Category: Abuja Review

There have been conflicting reports over the killing of a journalist, Alex Ogbu, while covering a protest in Abuja. His family and friends alleged that he was felled by police bullets, but the police said he fell and hit his head against iron. NICHOLAS KALU reports

 

When Mr Alex Ogbu left for work on January 21, 2020, little did he know that he would not see his wife and two-year-old daughter again.

A journalist and one of the founding members of Regent Africa Times Magazine and Regent Africa Online, Ogbu died under very controversial circumstances during a protest by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) on said day. It was around the popular Berger Roundabout in Abuja.

There was the usual pandemonium as the police tried to contain the protesters. According to witnesses, gunshots rang out, there was pandemonium, and after the dust had settled, a motionless body was discovered on the ground. It was that of Ogbu, who was on duty to cover the protest.

Ogbu’s friends and family members alleged that he was killed by a policeman’s bullet. But some policemen at the scene claimed that he fell and hit his head against some hard object during the melee.

According to the FCT Police Command, the police had restored calm around the area after the violent protest. The police claimed that the protesters had gone violent, attacking innocent citizens and police operatives with dangerous weapons.

The statement, signed by the spokesman for the Command, DSP Anjuguri Manza, said: “As a result of the unfortunate incident, one person who sustained an injury and was rushed for medical attention has been certified dead by doctors on duty.”

As parties await the outcome of the autopsy on the corpse by the National Hospital, Abuja, family and friends of the fallen journalist are still struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of their loved one.

They are said to be praying and hoping that there would be no cover-up and that justice would be served in the end.

For the late Ogbu’s widow, Francisca, it is a period of emotional and psychological trauma. The family’s breadwinner is gone. Her situation is made worse by the blame game over who was responsible for her husband’s death.

Francesca, who is an N-Power volunteer, said she needs a paying job to enable her take care of herself and her little daughter. The N-Power engagement, she said, cannot pay the basic bills.

Mr Shola Akingboye, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Regent Africa Times Magazine and Regent Africa Online, described the late Ogbu as an old friend. Akingboye said the late Ogbu stood for objectivity and that he never practised what he described as “guerrilla journalism”.

Akingboye expressed concerns over alleged shoddiness in the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of his colleague.

In a chat with The Nation, he said his association with Ogbu dated back to 2009 when the deceased was the Editor of the defunct African Herald Newspapers. He said he and the deceased teamed up to establish their publications in 2018.

Akingboye said Ogbu’s death has created a vacuum in the lives of many, particularly members of his family and his professional colleagues.

He deplored the buck-passing over the man’s death, saying the initial report was that Ogbu was felled by police bullet while in another breath, the same police claimed that he fell and hit his head against iron.

“Meanwhile, in setting the record straight as a team of journalists, we put up our team to gather eyewitness accounts at the scene. Some of those who spoke confided in us that the police shot Alex in the head.

According to them, he was capturing the use of live ammunition by the policemen on the protesters on his mobile phone when he was shot by the police.”

Akingboye said he accompanied some relatives of the dead journalists to examine his corpse at the morgue. “The big hole in his head leaves much to questions if iron could pierce into a human skull with such a wide-open wound akin to that of a bullet hole.

In order not to preempt their investigations however, we advised Alex family to allow for the release of the result of the autopsy conducted on him before we take further actions on the matter.

But I hope the police authorities would come out clean on the autopsy report. The family has no financial capacity to hire an independent pathologist. We all have to rely on anything they give us.”

Ogbu’s widow told our correspondent that the police have been apologising to her, but maintained that such apologies would not help her situation in any way.

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She said: “The police should take responsibility. They have just been saying sorry. Is it that I kicked my leg or I fell? I am tired of their apologies because that is not the solution.

The police would never admit it is their fault. If not, I would have loved some form of closure and admittance to what has happened.

“At least, let them own up by saying ‘Oh we went for a raid and mistakenly shot your husband. We are sorry. Take this and try and see what you can do with this to survive. If they take responsibility, it would offer some kind of closure to me.”

She, however, said she’s waiting for the autopsy result, which ought to have been released before now. She is irked by claims that her husband fell and hit his head and died.

“We initially read that he fell and hit his head. That is what the police at Utako was saying. They were probably thinking it is something they can get away with.

I don’t know how it is possible to cover up a bullet wound by saying he slipped and fell. How can a mature man fall and die like that, when he did not have a stroke. One policeman was saying maybe he had epilepsy. There is nothing I have not heard,” she said.

Meanwhile, the FCT Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed sadness over the death of Mr Ogbu, and demanded an in-depth investigation into the circumstances that led to his tragic death.

Chairman of Council, Emmanuel Ogbeche, in a statement, said it seemed to have become a pattern for journalists covering protests in Abuja to be targeted, with tragic outcomes.

The statement said: “It is heart-rending to know that yet another journalist was felled in this seeming unending orgy of bloodletting in Abuja and other parts of the country.

We at the NUJ are now asking if this is a pattern where journalists become victims in the legitimate pursuit of their profession as reporters?”.

Ogbeche recalled the tragic death of another journalist, Precious Owolabi, some seven months ago. Owolabi, a youth corps member attached to Channels Television, was cut down in his prime while covering protests by the same Shiites.

The NUJ chair said: “We demand that the FCT Police Command commence an investigation into this death and ensure that the officer(s) involved in this killing faced the full weight of the law.

The police should know that any investigation without the inclusion of the union and the National Human Rights Commission will amount to an exercise in futility.

“The NUJ will hold the police hierarchy responsible if justice is not served in this matter. We will ensure that if the Nigerian state fails as it has continued to demonstrate, we will explore diplomatic channels to ensure that those who harass, intimidate and kill any journalist under any guise are made to bear the brunt of such objectionable conduct.”

According to Ogbeche, a society that makes a victim of journalists cannot make much progress as journalism thrives in an environment of safety, stability and sanctity of the rule of law.

But the FCT Command said the matter was still under investigation.

Worried by the growing traffic snarls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the authorities have taken steps to stem the ugly trend. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports.

 

As the seat of the Federal Government, the global eyes are on every part of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). There is an urgent need for an effective transport policy that will compete favourably with other developing countries across the world.

Apart from major hotspots in the nation’s capital, the Central Business District (CBD) is said to be the main focus of the government. The ubiquitous commercial motorcyclists are not permitted to operate anywhere near the CBD while delivery motorcycle riders plying the route are made to follow strict traffic rules.

Other parts of the FCT present different stories in terms of transport system. All forms of informal transportation are gradually turning the capital city into a rowdy entity.

The daily influx of people into the capital city and its satellite towns and settlements is begging to take the heavy toll on the transport system, particularly intracity transport.

Avoidable and unnecessary traffic congestion along major arterial roads has become a daily nightmare. The roads become one big bedlam as motorists and other road users ignore traffic rules.

Pedestrian walkways are not spared by desperate drivers who would do everything to beat the traffic. In most parts of the city centre, pedestrian bridges and zebra crossings are ignored by impatient drivers.

Driving against traffic, overloading by commercial vehicles, parking in wrong places have all combined to worsen the situation.

