The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Cancer treatment machine for women

    Help came the way of women in the Federal Capital Territory who are suffering from cancer, as the Society for Family Health (SFH) donated a Cryotherapy- a machine used for the treatment of pre-cancerous lesion of the cervix to Saffon Hospital, located in Nyanya a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Society for Family Health also donated equipment for the testing of cervical cancer in over 10 hospitals spread across the capital city.

    Cervical cancer is said to be the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria after breast cancer. About 9,659 women in Nigeria are reported to die of cervical cancer annually.

    Speaking with journalists after presenting the machine to the management of the hospital, the President Board of Trustees of the SFH, Prof. Shima Gyoh said: “Cancer normally increases with age and I will say that women who are 40 years and above are more at risk than the younger ones, but it can occur at any age. It does not follow any pattern. It just happens that it is commoner in older women.

    “We want to stress that this machine is not for treating cancer of the cervix. We have discovered that cancer of the cervix is caused by a virus and anytime that virus infects a woman, it may be there for several years before the cancer manifests.

    “If we can find out that the virus is there before it causes cancer, we want to kill it. This is what the machine is about.

    “So, this machine is about normal women who have no trouble at all coming for test and if the virus is found, the virus is killed before it stays long enough to cause any trouble.”

    Gyoh, however, advised the Federal Government to purchase such machines for use in all public hospitals in the country.

    “This machine costs only 3,000 dollars and it should really be present in every hospital and clinic in Nigeria. Nigeria can afford it, if we put our priorities right,” he stressed.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of SFH, Sir Bright Ekweremadu, said the SFH has, through its social franchise system, partnered with over 300 private health facilities for the provision of quality healthcare services that are accessible and affordable, especially to the poor and vulnerable in the society.

    He urged women to “avail themselves of this wonderful privilege of being screened for cervical cancer and if positive, at the early stage, to come in for cryotherapy here at Saffon Hospital.”

  • Trading on the bridge

    Trading on the bridge

    Almost all the pedestrian bridges in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been taken over by traders. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    BEFORE the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed started building six pedestrian bridges in the metropolis, pedestrians were knocked down by speeding cars everyday.

    This ugly incident lingered for many years before Mohammed in 2012 listened to the outcry for pedestrian bridges.

    The Minister remarked at a public function that the development was a great concern to his administration. He then identified six critical locations where the pedestrian bridges should be constructed which included: Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway by Tafawa Balewa (Old Secretariat); Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway by Olusegun Obasanjo (Wuye Junction); Shehu Yar’Adua Way by Okonja Iweala Way (V.I.O Mabushi); Shehu Yar’Adua Way by Ladi Kwali Street (Sheraton Junction); Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway by Ahmadu Bello Way (Banex Junction) and Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway by Shehu Shagari Way (Nicon Junction).

    The bridges which were supposed to be completed six months from the date of the contract. Some of them remain unfinished.

    Abuja Review investigations revealed that the completed ones are sometimes hardly used by pedestrians. Why? Petty traders have since converted the bridges to veritable business posts. At night, the bridges come alive offering a variety of articles.

    When Abuja Review visited one of the bridges at Nnamdi Azikwe Expressway by Shehu Shagari Way, at the popular Nicon Junction bus stop, traders were seen enjoying their trading with their customers without fear of been arrested. Products displayed at the bridge included Shoes, under wears, fairly used cloths, Belts, fruits, groundnuts and so on.

     

  • Tika residents bemoan lack of facilities

    Tika residents bemoan lack of facilities

    Residents of Tika community in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are lamenting the lack of basic infrastructures in the community. They have appealed to the Chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete to come to their aide.

    When our reporter visited the community, it was discovered that the community is far from development, because there are no basic social amenities that could give meanings to life and the people are having the feeling of total neglect by the government of Kuje.

    Some of the residents, who could not hide their pains and disappointment, said that the community has been neglected for a very long, that since its existence, no government’s presence has been felt by the people.

    According to Mr. Zack Adamu an indigene of the community, they have tried to draw the attention of past administrations to come to their aide by providing the community with basic infrastructures, but no administration has listened to the yearning of the people.

    “This community is backward in everything, because, there are no pipeborne water, no electricity, no healthcare centre, nothing that one would say can give real meanings to life. This community has been left behind in all areas and we are appealing to the chairman, Hon. Shaban Tete to come to our aide.

    “Our pains is that during elections they always remember to come to our community, and they make passionate promises, that you would think if they are elected, they will not waste any minute before fulfilling their promises. But, once they get the votes they want, they forget about their promises to the people,” he said.

