The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Law school gets luxury hostel

    The Nigerian law school has always had its hostels, but they are cramped and not befitting for the country’s legal minds in the making. Even older law graduates who stop by, sometimes accompanied by their family members, are quartered in these hostels.

    This was what Efe Egbarin-Davis noticed that led to her building a private 27-room luxury hostel just outside the law school Bwari, Abuja.

    Former Senate Chief Whip Senator Stella Omu who commissioned the Williams courtyard hostel in Bwari, Abuja congratulated Mrs Davis on the endeavor.

    She said that the venture will help encourage other women and provide employment for youths.

    Omu said, “I want to congratulate her on the outfit and hope others will emulate her and it will bring about employment to the youths, I will like to urge women to emulate her so that whatever they put their hands into must succeed because we cannot just sit down and be saying the government is doing nothing; work for the youths. Everybody should assist the government in providing employment which is why I am impressed with her for assisting the government with employment in her way.”

    Egbarin-Davis in her statement said, “We are going to be providing accommodation and services like wifi, CCTV for security, a gym and restaurant.

    “This is all about supply and demand, i am a business woman who saw a need and tried to provide the service to meet with the demand, i had quite a few people who expressed the interest and i tried to satisfy the need.

    “The law school has hostels if you want to be two or three or more than that in a room, he has a lot of matured individuals in law school in the school that needs our services and other young individuals that prefer to have some privacy. There are some people at the law school that will prefer having spouses or their family around which is not allowed on campus.”

     

  • Kuje Prison Road to be built soon

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has awarded the popular Kuje Prison Road for construction.

    The road has been abandoned for years.

    Coordinator of FCTA, Satellite Towns Development Department, (STDD), Yamao Tanko, who disclosed this during his official visit to Kuje Area Council to monitor projects, said once the 2018 budget is passed the contractor will be mobilised to site.

    He also assured the council of adequate plans to assist in evacuating filth from Kuje.

    He said, “In Kuje I think it is only few roads now that need to undergo repair and construction.

    “The Kuje Prison Road has been awarded and the contractor will soon be on site. We are just waiting for the 2018 budget. Once our budget is passed, we will mobilise the contractor to move to site. “

    “I have been told of the challenges kuje is facing about the waste. But you can see the bin here provided by the STDD, but the problem we have been having is, we wanted partnering with the Kuje Area Council by providing the bin and our truck and the council will be fueling the trucks.

    “This agreement was initiated by the past administration and the administration was not able to meet up with the fueling of the trucks that will move the bin from here to the dumping site. The head of environment of the council has assured me that the present administration is ever ready to provide fuel for the truck to aid movement of the refuse to the dumping site.  When we get back to the office we will put all arrangements in place on how our trucks will be removing this filth.”

    The STDD boss also visited the palace of the Gomo of Kuje, Alh. Haruna Jubril and the Chairman of Kuje Area Council, Hon. Abdullahi Galadima to hint them of government projects in Kuje and how they are to be renovated or completed.

    Projects monitored by Tanko are rehabilitation of 6.5km Kuje- Gwagwalada (phase 1) road, provision of access road to Senate Staff Mass Housing, upgrading of 5km Senior Staff Quarter’s road network, and Kuje, among others.

  • Taxify launches in Abuja

    Taxify, the fastest-growing ride-sharing platform in Europe and Africa is in Abuja to offer quality and safe service to its clients, with hundreds of drivers signing up to the platform to partner.

    Uche Okafor, Taxify’s Operations Manager in a statement said “Abuja is an exciting and thriving market with an outgoing population for private urban transport. We have a solid team on ground in Abuja and are excited about the launch.

    “We are confident that Taxify can effectively contribute to healthy competition by improving the quality of service and lowering the prices for the end customer.

    “Taxify takes only 15% commission from its drivers, compared to the 25% that competitors take. The lower commission allows Taxify to offer lower prices for riders and ensure that drivers still keep more money in their pockets.

    “Taxify treats our drivers better so that they can in turn treat our clients well. We ensure drivers earn more driving on our platform than on any other platform. This combined with our end to end support ensures that our drivers are happier driving on Taxify and are ultimately able to provide better quality service for clients. Taxify also believes in providing exemplary customer service to riders, with a local customer support team that offers real time over the phone support.”