It is against this backdrop that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, mobilised the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) to address the chaos. A total of 22 operational utility vehicles and 60-speed motorcycles have been provided to aid the task.

Our correspondent gathered that the task is being undertaken in collaboration with relevant government agencies. These include the Nigerian Police Force, the Civil Defence, the Directorate of State Services and of course, the Federal Road Safety Corps.

 

The FCT lacked a functional and reliable public transportation system

The most important requirements for the smooth running of a large city is a functional and reliable public transportation system.

The system in place has failed to meet the transport needs and challenges of all categories of people. This has placed Abuja on the list of city with high motor accident rates, second only to Lagos.

Read Also: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Traffic diversion on ‘Kara’ Bridge begins Tuesday

 

While unveiling the newly acquired vehicles and motorcycles, the Minister warned officials against abuse of office while discharging their duties.

Bello said his administration will not protect any public officer who indulges in abuse of the power and privileges attached to such office.

The minister noted that the acquired vehicles and motorbikes were to support the administration’s revived transportation and traffic management strategies, aimed at enhancing traffic free flow and security within the territory.

He warned DRTS officials to handle their duties with utmost diligence and in accordance with extant rules.

The minister added that the government would hold violators individually and collectively responsible for misuse of the vehicles, and that they would be made to face the law where a case of abuse of office is established.

He said: “We have been informed by experts that the cause of these road accidents in Abuja is not bad roads. As a matter of fact, the accidents occur because the roads are very good and this is a pity because good roads are meant to make it easy for citizens to operate on them. They are not meant to make citizens be more accident-prone.”

The minister further noted that one of the major challenges the FCT administration is facing has to do with implementing an efficient and safe transport policy.

The motoring public, he noted, do not obey traffic rules and regulations. “We still have many drivers in the city and surrounding satellite towns who operate vehicles that are not road worthy or who do not operate their vehicles the way they should be operated.

They break all traffic rules and regulations, making the roads unsafe for other law-abiding citizens.

The FCT Administration will continue to insist and ensure that all operators of motor vehicles, motorcycles, articulated trucks and in areas where they are allowed, tricycles, are all done with the existing laws and regulations.”

The minister assured that transport gaps necessitated by the ban on tricycles in some parts of the city would be filled. According to him, talks are ongoing with some companies in the private sector, with a view to having them deploy vehicles for taxis and to provide buses where necessary.

The Acting Director, FCT Transportation Secretariat, Mrs. Alice Odey-Achu, also said the newly unveiled operational vehicles and motorbikes would enable the secretariat to cover more areas in traffic management.

Odey-Achu, who was represented by Director of Traffic Management, Mr. Okon Etim, urged the administration to try and implement Urban Traffic Control (UTC) system in the city.

He said: “There is a need to implement Urban Traffic Control (UTC) System in the city where all traffic light signals will be co-ordinated for the free flow of traffic. The system will have a dual function of controlling traffic and detection of crimes.”

For killing a policeman on lawful duty, the chief and residents of an otherwise peaceful Ushafa community can no longer sleep. NICHOLAS KALU writes on the face-off between the police and the community.

 

The chief and some residents of the otherwise peaceful Ushafa community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been accused complicity in the killing of a police officer, Eric Isaiah.

The victim, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, was in a police back up team that was deployed as reinforcement when the initial police team came under attack.

The first team of policemen was detailed to arrest one Moses Peter a.k.a Dogo for allegedly killing a member of the community, Moses Emmanuel.

The late Emmanuel was reportedly hit with a shovel at a construction site over a disagreement with Dogo and a few others. The police authorities said the incident, happened on Thursday, January 21, 2020.

According to police report, one Dominic Emmanuel, a brother to the deceased artisan, had reported an attack on his brother at the Bwari Division.

A team of policemen that was dispatched to the scene met the injured man in a critical condition. The police team had rushed him to the nearest hospital for medical attention, but the young man had died while receiving treatment.

However, the deceased was able to give vital information to the police on his hospital bed before he passed away.

According to the police, the deceased mentioned Moses Peter a.k.a Dogo and one John whose full name was not given, as his attackers.

On January 23, 2020, members of the police team that were sent to arrest Dogo and John were reportedly obstructed by some youths in the community.

They had insisted that Dogo be taken to the palace of the Ushafa chief before the police could take him away. John could not be found anywhere.

As the argument became heated, the police team agreed to take Dogo to the chief’s palace, from where they would proceed to the police station.

On getting to the palace, the policemen had met one Danlami Busa who introduced himself as a secretary at the palace. However, the chief, Alhaji Mohammed Baba, was said to be in his bedroom, as it was already late. But the police team had insisted on seeing and briefing the chief about their mission.

The chief, whose age was put at 80 years, could not be persuaded to come out to receive the visitors. The situation degenerated into an argument as a large number of youth in the community was said to have stormed the palace.

Unable to see the chief, the police team decided to take Dogo to the station. And that was when trouble started.

The police team was said to have been harassed by the youth who were bent on obstructing Dogo’s arrest.

The policemen were said to have come under attack, necessitating a call for back up.

The police division had to send a reinforcement team with a Toyota Hilux van.

The reinforcement team was similarly attacked by the angry youths, whose number was said to have increased as the standoff persisted.

The policemen were outnumbered and were forced to escape being lynched. In the ensuing melee, ASP Isaiah was fatally injured and could not make it to the hospital before he died.

 

Conflicting accounts

While the police said ASP was attacked and killed at the palace of the chief, members of the community said the policeman was killed far away from the palace.

In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said Isaiah was killed at the palace of the Chief of Ushafa, Alhaji Mohammed Baba around 9pm on the fateful day.

The police had since arrested and detained the community chief and his secretary.

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The police spokesman had said in his statement, “The chief’s secretary, Danlami Busa ‘m’ at the instance of the Chief, Alhaji Mohammed Baba ‘m’ incited the crowd, who descended heavily on the two detectives.

As a result, a re-enforcement team led by late ASP Eric Isaiah, Patrol and Guard officer in the Bwari Division, with three others, were deployed and they arrived the scene with a police Hilux vehicle which was used to rescue the two officers who escaped with the suspect, Moses Peter aka Dogo.

“Sadly, the crowd brutally attacked and murdered ASP Eric Isaiah in cold blood after inflicting various degree of injuries on other members of the team, who narrowly managed to escape with their lives.”

But the residents insisted he was not killed within the vicinity of the palace. They were also vehement that the chief could not have sanctioned the killing of the cop.

Some members of the community, who spoke with our correspondent, accused some people, who were not indigenous to the community, of the killings. According to them, the Ushafa community was peaceful and accommodating, which was why they had a lot of non-indigenes living among them.

Another resident of the community, Adamu (not real name) said the policeman was killed far away from the palace, close to a popular hotel in the area. According to him, shortly after the incident, the police had come back and randomly arrested some persons there.

“At this moment, we are apprehensive. You know what can happen when a policeman is killed in the place. I remember how people used to run up and down each time they hear the police are coming.

“Seriously, I don’t know what happened. What I know is that the policemen came to arrest one suspect. They arrested him and went to the chief’s palace at night but the chief could not come out.