    Another resident, Baba Yerima said that the past council leaderships have neglected the community completely, and that has made them to feel dejected and abandoned each time they go out of the community to town and they see the good life most people are enjoying in Kuje town.

    “We are not been treated well at all in this community. The truth is that the reason for setting up local government leaderships is for the people at the grassroots to benefit from the federal or state government through the council chairmen. But, in our case, we cannot say that there is anything we have benefited from the government of Kuje.

    “We have been neglected for too long and we are tired of this painful neglect, we need the present council boss to put an end to this suffering by providing basic infrastructures for us, we want to part of those enjoying the dividends democracy, we are part of the government and we should not be suffering this way.

    “Enough of these fake promises that politicians go to communities like ours to make. What we need is reality and that is the responsibility of government to the people. We need to be considered as people that contributed to the government through our votes during elections, because most of us are supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but we have never partook from the dividends of democracy of the government of PDP. That is painful,” he said.

  • Cancer treatment machine for women

    Help came the way of women in the Federal Capital Territory who are suffering from cancer, as the Society for Family Health (SFH) donated a Cryotherapy- a machine used for the treatment of pre-cancerous lesion of the cervix to Saffon Hospital, located in Nyanya a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Society for Family Health also donated equipment for the testing of cervical cancer in over 10 hospitals spread across the capital city.

    Cervical cancer is said to be the second most common cancer among women in Nigeria after breast cancer. About 9,659 women in Nigeria are reported to die of cervical cancer annually.

    Speaking with journalists after presenting the machine to the management of the hospital, the President Board of Trustees of the SFH, Prof. Shima Gyoh said: “Cancer normally increases with age and I will say that women who are 40 years and above are more at risk than the younger ones, but it can occur at any age. It does not follow any pattern. It just happens that it is commoner in older women.

    “We want to stress that this machine is not for treating cancer of the cervix. We have discovered that cancer of the cervix is caused by a virus and anytime that virus infects a woman, it may be there for several years before the cancer manifests.

    “If we can find out that the virus is there before it causes cancer, we want to kill it. This is what the machine is about.

    “So, this machine is about normal women who have no trouble at all coming for test and if the virus is found, the virus is killed before it stays long enough to cause any trouble.”

    Gyoh, however, advised the Federal Government to purchase such machines for use in all public hospitals in the country.

    “This machine costs only 3,000 dollars and it should really be present in every hospital and clinic in Nigeria. Nigeria can afford it, if we put our priorities right,” he stressed.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of SFH, Sir Bright Ekweremadu, said the SFH has, through its social franchise system, partnered with over 300 private health facilities for the provision of quality healthcare services that are accessible and affordable, especially to the poor and vulnerable in the society.

    He urged women to “avail themselves of this wonderful privilege of being screened for cervical cancer and if positive, at the early stage, to come in for cryotherapy here at Saffon Hospital.”

  • Rooting out pension thieves

    They toiled for the country. They gave their best for Nigeria’s growth and development. Unfortunately, they are living in abject poverty. Some have lost their lives while waiting for their entitlements as a result of some of the stringent procedures introduced into the processes of collecting their pension arrears.

    This is the sad story of many pensioners in Nigeria, no thanks to pension thieves who manipulate and beat the system to divert pension funds to their private bank accounts.

    Large sums of money running into billions of Naira have been stolen by many top officials who are saddled with the responsibility of managing and ensuring payment of pension arrears. They transmuted from petty thieves to racketeering syndicate.

    Initially, they modus operandi was lodging the funds meant for paying the pensioners into their private accounts and deliberately allow the funds to be in their accounts for months before eventually paying the poor pensioners their entitlements. This was with a view to earning fat bank interests. But now, total diversion of the funds is made with no payment made at all to some of the pensioners on flimsy excuses.

    Even as some of the thieves from Police Pension Funds and other government agencies have been exposed, taken to court, convicted and released on bail, it appears there are no strict laws in place aimed at discouraging those at the helm of affairs from tampering with the funds for their selfish gains.

    Two months ago, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arrested 13 senior civil servants in connection with a fresh fraud in the pension unit of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

    On the fresh fraud, the Media Consultant of PRTT, Mr. Olajide Fashikun told journalists that some saboteurs were bent on destroying the future of retirees in the country by falsifying documents to defraud government to the tune of N35 billion.

    Alhaji Kazeem Musa, who worked for several years and retired from the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Sokoto, has not received any pension arrears since 2007. There are many other worst cases which have resulted in the untimely death of some of the affected retirees.

    Apart from other measures already taken to sanitise the system, President Goodluck Jonathan, before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last Wednesday, inaugurated a new board for the National Pensions Commission (PenCom).

