The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • PDP Chairman: Jonathan, governors agree on Mu’azu

    PDP Chairman: Jonathan, governors agree on Mu’azu

    Former Bauchi State governor, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu has been adopted as the new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The decision was reached at the meeting by President Goodluck Jonathan, party leaders  and  state governors in Abuja which ended early Monday morning.

    It was learnt that the meeting agreed to zone the post to a PDP controlled state in the North East contrary to earlier decision that the Chairman could be from a state not governed by the party.

    Mu’azu’s election as new chairman of the party will be confirmed at the party’s National Executive Council meeting scheduled to hold today ( Monday ) , in Abuja.

    Details later

     

     

  • Beggars back in nation’s capital

    Beggars back in nation’s capital

    The effort of the FCT Administration to make Abuja a world-class city has remained futile with the presence of beggars in the city. It is not a new thing to see beggars on major streets in Abuja. What is new, or what runs through the minds of many, is why some of the people beg.

    The battle to get them off major centres of Abuja metropolis is getting tough by the day. In 2011, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, read the riot act to all heads of agencies and departments following the poor environmental condition of the city. He gave them one directive: to get beggars off the streets of the capital.

    Consequent to that charge, over 170 beggars were repatriated to states such as Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, and Gombe. Others were taken to Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Plateau and Abia states. The exercise was seen as an effort to clean up the capital by the Mohammed administration.

    But two years after the instruction to rid Abuja of beggars, the activities of beggars are becoming visible again in the capital city.

    Beggars, who were dislodged by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) around Wuse, Berger, and Area One, are suddenly returning to the streets in the city centres.

    In satellite towns like Karu, Nyanya, Mararaba, Gwagwalada and Kubwa, beggars have found solace in the pedestrian bridges at night where they beg for arms from residents.

    The beggars are of the excuse that Abuja is not meant for the high class alone, hence the need for them to stay. Besides the suburbs of the city, you can also find them in strategic locations like the entrance of banks, mosques, churches, major bus stops; motor parks and major road junctions where they feel those with good hearts will see them and give them alms.

     

    Beyond gender

    Gender is not a barrier in the business of begging as both male and female are into it. Some live with one form of deformity or the other while some decided to embrace begging as a profession and a way to make ends meet.

    One would expect that only those who have reasons to beg should beg but a second thought on the idea of begging would remind one of the axiom: “there is ability in disability”. This indicates that disability should not be an excuse for one to engage in begging.

    There are different kinds of beggars. We have the habitual beggars, who are always dressed in shabby clothes. They carry umbrellas, plates and bags to keep what they are given by the kind-hearted ones. To attract more pity especially from women, some carry babies who always look mal-nourished with unkempt hair and outfit. Some even hold plastic plates in case a philanthropist gives them any kind of meal.

    There is yet another category of beggars who actually live with one form of disability or the other. The blind, among these categories, are seen with their sticks and sometimes accompanied by a relative who helps in directing them.

    To get the attention of good-hearted people, they sing songs, blessing before and after they receive some gifts.

    The deaf and dumb among the beggars go about with identification cards, envelopes and sometimes a carton around their necks with the inscription; “I am deaf and dumb, please assist me”.

    Also, some people under the guise of running a non-governmental organisation that caters for the disabled go from one organisation to the other seeking fund to assist people living with disabilities.

    At the major junctions at Kubwa, our correspondents encountered some dwarfs moving in company of their likes seeking alms. “Why should dwarfs also beg, what is their excuse for begging?” were the questions in their minds.

    When one of them who simply identified himself as Zakari Tanimu was asked why he was begging, he said: “I did not go to school when I was young and I am too old to go now. I have tried to work in different places but I have been turned down severally. I concluded that if those who have normal heights are still there looking for jobs, when will I get a job?

    “My height is a disadvantage to me. If they are even considering anybody for a job; I know I will be the last. So, instead of just waiting endlessly, I have decided to beg.”

    Kudirat Salisu, mother of three who sits at one corner of the newly constructed pedestrian bridge at NICON Junction said: “If I don’t beg, how will I take care of my children and myself. I used to help people do their domestic chores, like washing clothes and keeping their houses clean but they started complaining that I should not be coming with my children. Where will I keep them while I go to work?

    “That was why I stopped and I don’t have enough money to start up any business. So, that is why I am begging.”

    Isah Djibril is another beggar who said he discovered that one of the means through which one could sustain oneself in the capital city is through begging for alms.

