Mba Age Grade Association, Lagos State branch, recently celebrated the anniversary of the coming of age of its members, following the performance of the ‘iwa akwa’ cultural festival 20 years ago. The festival is a significant cultural milestone among the Obowu people in Okigwe North Local Government Area of Imo State. AMBROSE NNAJI examines the significance of the cultural rite in the development of the communities where it is practised

An adult male who has not performed the ‘iwa akwa’ cultural rite in Obowu, a community in Okigwe North Local Government Area of Imo State, is considered a toddler or one still suckling his mother’s breast. The ‘iwa akwa’ rite, which is symbolized by the wearing of a special cloth, is an induction of young men into adulthood.

It is a reference on which an adult man is determined in the community and rights, duties and responsibilities are assigned to such a person. For any male member of the community to participate in any form of communal affairs of governance, he must be inducted through the age grade system in the ‘iwa akwa’ festival. Anyone who dies without fulfilling this rite is usually buried the same day; the same way babies are buried because he has no place in the history of affairs of the community.

After the ceremony, the celebrant is admitted to several administrative organisations in the community such as the Umunna, the Aladinma and the Town Union. He can then be accepted as a mature man who can sit with the Council of Elders to discuss sensitive issues concerning the community.

An age-grade association of the community, the Agu-na Eche Mba Age Grade of Ikenanzizi Obowu, Lagos State Branch, recently commemorated the 20th anniversary of the performance of the cultural ritual. They gathered in their numbers to celebrate the anniversary and the developmental strides they have achieved in their various communities all these years. A member of the association, Marizu Ibewuiro said the cultural rite, which is usually held every three years, is peculiar to the Obowu community. He admitted however that some people are now emulating the cultural festival. Hence, ‘Ihite Uboma’ (formerly Ihite Etiti), Ehime Mbano, Isiala Mbano and some parts of Ahiazu Mbaise and Okigwe also do the cultural ritual.

Ibewuiro, who is the Head of Administration at Cayries Studio, an advertising agency, said members of the age grade association contribute to community development throughout their lifetime. He said most rural development projects in their communities, such as the construction of roads, bridges, schools, health centres, town halls and electricity projects, among others are usually carried out by communal efforts through the age-grade structure. He added that all these are for only those who have performed the ‘iwa akwa’ fiesta.

He also said that the ‘iwa akwa’ which is a reunion for many distant relations, friends and in-laws brings economic benefits to the community by the number of visitors and tourists that visit during the period. He however advocates the documentation of the rich cultural activities for future generations.

Ibewuiro, who hails from the Oboru community, said there is a lot of social insurance schemes derived from being a member of an age grade. He said: “In the event of joy, needs, emergency or misfortune, the age-grade gives a kind of social and economic cushioning on both their members and their families. And upon the death of an age grade member, his wife or child, the social effects are augmented as members rally round the family and assist in the burial activities.”

He stressed the need to harness the amount of money spent during the period. He said there is also a need to reduce the cost of the festival to the celebrants and their immediate families. He is of the view that those age grade members who have attended a certain age after their ‘iwa akwa’ festival be exempted from all communal levies, taxations, and labours and that at this exalted age, the role of these age grade should be advisory and ceremonial.

He said: “The uniqueness of ‘iwa akwa’ is the names people from that area answer that other people in Igboland don’t answer. These include names like Keke, Kafor, Korie, Konkwo. The names are unique to the environment of the people who do ‘iwa akwa’.”

Ibewuiro said ‘iwa akwa’ is an induction of young adults into adulthood. He said: “When you are inducted into adulthood, you can then take responsibilities; you can then perform certain rites that adults perform; you can then be among the council of elders in their meetings; and you can participate in administration in the community. At the same time, if you have not performed the ceremony, you’re not regarded in the community.”

He said members of the age-grade association in Lagos State are the set that performed their ceremony 20 years ago. He said: “When a child is born; women in the community jubilate to welcome the newborn. However, this comes with a distinct responsibility attached to it. According to tradition and depending on the sex of the newborn baby, if it’s a male child it means a ‘gun’ with the distinct responsibility of protecting the family and the community, and if it’s a female child, it’s about marriage and procreation, and from there they start growing up.

“The naming ceremony is what admits someone in that community. After the naming ceremony, the child is growing and if it’s a boy he is meeting his age mates, and there are certain economic activities they go together, and from there they know their mates. Again, there’s certain age they will reach and they will start forming the age grades in their various villages before they form the general or central age grade which is one part of the community’s main market for people living here and people living the other side.”