    Taxify is an international urban ride-sharing platform founded and headquartered in Tallinn, Estonia. It is operates in 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central America. Taxify has a global team of over 300 employees, and is considered one of the fastest-growing ride-sharing platforms in Europe and Africa. In August 2017, Taxify announced a strategic partnership with Didi Chuxing, the world’s leading mobile transportation platform.

  • An unusual monarch in Abuja

    An unusual monarch in Abuja

    By whatever parameters, the Oluwo of Iwo land is deemed very unusual. Irreverent defiance of age-old conventions is one of his specialties. He is easily one of the most unusual traditional rulers in the entire Southwest. Some traditionalists define his ‘arrogance’ by the unceremonious way in which he defies even the gods, booting long-existing deities, including an 800-year-old one, out of the Oluwo palace – the official homestead of a long line of Obas.

    “They say that an Oba is ‘Igbakeji Orisa’ (second in command to the gods) but I am not Igbakeji  Orisa, I am above them (the gods). I relocated the Orisa that had been inside my palace for more than  800 years and nothing happened; I am still here, standing,” he remarked.

    It took the 50th birthday of his childhood friend of 46 years for many in Abuja who had heard of the Oluwo’s somewhat overconfident posturing to see the humble side of the ebullient Oba. Self-effacing and self-deprecatory at times, it was unusually beyond expectation.

    With their spouses, the Oluwo and his long-time friend, Femi Ebofin, now one of the Federal Capital Territory’s most reputable civil engineering consultants briefly did some Yoruba dance steps with accompanying music from a live band at the Space and Function Event Centre within Abuja’s City Park.

    Then, it was time for the Oba to offer royal blessings – a thing he did in a manner that many of those present will not forget in a hurry.

    Initially, some thought it was a joke, but Oluwo disproved their assumptions by asking his friend of forty-six years to step forward and fall flat in the manner of traditional obeisance. His friend thought it was the usual prostration and made to stand up within a minute. But Oba Akanbi insisted that the prostration must last a while.

    Thereafter, using the richness of the Yoruba language to conjure the imagery of powerful elemental forces that surround the Obaship stool, he launched into a description of his own might, how he threw the deities out of Iwo palace and still remains standing.

    In torrents, words that proclaim enormous blessings upon his dear friend and mighty curses upon his own head flowed.

    “Femi is now my son, even though my earthly age is fifty years, an Oba is beyond ages and ageless. Only God is the real Oba and the position I occupy is only temporal. My own brand of royal father does not include being in cults or idol-worship. In our time, we are going to redefine the Obaship and the entire monarchy system. No god and nobody can do anything to me because I am not the one who sent myself,” he said.

    According to the Oba, there is nothing wrong in idol-worshippers celebrating past heroes like ogun, the god of iron, but he will never compromise worship of such deities.

    “Why is it that those who invented or manufacture airplanes and cars see no need to worship Ogun? It is because we are now out of the dark ages but in the 21st century,” he said.

    He then briefly spoke of childhood pranks with Ebofin, his great human qualities and then launched into fearsome blessings.

    Some shook their heads in amazement, a few shed tears and others continuously muttered ‘Ase’ at every turn.

    All felt awed by the depth of kinship that the Oluwo was exhibiting towards his old friend. The citation on the Oba’s dear friend, Timothy Olufemi Ebofin and the attestations expressed by former colleagues and old friends emphasized not only career success but also, the significant people-skills and virtues such as honesty, focused determination, dependability and utmost reliability they seem to have found in the celebrant over the years. Fellow civil engineering consultants like Gbenga Ajayi, Dapo Abe, the MD of MO and A Associates, Akin Akinropo who breezed in from the USA, Dayo Adedipe, and Living Faith Church’s representative of Bishop David Abioye who all spoke in superlative terms about Ebofin. Minister of Water Resources, CEngineer Suleiman Adamu and the Managing Director of NEXIM, Alhaji Abba Bello who is boss to Mrs. Foluso Ebofin were among dignitaries who came to honour the celebrant.

