The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Council to help fire victims

    The Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council,  Alhaji Abubakar Giri, has promised to  collaborate with the FCT Administration to help people affected  in the  Dobi International Yam Market fire disaster.

    Giri, who made the pledge while inspecting the extent of damage caused by the fire incident, expressed dismay at the level of destruction. He urged the victims not to lose hope.

    It was gathered that over 60 shops were razed while farm produce, cash and property worth millions of Naira were  destroyed in the incident.

    Narrating his ordeal, Mohammed Yusuf, a yam seller, stated that  he lost about N3 million in the fire incident, even as he thanked the chairman for his visit and his encouragement.

    Also speaking, the District Head of Dobi, Alhaji Sule Dobi, stated that the disaster which was suspected to have been caused by bush burning, was the worst he ever witnessed.

    Dobi called on  government to assist the victims through provision of yam seedlings for the  farming season as  yam was the major cash crop for people in  the community.

    While sympathising with the victims, the Head of Agriculture in the council, Dr Ahmed Abdullahi, urged government to assist its department to carry out fire tracing which will help cordon off farm produce sites from bush burning. This, according to him, will help prevent future occurrence of such incident.

  • Foundation’s free medicare, food for community

    Foundation’s free medicare, food for community

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Joseph Amuta Adeyi Foundation (JAAF),has provided free healthcare services to the residents of Jahi community populated by Gbagi and Gwari people. The

    community is one of the many slums within the heart of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It has over 400,000 people.

    However, in spite of being close to the seat of power, the community is an irony of what Abuja should be known for in terms of provision of basic amenities. The features of the settlement are such that give first-time visitors the impression of a people long abandoned to their fate.

    The community, which is sandwiched between highbrow Ministers’ Hill in Maitama and Gwarinpa can only be accessed through  a narrow and dusty road. To a first-time visitor to the community, the picture of Jahi is that of desolation. The forlorn atmosphere witnessed on getting to the community gradually transforms into a beehive of activities as one gets to the community. Within the community, people burble as they go about their business activities. Wares displayed in most of the shops are mostly food items, clothes, shoes, handbags, electronics and firewood.

    The settlement, like other slums in the FCT, is characterised by the multiple shanties and glowing waste water which is ever running even in the dry season.

    Cars are parked haphazardly. People, cars motorcycles and hand drawn water carts mingle freely. Ironically, the community is already being fenced-in by beautiful high-rise edifices owned by top government functionaries, politicians, businessmen and big time contractors who have secured land allocations in the area.

    A cursory look around the settlement reveals that only two blocks of classrooms, with one malfunctional borehole, are the only mark that signals government’s presence  in the community of over 400,000 inhabitants.

    However, given the numerous beautiful houses which have formed a shield for the slum, it becomes a paradox of existence that such life of squalor, complicated by long period of utter government neglect, goes on silently within the area without the FCT authorities siting any basic amenities.

    It was further learnt that a lot of pregnant women die in the process of delivery because the only health centre in the town lacks equipment and personnel to handle emergencies resulting from complications during labour. It was also revealed that maternal mortality is on the increase due to unprofessional and local methods employed by local midwives during labour.

    Investigations by Abuja Review also revealed that a lot of women have lost their lives while being conveyed to the hospital during emergency cases arising from prolonged labour.

    In addition, it was discovered that a good number of women prefer hiring the services of of the native midwives, to going to hospitals in the town due to the distance that they would trek before they get vehicles that would convey them to the town.

    The Chief  of Jahi community,  Salihu Adamu, told Abuja Review that lack of  motorable road and good means of transportation in the community contribute to the death of several women during childbirth. Adamu also blamed the several deaths on poverty, saying that most of the locals prefer to patronise local midwives because they cannot afford high medical fees which both private and government hospitals located in the city centre charge.

    Chief Adamu, who spoke when a medical mission organised by the Joseph Amuta Adeyi Foundation (JAAF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), provided free healthcare services to the people of the community.

    He urged the FCT Administration to come to the people’s aid.

    “Health is life, that is the most important thing,” Adamu said, adding, “our women die because we don’t have  a health centre here in the community. This community has over 400,000 people. If government can provide one health centre, it will help us.”

    He called on the government to help sink functional boreholes in the community since the river which is their primary source of water is not only unhygienic but dries up during the dry season.

    The Chief  praised JAAF for the drugs and health services which it freely donated and provided  for the members of the community.

    One of the women in the community, who identified herself as Salmatu Halisu, recounted how she lost her baby during delivery, saying the hospitals are far from the community.