Ibewuiro said that it takes about nine years before the ceremony can be performed. He added: “In some communities that do information ceremony there’s one group that will reach to shoot the canon shot and the other group ‘that will display the sword, and that’s the final one to the ‘iwa akwa’. The ‘iwa akwa’ is very expensive. First, when you want to perform it, you call the cognate group; that is ‘Umunna’ to inform them that you want to perform the ceremony. You inform them by cooking food and telling them that your child wants to perform the ceremony. There’s a group that’s bigger, but the ‘Umunna’ will support the family for the ceremony.

“When you have performed the cooking of food you will know that you are now an adult member of a community, even if the person did not perform the procession in the market – if he dies before the procession – he will be buried as an adult in the community because he has fulfilled his responsibilities.  In addition, if you are the first son of your parents, you must go to your maternal home. To do this, you need to invite the ‘Umunna’, invite your age grade who will escort you to your maternal home; it’s a big funfair, and there will be food, drinks, and even canon shots. They will go to the village market of the community of the maternal home and run around that market of your maternal home. That means your daughter who was given out in marriage has a child that is of age to be an adult in a community; that’s the essence.”

Ibewuiro added that when the ceremony is to be performed, the maternal relations will come with a traditional musical group to escort their grandson in the procession of the market. He said: “In the past, they will bring seed yams for farming that you will plant because they want you to build your own home; they will bring goats, and chicken. It os only after the ‘iwa akwa’ ceremony that you are qualified to start building your own home.”

He said that the ‘iwa akwa’ is one of the cultural festivals that have survived various cultural onslaughts. He said the cultural rite establishes the important relationship between identity formation, history and the idea of belonging. He said every adult man belongs to an age grade and that the age-grade structure is the platform on which the administration of the community is based. For instance, he said that the community’s set of obligations, rights, responsibilities, entitlements, permissions, authorisations, duties, levies and development projects are done through the age-grade structure. He added: “The age-grade system creates oneness, progress, peace and unity and also propagates unselfish norms among members and the community in general. It also helps to maintain law and order and uphold public morality in the community.”

Nevertheless, the culture enthusiast said there is a need for the development of virtual socialisation because for the younger generation, particularly those born in the diaspora, socialisation mechanisms such as ‘Iwu akwa’ are no longer tenable. He, therefore, recommended that age-grade formation be channelled through some social networks, as it is known that they create awareness and make people take certain actions. This, he said, would encourage the young ones to register online, interact with their peers harmoniously and eventually lead to the formation of age grade that would last for a life time.

The first chairman of the age grade, Agu Chukwudi Onwumere recalled how they were initiated. He said: “I feel on top of the world. I remember 20 years ago when I first did the ‘iwa akwa’. In fact, it’s like I’m doing it over again. The difference is that now we have wives and we have children. That time, we were single and separate, but this time we all have our families.”

Onwumere said that the age grade is concerned about the welfare of one another. According to him, the age grade makes supplies for their members that have lost their beloved ones — the orphans and the less privileged — through the provision of food items of all kinds, as well as money. He also said that the age grade is shouldering the education of the orphan among them through scholarship. He said it is a must that the Agu-na Eche Mba age grade visits the motherless babies home at Achingali Obowu every December to give the children food, money and make sure that they are comfortable.

The former chairman said the age grade is embarking on the construction of a civic centre that would be used for commercial purposes. He said that the landed property has already been secured and that in the years to come the age grade association would have embarked on more visible investments that would benefit members both those in Lagos and at home.

Chukwudi Cornelius Onyekamma is also a member of the association. He said: “Today reminds me of 20 years ago that we celebrated our wearing cloth ceremony down there in Obowu. We just fixed this day (this occasion) for our wives, children to witness this great occasion because they were not opportune to witness it when we did it 20 years ago and also for our friends to witness what the tradition looks like. It’s not everyone that celebrated with us 20 years ago is opportune to be here today, but to God be the glory, we’re here today to celebrate it with our families and friends. So, we’re very grateful to God Almighty.

“Today, I will say we have achieved a lot because we are an age grade that normally looks forward to emulate good things that our seniors have been doing, so we have achieved a lot, most of us today are landlords, we are all married and we all have children and families. Every December we normally take good care of the less privileged in our community; even some widows and some orphans that’s what we normally do and we give free education to some as we can and that’s what we have been doing and we are hoping to do more.”