    A 1991 University of Ibadan graduate of Civil Engineering, Oba Akanbi’s bosom friend, Femi Ebofin had a hand in some of the major civil engineering landmarks in Abuja. Those bearing either his personal imprint or that of his Femak Associates Limited include the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Ceddi Plaza, Nigerian Maritime Authority Building, Dipcharima House, Hilton Hotel, European Union Embassy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Presidential Aircraft Fleet Hangar, International Terminal Buildings at Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt and other airports, Embassy of Ivory Coast and other projects in foreign countries.

    He is also a fellow of professional bodies including Nigerian Society of Engineers, International Federation of Consulting Engineers, Council for Registration of Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers and the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.

    To the amazement of all, the unusual Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Akanbi shared being the star of the day with his best friend in a way that many would never forget in a hurry.

    “Yes, we are different. Our time is different; in our time, Pastors must feel free to enter an Oba’s palace without any thought about those gods that some people have served in ages past,” Oba Abdurasheed Adewale Akanbi said.

     

  • Keeping APC united

    Prior to the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last Tuesday, it was difficult for many political watchers to predict how the party will stand at the end of the meeting.

    With the scenario that played out before the meeting,  many had feared that the party may come out of the meeting more divided with the centre unable to hold the various units together.

    One of the scenarios was the series of protest marches at the party’s national secretariat, demanding the sack of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party headed by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    The members of the Save APC and Democracy Youth Vanguard, who stormed the Secretariat with various placards, had caused a gridlock disrupting free flow of vehicular and human movements.

    The angry youths had demanded the audit of the party’s books and the cancellation of the non-elective convention.

    They also wanted changes in the party to boost its full support for the anti-corruption fight of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Peter Oyewole, who was the leader of the group, had said: “Since 2015, the budget of APC has not been made public. Since 2015, the ruling party has not held a single meeting.

    “These are enough to remove the National Chairman. We demand the removal of Oyegun now. We are also saying enough is enough to imposition of candidates at all levels by Oyegun-led NWC.

    “Because in any party where there is imposition, there cannot be fairness. Any party where there is imposition, there cannot be equity. The imposition in APC today is just rubbishing the anti-corruption war of President Buhari.

    “If Odigie-Oyegun is not removed within the next one month, the APC youths will picket this national secretariat and make it a no-go area to everybody. The staff, the officials and even the security staff will be chased out of the Secretariat and none of them will be allowed to come in here.”

    “The man (Oyegun) cannot manage success. Since 2015 that the APC won the presidential election, tell me a single NEC meeting that has been held? This man cannot galvanise support for the President.

    “What we are saying is that if Oyegun continues like this we are going to have imposition at all levels in APC come 2019. This is a democracy whereby many wings can grow up to push for the interest of many.” he added

    Another youth’s group within the party, named APC Youths Solidarity Forum said the party should find ways of improving its finances and should address the anxieties being felt by various party stalwarts.

    According to a letter to the President, signed by the forum’s convener,  Danesi Momoh Prince, he called for strengthening of the APC, noting that  it remains the only legitimate platform to obtain political power in the country.

    He said: “The President needs to take more than a passing interest in the activities of the party and ensure that the party is supreme. There have been alleged schemes to remove the party’s national chairman from office because of his perceived loyalty to Mr. President.

    “The alleged plot is aimed at achieving sinister political ends in the lead up to the 2019 general elections. If the plan succeeds, it will allow the sponsors install their stooges and hijack the party in the lead up to the election. This is a red flag that the President must take seriously and thwart.”

    On appointments, he said: “Many Federal Government boards, agencies and parastatals appointees who were put in office by the immediate-past administration are still in office. They are not loyal to the APC which they feel had no hand in their emergence.

    “There is need to quickly review these appointments and replace them with qualified APC members. Vacant positions should thereafter be quickly filled with APC members who feel frustrated because they seem not to have benefited from the victory of their party.” he stated

    But the intervention of President Buhari and founding fathers of the party was able to calm down the tension in the party.

    The National Leader of the APC and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had met behind closed door at the Presidential Villa, Abuja with the President last week Monday evening.

    Tinubu in the night of the same day along with Chief Bisi Akande also attended the APC caucus meeting with the President at the Aso Rock.

    Tinubu told journalists after the closed door meeting “In the journey of democracy you are going to have twists and turns, you are going to have conflicts.

