The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Tafa village, truckers’ haven

    Ever wonder why tanker drivers park along Tafa village in Niger State? The answer is not quite elusive.

    Tafa at night is very bubbly, but in the day time it is as calm and peaceful as a village should be. The village is typical of a modern city at night.

    The way of life there is interesting for residents. At night the community comes to life, everything turns golden for tanker drivers because of the flock of women who throng the place. These women serve as acquaintances to tanker drivers who visit the village at night.

    Tafa, located on the fringes of the FCT, is in one of the local government areas of neighbouring Niger State. It has a population of 83, 874 (1991-2006 population census figures), comprising different language groups (such as Gbagi, Gwari, Nupe, Hausa and other Nigeria Languages). It is home to Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers.

    It is also a gate-way to most parts of Northern Nigeria, which makes it a very busy area. It is located at the Abuja–Kaduna expressway. The town is quite a commercial centre, with a lot of Hotels, businessmen and women busy running their day to day activities on both side of the express way. The traders also said most of their customers are tanker drivers who usually travel along the road.

    Although the community may lack the attractions of modern day cities or town like basic amenities, accessible roads and modern transportation, the community still presents an interesting place to visit because of its interesting features. Their ways of lives, mode of living, cultural festivals are fascinating to first time visitor. The community promotes communal living. They share things among one another in other to lend a hand.

    However, apart from lack of basic amenities, the parking of heavy duty tankers along the roads in Tafa is posing a major challenge. At Tafa, the rates of accidents are on the rise as a result of these tankers. They occupy space which makes movement difficult, thereby creating unnecessary hold up and at the same time major accidents along the roads.

    In an interview with The Nation, the Transport Manager Petroleum Tankers Drivers Association, Alhaji Baffa Mangal who resides around the Area, said they are not in full support of these trailers and tankers parking along the road but they have no other place to park whenever they come to repair their vehicles or visit their Family.

    He said, “Actually there is a Park provided for the drivers to park their vehicle, the work has started but not yet completed.  As I am talking to you right now, I can take you there to see things yourself, the park has not been tiled, no constructed road leads to it, no gate and security right now and bushes have covered the whole place so there is no way one can instruct any Tanker driver to go there to park his vehicle. Instructing any driver to park inside the park now is very risky especially a tank full of fuel, what if it gets hooked due to the rough road leading to the park?

    Above all the park has not been commissioned. “It will be nice if the park can be worked on, this is to the benefit of the community, tanker drivers and the federal government, one it makes it easy for tanker drivers knowing that they have a place of their own, at the same time the major expressway where they have been causing commotion will be light and free, and thirdly in spite of the fact thatthey are no longer on the road traders and other businesses will still thrive.

    A resident Abba Sunday, who is a spare part dealer said ‘’Am not happy with the way this tankers and trailers park along the road because it causes a lot of traffic jam and accident especially when a vehicle is coming on speed, but then, they constitute 90% of our patronage because whenever their vehicle develop problem they always come here for repair, there is a trailer park around but the place is very rough and there is no road leading to the park. The road needs government intervention especially in the area of tiling or cleaning the road so the trailers and tankers can comfortably park.

    Abba disclosed that night life in Tafa is flourishing. “The place is busier at night, there are plenty free women in this place,” the light skinny Abba said, the major business here is women, beside there is no Government work here no factory or industry  yet the area is always thronged, Most of the trailer drivers come for this women. Tafa is busier at night because there are a lot of activities going on at night, here you see women of all categories, majority of this women live in hotels where men patronize them. This promotes beer business, and all kinds of vices.

    Hauwa a food seller said ‘’this tanker drivers patronize us a lot, most of them are our customers, without them around our business will be something else she also stated that there use to be a lot of accident along Tafa road but not as a result of trailers parking along the road but reckless drive from the drivers that are always on full speed not minding others will cross the road but when asked about the social night activities around the place she claim to know nothing of such.