He does not normally come out at night. The policemen left with the suspect when they could not see the chief.

Already, some persons were resisting the arrest. They said they would not allow the policemen to go with the suspect.

When they had gone away from the palace close to where they were about to leave the community, they started fighting the policemen. That is how they said they killed the police there.

The incident occurred when you cross one small bridge. The other policemen escaped.

“We are very peaceful in this community. I have to say that those who attacked the policemen were wrong. No matter what happens you don’t go to that extent. It was very bad. They should have gone to the station and sorted it out.

So people are now living in fear. I am not sure if they went with the suspect or not. I don’t think the chief incited the people. It was not true. Even what I read in the news was that it was in the chief’s palace that they killed the policeman.

It was wrong. It was not there. Even that day, I went to the chief’s palace when I heard such a thing happened. The people I saw said it was not there,” Adamu said.

 

Traders in the newly constructed Kubwa ultra-modern market have relocated to the roadsides over what they described as exorbitant prices being demanded by the authorities for the sale and rent of units of the shops. FRANCA OCHIGBO reports

 

The much-awaited kubwa market shopping complex is finally completed and it is expected that traders will start paying and moving in. However, the traders are shunning the shops as a result of high price tags on rents and sale per unit of the shops.

The old market, which used to be a crowded and unplanned mass, was demolished some four years ago. And while construction work was on the new one was ongoing, the traders, who were then sold by the roadsides and the ones selling close to the old market site, were encouraged to start paying on instalments.

They were assured that those that made down payments would own the shops after the complex. It was an open-ended arrangement as the authorities did not name any rent or sale price for each of the shop units at the time.

A few of the traders complied and made payments on instalments as work progressed. Now that the market is completed, only a few can afford the N1,000,000 outright sale price and the N300,000 annual rent per unit being demanded by the authorities.

In keeping to the agreement, a few of the traders who made down payment in instalments to the tune of N1,000,000 had been given the shops. However, a majority of them can neither afford the N1,000,000 sale price nor the N300,000 per annum rent.

A cosmetic seller, Nura Abdullahi, complained to our correspondent during her visit, that owing to the prevailing poor business environment, most of the traders cannot afford the rent, not to talk of the sale price.

Mrs. Ngozi Chukwuka who sells sewing materials is among the few that paid up the N1,000,000 sale price by instalments. When asked how she is coping, she smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “My sister this is what we are paying.

You can see that many of the shops are empty. A lot of people cannot afford the price. In my case, I started paying when the market was under construction, so by the time they finished I completed the payment and moved in”, Mrs Chukwuka said.

Mallam Abdullahi Wada, a foodstuff seller said he rented the shop for N300,000, stressing, however, that so far, profit from sales can hardly offset the rent. It’s Wada’s first rent and he is hopeful that with time, he would be able to recoup his investment on the rent.

He revealed that total sales per day his new shop have not been different from what he used to realise while still selling by the roadside previously.

Most of the traders who can neither afford the rent or sale price have continued to operate in the open space around the market. Each of them pays N300 per month per slot wide enough to accommodate their wares.

H&I Construction Limited, the property developers that built the market complex, however, denied the traders claims that the shops sell for N1,000,000 each.

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A representative of the firm, Ahmad Mahmud, said that shops in Kubwa normally sell for about N300,000 and that rent can be as low as N50, 000 per annum.

In a chat with our correspondent, Mahmud said there are smaller slots in the open space, measuring five square metres that sell for N500,000 per space/slot. He revealed that the slots are demarcated and they are given to whoever paid the specified sum for keeps.

Mahmud further stated, “We are property developers so we are not used to rental business. We only sell to people who are interested in buying. When you buy, either the shop or space/slot, it becomes yours.

We can only advise the owners of the complex or shops to reduce price, either for the sale or rental. But we are not in the business of renting the shops out.

The company representative, however, said most of the traders still prefer selling by the roadsides although a good number of then have shops inside the market complex.

“They prefer selling on the roadsides so they can be ahead of their colleagues in the market. Some of them go as far as blocking fellow traders from displaying their goods as the competition out there is keen.

“When we started building, the people that were in the market before the demolition were the first to be allowed to pay. The arrangement was that as soon as the building was completed, they will be the first to take their shops before outsiders could start buying.”

The incursion of the traders into the roads have thrown up several challenges for motorists, commuters and shoppers using the market.

Human and vehicular congestion has been causing traffic snares around the market areas. Attempts made by the authorities to address the traffic situation had been defied by the traders. The nuisance has spilt to other roads around the entire market area.

“We had to draw the attention of ministerial task force, the area council and the developers to force the traders into the market. It was not a small fight for them to come and start using the market as many of them resisted the move. As we push, they push back against the police, area council officials and our security men.

“As for their re-organisation inside the market, we had to form unions among the traders. For each product being sold, there is a union chairman. That way, we believe we can curtail their being scattered around.

All the people that bought shops when the building started have all been given their shops. As soon as you complete your payment you are given your shop”, the representative of the developers said.

Jabi Lake is an artificial lake initiated by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a tourist and recreational centre. But the project has been neglected since its creation in 2007, with the facility attracting all manners of criminal elements to itself. However, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has stepped in, raising hopes in Abuja residents for a world-class tourist centre. TONY AKOWE reports.

 

The creation of Jabi Lake was seen as an answer to the yearnings of many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for a decent tourist and recreational centre they so much desired.

However, residents watched helplessly as the artificial lake, which occupies a vast expanse of land within the Jabi District, continued to suffer neglect shortly after it was created in 2007. As the years went by, expectations of the resident for a decent place for relaxation started giving way to despair.

The facility has continued to attract vagrants and miscreants to itself, as the authorities failed to put things in place. And instead of attracting tourists from different parts of the world, Jabi Lake has become a haven for undesirable elements of different shades.

A giant plaque inside the resort, which now serves more like a place where people come to do exercise and engage in sporting activities, gives a clear indication that the facility is being underutilised. Some sections around the lake have become a no-go-area for residents, particularly at night.

Sporting activities still take place at the centre in the mornings and evenings as residents use it for physical fitness exercises. Table tennis, snooker boards and other sporting equipment adorn the place. Fun seekers also use the place for one activity or the other, particularly during festive periods.

However, the Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the government agency saddled with the responsibility of overseeing waterways in the country, has shown interest in taking over the place and bringing it back to what it was originally designed for – a world-class tourist centre.

Managing Director of the Agency, Chief George Moghalu, said the plan is to develop the Jabi Lake Resort into an international resort centre that will attract people from across the world.

While on an unscheduled visit to the lake last week, Moghalu said, “I came here on an official visit to look at Jabi Lake and see what can be done to develop the place and build on the potential because this is a fantastic place with great potential.

“We want to partner with private investors and the FCT to develop the area so that it can be what it should be, just like what you find oversees.

The waterway is lovely and we want to develop it and make it a tourist centre so that apart from the revenue it will attract, people can have a place to go for relaxation. So, there is a lot that we want to do with this place.”

Moghalu, who until his appointment was the National Auditor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said there is a lot that has been planned for Jabi Lake by his agency because there is no standard resort for relaxation in Abuja aside facilities that exist in conventional hotels.