    The 42-year-old Adamawa State-born and father of four kids begs for alms at night at the popular Gwarimpa-Kubwa Express Bridge. He rubs the floor of the bridge with his buttocks as he strives to make ends meet.

    Isah Djibril, who spoke in Hausa through an interpreter, said he had been in the begging business for a long time. He explained that through begging, he has been able to provide for his family.

    According to Hauwa Amina, another beggar along the Wuse Bridge, the economic situation made her go into street begging. Asked if she is not scared of arrest by officials of AEPB, Hauwa, who spoke in Pidgin English, explained that government officials are the ones disturbing them by coming here to drive them away.

     

    A new trend

    The tales of Hauwa Amina or Kudirat Salisu are not different from hundreds of others, including a few literate ‘corporate’ beggars who throng the bus stops and other areas in the FCT at closing hours to seek financial assistance. The differences lie in their appearances.

    This paradigm in begging in the nation’s capital has become treacherous.

    This set of beggars often called corporate beggars is smart and unassuming to passersby. Their mode of dressing reflects confidence from distance; attractive and neat. But on a close contact, they represent treachery and deceit.

    This set of beggars or individuals give the impression of being stranded to get money from people. Abuja residents are now used to these tricks played by this set of beggars. Like a lie told many times, it becomes ineffective.

    Is there any help for them? With the rise of beggars in the nation’s capital, is there a way the government can get them off the streets?

    The Mandate Secretary of the FCT Social Development Secretariat, Mrs. Blessing Onuh in a recent publication said the FCT Administration recently rehabilitated some of these beggars in the capital city.

    “The secretariat recently concluded the training of about 90 women beggars at the Karinmaji Settlement,” she said.

    She further said: “The women were registered in co-operative groups and given monetary assistance by the secretariat.”

    Also, in a recent interview, the Principal, Bwari Rehabilitation Centre, Comrade Bala Tsoho expressed dismay at the unwillingness of most of the beggars to embrace the FCTA’s initiative to rehabilitate them at the centre.

    According to him, those who are into begging have lost their sense of dignity and pride.

  •  Living off the fast lane

     Living off the fast lane

    They work hard, often too hard, just to make a living. They run fast with their articles of trade in their arms or on their shoulders. Their location is the highway of the nation’s capital. They must survive in a difficult economy.

    Abuja is filled to the brim with these set of hustlers who display their wares, be it toys, boxes of tissue paper, snacks or phone accessories. They meander their way through the Abuja traffic and they know how to get the attention they deserve.

    These hustlers are less in the city centre which has less traffic and more task force personnel chasing them about; they are more predominant in the satellite towns and metropolitan parts of Abuja. The most interesting part of is that some of them have got more creative and actually brought their shops literally to the highways.

    They are also seen along Nyanya, Mararaba and the Kubwa expressway where they caught our correspondent’s interest.

    Most of the traffic on the expressway begins from Galadima Junction but gets thicker around Phase Two. And that is just what they want, finding their way into the traffic and getting their business off the ground.

    As one leaves Dede, driving towards Zuba, on the Dantata Expressway, towards a military checkpoint for incoming vehicles into Abuja is a location buzzing with these hustlers. Here, they do not simply sell like others who stand by the road with soft drinks in polythene bags or containers with water dripping from it but they brought broken and abandoned refrigerators to the middle of the road to keep their drinks cold.

    They load the refrigerators with drinks, drop large chunks of ice to keep it cold while they only take few drinks to sell on the road while the rest stays cold. One of the traders Mohammed Lawal, a father of two who stays in Zuba, said they sell more in the morning and evening, mostly during rush hours when cars are forced to stop for the usual stop and search.

    Lawal who explained that they purchase as much as N500 worth of block that lasts for at most seven hours every day to enable them sell their drinks, explained that they decided to bring the fridge to the road to enable the coldness of their drinks last longer.

    He said, “The essence of the fridge here is to reduce the stress of going back and forth to get cold drinks; you see, there can never be any form of guarantee in go-slow (meaning traffic), sometimes, their ice melts so fast because of the sun and we are left with hot drinks that no one wants. Which is why we brought the refrigerators here, so that we can quickly sell when there is a go slow and rest under the shade of the trees across the road when the go slow disperses without our drinks getting hot.”

    Lawal complained that the solders for the past few days have not been giving them go slow which can be frustrating because it affects their jobs, he said that it is getting worst because now the soldiers are asking them to fall back a little more which will definitely take them away from their much needed traffic.