    On why women in the community do not patronise the hospitals in the town for them to be delivered of their babies, she said when a pregnant woman is in labour at night, there is little she could do than to call in the local midwives.

    Even though she argued that the native midwives are experts who have been assisting expectant mothers in the community for many years, she admitted that several lives, including those of babies and their mothers, have been lost in the process.

    The founder of JAAF, Albert Adeyi, told Abuja Review that the foundation decided to assist the community in their little way because of their pathetic condition.

    Adeyi, an engineer, said the medical mission was in the community to conduct medical examinations, treatments to those in need and to provide free drugs.

    He said the NGO also distributed free drugs and food items worth millions of Naira to the people. He said the gesture was meant to alleviate the health challenges confronting the people of Jahi.

    He stated that about 100 adults, including men and women,  were examined for high blood pressure and provided them with medications while over 500 children were de-wormed.

    He said a sub-group in the foundation, whose duty it is to go round Abuja and identify communities with such challenges, located Jahi community, hence they stepped in to lend a helping hand.

    Adeyi  expressed shock that the community, despite being so close to the seat of the Federal Government, has no single healthcare facility.

    He urged good-pirited Nigerians to locate such communities in their areas and extend health and other essential  services to them.

    He further explained that the mission of the foundation was to assist the less-privileged in areas of education, skill acquisition and health services.

    Adeyi stated that the gesture was part of the foundation’s contributions to the development of the society and humanity and not for any material or political consideration, adding “as an engineer, I am called to be a pastor and not a politician.”

    He said JAAF was established as a result of his desire to give back to the society, in fulfilment of a promise and commitment he made to God. He also said he was able to achieve the mission by setting aside a percentage of his income monthly.

  • FCTA remits N3.2b to PENCOM

    FCTA remits N3.2b to PENCOM

    The FCT Administration has remitted N3.2 billion to the National Pension Commission in 2013 as contributory funds of staff of the administration and the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, disclosed this while receiving the Director-General of the Commission that paid him a working visit.

    The minister further said that the payment was done after due reconciliations between the officials of the FCT Administration and the National Pension Commission.

    Senator Mohammed revealed that in addition, about N92 million is now being worked out to pay the commission being the outstanding of fee the FCT Contributory Pension fund.

    The minister, however, called on the management of the National Pension Commission to look into ways of investing the huge amount of funds available to it in infrastructural development instead of remaining idle.

    He said the commission can moderate the law establishing it to enable it go into partnership with genuine investors where such funds can be used thereby reducing over-dependence on foreign capital inflow.

    Senator Mohammed stated that such partnership could be guaranteed by a reputable bank in the country to take off the risk aspect of the investment from the commission.

    According to him, infrastructure such as roads, housing and transportation are bankable and that money stockpiled at the National Pension Commission can be used to turn around infrastructure in the country with profitable interest to all parties.

    His words: “The banks can be used to float bonds for such purposes which could be beneficial to all parties involved”.

    He said for instance, the Abuja Master Plan has about 79 districts with nine sector centres in the Federal Capital City and with only 11 Districts as well as two Sector Centres were so far developed while about 80 percent of such districts have not been attended to due to the paucity of funds.

    The minister promised to make available a plot of land for PENCOM to build its State-of-the-Art headquarters after the commission has met all administrative processes.

    Speaking earlier, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, remarked that she has gone round the country including the FCTA to explain the merit of PENCOM scheme to the end users.

    The director-general noted that ignorance from the people seems to be working against the commission especially some members of the Organised Private Sector that are not keen in joining the scheme.

    She pointed out that the National Pension Commission has opened zonal offices across the country to strengthen its performance.

  • Residents lament power outage

    Residents of Zone 1, Dutse Alhaji in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are lamenting the prolonged power outage being suffered for the past two months.

    The residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said that several complaints had been made to the management of Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Zone 1 but with no positive result yet.

    Gloria Igado, one of the residents, said that the youth in the community made an attempt to stage a protest in January to make known their grievances, but were pacified with the promise that the transformer problem would be tackled .

    “We have been living in darkness for more than two months now, but the authority in charge does not care about what we are going through. We have made different complaints to them, they kept on promising that they would come and fix the problem, that they will replace the faulty transformer, but since then, nothing has been done.

    “We are appealing to the leadership of the council to come to our aid, by providing us with a transformer, so that we will be free from this darkness that we are experiencing now. This is the first time we are experiencing such a thing in this area, and it is crumbling businesses here,” she said.

    Ahmed Ibrahim, another resident, lamented that since the power outage over two months ago, his barbing saloon has not been moving well, the way it used to because he spends more money on generator fuel and this has been having negative effect in his business.