    “Conflicts resolution mechanisms is inbuilt on how you handle your party and the governance and the party are joined by the hips.” he said

    On whether the APC was still on course, Tinubu said “Can you go back to the history of 16  years of the PDP? APC government is on course and will remain on course and we will remain focused to those necessary things about development, welfare and progress of our people.

    “Its not easy to face the challenges and the well that was dug, sinkhole that we inherited. But we are sorting that one out gradually so few steps we will find happiness and development in the future of our country,” he stated

    Earlier in the afternoon, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari and Odigie-Oyegun had also met behind closed doors with the President in Aso Rock.

    The APC caucus on that Monday night passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the party.

    Yari said, “This meeting shows our unity in the party, shows our strength and our commitment to the party and to Nigerians.”

    On his part, Senator Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, said that the outcome of the meeting, dismissed the speculation that it was convened to remove the leadership of the APC.

    He said: “You remember, you saw it in some of the newspapers. That our crises had deepened, APC is going to break, there is a plan to kick out our national chairman – none of these things happened.

    “It is a big family reunion and we are all happy and this party is going to dominate the Nigerian political space for a very long time to come. I don’t want to predict any number of years.’” he said  ’

    All the series of meetings leading to the caucus meeting resulted in no small measure to the smooth NEC meeting recorded on Tuesday.

    Not only was it hitch-free, most governors and other party chieftains backed President Muhammadu Buhari candidature in the 2019 presidential election even as the NEC ruled out automatic ticket for any candidate.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bolaji Abdullahi had said that the only motion taken was to pass a vote of confidence on the President.

    On aggrieved members, Dogara had said: “I don’t think that you can find any family that is as large as the APC family without some squabbles. No such family exists in the whole world and if there are disagreements, they are okay because without disagreements, you cannot even move forward.”

    The President at the NEC meeting had said “If we keep united and rise above petty or personal quarrels we will surely achieve the desired CHANGE in the country.”

    The Senate President Bukola Saraki after the President’s dinner for National Assembly leadership last Tuesday night also pledged the cooperation of the National Assembly for the executive towards better administration of the country.

    He said “The meeting was to welcome him to show our gratitude that he has come back healthy and continue to assure him that we will continue to cooperate with the executive and also to acknowledge the role we played while he was away that brought stability.

    “We thank all the members for the patriotic approach they handled the administration’s affairs in his absence,’’ he said.

    It is hoped that the new harmony in the ruling party will stand the test of time and go beyond the 2019 general elections.

    Also, cooperation between the executive arm of government and the National Assembly will go a long way in meeting the yearnings of the people and achieving sustainable development in the country.

     

  • FCT takes on illegal structures

    FCT takes on illegal structures

    To ease traffic on the Abuja-Nyanya-Jikwoyi-Karshi Road, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) starts removing roadside illegal structures, reports GBENGA OMOKHUNU

    It is a familiar story but there is also something quite different about it. Bulldozers tearing down structures in the capital city and its environs was a familiar sight, which often triggered a backlash. But as the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) moves to pull down structures it termed illegal on the Abuja-Nyanya-Jikwoyi-Karshi Road, there is applause rather than cursing, boos or litigation.

    Why? The road is notorious for its choking traffic jams. That was why the administration prioritised its expansion to ease traffic. But even when expanded, the traffic snarls may endure if illegal structures are not removed.

    The grace period given for owners of those unwanted structures to removed them has lapsed, and the government has started removing the structures along the road.

    Chairman of the task force, Major General Emmanuel Nienge (rtd), while addressing journalists during the clean-up operation, explained that the aim of the exercise was to “achieve seamless human and vehicular movement along the road as well as ensure safety of lives and property, which could be lost due to any accident on the road.”

    Nienge, while appreciating cooperation of all stakeholders in the task, warned that the long period of grace was over, affirming that “now is the time for action, to remove all those structures causing holdup and making life difficult for commuters on this route.”

    Nienge said: “We are here today to remove all the illegal structures, especially those extensions that reach to the road.

    “We have given the traders enough time. Most of them have complied and removed the structures, as you can see, but you can also see that some have not done that, so we will help them to remove them. We will not touch any legal structure.

    “And while we still urge them to quickly remove them by themselves so that they don’t get destroyed in the cause of our bulldozers doing it for them; we still reserve a very short window for those who assure us they will carry out self-removal. He continued “but it is obvious that the few who are yet to remove them are seemingly unwilling to do so and we will help them remove the structures.