    He advised well meaning Nigerians to stop disobeying the laws by trying to avoid checks at the checkpoint which will not be helpful to the security of the Federal Capital, he also said that the solders need to be more vigilant and ensure they check cars properly because Abuja is the capital of the country and people from other places can easily bring in harmful things and in the process of the soldiers doing their work, they the hustlers will also have the avenue to sell their wares.

    Another marketer, Awalu Ibrahim explained when Abuja review asked him if he did not think that the trade was dangerous, “I don’t think it is risky because this first part of the road is three laness; when cars park, there is usually space in between for us, moreover we have gotten used to the road and know how to get between cars without endangering ourselves.

    “We are all young people and we would rather do something profitable with our time, by earning our living than beg or get involved in illegal things.”

    The hat seller amongst them who refused to be named or agree to be recorded, said that they have to always be on the look-out for members of the task force who always try to disrupt their business.

    He said: “Members of the task force are always going around, chasing people like us that are trying to honestly make a living, we left the town for them and came all the way here but sometimes they still come around when they need money but we will not be intimidated because man must survive anyhow.”

  • N40m goods lost in Kuje market fire

    N40m goods lost in Kuje market fire

    It was a sad day for Kuje traders when many of them lost goods worth N40 million to fire outbreak

    According to an eyewitness, the blaze destroyed so many goods because it could not be controlled due to the haphazard nature of the environment.

    About eight shops were burnt in the incident which is the second time in less than one month that some parts of the market were razed by fire.

    The blaze was said to have been caused by illegal connection of electricity wires by some shop owners.

    While addressing newsmen when he went to inspect the level of damage, the Vice-Chairman Kuje Areal Council, Mr. Mohammed Baba who represented the chairman expressed sadness that the incident had become worrisome as it was the second time the incident has occurred in less than one month.

    He said the council authority will take appropriate measures in compensating the affected victims, even as he added that the council and market managers would meet with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to form a committee on how to carry out proper electrical connection in the market in order to prevent future occurrence.

    The Chairman of Kuje Traders’ Association, Alhaji Yunusa Isa sympathised with the affected traders, adding that goods worth N40 million were lost in the fire as a result of illegal connection in the shops.

    Isa, therefore, urged the area council to upgrade the standard of the market and create access road within the market for easy access to the market.

    He advised traders to ensure they switched off all electrical appliances while closing for the day’s business.

    Meanwhile, traders at the market are lamenting over regular fire outbreak in the market, even as they called on the council chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete to expedite action in finding possible solution to the regular fire incidence.

    Mrs. Martha Ikechukwu, one of the traders whose shops were not burnt said that the two fire incidences that had destroyed shops and property in the market is beyond their imagination. She stressed the need for government to seriously look into the situation and find lasting solution to it before it gets out of hands.

    According to Mrs. Ikechukwu, the cause of the fire incidences in the market recently is not clear. I will say that it is something nobody can give explanations to, because it has never happened like this in the past, where fire will destroy shops and property in one market two times in less than 20 days. I believe that there are questions that seriously need answers.

    “I thank God that some of our shops were not affected and I sympathise with my co-traders for their losses. The entire thing is getting out of hands. How can one market experience two fire outbreaks in 20 days? The whole thing is becoming a mystery and nobody is taking serious action to put an end to it. All we hear are promises from the council leadership and no action.

    “The first time fire destroyed some shops and property in the market in December, the leadership of the council, led by Mr. Shaban Tete, visited the market and promised to investigate the cause of the fire incident and find solution to it.

    “Since after that visit, nothing was done. No investigation was carried out to know the exact cause of the blaze. If there was an investigation, it would have helped in averting this recent one. I guess they want the entire market to burn down before they find solution to the cause of it,” she said.

    Another trader who pleaded anonymity said when the council chief visited the market in December and promised to put an end to such occurrence in future, they thought the council leadership would immediately do something to avert future fire incidence. After the visit, no council official visited the market to carry out any investigation or to proffer solution to future occurrence of the incident.

    “One of the problems we have in this country is that our political leaders make promises that they will not fulfill. If proper measures had been put in place to correct the illegal electricity connection that they identified as the cause of the fire in December when the first fire incident occurred, the recent incident would not have happened. They just came here to see the extent of damage done and went to their houses to relax, because it did not affect them directly.

    “There are no markets in Kuje. The only market we have is under threat of being burnt down completely and no positive step is being taken by the council leadership to avert it. Nothing is happening in this council. There is no new infrastructure.

    “Other area councils are building model markets and upgrading the old ones for their people. Instead of building better markets for us in Kuje, they want the only one we are managing to burn down completely before they find solution to the fire problem.