    He urged the new team to bring to a halt bad reports associated with pension payments in the country by ensuring that pensioners receive their retirement benefits as at when due.

    Jonathan said: “Government is also mindful of the fate of retirees who have served this great nation. It is therefore of paramount importance to this administration that pensioners receive their retirement benefits as at when due. PenCom is statutorily charged with the responsibilities of regulating and supervising all pension matters in Nigeria.

    “The enormity and sensitivity of the mandate of the Board of PenCom can therefore not be over-emphasised. The negative reports associated with the administrations of pension under the old scheme in the public sector in recent past have become an issue of grave national concern.”

    Stressing that several radical measures have recently been taken to restructure the scheme, he said: “This included the setting up, as provided by law, the Pension Constitutional Arrangement Department. It is our expectation that the Board of PenCom will work in synergy with this agency to engender a more robust pension system.

    “In addition, it is expected that the board will work to secure increased compliance with the Pension Reform Act, expand the coverage of the contributory pension scheme to include the informal sector, explore means of utilising the pool of funds towards Nigeria’s economic development in line with global best practices and maintain the existing culture of transparency and accountability in the management and custody of the contributory pension fund.

    “We know that other countries that have similar funds are even coming to invest in Nigeria, there is no reason for PenCom not to invest within and outside this country to even improve on the funds,” he added.

    Former Bauchi State governor, Adamu Muazu newly inaugurated as the Chairman of PenCom said: “Mr. President, your inaugural speech is very instructive. I have heard and I assure you under my supervision, PenCom will comply with your instruction and with the law.

    “I also assure you that we will ensure that compliance is made by the various states that have not complied, that the various Federal Government’s agencies and, indeed public sector and all informal sectors, will be made to comply as soon as possible.

    “In addition to that, Mr. President, we will take due diligence and we will consult with various government agencies, private sector organisations, the PFS and indeed, if need be, with other very successful pension commissions abroad to find ways and means of unveiling these monies that are made available for providing infrastructure and housing to the public.

    “In so doing, I want to assure you that these monies that are in the confines of the PenCom are owned by individuals. We will make sure, with the best of our ability, that whatever investment we make, is capital guaranteed.”

    Promising that pensioners will not only get their entitlements as at when due, but will also get good returns on their funds, he said: “We will make sure that the returns on the investment must beat inflation and possibly make very good returns for the pensioners.

    “By the grace of God, we will do whatever it takes. We will make you proud of our work in Pension Commission.”

    The provisions of the law should be reviewed to stipulate stiffer penalties for offenders in order to act as deterrent to others.

    Offenders also ought not to enjoy options of fines and bail grants when convicted since their actions, even though not through violence or gunshots are silently sending thousands of Nigerians to their early graves.

     

  • Community hails council chief on performance

    Natives of Kpaduma II community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have commended the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Micah Jiba for the rural electrification project taking place in the community after being in darkness since the beginning of existence.

    The Secretary of Kpaduma communities Simon Baba, who spoke on behalf of the natives in Abuja, thanked the council boss for reaching out to them in 2013, adding that the rural electrification taking place in the community has given the natives a sense of belonging which they have been denied from the beginning of the community.

    According to him, the people of Kpaduma II have spent years without electricity, and the AMAC chairman is doing all he can to ensure that there is developing in every community in his area council.

    “We were informed that the job would have been completed in December 2013, but it is yet to be completed. The council boss has assured us that the project will be completed in January this year and we believe him, because he always stands by his words.

    “Like Oliver Twist, although we are aware that everything has to go gradual, we hope that in his administration he will help us a get health centre in our community, because, the only hospital we make use of is Asokoro general hospital, which is about 5kms from our community,” he said.

    He therefore appealed to the council to also provide the community with a primary school, and health care centre which they know is one of the priorities of the council boss as a leader who has passion for his people.

    “The council boss has almost touched the lives of everybody in rural communities, by providing water boreholes, electricity transformers, access roads and we believe that he will do more to make life easy for those at the grassroots.

    “I strongly believe that 2014 is going to be better than 2013, base on the steps the council boss is taking to reach out to natives at the grassroots and we will continue to support his administration,” he said.

  • Rooting out pension thieves

    They toiled for the country. They gave their best for Nigeria’s growth and development. Unfortunately, they are living in abject poverty. Some have lost their lives while waiting for their entitlements as a result of some of the stringent procedures introduced into the processes of collecting their pension arrears.

    This is the sad story of many pensioners in Nigeria, no thanks to pension thieves who manipulate and beat the system to divert pension funds to their private bank accounts.