After assessing the place, the NIWA boss said there is a lot that can be done with the artificial lake, including having a standard restaurant and a floating bar over the lake. According to him, there is also room for a floating event centre where people can hold their parties, a club and other recreational facilities.

Moghalu said, “We want to recreate the environment. Apart from the money that can be generated for the government, it will provide people with the opportunity to come and relax over the weekend.

There is a way to develop this Jabi Lake and people will be coming from outside the country just to come and see it. When you develop and publicise it, it will attract interest.”

He disclosed that NIWA is currently discussing with several private sector concerns, to get them involved in the development of the resort.

Continuing, he said: “We have spoken to quite a several people. There is an American company that wants to bring ferries. They are planning a floating restaurant on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. You can imagine what a world-class floating restaurant will look like. They are talking about ferry services that will be ferrying people around.

“There is quite a lot we can do all over the country and Jabi Lake is just one of the many sites we have identified. We are talking with various interest groups and apart from generating income for government and our authority, it will create employment opportunities for Nigerians who need to be employed.”

The NIWA boss further revealed that discussions were ongoing to identify many other things that can be put in place at the lake. He said, “Moving into a site is a process because you first identify what you wants to do.

Secondly, you allow the PPP arrangement to come in and you discuss the terms, agreements are signed and the necessary approvals given. For example, we need to collaborate with the FCT authorities, talk with them and exchange ideas and marry our thinking with their own.”

Moghalu, is, however, worried about encroachment into the land belonging to the agency within the Jabi District. But he assured that NIWA has no immediate plan to demolish any property developed on its land. But he warned that there are consequences for such actions.

He said, “It is not my intention to demolish any structures except where they are life-threatening or where they have caused a total abridgement of the master plan. It is not within the agency’s mandate to determine whether there is an infringement.

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But for the fact that they have infringed, they are liabilities. So, for you to regularise your documentations in observed cases of infringement, there are fees to be paid, there are liabilities to go with that and it has to be paid.”

However, the lake has become an eyesore as it is presently littered with debris such as used water bottles, empty cans and used cellophane bags.

The surrounding is also overgrown with weeds that need to be cleaned up. Commercial activities are still going on in the vicinity of the lake with several shopping malls, including the retail giants, Shoprite running an outlet close to the lake.

The issue of security is another thing that must be taken seriously if the lake is to become a tourist centre. Some visitors to the place who spoke with our correspondent said they were excited over the idea of developing the lake.

They were, however, quick to add that the major problem at the moment is security and activities of miscreants, as well as filth that has taken over the area.

Moghalu is conscious of this. He told our correspondent that, “In the procurement process we just concluded, provision was made for clearing the debris. We can explore the manual clearing of the place to make sure it is clean and attractive.

“We have to make the place decent and ensure that miscreants don’t abuse this place and that it is properly maintained so that people can come and enjoy themselves.”

On the issue of security, he promised an improvement as soon as work starts, saying providing adequate security should not be rocket science.

“We already have one patrol boat on this lake and we intend to put more and also engage more marine police. We want to make sure that whatever we do here is sustainable. We must create recreation. I want to see a situation where you come here at the weekend and you see families enjoying themselves.

At the end of the day, the credit will go to the government and some money will come into the pockets of those who did the job.”

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that some of the major security challenges are robbery attacks on fun seekers and the menace of street urchins, who pester visitors with aggressive alms begging and struggle for left-overs during functions.

Some of those who patronise the place lamented the porous nature of the resort and the attendant security challenges. They observed that even though there is a police station close by, it has not been able to address these challenges.

They cited multiple improvised and unauthorised entry points, which have continued to expose the venue to intrusion by all manner of persons. There is no perimeter fence to ward off intruders and unwanted visitors.

“Everywhere is a road into the park. Look at even the bushes around, nobody cares again that the park is no longer lush green as it used to be; nobody cares about cutting the weeds.

In the past, one can see the other end of the lake standing at any point; but today, bushes have taken over the place.

“Each time there is heavy rainfall, activities like birthday celebrations or other family engagements are disrupted because there are no tents to provide shelter for guests”, one of the regular visitors to the lake said.

Attempt by electricity field workers to disconnect supply to a retiree’s house was vehemently resisted. ABAYOMI FAYESE captures the drama

 

There was drama as some field workers of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) attempted to disconnect electricity supply to the home of an aggrieved customer over alleged unpaid bills. The man, a retiree, was enraged by constant disconnection by the electricity workers.

According to him, the bills being charged through estimated billing are unrealistic and exploitative. He complained of having had enough of the “crazy” bills he was being forced to pay over the years.

The man, a resident of Kuje, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could not stand having his line disconnected.

The retiree, whose identity could not be established as of the time this report was being filed, put up stiff resistance. He struggled with the electricity workers as they attempted to mount their ladder on his premises.

The visibly angry man, observed to be in his late 60s, claimed that he paid the sum of N10,000 only last December. He accused the electricity workers of being on extortion duty. He threatened to remove the ladder if any of the workers dared to mount it.

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He vowed not to tolerate the exploitative tendencies of the AEDC workers who he said have been collecting money from customers for services not rendered.

Shouting on top of his voice, he said, “I paid N10,000 in December. I wonder why any of the workers will disconnect me when they don’t provide services. As a retiree, I am fed up with their attitude.

If they can’t give us power, they should quit the business and give it competent people”. He eventually won the battle as he succeeded in preventing the workers from carrying out the disconnection.

Flustered by the retiree’s action, the dejected workers eventually back down. They described the man as a “habitual trouble maker” who goes violent anytime attempts are made to disconnect his premises.

The House of Representatives had, a few weeks ago, passed a bill seeking to criminalise the estimated billing system. The federal lawmakers described the billing system as crooked, illegal and exploitative.

 

Some female participants in the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) want to be allowed to wear skirts, instead of trousers. The request, which is being pushed on religious grounds, has continued to generate controversy as authorities of the NYSC would have none of it. SANI ONOGU and FRANK IKPEFAN report.

 

For every Nigerian graduate, mobilisation by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the compulsory one year service to the father land is often exhilarating. Most graduates welcome it with a sense of fulfilment, recognition and accomplishment.

Besides, others see it as a fitting cap to their years of toil and academic rigours in their respective higher institutions. The service confers pride and reinforces the citizenship of the participants.

For freshers, it marks their official initiation into the world of work, social, economic, administrative, cultural and political system of the nation.

Those undergoing the service are often accorded respect while in their NYSC uniform, a trademark as well as a symbol that evokes the ideal behind the scheme.

But for 23 years old Emeghoghena Julia Ikuoya and some of her colleagues – Patience Nogide Nwaogu and Grace Adewunmi Adeboye – that goal and personal fulfilment may never be realised, if their present faceoff with the managers of the scheme is not amicably resolved.

They told reporters during a protest in Abuja last week that their ordeal began when they refused to wear trousers given to them as standard uniforms supplied by the government to all participants.

They have opted not to wear the pair of trousers that come with the NYSC kit. They chose to convert the trousers to skirts.