    “The chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete should rise to his responsibilities and make things work for the benefit of Kuje people. During the last administration led by Hon. Danladi Zhin, nothing like this happened, because, he always tackled problems immediately before it got out of hands, and he always mapped out ways to better the lives of Kuje people. But we are yet to see that seriousness in this administration,” he said.

  • Council chief rues theft of 50 cows

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mr. Shaban Tete has expressed shock over the stealing of 50 cattle in Kujekwa community worth N70 million after 20 gunmen invaded it.

    The community, which is about 140 kilometers from Kuje town, was attacked by the gunmen at 7: 30 p.m penultimate Saturday.

    Investigations revealed that one Mr. Wasika Sarki was short dead when he made attempts to stop the invaders.

    Tete, while speaking with journalists in the affected community, said he was shocked when he received the sad news. He appealed to the villagers to remain calm, as the perpetrators will be apprehended and prosecuted. He added that such incidence was uncommon in the council.

    “It is sad news to hear because cattle worth millions of Naira were stolen by people who have no regard for humanity.

    “It became very necessary for the council authority to come all the way from Kuje town to sympathise with the people and see the level of damage done to the community.

    “I appeal to the affected people to remain calm as the evildoers will be caught and will face the wrath of the law,” Ishaku said.

    The council chief, however, said plans were underway to have police post in the community, even as he assured that adequate security measures would be taken in order to avert such occurrence in future.

    He also urged the villagers to encourage the vigilance group in the area by monitoring strange faces coming into the community.

    Some of the affected villagers said the gunmen who were armed with AK47 assault guns shot sporadically in the air in order to scare people away so that they would escape with the stolen cattle.

    One of the affected people, Mr. Isa Balla, said 20 of his cows valued at N160, 000 each and 30 handsets were stolen by the invaders.

    “I sell handsets and rear cows in this village so that I can take care of my family. But the thieves had taken away almost all I have labored for.

    “The guns they were carrying were Ak47 and we do not have such guns in this village. Everybody ran for his life when they started shooting in the air,” Balla explained.

  • EFCC probes 270 land cases 

    The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Ibrahim Lamorde has said the EFCC has handled about 270 land fraud cases in the past three years.

    Lamorde said this when he visited the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed in his office.

    In a statement issued by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, Lamode advised the FCT Administration to discourage use of cash in land acquisition process in the Federal Capital Territory to enable the commission to easily track all transactions on landed properties.

    Responding, Senator Mohammed expressed his administration’s commitment to stamp out all forms of corruption.

    The minister called for closer collaboration with all the anti-corruption agencies particularly the EFCC to be able to achieve this desire.

    He said:  ”Without the anti-corruption agencies, I cannot imagine how the Federal Capital Territory would have been, as people steal money from all over the country and launder or conceal them in buying properties in Abuja.”

    Senator Mohammed lamented that such property owners have refused to come forward for Deed of Assignment (s) to ascertain original ownership.

    The minister revealed that apart from concealment, the changing of hands of these properties without official sanction also denies the FCT Administration the revenue that should have accrued from such documentations.

    His words: “Until the current owners of these several properties in Abuja come forward for official documentation such as Deeds of Assignment, the government would continue to lose revenue in that area.”

    He, therefore, urged the EFCC to beam its searchlight on properties scattered across the Federal Capital Territory, especially the unoccupied ones.

    Senator Mohammed reiterated that there are several unoccupied houses in Abuja, which also constitute security challenges to the entire residents of the FCT.

    The minister advocated enactment of stringent laws to regulate and enforce new owners of properties in the FCT to come forward for necessary documentations.

    Promising to strengthen and solidify the existing relationship between the FCT Administration and the EFCC, Senator Mohammed stressed that since the FCT Property Tax is still before the National Assembly, efforts should be geared towards unifying them.

    The minister urged the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies not to spare those who carry out illegal transactions in the system, even as promised that his administration would not relent in its fight against corrupt activities.

    The FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Chukwu and some senior officials of the FCT Administration were in attendance at the meeting.

  • Jonathan, sports and unity

    Jonathan, sports and unity

    WWhether by chance or luck or implementation of new strategies, Nigeria in the past two years, has been on the winning path in some continental and global sporting events.

    Among the achievements the Goodluck Jonathan administration prides itself on are the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) won by the Super Eagles early last year and the U-17 World Cup brought home in November by the Eaglets.

    The senior football team has also qualified for the World Cup billed for Brazil in June.