With the worst of the horrific 2022 floods seemingly over, the federal and state governments have another opportunity to plan for how to avert the devastation of what increasingly appears to be an annual disaster, ROBERT EGBE reports.

Eze Ogbugbulu remembers October 12, 2022, like it was yesterday. That was the day his community in Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State was cut off from the rest of the world. The bridge in Ogbaru linking the seven communities of Umunankwo, Mputu, Ogwuaniocha, Ossomala,  Obeagwe, Akili Ogidi, and Ogwuikpele caved in, leaving thousands trapped. The cause: a catastrophic flood that swept across the area, the state, and many other parts of the country.

 Ogbugbulu told The Nation that the bridge had been wobbling since the weekend before. Ogbaru was also the scene of a tragic boat mishap in October that claimed many lives. Thankfully, no life was lost in the bridge collapse.

For those who would customarily ignore the threat of floods or are oblivious to the dangers they portend, Ogbaru’s flood story must have been an eye-opener. Sadly, Ogbaru was only just one of the thousands of other places devastated by floods across the country this year.

 Apart from lost lives and damaged infrastructure, the impact of the flood on agriculture and food production has resulted in the loss of crops, livestock, and other essential agricultural infrastructures. According to a National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) report last October, 33 of 36 states in Nigeria experienced floods. More than 1.3 million people were reportedly displaced in different communities nationwide. Its crushing effects were more felt in states like Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kebbi, and Kogi in the North; while Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Anambra, and Bayelsa largely bore the effect in the Southern part of the country.

 In Jigawa, the flood-ravaged 138,442.36 hectares of farmlands, and displaced 1,554 farming communities across 22 local government areas of the state. In Nasarawa, 45,000 hectares of Olam Rice farm located in Rukubi Doma LGA was washed away, amounting to over $15 million lost, in addition to farmlands belonging to smallholders being submerged. The Federal Government estimated that over 600 persons died, 45,249 houses were totally destroyed and 70,566 hectares of farmlands were damaged.

According to the President, Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB), MR. Rotimi Edu, the flood disaster would lead to over one trillion naira in insurance claims. Edu told The Nation on October 27 at the Council’s 60th Anniversary Grand Ball and Night of Honours in Lagos, that the figure was not exact, adding that those that insured their properties would be adequately compensated.

Old problems linger as government warnings ignored

Mallam IbrahimDevastating floods have been an almost annual occurrence in recent years. The Rivers Niger and Benue overflowed their banks between July and October 2012 and within a space of three months, causing serious economic and health problems to those residing along their banks. Similarly, in October 2015, River Benue overflowed its banks, leaving over 300 houses and huts submerged with many families rendered homeless in the Makurdi area of Benue State, among others.

 Conscious of the problem, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, a government agency saddled among other mandates, with the responsibility of Weather Forecasting Services, Applied Meteorological Services, and Research and Training regularly issues alerts on the intensity of the rains and possible negative impacts, including floodings every year.

 Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme recently, Director-General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services, Clement Nze, disclosed that the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu had, in a letter he authored earlier in the year, informed state governors of the impending devastating floods of 2022, arising from NiMet’s report of February 15, 2022. “The Minister of Water Resources that gave the unveiling of the prediction, the annual flood outlook, issued warnings, issued letters to each state government in Nigeria and relevant ministries like agriculture, environment, and aviation, informing them of the specific locations in their states they should watch out for during the rainy season,” Nze said.

 Again, NiMet in August alerted that there would be heavy rainfall and possible flooding in six states in an impact-based weather forecast for August 30 to September 1, 2022. There is also evidence that NiMet, as far back as May 2013, urged officials, especially state governments, to plan ahead and avoid disasters, especially in flood-prone riverine communities. Ifeanyi Nnodu, then Director of Weather Forecasting Services, emphasised that while the agency cannot enforce its advice, state governments should give serious consideration to its advocacy.

 “Our duty is to give the prediction, then the other agencies of government who have enforcement powers should act. Where the people will have to be moved by force, they move them by force. If there is going to be a flood, with the level of awareness, definitely the loss of lives and property will be reduced. You cannot stop natural disasters from happening, just like you cannot stop a bird from flying over your head but you can prevent the bird from perching on your head,” Nnodu counselled.

Mallam Ibrahim

Have federal and state governments done enough?