    Large sums of money running into billions of Naira have been stolen by many top officials who are saddled with the responsibility of managing and ensuring payment of pension arrears. They transmuted from petty thieves to racketeering syndicate.

    Initially, they modus operandi was lodging the funds meant for paying the pensioners into their private accounts and deliberately allow the funds to be in their accounts for months before eventually paying the poor pensioners their entitlements. This was with a view to earning fat bank interests. But now, total diversion of the funds is made with no payment made at all to some of the pensioners on flimsy excuses.

    Even as some of the thieves from Police Pension Funds and other government agencies have been exposed, taken to court, convicted and released on bail, it appears there are no strict laws in place aimed at discouraging those at the helm of affairs from tampering with the funds for their selfish gains.

    Two months ago, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arrested 13 senior civil servants in connection with a fresh fraud in the pension unit of the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.

    On the fresh fraud, the Media Consultant of PRTT, Mr. Olajide Fashikun told journalists that some saboteurs were bent on destroying the future of retirees in the country by falsifying documents to defraud government to the tune of N35 billion.

    Alhaji Kazeem Musa, who worked for several years and retired from the Department of Biological Sciences of the University of Sokoto, has not received any pension arrears since 2007. There are many other worst cases which have resulted in the untimely death of some of the affected retirees.

    Apart from other measures already taken to sanitise the system, President Goodluck Jonathan, before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last Wednesday, inaugurated a new board for the National Pensions Commission (PenCom).

    He urged the new team to bring to a halt bad reports associated with pension payments in the country by ensuring that pensioners receive their retirement benefits as at when due.

    Jonathan said: “Government is also mindful of the fate of retirees who have served this great nation. It is therefore of paramount importance to this administration that pensioners receive their retirement benefits as at when due. PenCom is statutorily charged with the responsibilities of regulating and supervising all pension matters in Nigeria.

    “The enormity and sensitivity of the mandate of the Board of PenCom can therefore not be over-emphasised. The negative reports associated with the administrations of pension under the old scheme in the public sector in recent past have become an issue of grave national concern.”

    Stressing that several radical measures have recently been taken to restructure the scheme, he said: “This included the setting up, as provided by law, the Pension Constitutional Arrangement Department. It is our expectation that the Board of PenCom will work in synergy with this agency to engender a more robust pension system.

    “In addition, it is expected that the board will work to secure increased compliance with the Pension Reform Act, expand the coverage of the contributory pension scheme to include the informal sector, explore means of utilising the pool of funds towards Nigeria’s economic development in line with global best practices and maintain the existing culture of transparency and accountability in the management and custody of the contributory pension fund.

    “We know that other countries that have similar funds are even coming to invest in Nigeria, there is no reason for PenCom not to invest within and outside this country to even improve on the funds,” he added.

    Former Bauchi State governor, Adamu Muazu newly inaugurated as the Chairman of PenCom said: “Mr. President, your inaugural speech is very instructive. I have heard and I assure you under my supervision, PenCom will comply with your instruction and with the law.

    “I also assure you that we will ensure that compliance is made by the various states that have not complied, that the various Federal Government’s agencies and, indeed public sector and all informal sectors, will be made to comply as soon as possible.

    “In addition to that, Mr. President, we will take due diligence and we will consult with various government agencies, private sector organisations, the PFS and indeed, if need be, with other very successful pension commissions abroad to find ways and means of unveiling these monies that are made available for providing infrastructure and housing to the public.

    “In so doing, I want to assure you that these monies that are in the confines of the PenCom are owned by individuals. We will make sure, with the best of our ability, that whatever investment we make, is capital guaranteed.”

    Promising that pensioners will not only get their entitlements as at when due, but will also get good returns on their funds, he said: “We will make sure that the returns on the investment must beat inflation and possibly make very good returns for the pensioners.

    “By the grace of God, we will do whatever it takes. We will make you proud of our work in Pension Commission.”

    The provisions of the law should be reviewed to stipulate stiffer penalties for offenders in order to act as deterrent to others.

    Offenders also ought not to enjoy options of fines and bail grants when convicted since their actions, even though not through violence or gunshots are silently sending thousands of Nigerians to their early graves.

  • Community hails council chief on performance

    Natives of Kpaduma II community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have commended the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Micah Jiba for the rural electrification project taking place in the community after being in darkness since the beginning of existence.

    The Secretary of Kpaduma communities Simon Baba, who spoke on behalf of the natives in Abuja, thanked the council boss for reaching out to them in 2013, adding that the rural electrification taking place in the community has given the natives a sense of belonging which they have been denied from the beginning of the community.