    The retired general who also disclosed that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello has given the taskforce “additional three months”, added that his team would sustain patrol of the area after demolishing the illegal structures so that such structures do not spring up again.

    Many residents who trooped out to witness the exercise commended the FCT Administration and the FCT Minister for the clean-up and completion of projects in the city centre and urged them to do more.

    One of the residents, Mr. Tunde Ola, who spoke with The Nation, described the removal exercise as a “welcome development”, saying that the exercise was good for the residents in the area.

    Ola said, “I appreciate the FCT Administration under Muhammad Bello for the good work his task force is doing here in our area, and I also commend him for completing some abandoned projects. He has opened the road by the National Stadium road, another –the extension towards Aso Drive will soon be opened too, and many others.”

    The FCT Minister inaugurated the Task Force on Traffic Decongestion and Environmental Sanitation along the Nyanya-Karshi Road axis on April 25.

  • Will heads finally roll?

    Will heads finally roll?

    Another incident last week again brought to fore the question of the calibre of people around President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The incident was the recall to service of the former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina.

    Maina, who was on the run for an alleged N2 billion scam, got back into service without the knowledge of President Buhari, whose administration has been fighting corruption in the past two and half years.

    At the centre of this episode is the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who was alleged to have directed the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to reinstate Maina.

    While the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, was said to be opposed to Maina’s recall, some powerful persons in government were alleged to have overruled her position on the matter.

    Some of the questions this new development have thrown up is if Maina had paid his way back to service or his recall was  to serve the interest of some powerful individuals in government or was it only towards his ambition of becoming the next Borno State Governor.

    The opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wasted no time to condemn the development.

    In a statement by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party called for the immediate arrest and trial of Maina over the pension fund scam.

    The party also demanded immediate sack of Malami and the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazzau for the roles they played in Maina’s recall to service.

    “As a party of good conscience, we wish to condemn in strongest terms the penchant of the administration of President Buhari for giving safe haven to known criminals while hoodwinking Nigerians that it is fighting corruption.” Adeyeye stated.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement last Wednesday hinted that some influential officials loyal to the previous government may have been the invisible hand in the latest scandal that saw the return of Maina to the public service, despite being on the EFCC’s wanted list.

    “Evrything will be uncovered in due course. This just goes to show us the scale of corruption that this government is fighting. And, as we can all see, corruption keeps fighting back viciously.” he added

    Senators during plenary session last Tuesday also resolved to probe the return of Maina to the civil service.

    While mandating its Public Service, Anti-Corruption, Interior and Judiciary  committees to investigate the recall, the red-carpet chamber also pushed for Malami and Danbazzau’s sack.

    Many concerned Nigerians, both on the social media and other medium, also vented their anger over Maina’s recall.

    They now see most of the people around the President to be wolves in sheep’s clothing.

    Some of them even bluntly declared that the administration was merely paying lip service to the fight against corruption.

    To say that the President was embarrassed by the development was an understatement as he promptly ordered the disengagement of Maina from service.

    He also immediately ordered for the probe of the process that led to Maina’s recall to service.

    A statement issued last week Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate disengagement from service of Mr Abdullahi Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms.

    ”In a memo to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the President equally demanded a full report of the circumstances of Maina’s recall and posting to the Ministry of Interior.

    ”The report is to be submitted to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, before the end of work Monday, October 23, 2017.” it stated

    This is happening while the alleged corruption charges against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal, and the suspended Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke are unresolved.

    All these are definitely not good for a government, whose main goal is to kill corruption before it kills Nigeria.

    Every effort must be taken now  not only to get to the root of the Maina’s saga, but also muster the will to identify and punish all those involved, accordingly.

    Some of the political analyst have said that their actions have clearly shown that they are opposed to the anti-graft battle of the administration  in particular and equally enemies of a progressive and developed Nigeria.

    The government cannot afford to sweep this under the carpet.

     

    Back in the groove

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari in the past few weeks have continued to perform his roles to Nigerians at the national and international levels.

    Not a few Nigerians were concerned with the President’s health when he spent about 103 days on medical vacation in the United Kingdom few months back.