    Patience Enenche a petty trader who resides in Tafa said ‘’this trailer drivers are causing a lot of discomfort around here the way they park along the road and almost block half of it not minding is an express way usually contribute to most accident that turn out around here’’. Tanker drivers normally stop here because of commercial sex workers who come around at night. This very place we are standing, there are three hotels right in this place serving the same purpose which is not good for the upcoming  children in this area. Even I am just waiting for my children to finish primary school after which I will relocate because this Tafa is a corrupt area, I do not want my children to have the knowledge of the kind of life going on here, they are all I have and to fulfill their father’s dying wish is to rise them in a godly way. I’m willing to appeal to the traditional rulers around this area to join hands together and make sure they dismiss these street hawkers. Is as bad as even when you bored a taxi as a lady and you tell them you going to Tafa they will be looking at you somehow because of the naughty activities going on here.

    Another residents and a herbal trader mallam Mubarak Usman, who claim to have being in Tafa for the past seven years confess that, ‘’Tafa  is a town with a lot achievement and social life, the tanker which are being parked along the road in most cases protect  us in terms of accident,  it block us from the main road. So most of the accident that occur along Tafa is the fault of the drivers and usually cause by over speed the tanks have nothing to do with that.’’

    Mallam Mubarak stated that the women that come around at night make the place livelier and they are the business boosters. Most of the women are widows, divorcee and few married women. Adding that whatever a man does without woman around is incomplete especially these tanker drivers they cannot do without these women that normally come around at night. ‘’They are the vigorous promoter of Tafa. He quote ’’No woman no grooving too many women spoils the groove.’’

    Shuaibu a tanker driver said “we have a parking space but has not been properly repaired for many years they started the project but later abandoned it. This is why we park along the road. But we will stop when our park is ready.

    Back then, minister of works, Architect Mike Onolememen, Director General of NEMA and other top Government officials came to Tafa in respect of the project, since then no further improvement.

    He said, “Tafa is my village I was born and bred up here we are tired of unfulfilling promise no wr no good road they will come tell us all sort of lies and walk away we want the Government to repair the park by the time they are done with it Insha Allah all the tankers and trailer drivers will stop parking along Tafa road.

    “The tankers and trailers parked along the road are not responsible for the constant accident, it is the recklessness of drivers not road side parked vehicles.

     

  • Breaking Kaduna bypass jinx

    Breaking Kaduna bypass jinx

    The idea of constructing an eastern bypass in Kaduna was mooted in the early days of the Obasanjo administration to decongest Kaduna metropolis of heavy traffic. It was aimed at giving travellers from Abuja to other parts of the north and passing through Kaduna an alternative route instead of getting stuck in the heavy traffic in Kaduna metropolis. The contract was eventually awarded on November 24, 2002 to Eksiogullari Construction (Nig) at the cost of N16 billion and stretched from the Kakau on the Abuja/Kaduna road and to link the Kaduna/ Zaria road, covering a distance of about 48 km and a completion period of three years. Eleven years after, only about 16 kilometres representing about 30 per cent of the job has been done even though the contract sum has increased to about N24 billion. At the inception of the project, many had complained about the competence of the company to handle such a project since it had never handled any of such big project before. Those who felt that the company should not have been awarded the project alleged that they got the project because of the influence of the then Minister of Works, Chief Tony Anenih. Even though this could be confirmed, former President Obasanjo had told the company while inspecting the project in August 2005 that to handle the project diligently since it was their first in the country. Obasanjo said “this is your first major work in the country. So, you have to do it well and on time so that you don’t leave a bad impression”. Before then, the company had collected about N4 billion with less than 10 per cent of the job even when the completion period was just three months away. At the time of Obasanjo’s visit in 2005, the contractors were not on site as they had abandoned the project for alleged lack of funding from the government.