    “This situation is really painful, because I buy fuel on daily basis to keep the saloon moving, and the amount I spend buying fuel on daily basis is really affecting the money I make. Most times I find it difficult to safe money since this power outage. We really need the help of government to restore electricity,” he said.

    Attempts by Abuja Review to speak with the operation manager of PHCN at Zone 1 proved abortive, as an official who preffered anonymity said that the operation manager was not available , but said that there are moves to replace the faulty transformer.

  • ‘We are not touts, we make musicians’

    ‘We are not touts, we make musicians’

    You can be the best musician with good songs, if you like re-invent the songs of Michael Jackson, if Disc Jockeys (DJs) don’t play the song, there is no way it will be a success. DJs make musicians who they are.”

    The above underscores the importance of DJs in the society.

    When DJs (Disc Jockeys) are mentioned, what comes to mind first is just some young men who usually wear trousers that is well sagged; rough looking individuals with dreadlocked hair, face cap, earphones and other things to make them appear rugged.

    DJs are known as people who play music and make a particular occasion lively and fun-filled with musical sounds. An occasion is believed to be incomplete without a DJ.

    Abuja Review was surprised to see a group of graduates from reputable institutions in Nigeria and who work as civil servants, bankers, engineers gather for the first National Conference of Nigerian DJs.

    The conference, which had as its theme, Promoting Unity and Creating Employment was organised by the DJ’s Association of Abuja and it saw delegates from 22 states of the federation.

    The National President of the Association, Tade Adeyemi, said the continuous clamour for job creation due to the level of unemployment can be reduced as he believes his sector can create jobs for some unemployed youths and graduates.

    He said: “People are complaining of unemployment not knowing that DJ is a profession. Out of the over 160 million Nigerian population, the DJs we have in Nigeria are not enough. We are not sufficient. We can create jobs if we come together as one. We can help government. All we require is DJ academy and we will train them to become professionals like us.

    “President Jonathan cannot do it alone, he needs support and since his administration is talking about Public Private Partnership, we believe, we the DJs can contribute our quota. We can give jobs, we are not touts, most of us are graduates from reputable institutions”.

    He explained that DJs are usually overstretched during festivities because of too many demands as a result of unending ceremony.

    “You will discover that during festivities, Abuja and other cities are always short of DJs which makes it difficult for some DJs to even sleep in their houses because they have to be in almost all shows. If they have subordinates or enough trained DJs, this will not happen and it will reduce the workload.

    Lamenting the near non- recognition they suffer, Adeyemi said,  “We make musicians and they end up ignoring us. Some people think the only thing they need to become a DJ is owning a laptop. It goes beyond that.”

    Also speaking, Mr Sam Kpago, a legal practioner, attributed their lack of recognition to absence of an association or a body, saying most doctors, lawyers, and other professional bodies are easily identified because they are under a body.

    “In Nigeria, selective value is given to professionals for no convincing reasons, we say doctors are better than other profession without scientific proofs. You need to blow the trumpet of your profession because if you don’t, no one will do it for you”.

    According to Kpago, “You own the night life, a night life without DJs is nothing. Use the power to get better returns from what you offer.

     

  • Haphazard parking at the Villa

    The way most pilots and convoys of top dignitaries to the Presidential Villa park their vehicles before the main gate to the Villa, is fast making the area lose its Presidential status.

    While some of the drivers park their cars by the road side, others park on the flower beds and walk paths.

    The rowdiness this situation creates gives a first-time visitor to the Villa an impression of disorderliness.

    This scenario is mostly witnessed on Wednesdays during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings when vehicles numbering between three and five in a particular minister’s convoy are parked by the roadside leading to the main gate of the Presidential Villa.

    In most cases, only one vehicle conveying the minister out of his or her convoy is allowed to go through the gate to drop the minister inside before joining others by the road side.

    This situation is also experienced on most Mondays or Thursdays or any other day when security council meetings are held at the Villa.

    The various escort cars and motorbikes belonging to the service chiefs and other top security agencies also litter the roadside during such meetings.

    The vehicles conveying the service chiefs, Inspector-General of Police and National Security Adviser are among those that are allowed to park in the four courts of the Presidential Villa close to the President’s office.

    The rowdiness is also witnessed on the road leading to the main gate any day state governors have one meeting or the other to attend at the Presidential Villa or when they are just paying a visit to the President or Vice-President in the State House.

    During such days, only the car conveying the governor also is allowed through the gate. It will drop the governor inside the Villa before joining other vehicles in the governor’s convoy already packed by the road side.