    Beside performing his duties in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, since his return to the country, he has also continued to launder Nigeria’s image abroad and searching for better deals for Nigeria at international level.

    The first major international event he attended since his return to the country was the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States.

    He also embarked on four days visit to Turkey.

    While he returned to Nigeria from Turkey last week Sunday, Buhari last Tuesday also left the country for Niger Republic towards a common currency for the West African sub-region.

  • Triplets wipe off nine years’ tears

    Triplets wipe off nine years’ tears

    I kept going from one hospital to another, seeing one consultant after another and they all ran series of tests; sometimes they will give me drugs to take but still it will not work, sometimes family will come and say, take this one and that one, a lot of concoctions, whenever we returned home for Sallah, family will bring a lot of things for me to take which they believed will boost my fertility and praying for me as someone that was looking for the fruit of the womb but still nothing happened. The journey was not easy but I thank God for today.”

    Fate dealt Adekemi Haleem a terrible blow. After nine years of  marriage she remained childless. Her agony is over. She has been cuddling her triplets and smiling into their faces.

    She has a supportive husband who always asked her to put her faith in God, but she still felt incomplete without kids and was determined to find a solution.

    “It was not easy throughout the years, even though my husband was not disturbing me; in fact he was so supportive he is the kind of man that has faith in God more than me. Whenever I was worried he told me not to be because it is God that gives. But to me as a woman I believe that you cannot just sit down and fold your arms, I had to try everything.

    “I used to tell people that I am very lucky that I have a very understanding family. At no time during the nine years did anyone ever insult or call me names, they were all so supportive at all times, the support I got from everyone around did not make me go to the negative extent in search for the fruit of the womb. Instead I kept praying and believing that God will do it for me but I still made moves medically to ensure everything was OK, I checked myself, my husband did and the doctors realised that I had immune imbalance.”

    Her pain has gone. Her three bundles of joy put an end to that.

    Now Mrs Haleem can hand out a piece of advice to women still expecting their own bundles of joy.

    She advised them to be patient, pray and work towards what they want, according to her, you cannot just be praying and not doing anything, you have to go for medical checkup, she explained that some women spend all their time believing it is someone from their families that is stopping them from conceiving, instead of standing on the believe that there is nothing that God cannot do, even if someone is behind it, God she said, will one day answer.

    She also added that when women go to the hospital and are told they have no problem, they should keep trying and not just sit back and do nothing again but when they have a problem, they should tackle it.

    “When we eventually went in for In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and I finally got the news that it was a success and I was pregnant, I was so excited, I could not sleep, I just kept touching my stomach and praying to God to keep my baby for me. I was so lucky throughout the pregnancy, initially I was having ulcer but at a time, it subsided, my blood pressure was normal throughout the pregnancy, had no complications, I was so lucky.

    “As a nurse I see a lot of things women go through during labour.

    “I knew that I had immune problems and I tried to tackle it, it’s not everyone that goes for IVF treatment that becomes successful in the first try. I have a doctor friend who became successful in her sixth try, some people will want to discourage you, or tell you that it will not be successful in Nigeria, I did mine here in Abuja and it was a success, it can be done successfully on our doorsteps here. The important thing is to have faith that yours will be different and it will, a lot of people now have good and happy homes because of IVF treatments.”

    Her excited husband Jalee Haleem, a mining engineer from Iwo in Osun State, who already calls himself Papa Triplets, refers to the birth of his two sons and a daughter as an uncommon favour.

    He said that they finally decided to go for IVF treatment after nine years of praying and going for medical checkups, he added that it was not easy because people tried to discourage them by giving them instances of people who have failed in the process.

    “As Africans our mentality is different most people find in difficult to come to terms with IVF because it is not our technology, if it was ours, people will find it easy to key into it instead of suffering from infertility.

    “Most people have bias against it because of the failures probably recorded by others but in all I give all the glory to God because even when you get to the hospital for IVF, it gets to a stage during the procedure that they give you a form to fill where it indicates that they themselves push it to God after they have done their best, the success will be in God’s hands.

    “Taking care of the triplets is all by God’s doing, we are Muslims and in the Quran, Allah says in a verb that you kill not your children for fear of want because whoever God has created, he will provide sustenance for the person. It’s been God, since he gave them to us, we are taking care of them and they are happy. My dream for them is that whatever they decide to be in life, they will be on top of their careers.