    With the contractors not able to meet the 2005 deadline for the completion of the project for apparent lack of competence and the non-release of funds, the date was readjusted in 2007 and rescheduled for 2012. But having collected over N10 billion from the government, the company was still unable to deliver the first 16 kilometres running between Kakau on the Kaduna/Abuja road to Mararaban Rido on the Kaduna/Kafanchan road at the end of the 2012 deadline forcing the Minister of State for Works, Bashir Yuguda to give them a November 30, 2013 deadline to finish and deliver the first 16 kilometre. Speaking with newsmen while commissioning the rehabilitated Kaduna refinery link road in May 2013, the Minister assured that the government was determined to complete the road for the benefit of the people. He said “the contractor is now concentrating on the remaining section of the road. They have done a lot of laterite work there and constructed most of the bridges. That is where majority of the work is. I passed through the road on my way here and I am sure you passed through it also and have seen the quality of work being done. I am sure that very soon, the road will be completed. We are giving it priority because it will further decongest traffic within Kaduna metropolis”.

    In 2012, while on a visit to the late Kaduna state governor, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, Yuguda was on an inspection tour of the project question the capability of the contractors to handle such a project saying “Kaduna Eastern bypass road was awarded on November 24, 2002 with completion dateline of November 23, 2005. There is budget constraint no doubt, but the capability of the contractor is very doubtful. We have given the contractor till November 30, 2011 to finish the first portion of Kakau to Mararaban Rido which is 16 km completely after which we will determine the next line of action. There is a bargain constraint, no doubt but the capacity of the contractor to deliver on this road is very doubtful. For the last ten years, they were only able to achieve substantial portion of up to 16 kilometres. The budget issue is there no doubt but for serious-minded contractors, they  go out of their way to impress government that they have to be helped in terms of funding. We have critical projects and once we see a contractor really doing the work he is supposed to do, we go out of our way to fund it but this is not acceptable at all. So, this first portion from Kakau to the Kachia road which is 16 kilometres, we have  given  them until November ending to finish the work completely and then, we will determine the next line of action but government cannot accept contractors that are folding their arms every day, saying it is government’s fault. If a contractor performs, there is always a budget mechanism which has a leverage that we can always make a case for such a contractor .So, it is not just the question of the government not funding but is the question of the technical capability of the contractor. We have a case of contractors that are really working above their certificates but these contractors don’t have any certificate pending. So, those are the issues. The quality of the work is okay, the work they have done so far is good but the financial capability is not there and that is what we are telling them. They should sit up and let us see what they can do. We are hopeful they will achieve it but if we get there and they are unable to achieve it, then the next option would be to sit down with the contractors”

    On his part, late Yakowa who was also not impressed with the progress of work on the road said the completion of the by-pass is vital to the economic and social wellbeing of Kaduna people, assuring that the state would lend the government all necessary support needed to fast-_track the completion of the project. Yakowa said “Kaduna has become congested that the need for so many roads leading to different parts of the country has become very glaring.  The completion of this road will greatly assist us in the town and also facilitate the movement of trucks in and out of the city”. However, while on an inspection tour of the project, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, ask the government to speed up all contract processes to complete the project. The Commission’s Commissioner Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaji Zakari Sada was not happy that only 30 percent of the road has been completed 11 years after the project was awarded. “Only 16 kilometres out of the 48 kilometres awarded in 2002 had been completed due to inadequate funding by the federal government. We hope there will be a way out of this unending project; we assure that we will do anything possible within our power to make this project a reality”. A Director of the construction company handling the project, Alhaji Aminu Gambo, told members of the commission that so far N11 billion had been paid to them by the federal government since the project started and attributed the delays in completing work on the road to “flawed contracting processes and price variations” and ask the government to fund the project properly as it would improve the economy of the state and the nation.

    to go through the Refinery junction into the Patrick Yakowa way. There is no way I will avoid the heavy traffic within the metropolis because I must pass through the metropolis and you know the level of traffic inside Kaduna town. So, the best thing for me is to use the western bye pass since the traffic there will not be as heavy as the one inside the town. We learnt that this road has been on for several years. We don’t know who to blame but we wish that it be completed soon”.

     

  • ‘NUJ tour will enhance grassroots development’

    Chairman Abaji Area Council, Hon. Yahaya Garba has said the project tour of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) to Area councils of the territory would engender better development in the Territory.

    Yahaya said this when he received journalists at the Abaji Secretariat even as he stressed that his administration was not unawares of it’s responsibilities to the electorate on whose mandate he is in office.