    The road leading to the main gate of the Presidential Villa is also jam parked when a major function is taking place inside the Banquet Hall. On such occasion, the Banquet Hall, which has a very large car park, is overstretched and the excess vehicles spill over to the roadside.

    Even though the roadside parkings does not befit the Presidential status of the area, it sometimes offer useful information to some staff in the Villa on some of the secret meetings in progress at the State House.

    Sighting the vehicles by the roadside, they could guess the dignitaries that are inside the Villa and what meeting was going on.

    In the circumstances, efforts should be urgently taken to address this rowdy parking system in order not to rubbish the status of the Presidential Villa.

    Apart from special occasions at the Banquet Hall when the large parking lot is filled to its capacity, the Banquet Hall parking lot is hardly half-filled on ordinary days and it should be able to accommodate the escort and pilot vehicles of ministers, service chiefs and governors during their meetings or visits to the Presidential Villa.

    Alternatively, a new area in or around the Villa can be developed as parking lot to accommodate such escort and pilot vehicles thereby keeping them away from the roadside.

     

  • Minister promotes 2,201 workers

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, has approved the immediate promotion of 2,201 staff of the FCT Administration.

    The minister, who disclosed this, said it has become necessary to motivate the staff and increase their productivity.

    Mohammed stated that this gesture of the government would spur the workers to greater heights and by extension increase service delivery to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory in accordance with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.

    His words, “The promotion exercise became necessary in order to motivate staff, enhance productivity for better service delivery”.

    The minister revealed that out of the 2,201 being promoted, 1,892 are senior staff while the remaining 309 are junior staff.

    Senator Mohammed charged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture by giving better service to the country.

     

  • Posh spots for the rich

    Posh spots for the rich

    Unarguably, food is an essential facet of living. As Nigerians, mostly the rich and the working class, become more and outdoor people, eating out has been integrated into their lifestyles and has become part of the system.

    In a family where mother and father barely have time to relate with their children, due to busy schedules, they are left with the option of patronising eateries, restaurants, and sometimes hotels.

    A common interest for those who hang out, especially those who have enough cash to spend is the ability to get quality and choice food. Locating a choice hangout that would be commensurate with their social status and capacity to spend the cash becomes a task which often proves taxing.

    So, have you ever wondered where the rich and powerful people in Abuja consider being fun or a way of life? Have you ever wondered the kind of places they always go to unwind? Surely, anyone that has the money to spend will always go to relax in a place that will make them stand out in a crowd.

    It will be improbable to walk into a buka and see the likes of Dangote, Senators and others who can spend millions conveniently sitting on a table with his shirt folded and tie pushed aside, consuming a plate of amala and ewedu. So, where do these rich individuals go for relaxation in the Federal Capital Territory?

    Our correspondent took time out to unearth the hideouts of the rich and powerful in our society and how they spend their millions just to unwind.

    Investigation revealed that these super rich individuals also hangout with men and women that are as powerful and successful like them.

    The fact is that so many of these hangouts are exclusive reserves of the rich and powerful so much so that it becomes difficult for any prying eye that doesn’t belong to the club of the affluent to uncover them.

    However, Abuja Review was able to discover some of the best places where one’s money can give one the royal treatments that one deserves.

    The first place will probably be the Hilton where a night goes as much as N75, 000.

    One unique feature about Hilton is that their customers are at the heart of everything they do. This, apparently, manifests in the way members of staff treat everyone that walks in.

    It has four of the finest restaurants in the city namely the Buka, Oriental, Zuma Grill and Fulani Pool bars and restaurants. Here, they do not only serve intercontinental dishes but also Nigerian dishes. The scenery and calibre of people streaming in and out of the hotel at all times attests to this.

    Their most popular feature is the piano bar. Shola Adeyemo is the Recreation/Public Relations Manager of the Hiltons Abuja. He said: “The bar is the alternative parliament in Abuja because of the calibre of people that visit it. It is basically where successful people are found.”

    The bar which is open 24 hours has become a meeting place for powerful people in Abuja. It is a place where you are likely to see a governor, minister or even the President at any point in time.

    The club is a place where people cannot just walk into because the workers do screen out unwanted guests who may cause discomfort to their guests.

    The IBB International Golf and Country Club is another hangout for the rich. Here, the creme-de-la creme of Nigeria’s political and financial institutions spend their days hitting around the little golf balls which they consider therapeutic, recreational and social.

    Admission into the club costs about N1 million excluding the cost of golf kits that could be within the range of N250, 000. Here, a non-member is grilled so much so that he feels being a security threat even to himself. A bottle of Eva water at the club costs about N800.