    While speaking on the achievements of this administration in the area of sports, the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi said that the Golden Eaglets did not just win the tournament but set a new goal record in FIFA-organised competitions by scoring a total of 26 goals. He said this while formally presenting the U-17 World Cup trophy to the Federal Executive Council at the Presidential Villa last November.

    He said the team also left the tournament with the Fair-Play Award, the Most Valuable Player Award, the Golden Glove Award and the Silver Boot Award.

    “I want to emphasise that the only reason we did not win the Golden Boot was that, unlike other countries where only one striker was doing the goal scoring, the 26 goals by the Golden Eaglets were scored by nine different players,” he said.

    Recalling that the Super Eagles won the African Cup of Nations in early 2013 for the first time after 19 years, he said Nigeria was holding the record of the African Champion in the senior, youth and junior categories of athletics.

    “This is the first time in the history of African athletics that one country will hold these three athletics titles at the same time,” the minister added.

    Continuing, he said: “All these achievements, including the AFCON, we won in January (2013) after 19 years and the athletics championships in senior, junior and youth categories, put together has positioned President Goodluck Jonathan as the most successful President in Nigerian sporting history,”

    He also expressed confidence that Nigeria will win more laurels in the forthcoming 2014 World Cup in Brazil and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

    On plans to ensure that Nigeria does not decline from the new heights already attained in sports, President Jonathan, while receiving the Queen’s baton at the Presidential Villa last week, promised better incentives and training for Nigerian contingent to the Commonwealth Games billed for Glasgow, Scotland between July 23 and August 3 this year.

    He said: “This period, you will all agree with me, has been a glorious time in our sporting activities. Nigerians are therefore expecting a much better performance in Glasgow. We will therefore send a compact and powerful team of athletes. I assure you that government will ensure that adequate resources are made available for the training and participation of all the athletes going to the games.”

    Stressing the need to exploit sports to further boost national unity, he said: “I therefore urge all our sportsmen and women coaches and other officials to intensify their efforts in preparation of the games. Sports, as we all know, not only build character but are veritable tools for sustaining unity of our great country.”

    Stating that Nigeria has been a committed member of the Commonwealth, he said that she has participated in all except four Commonwealth Games since 1950, even as she has won medals in all the games it participated in.

    “Our first gold medal was won in the high jump at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games as it was then called in Vancouver, Canada in 1954. Nigeria won a total of seven medals: one gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Vancouver.

    “Our most memorable outings were the 1994 and 2010 games in Victoria, Canada and Delhi India where we won 11 gold medals in each of the competitions,” he said.

    With the new improvement in Nigeria’s performances in sporting events at both continental and global levels, it is has been said that Nigeria has truly got it right in that sector and will continue to be a force to reckon with in all global sports.

    But Nigerians still expect more from the Jonathan administration.

    Nigerians want the country to win more laurels or, at least, compete and meet up with best international practices in all other sectors in the country.

    The magical wand Jonathan introduced in sports that made it start to win laurels in the past two years should be introduced in education, fight against corruption and other key sectors so that Nigerians will, at least, start to feel the impact more. This is so because they may not have seen the people are yet to witness the improvements in other sectors of the economy as being witnessed in sports.

  • Journey to the cold city

    Journey to the cold city

    Plateau State is known mostly for its cold and interesting weather. Located at the coldest part of the country, coupled with its mountainous terrain, fun-seekers and tourists usually visit this beautiful state popularly known as “Home of Peace and Tourism” even though recent events in the state seem to question the verity of peace in the Plateau. People troop into the state to relax and reflect due to the coolness which is caused by its weather.

    Plateau State is located in Nigeria’s middle belt. With an area of 26,899 square kilometres, the state has an estimated population of about three million people.

    The state is named after the picturesque Jos Plateau, a mountainous area in the north of the state with captivating rock formations. Bare rocks are scattered across the grasslands, which cover the plateau.

    Though situated in the tropical zone, a higher altitude means that Plateau State has a near temperate climate with an average temperature of between 18 and 22°C. Harmattan winds cause the coldest weather between December and February.

    What most may not link to Jos is that the state itself can be a tourist attraction which cannot be exhausted in a hurry. The mountainous terrain of the Jos environment which has saved its people from invasion in the olden days can now be turned into an attraction for fun-loving individuals.

    Apart from its Zoo and wildlife park, Jos also has bodies of waters which the fun-loving people have gladly turned into resorts. The Rayfield resort for instance, although most of the residents turn the river into their source of water for building and other domestic uses, is also a place of strolls, picnics, parties and in some instance, recreational boating.