In reaction, the NYSC authorities were said to have de-kited decamped them. Their monthly allowances have also been stopped by the authorities. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter has insisted that they will only be readmitted after complying with the rules guiding the scheme.

But the Ikuoya and her two other colleagues said that their plea to be allowed to wear skirts is hinged on their Christian beliefs that women should not wear trousers. But the officials would not budge. In defiance, Ikuoya and her colleagues hit the streets in protest.

Pronto, Serve With Skirt Movement (SWSM) protest was born. The protesters stormed the Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja where they demonstrated against the mandatory use of trousers by female members participating in the scheme.

They said the action became necessary to call on the Federal Government, especially the National Assembly, to make the wearing of trousers optional for participants in the scheme.

They carried banners and placards with varied inscriptions calling on the authorities of the NYSC to amend the rules and make the wearing of trousers by female corps members a personal choice.

Some of the inscriptions in their banners and placards include: “We are denied our fundamental human right to religion, thought and conscience”, “NYSC promote patriotism, not religious discrimination and moral decadence”, and “Wearing trousers is against God and Christian ethics. NYSC, allow females to wear skirts.”

Others are: “NYSC skirt uniform is not new, allow us to serve #Back to 1976 Allow us to wear skirt”, “Trousers do not cover nakedness of women”, NYSC doesn’t infringe on our religious liberty and rights”, “We cannot dress like the world”, “We are not worldly, we are true children of God” and “Our daughters cannot dress like men, our daughters would be mothers tomorrow.”

Ikuoya, who led the protest, is a graduate of Economics from the Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State. She said she was initially posted to Nasarawa State for her service in 2019 but that due to some health challenges, she sought redeployment to Abuja and was seconded to the National Space Research and Development Agency, popularly called Obasanjo Space Centre. Ikuoya, with NYSC State Code: FC/19B/821, said that her refusal to put on trousers earned her query and stoppage from working at her primary area of assignment.

She said she had explained to the State Coordinator that she cannot wear trousers because of her religious beliefs and conviction as a Christian.

According to her, females serving with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are allowed to wear skirts, female Naval officers do wear skirts.

She said that even in the Army, females are allowed to wear skirts. She wondered why the NYSC is treating female corps members differently.

Ikuoya said, “In the NYSC’s bye-laws, it is not stated that the uniform must be trousers. It is not stated that anybody putting on the skirt would be decamped.

If our mothers who served in 1976 wore skirts and they were given their certificates, why are we being denied our right to serve our dear nation? We are citizens of Nigeria and we want to serve our dear nation.

Our sisters from various states of the federation, both Christian and Muslim, are being decamped because they want to wear skirts and if you do not look at the NYSC’s bye-laws, trousers nor skirt was stated, it said we should wear uniforms.

“I want the Federal Government to approve the wearing of skirts by females for Christian and the Muslim corps members. People are being made to turn against their religious beliefs just because of NYSC. Please let the Senate look into this and let our sisters serve with skirts.”

Ikuoya narrated how she went to her designated local NYSC office in Area 11 in Garki, wearing her skirt to do her documentation but that one of the NYSC officials seized her papers. “I explained to her that I can’t wear trousers because I am a Christian and that my religious beliefs and my convictions won’t let me wear the trousers.

But the official said I should go and wear trousers. I then complained to a family friend at the office of the Head of Service, who accompanied me there.

“They gave me a query for changing my uniform to skirt. I told them that I am a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria. It is stated in the NYSC’s bye-law that one should not deface the uniforms given. That is why I didn’t tamper with the trousers.

I made a skirt of the same material that suits my conviction and since I was exempted from camp, I am not going to climb any rope in my place of the primary assignment so I pleaded that I should be allowed but they did not let me.

“In my reply to the query, I attached a 1976 picture showing female corps members wearing skirts. Immediately they read the first line, the woman flung it and started raising her voice at me.

Then I told her, madam, please don’t raise your voice at me, but she increased it. I almost passed out. I picked up the reply to the query and left.

“God helped me that I graduated well. I cannot turn my back on God at this point. Even if I would have to leave the service or serve for free, I would do it.

The State Coordinator invited me to Kubwa and accused me of not replying the query that I was given. But I explained that I responded but it was rejected. They now told me that I would be referred to a disciplinary committee.”

She recalled how two female corps members were sent out of camp in October 2019 over similar dress code issues and how the intervention of religious and human rights groups forced the authorities to rescind the decision.

The protesting corps member said she had approached the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA) and the Legal Aid Council (LAC) about her plight. She said the LAC wrote to the NYSC but that she was on Monday summoned by the disciplinary committee of the NYSC.

“The disciplinary committee asked me so many questions which I answered. I told them that just last October, hijab was approved and the bye-law was not amended. I am not against Muslims because I know they want to wear skirts and some of them were decamped too for wearing skirts.

One at Iyana-Ipaja in Lagos and another one in that same NYSC office located inside the Arts and Culture building in Area 11 Abuja. She had to go against her religious obligations to obey the NYSC.

But ever since they listed me, they paid me for only three months because I relocated. I have been going to my PPA. I did not ask for money and I have been serving. Even if they won’t pay me, they should just give me my certificate.”

Also, Miss Nwaogu who graduated from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, during the 2016/2017 academic year, narrated her experience. She was posted to Ebonyi State for the scheme.

According to her, “I told them that I want to wear my skirt and serve my nation because as a citizen of the country, I have the right to serve my nation just like all other graduates are doing”. She, however, said that the camp authorities opposed her move after which she was allegedly assaulted by an official.

“They insisted that I must wear their trousers or else I leave the scheme. During the orientation, I faced a lot of insults and humiliation. One of the military men tore the skirt I wore”.

She added that after going through my service year in Ebonyi, she followed up the case and was made to face the disciplinary committee. She had to travel down to Abuja to lay her complaints, regretting that nothing has come from it.

“They insisted that I must wear a skirt and the bye-law did not say so. Why will I be an enemy of God when I have the conviction that it is against my religious beliefs, my conscience and conviction. I was brought up by Godly parents.

“I have never worn shorts nor trousers outside my house. Why should they insist that I must wear trousers now that I am serving? That is my question. Secondly, I discovered that the shorts we are made to wear by NYSC expose one as a lady.

“Looking at those things, you cannot wear it. It is so humiliating. This is the same government that arrests people on the streets for wearing short dresses. Yet, in the camp, they insist that you wear them.”

Nwaogu said after the camp training, she was denied posting letter to her place of primary assignment on account of wearing a skirt instead of trousers. She said the officials claimed that the directive came from the NYSC headquarters in Abuja. Two years down the line, she has not been given her discharge certificate.

Read Also: NYSC boss to corps members: Be security conscious

 

“I thought it was a joke and that I would go back to the secretariat in Ebonyi and collect my posting letter. I kept on going there and they always told me that Abuja has not said anything. They never released the letter to me for primary assignment.

I don’t have NYSC certificate. I came down to Abuja to come and lay my complaint. But they insisted through a formal letter to me, that I should go back and serve if I am ready to wear their trousers. But I am not ready to wear the trousers. I will rather give them the certificate.”