    He noted further that the tour will make the political leadership to be accountable to their electorates on whose votes they are empowered to lead the people.

    “As a thorough democrat, I want to categorically commend the FCT-NUJ, for coming up with this initiative of going round all the Area Councils and other agencies of the Federal Capital Territory Administration which to my conviction will not only challenge us to live up to expectation.

    “It will serve as an avenue for elected representative to be conscious of the fact that we are accountable to the people and in the same vein create a platform to showcase our developmental efforts to the electorates as well as our tax payers.

    “We are not unaware of our responsibilities as elected representative of the people, the task ahead of us is an enormous one.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja council, Comrade Chuks Ehirim told the chairman that the mission of the tour is to showcase the meaningful projects of the council.

    He pointed out that journalists are like perpetual critics who do so for the better of society in this case the council and the politics.hairman Abaji Area Council, Hon. Yahaya Garba has said the project tour of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, (NUJ) to Area councils of the territory would engender better development in the Territory.

    Yahaya said this when he received journalists at the Abaji Secretariat even as he stressed that his administration was not unawares of it’s responsibilities to the electorate on whose mandate he is in office.

    He noted further that the tour will make the political leadership to be accountable to their electorates on whose votes they are empowered to lead the people.

    “As a thorough democrat, I want to categorically commend the FCT-NUJ, for coming up with this initiative of going round all the Area Councils and other agencies of the Federal Capital Territory Administration which to my conviction will not only challenge us to live up to expectation.

    “It will serve as an avenue for elected representative to be conscious of the fact that we are accountable to the people and in the same vein create a platform to showcase our developmental efforts to the electorates as well as our tax payers.

    “We are not unaware of our responsibilities as elected representative of the people, the task ahead of us is an enormous one.

    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja council, Comrade Chuks Ehirim told the chairman that the mission of the tour is to showcase the meaningful projects of the council.

    He pointed out that journalists are like perpetual critics who do so for the better of society in this case the council and the politics.

  • Chinese investors to construct Abuja Talent-Hunt village

    Some Chinese investors are in the country to finalise arrangements with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) for the construction of a talent hunt village for Nigerian youths.

    The Talent Hunt village when fully operational will have an artistic  segment where young and gifted  Nigerians will showcase their skills and earn money rather than depend on white collar jobs.

    The President of the NYCN, Yakubu Shendam who disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend in an address he presented at 2013 National Youth Summit said the Youth Village will be purely for commercial purpose.

    Shendam said desired Nigerian Youths will have the opportunity of earning a living from the village while engaging in entrepreneurial skills, shows among others.

    He also added that an Agricultural programme called, JEGAABA will soon be launched in order to create jobs for over 100,000 youths annually.

    Shendam said, “for the agricultural project, youths will be selected per village form the 19 Northern states of Nigeria”

    “The youths will be trained and empowered to grow highly profitable crops for local and export purposes while a skill acquisition programme for the youths from the South-South with the theme, “Niger Delta beyond oil” is due to commence soon.

    He said about 30,000 youths stand to benefit from the South-south programme.

    While urging Nigeria youths to continue to tap into its most powerful resources, he urged them to continue to have confidence in the Administration of President Goodluck Jonathan as he strives to build a good Nigeria for all its citizens.

  • ‘Insufficient allocation hampers projects’

    Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Peter Yohanna Ushafa of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) has said that its entire November allocation from the federation account was N20m less than its monthly wages.

    Yohana said the situation has placed the council on the edge as in such cases the council is forced to augment salaries due to shortfall in it’s monthly allocation.

    According to him Bwari Area Council spends N115m monthly on wages and the total from the federation account is only N95m, how do we deliver on projects in such situations.

    He said the Council pays its environmental staffers the same wages as the federal employees even as he declined on the internally generated revenue of the council when asked by reporters.

    The council Chairman noted that the shortage notwithstanding, his administration has embarked on some projects that would improve on the quality of lives of Bwari residents.

    One of the landmark project visited was the 2000 unit Bwari Model market under construction.

    The project is being constructed under the Public Private Partnership and would be facilitated by Build, Operating and Transfer, (BOT) arrangement.