    However, the most interesting feature of Jos, apart from the above, is its rocks. The Sheri Hills, for instance, consist of different individual rocks which leaves a person in wonder of the greatness of God, mostly unique in its features, all cocooned in an environment.

    The rocky area of the Sheri Hills used to be known for the crowd of young people who gather on the rocks for picnics and parties. It used to draw large crowds but recently, like most parts of Jos, the hills are quiet even for the Yuletide period when most people go to their homes in different parts of the country.

    Sunday Damshit, a resident of Jos believes that the city is, most times, cool and not as noisy as bigger cities like Abuja.

    Damshit, who resides in far away Bukuru (a suburb of Jos) said: “Bukuru is actually a little far from Sheri Hills but I love to come here once in a while to relax and read books. This is really a good place to think and get creative.

    “The fact is that this place used to attract a lot of young people, family and friends who enjoy partying here. Recently, however, due to insecurity, Jos and most of the interesting places in this town have become a shadow of itself.”

    Another resident, Esther Lere, who is a florist in Rayfield said: “If not for the insecurity in the town, Jos is a very nice town. Check your history and you will find out that a lot of influential and important people used to stay in Jos at a point. A lot of Europeans love the weather because it is very similar to theirs and the city used to be multi-cultural and with all the religions all living in peace until the recent state of insecurity in the town.

    “We are optimistic that Jos can get back to what it used to be again. In time, the security situation will be resolved and people will come back to Jos to reside. The fact is Jos has a lot to give in terms of its people and environment.”

    Another important attraction in Jos can be found in Kyarang in Mangu Local Government Area.

    “Kyarang is the place where the famous Swan Water factory is located. The village houses a natural spring pond where locals believe that a huge swan lives and only comes out on rare occasions to repair the water. The water that comes out from a rock is crystal clean and villagers drink from it freely without fear. The biggest landmark of Kyarang is the volcanic mountain that is also seen drawn on the swan water bottle.

    Abigail is indigenous to Kyarang but teaches in Jos. She said: “I grew up in the village and drank from the spring water. The water is very pure. Although some people worship the swan, I don’t. But she comes out ones in a while and has been there for more than 100 years. At least, that is what my people believe in.”

    Another notable place is Gindiri which has huge cave-like rock known as dutsen lamba (meaning the rock with a mark), the popular dancing bridge which was used as a bridge before the construction of a better bridge and lots more.

    These and many more are places that a fun-lover and visitor to Jos can visit without spending much money unlike other tourist sites outside the country.

    A lot of Europeans love the weather because it is very close to their own and the city used to be multicultural and with all the religion all living in peace until the security situation.

    “We are optimistic that Jos can get back to what it used to be again, in time the security situation will be resolved and people will return, the fact is that, Jos has a lot to give in terms of its people and environment.”

    Another important attraction in Jos can be found in Mangu local government, in a place called Kyarang, Kyarang is the place where the famous Swan water factory is located; the village houses a natural spring pond where locals believe that a huge swan lives and only comes out on rare occasions to repair the water. The water that comes out from a rock is crystal clean and villagers drink from it freely without fear and the biggest landmark of Kyarang is the volcanic mountains that is also seen drawn on the swan bottle.

    Abigail, a teacher in Jos who comes from Kyarang said, “I grew up in the village and drank from the spring water, the water is very pure and although some people worship the swan, I don’t but she comes out ones in awhile and have been there for more than 100 years, at least that is what my people believe in.”

    Other places like Gindiri with its huge cave like rock known as the dutsen lamba (meaning the rock with a mark), the popular dancing bridge which was used as a bridge before the construction of a better bridge and lots more.

    These and many more, are places that a visitor and fun lover to Jos can visit without spending much unlike visits to other tourist sites outside the country.

  • Christmas tragedy: Church property up in flames

    Christmas tragedy: Church property up in flames

    It was a black Christmas and a day that will not be easily forgotten in the history of St Kizito’s Catholic Church, Kuje. It was a day fire razed half of the office and residential building of the Parish Priest. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained.

    During the Morning Mass on that day, little did members and leaders of the church know that tragedy was lurking around to play out later in the evening.

    It all started about 4:15 in the evening according to an eyewitness who was passing by the church when the fire started.

    Suddenly, the witness said, a flame was noticed coming out of the church premises and just to find out what was happening, a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) vehicle was seen driving on speed towards the gate of the church. Immediately, fire water-laden tanker was also following the vehicle.  People were running haphazardly shouting ‘fire, fire’ while security men whose district headquarters is located opposite the church, were also running towards the same direction to find out what was happening.