On her part, Miss Adeboye hails from Oyo State. She graduated from the University of Ibadan last year and was posted to Enugu State for the service. She was posted to Enugu State in June, that is “Batch B” 2019. When she got to camp, she approached the camp director and pleaded that she be allowed to wear a skirt through the service.

“What they told me was that I should write a letter that I don’t want to serve because I cannot wear trousers. I felt that was wrong because I want to serve and as a Nigerian, it is my right to serve my country.

I was asked to write a letter that I did not want to serve because I was not allowed to wear a skirt. But I refused to write that letter. They gave me a query asking me to explain why I refused to dress up in NYSC uniforms.

I explained that I did not refuse the uniforms, just that I could not wear what they provided. I was given a decamp and de-kit and I was sent away from the camp.”

The Coordinator of the SWSM, Barrister Udochi Emmanuel-Baba, said that the protest became imperative following the age-long inhuman treatment meted to female corps members who refused to wear trousers.

She noted that the SWSM comprised several youth groups across the country who is concerned about the plight of female corps members who have been prevented from serving their fatherland because they refused to wear trousers after they were mobilised for service.

She lamented that while some of the victims were stopped from participating in activities at the orientation camps, others were not deployed to primary areas of assignment and equally denied statutory allowances and certificates. Emmanuel-Baba said: “The crux of why we are here for this rally today is because year after year, our female corps members posted to various states are being embarrassed.

They are often decamped, de-kited and sent out of the camp because they wore skirts.

We all know that that in itself is a breach of their fundamental human rights as provided for in Section 38 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We also have a situation where these trousers are evoking immorality at the camps and we cannot take it anymore. This was not so in the beginning. Way back in the 1970s and the 80s we had our mothers wearing skirts during the NYSC compulsory national service and we want to go back to that.”

Emmanuel-Baba argued that those that cannot abide by the rule that compels females to wear trousers be granted exemption from service.

“If they can exempt us which is what we want. We have already asked for that severally but the NYSC has not given us that as an option. She threatened court action by the group if the authorities failed to accede to their demand.

 

Use of skirt remains banned – NYSC

In reaction, the authorities of the NYSC have insisted that the use of skirt by Christian or Muslim female corps members remained banned. The Scheme insisted that the approved dress has not changed and that it will continue to be enforced.

The NYSC Director-General, Brig-Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, in a telephone chat with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said the provisions of the scheme are contained in the Act establishing the NYSC and its bye-laws.

He said: “Our position remains the same that corps members are not allowed to wear a skirt. We have our laws and it doesn’t permit corps members to wear a skirt. We have our dress code and that is what we are using.

“NYSC is not a female organisation. NYSC is for all Nigerians – both men and women. Pictures of girls marching alone in the skirt are not true. We have never had that in the scheme. There was no point in time that girls were trained alone.

“The training of corps members in camp is for both sexes. NYSC a religious organisation. The NYSC was established for the promotion of national unity and anything that will bring disunity within the younger generation should be discouraged.

“When corps members come for service, religion is secondary. The duty of the corps member is to serve the country first and the NYSC first. Any other thing is secondary.

“Our corps members are mobilised to serve and they are patriotic. In NYSC, it is the country first, the scheme first. That is what we do. We have our dress code. People should learn to adhere to it.

“Once we give our uniform to corps members they should not go and deface it. Nobody should tell them to reduce it. They should wear it bogus as it is. Once you wear it bogus as given to you, it will not show your shape.”

Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) are at daggers drawn over who own the mandate to collect mobile advertisement tax. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

 

A war of attrition between the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) over tax collection has gone bloody. Tax officials of the two government departments on Tuesday, clashed in the streets of Abuja as they struggled over who owned the mandate to collect taxes on mobile advertisement and signage.

Trouble started when officials of the Outdoor Advertising and Signages (DOAS) of the FCTA were informed that AMAC officials had seized some vehicles bearing mobile advertisements of some companies that had duly paid prescribed taxes to DOAS.

According to reports, the AMAC officials had insisted that it’s the right of the council collect such taxes and that the seized branded vehicles would not be released until the right taxes were paid to AMAC. On getting the report, the Director of DOAS, Dr. Babagana Adam, had mobilised his men to the scene to effect the release of the impounded vehicles.

But the AMAC tax collectors had put up a resistance, insisting that DOAS had no right under the law to collect taxes on mobile advertisement on branded vehicles. In the ensuing melee, about 30 of the revenue collectors said to have been engaged by AMAC, pounced on the DOAS Director and his men.

The revenue collectors said to be armed with hockey sticks and batons, went berserk, striking at everyone in sight. A cameraman, Godwin Ameh, attached to the office of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was the first to get a dose of the revenue collectors’ rage.

Ameh was beaten with a couple of hockey sticks and his camera seized by the rampaging men. Three other officials of DOAS – Ebere Nwokocha, Emeghara Justice Ebere and Alhaji Haliru Ismail were also reportedly attacked by the stick and baton-wielding men.

They were however rescued by some policemen nearby and officials of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS). But as far as the AMAC revenue collectors were concerned, the battle was not over yet. Taking advantage of their numbers, they were said to have abducted three officials of DOAS, pushed them into a waiting vehicle and zoomed off.

But the Director of DOAS and a few of his men gave them a chase. The two warring parties eventually ended up at the Wuye police station, which is about six kilometres from the scene of the clash. The story however changed at the police station, as 11 of the AMAC “complainants” were detained by the police.

Describing the AMAC revenue collectors as “extortionists”, DOAS Director, Adam said he did not mobilise his men for a confrontation with the AMAC men, but that he went to the scene to seek amicable settlement of the disagreement. Adam, who called for security protection for his men said, “We did not go there to fight.

We just went to talk as we did at Utako junction where they listened to us and released the vehicles. When we took those extortionists to the police station, we were talking about other vehicles that had been detained, only for us to come back and then we were mobbed by the thugs that have been brought, as we learned, from outside the FCT.

“And they are thugs as you can see they look like bouncers, and they were imported into Abuja just to settle scores; that DOAS should not collect the Mobile Advertisement Rates from FCT residents. It is to the glory of God that some of us are standing here.

If FCT wants high internally generated revenue and standards, we need to protect those who do the work. We need more security, not to molest but to do the work. Some of us have the zeal to work, we do not want to be armchair executives, which is why we are in the field.”

 

Who is empowered to collect taxes on mobile advertisement?

There are conflicting claims between the two warring parties over who is empowered by law to collect the said tax. The entire city centre, including space where the FCTA office is located, falls under the jurisdiction of AMAC. But the authorities of the FCTA have continued to lay claim to the right to collect the tax.

According to them, there is an extant law, dating back to 2012, giving the FCTA the right to the taxes, stressing that the law, which had been gazetted, took the right away from all the six area councils in the FCT. “However, since that time, a cabal in AMAC has been defrauding the government to the tune of over N1.8 billion.

Just last month, the director of DOAS published an advertorial that the collection of mobile adverts has been handed over to his department and residents were to pay into a TSA account, not the way the so-called task team is collecting cash.”

Read Also: ‘Buhari tightening tax, money laundering with Executive Order’

 

Efforts made by our correspondent to get a reaction from the chairman of AMAC, Abdullahi Candido over the matter were futile as of the time of filing this report.