    It was learnt that there are 30 other markets in the Council being upgraded by the Yohana administration to model neighbourhood markets.

    Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalist, Abuja Council, Comrade Chuks Ehirim told the chairman that the NUJ mission was not to create crises but to make the public know the work of the administrations

    He emphasised that the political heads of performing coucils will gain from the outcome which would promote them amongst their people.

  • Herdsman jailed two years over missing cows

    A Grade 1 Area Court in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has sentenced a 38-year-old herdsman, Baushe Shehu, to two months imprisonment for allowing two cows in his custody to be stolen.

    The herdsman, who resides in Zango Shadadi Area of Kuje, was arraigned on a one-count charge of negligent conduct.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Niyon Ishaya, had earlier told the court that Alhaji Sani of Kayarda Area of Kuje, lodged a report against the convict at the Kuje Police Station on Nov. 29.

    He said that Shehu was employed by Sani to look after his cows at Zango Shadadi Area of Kuje, and he deliberately allowed thieves to steal two of the cows valued at N350,000.

    Ishaya also said that the convict had paid only N50,000 to the complainant, adding that he was to pay the balance of N300,000. That the offence contravened the provisions of Section 197 of the Penal Code.

    Shehu, who was not represented by a counsel, pleaded guilty to the charge, saying, “I left my duty post to visit a sick friend when the animals were stolen.’’

    The presiding Judge, Mr Nuhu Ibrahim, sentenced Shehu after he pleaded guilty.

    Ibrahim, however, gave him an option to pay N30,000 fine and N300,000 to the complainant.

  • NGO seeks better heath care

    O non-governmental organisation known as Kapital Merit Club in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has called for policy that will further strengthen access to qualitative health care in rural areas.

    President of the organisation, Mr Yinka Adewale made the call while speaking on improving the health of Nigerians at a Health Talk event to mark this year’s anniversary of the organisation in Gwagwalada area council in the FCT.

    Adewale noted that for the nation to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adequate attention must be given to the health needs of people living in rural communities.

    According to him, the health talk was organised to sensitise the public on basic health related requirements, like regular medical check up and environmental cleanliness among others.

    He advised participants to always keep their surroundings clean and shun acts detrimental to their health condition, thereby stressed the need for corporate bodies and organizations to always compliment the efforts of government in the area of health.

  • FCT women criticise Obasanjo’s letter to Jonathan

    FCT women criticise Obasanjo’s letter to Jonathan

    Women in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Women Solidarity Group have condemned the letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The National Cordinator of the group, Mrs Rita Audu, who staged a protest walk around major areas of the FCT said that the letter was not the kind of fatherly advice that Nigerians expected from the former President, saying that he should unite the country, instead of inciting the public against the present administration.

    Audu said the protest walk was a move to let former President Olusegun Obasanjo that if all the past leaders had being 100 percent perfect, just the way they want Jonathan to be, Nigeria would have been a better place and there will not be problems anywhere.

    “We want constructive criticism in Nigeria, so that there will be peace every where, there is no reason for people to heat up the polity with such controversial letter. We would like to say that President Jonathan administration is doing everything to affect positively the lives of people in the FCT and entire Nigeria.

    “If you move round the FCT, you will notice the roads networks every where and when you travel out of Abuja, you will see road networks outside. It is an evidence that President Jonathan is doing his best in terms of providing infrastructural development. We are not campaigning for him, but he has also done well in the area of education and creating jobs for graduates.

    “If the past leaders had done everything that Obasanjo wants Jonathan to do, we will not have problems of corruption in Nigeria today. Jonathan is trying to touch what past administrations have failed to touch to affect lives. I believe that with the present step he has taken on power, very soon electricity will be stable.

    “We can see him balancing the economy of Nigeria that has accumulated for long. We are in support of him to lead Nigeria for eight years. I urge every woman in the FCT and Nigeria to support him to contest for second term in office,” he said.