    The rich in Abuja visit healthy food restaurants like Bodyline Exclusive Fitness and Wellness Centre to eat healthy meals. In these places, there is so much health consciousness as they cook with olive oil which contains less calories than the normal vegetable oil. This restaurant only serves healthy meals and helps customers to watch the level of their calories intake in order to avoid unnecessary fat or health issues associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.

    Bako Hosea, who is the Head of Marketing, Restaurant and Juice Bar Manager explained that Bodyline was created for the purpose of enhancing the body and mind of the individual who desires reaching positive goals by being more productive at work and home.

    They do not only provide the food but also facilities like massage room, short workout courses, gymnasia, aerobics studio, sauna and steam services, morning AB’S Skool, boot camp, spinning class and yoga, among others.

    Another exclusive hangout is the Spanish Bar where the most expensive types of wine are sold to customers by beautiful girls. Here, they relax with friends or spend their money at the casino tables. Those who love drinking different kinds of beer are found here as they are seen gulping down the sparkling liquid and consuming roasted fish and chips.

    Some enjoy patronising Chopstick which is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Guests who intend to eat are treated to different Chinese and Asian cuisines.

    Abuja, with all its latest beautiful cars, houses and people who spend so much on taking care of their bodies, also have numerous Lebanese restaurants which are equally classy and expensive.

  • Community pleads for amenities

    Community pleads for amenities

    Bothered by the continued lack of basic amenities in the community, the residents of Tokulo in Bwari Area Council have called on the council’s administration and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to provide essential facilities for the community.

    In a chat with our correspondent on the issue, some residents lamented that the community is still living in darkness as they were yet to experience the pleasure of electricity in the area for a very long period.

    One of the residents, Mamuud Idir said it was unfortunate that the residents cannot predict when light which is one of the basic amenities most communities have been enjoying for years would be available in their community.

    “As I am talking to you now, I don’t know when we will be able to enjoy light. There are no poles, no electricity cables and no transformers. For me, it would be a miracle if this community is provided with electricity. I wonder why we should continue to say that we are in the FCT when we do not have light,” he said.

    Mohammed Dogo, who owns a shop at the area stated that “availability of electricity brings about economic development in any community, even as he added that lack of it has made life in the community boring.

    “Wherever there is electricity, there is development. I own a shop here but because of lack of electricity, there is no maximal improvement in my business. My drinks are hardly cold. Things I would have loved to preserve in the fridge are always spoilt.

    “We have a makeshift place where we go to charge our phones. The owner puts on his electricity generating set and collects N50 from us to charge our phones.  It is rather unfortunate. We hope that something will be done for our community this year.”

    Another resident, John Igo, said the community lacks good roads that could link it to neighbouring communities, adding that lack of potable water is another serious issue members of the community are suffering from, as they depend on the local stream for their water supply.

    “I am calling on the area council to help us. I hope this year will be a good one for us and our forgotten town,” he said.

  • Council to build feeder roads

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Hon. Shaban Tete has said that due to non-availability of access roads in Kuje rural communities, the council’s budget for this year will have 50per cent concentration on the provision of feeder roads for communities.

    This, he said, would afford the people the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of democracy.

    Tete, who made this known during the council’s monthly press briefing, said the council’s leadership knows the suffering of the people living in rural communities who cannot access the city centre because of lack of motorable roads. This may have informed his administration’s decision to concentrate on provision of access roads for the communities this year.

    According to the council boss, the mandate given to him by the people needs to be reciprocated through good and profitable governance, saying that there was need for him to prove to the people that they did not make mistakes for electing him.

    He promised to do his best to meet the immediate needs of the people by providing access roads, water and electricity which are necessities of life.

    His words: “I know what Kuje people, including those in my village, are going through in terms of access roads. My people are suffering because of lack of access roads. When we are preparing our council’s budget for this year, 50per cent of the budget was earmarked for provision of feeder roads.

    For example, from Kigbe to Kwaku community, it is not an issue of culvert; the entire road is bad and needs to be graded to make it accessible.

    “I want to grade from Kigbe to Takwa community, because the road has serious problem, a situation that has caused the people not to move around. After I finish grading, the people can freely move from one place to the other.

    Mind you, after grading the roads, there is need for asphalt and culvert. But if my administration expires before the roads are completed, the people will know that I was able to open the roads for them and somebody else will complete the project.

    “The most important thing is for us to start constructing the feeder roads in rural communities, because these people are suffering due to lack of roads. So, I am going to do my best in constructing feeder roads, just to alleviate the suffering of the people.

    “I have also awarded contract for the provision of water for the people. I am expecting the drilling machine. Very soon, about 300 communities in Kuje will have access to potable water.”