    “To make things easier for Nigerians, the government should help so that the price of the drugs given during IVF can be subsidised for people, most of the centers where this is done are specialized centres if the government can help them in a way because the drugs are all imported with the present exchange rate, if the government can help in a way that it will be subsidised, then it will be helpful and more people will be able to access it.”

  • Residents to ride trains by December

    Residents to ride trains by December

    After years of work, the Abuja light rail will offer train rides by the Yuletide, GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    It has taken years to achieve, but it is here, finally. By Christmas, you could walk out of the plane at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and walk into a train that will take you straight to the business districts of the nation’s capital.

    That was the Federal Capital Territory Administration Transportation Secretary, Kayode Opeifa assuring that the Abuja Light Rail project will kick off in December.

    Okpeifa said the FCTA was committed to the rail mass transit project and will launch it at the end of the year.

    Opeifa reaffirmed the position of the administration during a familiarisation visit to the vehicle inspection office.

    He said, “Let me reiterate that the December completion target for Abuja Rail Project remains sacrosanct. From the level of work I have seen on ground, this December completion period is achievable.”

    Opeifa, who expressed satisfaction with the pace of work done so far, further disclosed that the project has attained 98 percent completion, adding that the rail project would drastically ease transportation challenges in Abuja when operational.

    “I am very much impressed with the way the project has been going. So far, the project has hit 98 percent completion rate. This is very encouraging and impressive.

    “As we all know, this project will address immensely our nagging transportation issues in and out of the city,” he disclosed.

    FCTA, he said, is working assiduously to address whatever that may constitute a challenge against the project from becoming operational in due time.

    According to the Opeifa, when the project finally takes off, it would further add to the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

    He called on Nigerians to continue to support the change agenda of the President which was hinged on making Nigeria great in the comity of nations.

    He commended the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello for his dogged commitment to ensuring the project takes off in due time.

    “We need to commend the Minister for his courage in seeing to the timely completion of this very critical project,” he said.

    Speaking further, Okpeifa said,  “The issue of safety should be taken serious. And it is not restricted to ember months. A lot of people are driving under the influence of various things. It is more of a public enlightenment than physical presence. We are working with other agencies especially the FRSC. Our approach is to put the men on the road.

    “We are meeting the stakeholders, the unions, the motor parks, to talk to them on the safety on our roads. The roads in Abuja are good but our major problem is overspending. And it becomes so much complicated when you speed when you are drunk. We will focus on the drunk while driving.

    “The outlook is in line with the Abuja master plane. The major infrastructures have been put in place. That is the road and the rail. There is a lot of work traffic in Abuja. This administration under the minister has moved to fast track the completion of the rail project. The lot 1 and lot 3 of the rail is 98% completed and by the end of the year it will be ready for commissioning. So people can now move from the city to the airport.

    “You will agree with me that before now the Nyanya axis has been a problem. But now it is better. There is currently a taskforce handling that aspect of the road. On the issue of those who have encroached on the road, we will continue to appeal to them. It is part of our thirty days plan that the end of November we hope to improve on the travel time on that road by 20%.”

     

  • ‘UN should help fight poverty’

    CLERGYMAN Rev. Daddy Hezekiah has advised the United Nations to focus on issues that will help get rid of poverty across the world.

    Hezekiah, who is the founder of Living Christ Mission Inc, was speaking during his 50th thanksgiving anniversary in Abuja.

    In his address at the International Conference Center (ICC) venue of the event, Hezekaiah advised leaders to realise that their positions are given to them by God.

    He said, “I advise the United Nations not to waste time deliberating on trivial issues such as same sex marriage but pay more attention to issues that will alleviate poverty, find cure for diseases like AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis B, etc, especially in underdeveloped countries of the world.”

    He advised the Federal Government to look into issues that militate against the economic and social development of the country such as the deplorable condition of the roads, unemployment, poor health facilities especially in government hospitals, corruption, privatisation of public parastatals, inherent poverty and high cost of education.

    He said, “I appeal to the Federal Government to reconsider its ban on imported goods and food like rice. I also advise the government to consider the use of dialogue and peaceful process in the settlement of disputes.”