  • Fcta to employ after promotion exercise

    Fcta to employ after promotion exercise

    In order to maintain the chain in the service of the FCT Administration, the government will embark on a recruitment exercise after it is done with the biometric and promotion exercises next year.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed said this to the FCT Workers Unions while meeting with them after they withdrew from their warning strike last Monday at the Banquet Hall, FCT Minister Official Residence, Gwarinpa I District, Abuja. The Minister pointed out that with the conclusion of the biometric and promotion exercises in the first quarter of 2014, there would be some vacancies to be created, which would immediately be filled with the new recruits to maintain the chain in the service.

    Senator Mohammed also announced that his administration would establish a durable and functional transport system for all the FCT Secretariats, Departments and Agencies (SDAs) to ameliorate their transport problem especially for those at the lower cadre.

    He however remarked that such transportation system would be paid for, because of the existing policy of monetization for public servants.

    The Minister, who revealed that considerable amount of money had been expended on staff training this fiscal year, said that as from next year, the FCT Administration will have a Training Master Plan to guide all SDAs.

    His words: “Accordingly, all staff training would be planned with specific officer to ensure that such staff development programme go round to avoid unnecessary acrimony”.

    Senator Mohammed remarked that with this new policy, staff training for all the cadres in the FCT Administration service would have their training requirement clearly spelt out, adequately budgeted for and transparently allotted to deserving staff.

    According to him, the FCT Administration under his supervision has never delayed staff salary as wages and salaries are always paid on or before the 25thof every month and urged the Unions to instead commend the Administration for such pro-active gesture.

    Senator Mohammed recalled that in the history of the FCT Administration it is only this administration, which has paid 13th month salary bonus in 2011; insisting that the records are there.

    The Minister thus, noted that though his administrationn started it, but it would not be possible in this fiscal year because of the heavy debt burden as one cant be indebted and at the same time be giving bonuses.

  • Peace sermon at Yuletide

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) took advantage of the Yuletide to preach peace amongst Nigerians.

    The message was propagated at the lighting of a 23-meter-high Christmas tree, which has 2,700 meters of branches. The tree consumes 3 kilowatts of electricity, with 20,000 LED. Its length of light garlands is about 2km while the cables measure 1km.

    The ceremony, which attracted lots of dignitaries and members of the diplomatic community, featured lovely performances by the Laz Ekwueme chorale orchestra.

    The first lady, Patience Goodluck Jonathan who performed the tree-lighting ceremony, took the opportunity to rededicate her commitment to the social advancement of women, youths and children as well as better opportunities for the disadvantaged in the society.

    She said: “Christmas period is a time to celebrate God’s love and compassion; I call on everyone across all socio-economic and religious boundaries to let us rededicate ourselves to the purpose of peace, unity and love for our common growth. As this tree stands visible day and night, let it stand as a reminder to all Nigerians that together we can build a peaceful and prosperous nation.”

    The Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide who was the chief host of the occasion, explained that the symbol of the Christmas tree is to promote tourism and add beauty to Abuja during the season; it will also be a beehive of activity and add colour or backdrop to photographs for visitors and residents.

    Akinjide in her speech said, “ The purpose of the tree is to fill the environment with its magnificent beauty and lure residents and visitors with its charm; the tree stands as a physical reflection of the message of the season, It is my fervent desire that the institutionalisation of the lighting of the national Christmas tree as an annual event will be a rallying symbol of peace and unity in our country and a reminder of the oneness of our people, which will last beyond this period.”

    His eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan who gave the exhortation at the ceremony said that Christmas is the celebration of life which is Jesus Christ and the little ceremony of putting up light on the Christmas tree is our feeble attempt to imitate and bring to life the great light that filled the sky that first Christmas night announcing the arrival of Christ the son of God.

    Onaiyekan who urged Nigerians to resist all works of the devil said, “It is a well known fact that there are many things going wrong in our country; the forces of darkness and chaos are skilfully at work, agents of disunity, perpetrators of violence, indiscipline and selfish people in low and high places who corner for themselves more than their fair share of our common national patronage. Let each person be satisfied with what is his or her own without greed and jealousy.

    ”The devil and his agents will continue to throw the world back into darkness and chaos but the light of God will always overpower the forces of darkness.”