Mallam IbrahimWould the disasters be as severe if everyone, especially governments acted proactively? Amidst claims that states dump their flood response responsibility on the laps of the Federal Government; questions have arisen about the responsibilities of sub-nationals in flood control management in view of their share of the ecological fund. Some stakeholders have also accused the government of not doing enough. They wonder, for instance, if the Federal Government has reneged on its promise to build a dam in Dasin Village of Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa State to control water from Lagdo Dam from neighbouring Cameroon. They argued that Nigeria was expected to build a similar dam along the River Benue to curtail the effects of the downstream water released from upstream by the Lagdo Dam on nearby Nigeria’s North-East states of Borno, Adamawa, and Taraba.

 But appearing before the Senate Committee on Water Resources on October 19, 2022, to defend the ministry’s 2023 budget, Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, distanced the Nigerian floodings from water release from the Cameroonian Dam. A Benin City, Edo State-based public health physician and retired Director/Chief Executive of Edo State Hospitals Management Agency, Dr. Peter Eguakun, believes the Federal Government can do better to control incessant flooding and mitigate damage to lives and property.

“The most cost-effective action, backed by a strong political will, is siting of a solid bumper dam in Nigeria down the course of the Lagdo Dam to cushion the effects of the release of water from the Lagdo Dam,” Eguakun said

 However, if, as the minister argued, the water fingered for the horrible flood experience this year had no direct linkage with Cameroon, experts argued that the solution must be home-grown and all-inclusive to have intentional inputs from the government at the centre and absolute commitment from state governments!

What Federal Government is doing to arrest the situation

 With the growing demand for the Federal Government’s intervention during this year’s flood disasters, Mallam Ibrahim, Permanent Secretary of the Ecological Project Office (EPO), faulted the argument that the Federal Government had not been doing enough. “Calls for the Federal Government to respond to all outbreaks of a natural disaster do not just display an understanding of Nigerian law,” he argued. He specifically tasked state governments to give an account of how they spent amounts over one trillion naira which accrued to them in three years from the Ecological Fund to tackle floods and other ecological problems in their respective states.

Records indicate that the 36 states and FCT received an excess of N1 trillion, representing 2.2 per cent of the total accruals for 2018, 2019, and 2023 for ecological and disaster management. Ibrahim in addition said that each of the three tiers, the local government, the state government, and the Federal Government has a sizable budget at its disposal, allocated monthly precisely for dealing with these state-level natural emergencies. “If those sums of money are, for whatever reason, no longer available, the affected states and local councils must immediately contact the relevant authorities to explain what has happened to those funds,” said Ibrahim.

 Ecological Fund

 Established in 1981 through the Federation Account Act 1981, on the recommendation of the Okigbo Commission, the Ecological Fund is an intervention Fund by the Federal Government to address the multifarious ecological challenges in various communities across the country and it has as part of its other responsibilities aside flood control, soil erosion; drought, desertification and coastal zone management and also pollution control.

 The Ecological Fund is 2.32 per cent of monthly accruals into the Federation Account. The prime objective of this initiative was to have a pool of funds that would be solely devoted to funding emergency ecological challenges nationwide. The Fund is shared between the Federal Government, States, and Local Governments including the Federal Capital Territory Area Councils. Out of this, 2.32 per cent the Federal Government has 1 per cent; states have 0.72 per cent while Local Governments take 0.60 per cent.

 Malam Ibrahim, during a media interactive session in Abuja on December 14, also shared some insights on what the Federal Government is doing. “The Federal Government has taken proactive measures by setting up ‘A Presidential Committee for the Development of a Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Prevention of Flood Disasters in Nigeria’ and EPO is also a member. The report of the Committee is expected to proffer recommendations on taming the menace. In addition, the Government has also directed relevant Agencies to provide immediate assistance to all the people and communities that were affected.”

He noted that the EPO “is resolute” in driving the Federal Government’s policy on ecological intervention and sustainability. It is our hope that as funding improves, we would be able to respond more in mitigating the ecological challenges of affected communities across the country.

 The need to act fast

 While devastating flooding is not a new experience across the country, the severity of this year’s experiences heightened awareness that unless unusual measures are deployed to arrest the situation, this year’s incidents could be child’s play. NCRIB President Edu proposed a solution to alleviate future devastating flood impacts on his industry

 “It is a time to implore the Federal and State Governments to convoke stakeholders’ engagement on the malaise and also factor in insurance into the management of disasters in the country, in order to free governments funds often expended on palliatives for other pressing public good. Our Council is open to such opportunity,” he said.

 Also, apart from the casualty figures, the sacked communities, and people that were rendered homeless and displaced, many farms were washed away with losses suffered by individual farmers and big names in agricultural production. About N100 billion was estimated by the Director General of the Federal Emergency Road Management Authority, FERMA, to rehabilitate roads affected by floods nationwide for this year.