Also, the Council’s Head of Department of Revenue, Danlami Awaje would not comment as he was said to be “very busy”.

Meanwhile, AMAC, in a recent official memo to the Director of DOAS, published in the Wednesday, January 8, 2020 edition of Daily Trust newspaper, stated categorically that the right to collect mobile advert taxes had not been ceded to the DOAS. The memo was signed by the chairman of AMAC, Abdullahi Candido.

The memo, entitled, “Collection of revenue on signposts, signages and mobile advertisement”, reads in part: “As a follow-up to the understanding between your office and the council, and the series of meetings held, I have the pleasure to inform you that you are allowed the collection of revenue on third party signages only while the council, through its technical partner, Yabannie Fair Rise Ltd., will collect all first signages.

“Similarly, the collection of mobile advertisement is to be handled by the council as it is not part of the franchise given to your office by the council. Your office should therefore not distribute demands notice on mobile adverts to avoid duplication of demands on these items.

“It is hoped that these clarifications will put to rest all confusion and misunderstanding surrounding our operations to avoid conflicts on the field. While thanking you for your usual co-operation, please be assured of our maximum co-operation.”

 

Police detain suspects

The FCT police command has been battling with cases of violent attacks in recent times, over mobile advertisement tax involving AMAC and FCTA revenue officials. According to the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Chiroma, the command had, in the past few weeks, arrested a number touts posing as revenue collectors.

Chiroma said the touts had in many instances, extorted and assaulted unsuspecting members of the public. “Members of the syndicate are also notorious for assaulting and inflicting injuries on government officials who are discharging their lawful duties”, Chiroma said.

The police boss said 14 suspects were already in custody while a few others are on the run. Chiroma assured that the 14 suspects would be charged to court after investigation.

According to him, a Toyota Hiace bus used by the touts as the operational vehicle had been recovered by his men. He, however, did not say that the suspects in police custody were officials or agents of AMAC.

 

Worried by the persistent traffic gridlock around the popular Wuse market, authorities of the Federal Capital Territory are taking steps to address the menace. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports.

 

Nigerians, especially Abuja residents, have been lamenting the persistent gridlock outside the main entrance of the popular Wuse market. The nightmare has been causing series of traffic havoc without any solution in sight.

Owned and managed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Wuse market is inarguably the major and most popular market in Abuja. Located in the ever busy Zone 5 area in the Wuse district, the market offers everything for the general public. Findings revealed that the market was once a secondary school, before it was converted into a market.

Commercial activities are always in top gear both inside and outside the market during the day. Access to the market is always difficult because most commercial vehicles always park close to the entrance, waiting to convey passengers to their various destinations.

A civil servant and resident of Abuja, Mr. John Omotayo, who spoke to our correspondent, lamented that the gridlock is getting out of hand, adding that most times, he prefers following alternative routes to get to his destination.

Omotayo said: “I hope government will take a drastic step to find a lasting solution to the serious traffic problems here. It is embarrassing that even when you are not going into the market, you get trapped and end up spending almost one hour just to pass by.

“The unfortunate thing is that I live very close to the market and it is so painful that I have to always pass a longer route to get to my destination. This has been on for years without solution. I will be happy if the Minister of the FCT, Malam Musa Bello will put an end to this menace.

“You can imagine what will happen if there does an emergency fire incident while people are waiting in their vehicles for hours want to either go into the market or go through to other routes. While we do not pray for any disaster, an urgent solution is needed.”

A commercial bus driver, Musa Ibrahim, urged government and major stakeholders to take the issue of Wuse market seriously to avert crisis. He said to achieve a free flow of traffic in and around the market, government must step on toes.

Findings also revealed that one of the factors causing the gridlock is a situation where many people park their vehicles in the market car park, only to come back hours after to move their vehicles without doing any shopping in the market.

This has been depriving genuine shoppers at the market parking space for their vehicles, thus compounding the traffic situation in the process.

 

Government’s intervention

These complaints may have prompted the Ministerial Task Team on free flow of traffic to have given the Abuja Market Management Limited (AMML) a directive to immediately address the traffic situation in and around the market.

The marching order was contained in a letter dated December 10, 2019 and addressed to the Managing Director, Abubakar Faruk.

The letter, which was signed by the Task Team chairman,  Ikharo Attah, stated among others that, “We have noted with dismay the continuous traffic gridlock aroung the wuse market as vehicles enter the market.”

Attah added that: “Having studied the situation at the market for over two months, we have come to a conclusion that the problem lies within the market itself. A situation where vehicles are pouring into the market in geometric proportions and exiting in arithmetic proportions, shows that something is significantly not adding up.

Every market or shopping centre where vehicular movement does not show a balance in entry and exit always experience chaotic traffic gridlock in roads around them.”

Read Also: Sanwo-Olu promises to rid Lagos of gridlock

 

The traffic task team chairman pointed out that, ” the FCT administration, having addressed the traffic problems at Nyanya, Dutse Alhaji, and  Kubwa Expressway, would not ignore the disturbing traffic problem around the market, which is located in the heart of the city.”

Attah told the Market managers to immediately take urgent and bold steps to address the problem, which has made it difficult to traverse roads around the vicinity. He added that the Minister has shown total commitment to addressing the problem.

He warned that if the traffic problem is not immediately addressed by the market managers, drastic steps would be taken to restore sanity in and around the market.

The market authorities however said they had applied various manual traffic management approaches in the past, in collaboration with some relevant agencies. Regrettably, the measures taken did not address the problem. The managers said the next move was to introduce technology with automated access and tolling process.

According to them the process has already reached 70 percent completion and that the automated tolling system would be rolled out in a matter of weeks.

Faruk said when the process takes off, it would be programmed in such a way that people who park cars in the market for the whole day would be discouraged from doing so.”

An official letter to that effect reads: “that to us, is the most sustainable strategy that can guarantee free flow of traffic in and out of the market since parking space as a fixed factor, cannot be increased endlessly to match increasing demand.

“The option is to optimize the use of the available space by freeing them of pressure created by long- hour parking; and we can guarantee that this solution will deliver a win-win arrangement for everyone.”

In the meantime, AMML said that it is deploying more car park managers as well as other traffic management tools with the hope of ameliorating the sufferings of shoppers in the market.

His words: “We will start the tolling system by first week of February. We have started sensitization on the development. We are on it and we have deployed more personnel and we have a lot of traffic management tools.

“You know with any policy, it is when you start implementing that people will start appreciating it. But for now we are on the same page and it is a win-win situation. The less the traffic, the more the people that will come to shop in the market.

“We do not have security issues in the market because it is very secured. We have a private security company that has been on ground and recently, we have solar lights installed in all the nook and crannies of the market.

We have a police outpost in the market with full compliments and the Department of State Security (DSS) and other security operatives oversight the market regularly. There are also CCTV units all around the market”.