    People gathered at the entrance of the church clamouring for the gate to be opened to enable them to help in salvaging the situation.

    After several attempts, the gate was opened and onlookers, security operatives and fire fighters rushed to the scene of the blaze. It was discovered, to their chagrin that the fire had started long before people outside the church noticed it.

    Men of the fire service later put out the fire which could have razed the entire building that was housing the Parish Priest, other Reverend Fathers and church workers.

    One of the church workers told Abuja Review that most of them were sleeping when the fire started. It was when they suddenly woke up that they noticed smoke was coming out from one of the rooms.

    The worker, who pleaded anonymity and could not tell what caused the outbreak of fire, said all efforts to put out the fire were futile.

    “It was my colleague that woke me up, if not, I would have been dead by now. But I thank God. I do not know what went wrong. I am still in shock,” the source said.

    Some valuables were removed from the building when men of the fire service were putting out the fire.     Mr. Tokunbo Cletus who led the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) team to the scene said: “We were on patrol when we saw smoke coming out from the church premises. We have to put a call through to the officer of the fire service to rescue the situation. We had to rush down here with them.

    “We noticed the fire incident around past four in the evening. The cause of the fire was not known. It could be a generator spark or from the kitchen.”

    The leader of the officials of the fire service who did not disclose his identity said: “My advice to people now is to be very careful and ensure that they have firefighting equipment in their homes. If there was firefighting equipment in this house, the fire outbreak would have been tackled.”

    Rev. Father Michael Ngoka, the Parish Priest of the St. Kizito’s Catholic Church, Kuje said: “I was at the prison celebrating Christmas with the inmates. It is the annual visit of the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja because every Christmas Day, he goes to the prison to see the inmates and interact with them. So, when he comes, the Priest who works around here is supposed to be there to receive him.

    “It was a drama-sketch that was going on when a security officer alerted me. He said he had a message for me and I followed him out of the prison premises. He told me that there is a problem at home that he just got information that there is fire in my house and they need me.  On hearing that in did not even go back to the Archbishop to inform him of my leave, the message came so sudden and I was a little bit worry to know if anybody was hurt or killed in the process.

    “I took off and as I was coming I was calling the fathers, seminarians, the cook the house boy and nobody was picking not knowing that they were here and when I came in there was a crowd and everybody was busy helping out that was the reason they did not pick my calls.

    “It was when I got here and I saw the crowd that it dawned on me that my house was in danger. The generator was on when I left the prisons, usually we run generator in the afternoon. But I did not get the details of what caused the fire outbreak. I do not think it’s the kitchen because it began from the room of the parish priest. Everything there was completely burnt to ashes. At least other rooms they were able to evacuate certain things out. There must have been a spark somewhere.

    “But in any case I give glory to God, my major concern when I was driving down I was praying that there should be no casualty. The distance between prisons and here is ten minute but it looked like one day drive. I was speeding to come home but home was so long and it looked like it was unreachable. I am calm that everybody is fine is just that we lost so many valuables to the inferno.”

    No one could explain the cause of the ugly incident but the fact remains that everyone should be careful especially during this dry season.

     

  • Live in Kaduna, work in Abuja

    Live in Kaduna, work in Abuja

    The idea of having a fast rail track linking the Federal Capital Territory and Kaduna was first mooted by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo when he was the governor of Kaduna State. Then, the rail track was to be designed to link the Kaduna Millennium City on the eastern flank of Kaduna metropolis and to provide easy transport for people who might want to live in Kaduna and work in Abuja. But it was evident that the state government will not have the amount of money needed to execute such a huge project. Considering the fact that rail transport in the country has been almost an exclusive preserve of the federal government, the Sambo began a subtle move to get the federal government to buy into the project and his plans materialised when he was appointed the Vice President. He sold the idea to the federal government under President Goodluck Jonathan who bought into it. But rather than terminate at the Millennium City, the fast rail track was diverted to Rigassa, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis believed by many in Kaduna to be a no go area for Christians. President Goodluck Jonathan was billed to flag off the construction of the fast rail track at Rigassa during his presidential campaign to Kaduna in 2011, but cancelled the idea at the last minute due to security reports. In buying into the project, the government decided on carrying it out along with a total rehabilitation of existing rail lines across the country. The project was awarded to the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) at the cost of about 850 million dollars.

    The project which is already 70 percent completed is about 186 kilometres long with about nine stations along the line from Kaduna to Abuja. The construction of the track is expected to be beneficial to the various communities through which the fast train is expected to pass through, but many of them are not convinced that about government sincerity completing the project especially the fact that there are limited information about the project.