 Stakeholders say this makes it important for subnational governments to reconsider their Ecological Fund spending strategy and deployment to necessary and critical sectors in a manner to significantly avoid, reduce and mitigate the impact of unavoidable flooding should a repeat of the 2022 experience presents itself in 2023, after all, the climate change menace is still here with us.

 To avoid similar emergencies as witnessed this year, state governments must stop seeing the Ecological Fund as an extension of free funds that could be diverted for other uses; deliberately prepare to forestall recurrence by embracing audacious town planning to resettle disaster-prone communities; heed and act on early warnings and offer needed support to save life, property and the environment will the devastations.

 Another recommendation by stakeholders is for the Federal Government to take advantage of the breathing phase to dredge the Benue and Niger Rivers in line with experts’ demands for the rivers to gain more depth that can soak the volume of municipal and cross-border waters which have destroyed livelihoods and brought pain and agony to many homes.

What began as a local crisis in Borno State years ago has evolved into a hydra-headed monster that has enveloped the entire North-east parts of the country, with wanton destruction, massive human displacement and loss of thousands of lives to show for it. However, slowly and steadily, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) is rebuilding the insurgency-ravaged region in order to restore normalcy, reports Managing Editor (Editorial Services) LAWAL OGIENAGBON

MAIDUGURI, the Borno State capital, is not tagged the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency for nothing. It was where what the Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Prof Aliyu Shugaba, called “this madness,” which started 13 years ago. For the greater part of these years, Maiduguri was under siege. Insurgents raided the city day and night without let or hindrance. The attacks began when Mohammed Yusuf, the young leader of Boko Haram, was killed in police custody in July 2009.

Following his death, members, who initially were busy campaigning against Western education, turned into a deadly group that intensified attacks on the city, turning it upside down. They left death and destruction in their trail. When the security agencies turned the heat on them, the insurgents took to the vast Sambisa Forest, which straddles several states in the North-east. From the forest, it continued to launch attacks on homes, schools, mosques, churches and public buildings. The insurgents liked attacking schools because of their aversion for education as signified in their name: Boko Haram (education is a sin).

In their desire to obliterate education, they invaded schools and abducted hundreds of pupils. Their invasion of two girls’ schools in Borno and the neighbouring Yobe states in 2014 and 2018 leaves a sour taste in the mouth till today. Some of the girls are still in captivity. Many of them have become mothers since they were married off to some members of the deadly sect. The case of one of them, Leah Sharibu, is pathetic. Leah was among the 110 girls abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, on February 19, 2018. After a lengthy negotiation, it was agreed that the insurgents would release the girls. All of them were released except Leah, who was said to have refused to renounce her faith. She has since been married off and is said to have become a mother.

Some four years earlier, the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, had suffered the same fate – being the first Nigeria would witness such level of mass abduction of students by terrorists. In the dead of night, insurgents stormed the school and abducted over 200 pupils from their hostels, carting them away on motorcycles. Similar raids were carried out on many other schools, which went unreported as those invasions were routine then. Farms were not spared. The insurgents raided them with impunity, seizing money, men and materials. Whenever they were hungry, the insurgents rode into the farms, lined up the farmers and their families, and demanded what they called ‘protection fee.’ They did this after raiding the farms of crops and cattle. The insurgents were in control of many local governments in Borno and in the other North-east states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.

These states became ghost towns in the wake of the insurgency. Despite the deployment of troops, the insurgents were still raiding many villages and hoisting their flag there to prove that they are in charge. People fled their homes to seek succour elsewhere. The one-year mandatory National Youth Service for graduates suffered. Many parents objected to their children being posted not only to the North-east, but anywhere in the entire North. Holding elections there became a risk. But the region cannot be abandoned. It remains an integral part of the country despite its security challenges, which impacted other states of the federation where insurgency victims fled to. Through the efforts of the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), the many internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in the North-east are giving way. Many of such camps in Borno are being shut down following the building of houses for the IDPs by the government and the NEDC, which was established in 2017 to reconstruct, rebuild and rehabilitate the region.