 

Access to healthcare and the promotion of well-being for all – are key components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which every authority is enjoined to encourage. But, in Anagada, an indigenous community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), inadequate staffing, among other challenges, are threatening access to primary health care (PHC) and other agents that promote sustainable living. Eric Ikhilae, reports

 

Every morning, the waiting area within the forecourt of the building, housing the only public health institution, is often packed with community members needing medical attention.

The huge number, it was learnt, is a daily ritual, which only reduces as the day wears on.

“This is how we do it almost every day. The large number is, mostly as a result of inadequate hands. We are eight officials, but six of us are volunteers,” one of the health officials said as she welcomes this reporter to the Anagada Primary Health Care (PHC) Centre.

The services offered in the facility are reflected on the signboard, erected in front of the bungalow, housing the centre, which is situated in the middle of the community, in an unfenced parcel of land.

They include: antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care (for pregnant women); nutrition, immunization malaria pneumonia, measles and dysentery (for children under three years); screening of malaria, hypertension, diabetes and family planning (for all adults).

 

Anagada is located along the Zuba – Lokoja highway, within the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). To a first-time visitor, however, a tour of Anagada presents a familiar picture, because the state of infrastructure is similar to what exists in most satellite towns in the FCT.

Over the years, and for reason known only to its administrators, the state of infrastructure in most satellite towns reflects the injustice in the distribution of infrastructure and basic amenities in the FCT, which are concentrated in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), one of the six Area Councils that make up the territory, but, mostly inhabited by the rich and senior government officials.

According to the traditional head, Mallam Alhassa Musa, Anagada is one of the communities indigenous to the FCT. He said the last census exercise estimated its population at a little over 500,000.

The health officials at the healthcare centre, who are mostly females, pleaded not to be identified, as they spoke, while attending to some patients, who sat before them.

“I have been here now for over four years. Some have spent more than that. We studied community medicine, but there is no work. Rather than sit at home and watch our community members suffer because the only government owned health facility in the community is not adequately staffed, we decided to come and help.

“It is not easy. We are not paid anything. We only look up to God for assistance. We carry out most health services here. We take delivery of babies, we do ante natal, we conduct minor surgeries.

“In fact, there is hardly any case that has been referred outside for some time now. We beg the government to employ us so that we can do more,” another of the female officials said, a position that many others equally echoed.

 

Importance of PHC innation’s health delivery system

In view of the roles it plays, particularly serving as the first point of call for health needs by majority of the citizens, who dwell in local communities, PHC is often considered as a critical level in the three tiers of health system of very country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stressed this in a 2018 report when it noted that “Primary health care is about caring for people rather than simply treating specific diseases or conditions.”

It added that “PHCs are usually the first point of contact people have with the health care system. They are designed to provide comprehensive, accessible, community-based care that means the health needs of individuals throughout their lives.”

A former Nigerian Health Minister, Isaac Adewoye, during a presentation before the Senate on May 21, 2019, stressed that “when primary healthcare centres and secondary health care centres are functioning, the teaching hospitals and tertiary institutions will not be overcrowded and will function better.

“About 90 percent of ailments can be taken care of at primary and secondary healthcare centres, only if they are functional. 70 percent of Nigerians who require health care needs are supposed to go the PHCs, 20 percent are to go to secondary health care centres and only 10 percent of Nigerians with referrals and complicated cases are supposed to go to a tertiary teaching institution.”

 

Other challenges

At a meeting with some Development Communication (DevCom) students from the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), in his meeting room within a decrepit structure, which serves as his palace, Mallam Musa also spoke about the plight of the health workers and the need for more hands in the healthcare facility for enhanced performance.

“We need assistance in the areas of health services provision, water supply and road infrastructure. The only government-owned health facility in this community is the Primary Healthcare Centre. The structure is there, but there is the problem of inadequate personnel.

“Those managing the healthcare centre are trying their best. But we need more hands. The government should post more healthcare experts to this community. They should provide employment for those who are currently assisting as volunteers.

“In the area of water supply, we only rely on boreholes, which are becoming inadequate. We currently have just three boreholes that were provided by the government. We want more. We want the government to help use with more boreholes, since there is no arrangement for pipe borne water.

“The area where we have more trouble is road,” Mallam Musa said, as he encouraged the visitors to go around the community and confirm the state of the roads, which in some areas, are abandoned because of their state.

He noted that: “There is no single tarred road in this community. The people at the Gwagwalada Area Council promised about five years ago to help us. We are still waiting for them to fulfil their promise.”

On how they are able to keep the roads in a manageable state, since some of the residents own vehicles, Mallam Musa said: “Well, most of the time, we resort to self-help.

Read Also: AAUA: Decadence of a varsity’s Health Centre

 

During the raining season when the roads become impassable, we mobilise the youths, who use shovel and other equipment to dig and manage the roads for us to use. We are hoping that someday, the government will fulfil their promises to us.”

He said the community has been able to address its educational problem. He said: “In the area of education, we do not have problem. At the moment, we have sufficient number of schools. We have primary school, junior secondary school and senior secondary school. We also have private schools.

“We also do not have problem in the area of electricity supply. I do not know how they did it, but we also have sufficient supply of electricity here, except on few occasions when electricity facilities, like cables and transformers, are vandalized by some criminals.”

Mallam Musa also said they do not have problem of crime in the community, adding, “we have been able to manage that. We are peaceful people here. So, crime is not a problem in this community.”

He said his people are politically conscious. He explained: “our people often participate actively in politics. We have, in the past, produced Councilors, Supervising Councilors and at some point, a Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Council. So, we are active in politics too.”

History and people of Anagada

The traditional head of the community gave a little insight about his people and their history, when he said: “We are Koro. We are not Hausa. Our language is Koro. Our Community is under Gwagwalada Area Council. I do not know exactly when this community was established. I was born here. My great-grandfather and grandfather lived here. So, this community has been in existence for some time now.

“According to history, we are originally from Zuba. This place used to serve as the farming site for our forefathers. They will travel from Zuba to this place, do their farming activities for days and then return home.

“The practice, as we learnt, was that they will come on Friday, stayed until Thursday the next week and then, return to Zuba. But, at a point, some began to settle here. They did not see the need to travel to and from Zuba again. So, that was how this community was formed.

The name – Anagada – simply means a place of relaxation. A place of rest. You know, our forefathers used to rest

here after their farming activities, until they decided to settle here. So, the name was derived from the purpose for which they used this place before they decided to settle here,” Mallam Musa said.

 

Suggested solutions

The visiting students, who are budding experts in development communication studies, volunteered some suggestions on how the community could address its challenges, without necessary waiting for government’s intervention that often takes time to come.

The community members were advised to extend the self-help strategy currently being deployed to address the problem of the road infrastructure to other sectors. By so doing, it is believed that members of the community would be able to harness their competencies to address some of their challenges.

It is further suggested that for instance, members of the Anagada community should set up an association of its indigenes or former residents, who now live and work outside the community, to occasionally reach out to the community, in the form of community a development association that could assist in addressing some of the identified challenges.

They could also task the rich among them to contribute funds for the payment of the allowances of the health workers, who currently provide volunteer services, to keep the community public health centre running.

It is equally suggested that the community should exploit its members’ political awareness and participation to its benefit by ensuring that the political representatives press for and influence projects that will benefit the community.