    According to him, the people of Kpaduma II have spent years without electricity, and the AMAC chairman is doing all he can to ensure that there is developing in every community in his area council.

    “We were informed that the job would have been completed in December 2013, but it is yet to be completed. The council boss has assured us that the project will be completed in January this year and we believe him, because he always stands by his words.

    “Like Oliver Twist, although we are aware that everything has to go gradual, we hope that in his administration he will help us a get health centre in our community, because, the only hospital we make use of is Asokoro general hospital, which is about 5kms from our community,” he said.

    He therefore appealed to the council to also provide the community with a primary school, and health care centre which they know is one of the priorities of the council boss as a leader who has passion for his people.

    “The council boss has almost touched the lives of everybody in rural communities, by providing water boreholes, electricity transformers, access roads and we believe that he will do more to make life easy for those at the grassroots.

    “I strongly believe that 2014 is going to be better than 2013, base on the steps the council boss is taking to reach out to natives at the grassroots and we will continue to support his administration,” he said.

  • Dutse traders wary of demolition

    Following the proposed demolition of Dutse Alhaji market by the leadership of Bwari Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) before the end of January, after completing the construction of the ultra model market, traders are worried over the possibility of affording the shops when completed, before the demolition exercise commences.

    Some traders who spoke with Abuja Review commended the council for upgrading the market to a modern standard, but lamented that the time given for the proposed demolition is too close for them to afford the money for the shops.

    According to one of the traders, Mrs Dorcas Kanayo, the new market is commendable, but considering the amount which ranges from between N1.5m to N2.5m for the acquisition of the shops, the time is too close for them to get the money, if the council stick to their plan to demolish the old market for people to move to the new shops.

    “I am happy that Dutse Alhaji is going to have a befitting standard market, where traders and buyers would feel comfortable to operate. But our concern is that the council should also consider the traders who would move to the new shops, by giving us enough time to look for the money, before they start to demolish our old shops.

    “For me, I do not have enough money now to acquire one of the new shops when completed, but if we are given up to March after completion, I believe that most of us that truly desire to trade in the market, will be able to come out with the required amount,” she said.

    Another trader, Emmanuel Augustine whose shop was amongst those demolished in November 2013, said that since the demolition of his shop, he has been selling outside the market so that he could make enough money to acquire the new shop when completed, pleading that the leadership of the council should give the traders more time before completely destroying the old market.

    “Since my shop was demolished in November, I have been doing my best to make enough money that could afford me the new shop in the market that is under construction, but the truth is that it has been very difficult, I want to appeal to the leadership of the council to consider us, by making the process of getting a shop less cumbersome.

    “Because, we know that any moment from now they will come and start demolishing the remaining parts of the old market, but, they should not forget that to get the millions to acquire the shops, is not an easy thing. They should assist us by making the processes easy for all of us. So that at the end, everybody will be happy and encouraged to support the government  of the council led by Mr Peter Yohanna,” he said.

     

  • Association demands development commission

    Indigenous people of Abuja have urged the Federal Government to create a development commission to take care of the needs of communities displaced as a result of development.

    The association noted that the commission should be fashioned after the likes of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or the Hydro-Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

    The President of OIDA, Pastor Danladi Jeji made the call during the second FCT Heritage Day celebration which held in Gwagwalada.

    He said displaced communities in Abuja have not been compensated for their confiscated lands, even as he said they are finding it difficult to make a living due to loss of their communities, houses and farmlands to government and private developers.

    He said: “The proposed Abuja Original Inhabitants Development Commission (AOIDC) should be statutory and should derive its funding from the 30 per cent of all sales accruing from all lands allocated within the FCT. When established, AOIDC would deal with the lingering issues of relocation, resettlement and compensation for all projects, affected communities and persons.”

    Continuing, he disclosed the association’s plan to sue the Federal Government if it continuous to confiscate their lands without regard for their rights.

    Presenting a paper entitled “Annihilation of Abuja Original Inhabitants and Imperatives of Democratisation of the Federal Capital Territory,” the Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences Nasarawa State University and Guest Speaker at the occasion, Prof. Andrew Zamani urged the Federal Government to appreciate the need for an all-inclusive policy to tackle the problems of the indigenous people of the FCT.

    Prof. Zamani said: “There are no special privileges for the inhabitants in this regard as is the case for the people of Niger Delta through the Niger Delta Development Commission. Original inhabitants of Abuja need structures for self-governance. The second-tier will provide the basis for a local government system that is people-oriented. More senatorial seats and federal constituencies should be created to increase representation in the National Assembly.