Where does NEDC begin from, considering that even during the best of times, the region was lagging behind in many indices of development? In his presentation during a media chat at the NEDC head office in Maiduguri, its Managing Director, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, noted that the already fragile and poorly performing regional economy went into a spiral decline following insurgency. According to him, before the advent of insurgency, the zone’s human development index (enrolment data, child mortality, harmonised test scores, stunting rates, adult mortality, etc.) was among the worst in the country. Over three years after the coming of the NEDC board chaired by Maj. Gen Paul Tarfa (rtd) in 2019, the agency has initiated a systemic reintegration of the region into the larger union to give its people a sense of belonging and oneness. The vision, Alkali noted, is for “a thriving peaceful region levelled up with productive economic shifts for enhanced outputs, inclusive growth and self-sufficiency.”

Read Also: CDS: Nigeria has lost 100,000 lives, spent $9b on Boko Haram insurgency

The NEDC has developed a 10-year masterplan, with 11 pillars, that will be implemented in four phases for turning around the region. Alkali said the cost of implementation as at last June was N31.05 trillion (about $80 million). This means that as the exchange rate rises, so will the implementation cost rise. The implementation phases are recovery and stabilisation, 2020 – 2022, renewal, 2022 – 2024, expansion, 2024-2026 and sustainable growth, 2026 – 2030. The pillars on which the masterplan are anchored are: peaceful society, leadership in agriculture, healthy citizens, educated populace, flourishing trade, productive entrepreneurs, purposeful infrastructure, industrialisation, memorable experiences, protected environment and connected region. To beat Boko Haram in its own game, NEDC is stepping up the building and development of schools. It plans to build 18 mega schools, comprising primary and secondary schools, in the 18 senatorial districts in its six member-states for N21.6 billion. There are three senatorial districts in each of the states. NEDC, Alkali said, was investing in education because it is the fastest way of opening up a society and enlightening the people.

The agency’s impact is being felt in all parts of the region. New houses, clinics and other social amenities are springing up everywhere. Higher institutions too are benefiting from NEDC. The commission has set up the Centre for the Study of Violent Extremism (CSVE) at UNIMAID. During a tour of the centre, Shugaba argued that with the coming of the institute, scholars would be able to address the root cause of “this madness,” which has been with us for 13 years. “We must know why this madness reared its head, what can be done to curtail it and ensure that we do not have this kind of madness anywhere again in any part of the country.” He said the university had begun research and innovative programmes to tackle insecurity following the devastating effects of insecurity in Borno and its environs.

The university, he explained, is working with some stakeholders in the area of research and development, adding: “in recent years, we have started recording success in research; we have about five patents and we have a breakthrough in registering the patents. We are now looking at their commercialisation.” The Vice Chancellor said Maiduguri was now safe, as more lecturers were taking up jobs with the university. He asked the NEDC for more assistance, a request which Tarfa asked Alkali to “please, grant.” NEDC is also adding new structures to the maternity clinic and the Burns Centre at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). State-of-the-art equipment worth millions of naira have also been installed in both facilities.

For NEDC, the rehabilitation of the region cannot be compromised because of the inherent implications. If nothing is done, especially for the homeless and the children who became orphans because of insurgency, the future of the country cannot but be imagined, Alkali said at the North-East Children’s Trust School, also known as the Learning Centre, where the orphaned are schooling. Hundreds of children in cream and blue uniform filled the school hall on December 6 during a tour of the facility. “This is the only way to help them get over the trauma of seeing their parents and guardians being killed. We do not want these children to grow up and take up arms against the society,” he said.

Earlier at the Government House, Governor Babagana Zulum had asked reporters about their impression of Maiduguri. “I know that you have been going around the state. What is your impression?” Without waiting for their answer, he said: “You can see that Borno is now safe.” He explained that security had improved since he assumed office on May 29, 2019, and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for helping in this regard.  “Insurgency has reduced by 90 per cent; the roads have become motorable; commercial activities, farming and allied businesses have resumed. People are moving around without any fear whatsoever,” the governor said. He solicited for more media support to enable him bring more dividends of democracy to the people, saying journalists have a major role to play in moving the nation forward.

He gave a bitter-sweet account of his stewardship so far. Zulum, a professor of soil and water engineering, said it had not been easy restoring law and order in the state. The governor said he hardly slept for four, five hours at night when he first assumed office, adding that things were now getting better. “Go around and see for yourselves; everywhere is safe. You do not have anything to fear when you are in Borno. All that was in the past; we have put that behind us. Your safety and security are guaranteed in Borno. I solicit for your support to address the other challenges of my people. My main task is to tackle poverty. We must move our people out of poverty,” Zulum said. Alkali believes that this is achievable under the “brand new” North-east envisaged by NEDC. With your (referring to the media) support, Alkali said, North-east shall rise again.