    The Federal Director of Railways, Engr. Barau Gafar said that the project was initially awarded in 2006 as part of government plans to revitalise the railway sector to run from Lagos to Kano, adding that the government decided to segment it to six parts namely Lagos to Ibadan, Ibadan to Ilorin, Ilorin to Minna, Minna to Abuja, Abuja to Kaduna. He also told the good governance tour team which visited the project recently that the government decided to commence with two segments which are Lagos to Ibadan and Abuja to Kaduna, saying “we started Abuja to Kaduna in the year 2010 precisely. The contract was awarded to CCECC at total cost of 849 million US dollars”. He disclosed that when completed, then fast train would run at a speed of between 120km to 150 km per hour, and anyone living in Kaduna will be able to travel to Abuja in approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Spokesman of the construction company, James Lee, said the project has not suffered any setbacks since its commencement as there was no land acquisition problem while funding from the government has been regular and coming as and when due. Lee said that even in China, projects like the rail project are handled for about three years, describing the government as good clients assuring that the project will be handed over to the government in December 2014.

    However, a tour of the project by The Nation revealed that communities that are supposed to benefit from the project have mixed feelings about the project. While some are not comfortable with government sincerity and commitment to the project, others think it is a blessing to them, believing that when completed, it will open up their communities. For example, residents of Rigassa which is the terminal point of the track in Kaduna are not happy that President Goodluck Jonathan failed to come to the community in 2011 to flag off the construction of the rail tracks. The date for the flag off coincided with the presidential campaign in Kaduna.

    Even though the contractors said that they have not had any problem with acquiring land for the project, some of the farmers complained that they have lost large portion of their farm land to the project without any form of compensation by the government. Former Minister of Transport, Yusuf Suleiman under whose tenure the project began was quoted by a national daily newspaper as saying that when completed and put to use, the project will afford a lot of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and those that have business in the nation’s capital, to reside in Kaduna or any of the railway towns and villages along the rail line to visit the FCT, do their businesses and return the same day. There is the belief however that this will help bring down the cost of living within the FCT, especially cost of residential accommodation which has continued to be on the rise. Suleiman was also quoted as saying initially; the manufacturers of the fast train had offered the Nigerian government a faster train which they rejected. He said “when we went to China to negotiate about the trains, the manufacturers offered us the engines that cover 450 kilometers per hour but we rejected that. We consulted President Jonathan who agreed with us that electric train engines that can cover 450 kilometers per hour will not be the best for a country like ours where animals graze freely and in most of the villages the train will pass through, people are used to crossing railway lines with their animals in a way that of the speed of such trains will be dangerous. We therefore, opted for the type that can cover 200 to 250 kilometers per hour. With that type, it means when you leave Kaduna by 7am you are sure of being in Abuja by 8am. By that you may even arrive your office and start work before someone that lives in Abuja. Government will make sure that the fare is affordable. We planned to have nine railway stations between Kaduna and Abuja where the trains will be making brief stop-overs to drop and pick passengers”. The former minister said further that as part of the transformation agenda of President Jonathan which is targeted at improving the living conditions of Nigerians and other foreigners living in the country, the transport sector is being transformed in a way that will yield dividends and improve the nation’s economy.

    Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo who flag off the laying of the fast rail track at Idu in the Federal Capital Territory said the government was committed to completing all rail projects across the country as part of its transformation agenda. Sambo was unhappy that the sector which is key to the development of any society has been neglected over the years. He said “as you are fully aware, this Administration accords top priority to the development of infrastructure as a component of the Transformation Agenda as well as the Vision 20:2020. In that regard, several projects covering critical sectors in transportation like Roads, Waterways, Aviation, and in Power Supply, Housing and the development of critical projects and programmes are being undertaken by this Administration and are at various stages of completion. This is an administration that keeps to its promises”. Sambo said that the government was committed to adequately fund the project, pointing out that part of the funds will be provided through the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and an additional $500 million concessionary loan from China EXIM Bank, who are co- financing the project. While regretting the neglect of the rail sector over the years, the Vice President said that with the articulation of the 25 years Strategic Rail Vision and in partnership with the private sector, the railways would return back to its glorious days, saying “in our efforts to ensure adequate funding for the Transformation Agenda, Government has created the enabling environment for the private sector to play significant roles.  This Administration is determined to concession the railway facilities upon completion.  Similarly, opportunities abound for Foreign Direct Investments in this important sector”.