The Nation Newspaper

Category: Abuja Review

  • Scramble for emblem

    With the launching of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem by President Muhammadu Buhari a few weeks ago, there has been a great rush for the symbol at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Besides urging Nigerians to buy it in support of the families and relatives of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers, Buhari had urged Ministers and other government officials to always hang the emblem on their clothes from the period of the launching to the January 15th Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

    He also warned that the emblem may be made mandatory for staff and any visitor to government establishments during the period.

    This last remark was a further nugde for visitors and officials at the seat of government to go for the emblem.

    Of special note was the rush for the emblem three days after the launching when the 63rd session of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    State governors, their aides and some ministers who came for the meeting, who were not with the emblem had to buy at the main entrance to the President and Vice President’s offices.

    Some beautiful ladies were already positioned at the entrance to sell the emblems.

    Some of the governors and aides who bought the emblem as they were heading to the meeting that morning included Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi.

    Rather than paying the going rate of N500 per emblem as was being sold to Villa staff that morning, some of the governors paid as high as N20,000 per emblem.

    One of the governors after he was decorated by one of the beautiful ladies selling the emblem turned and gave his aide instruction to settle the bill.

    Some staff, who saw what was happening were surprised to see some of the aides to the governors counting counting N20,000 and some above N20,000 for just one emblem they just parted N500 for.

    While the governors might have been thinking that they were making donations and supporting the course of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers as directed by the President, it is another story altogether whether what they gave out really gets to where it should go or just to enrich the ladies.

    Whatever the case may be, some staff who witnessed what was going on also benefited from the governors’ largess.

    They refused to pay for the emblems they collected from the ladies.

    One of the staff, who collected one emblem and already agreed to pay N500 but waited for one of the ladies to attend to a governor who just arrived, had to reply her this way when she came back for her money: “So, after seeing all these, you expect me to pay for this emblem.”

    The staff walked away as the lady continued to count and properly pile the money from the governor into her purse.

    When another staff was approached by the second lady for the money for the emblem he collected, he brought another angle to the drama by demanding a cut from the governors’ largess.

    Although he didn’t get any cut from the lady, but just like the first staff he walked away with the emblem without paying for it.

    Despite the rush for the emblem, there was no full compliance enforcement at the entrances two weeks after the launching unlike under the last dispensation.

    Many staff and visitors could still gain entrance to the State House without the emblem.

     

    Total refund

     

    One of the common and popular practices under past administrations is that you are left off the hook the moment you refund part of the loot stolen from the national treasury or in a public office.

    Many public officers accused of stealing public funds during their tenures have been allegedly given soft landing by the investigating government agencies as soon as they play ball by secretly parting with part of the loots.

    Whether the money and assets recovered from such looters get to the government purse or ended up in the pockets of those in charge, the cases always died down.

    Often times, the case file may mysteriously disappear from the custody of the investigating agencies or the case simply forgotten with time.

    Such looters not only continue to walk freely in the society but they also continue to command great respect among the low and mighty.

    The trend has also encouraged many to see any public officer, who declined to steal while occupying such office, to be foolish.

    With such treatment on looters, there was no deterrence to discourage massive looting especially in public offices.

    The various laws put in place to check such fraudulent practices cannot achieve much on their own without the human aspect.

    While the laws appeared to be very good on paper, those saddled with the responsibility of enforcing them most times disappoint in carrying out their duties effectively.

    All these have given many thieves in high places the courage and hope that they will always escape prosecution and total refund of stolen money at the end of the day.

    But President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that such partial refund of money stolen under past administrations will not be entertained under his government.

    Even as he claimed that some of the looters have started to secretly return part of the stolen funds to his government, he has insisted that all monies stolen must be refunded to the government coffers in full.

    Speaking at a forum with the Nigerian community in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran last Tuesday, Buhari said: “On corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all.

    “When we get those documents we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused trust when they are entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching,” he warned

    This, definitely, is a welcome development as it will go a long way under the present dispensation to discourage such looting.

  • Dilemma of the hawker

    Dilemma of the hawker

    To stay home leaves the unemployed at the mercy of hunger and other dangers but to hawk exposes them to even more risks, including robbery and death. GRACE OBIKE reports

    They may have mastered how to run after vehicles and sell their articles to commuters, but hawkers in the nation’s capital have not devised any effective strategies to keep members of the Abuja Environment Protection Board (AEPB) at bay.

    The hawkers say they are often chased, caught, beaten up and allegedly robbed of their articles by AEPB officials. Sometimes, the chase turns really ugly, resulting in the death of the itinerant petty traders, it was alleged.

    Nineteen-year-old Sani Shehu who hawked energy drinks at Bolingo Junction was allegedly killed by officers of the AEPB, leaving his aged father, a roadside orange seller at Area1, in grief, Abuja Review was told.

    The Abuja Environment Protection Board (AEPB) Act of 1997 prohibits street hawking among other things. To ensure compliance, the agency sends out its dreaded agents with a task force team which comprises security operatives. The hawkers are often harassed and arrested, their wares seized.

    When the hawkers are arrested, they are required to be tried at a mobile court and if found guilty, fined, while those who cannot pay the fine are detained. A lot of them have different negative stories to tell about this task force team. Some hawkers accuse them of collecting bribes, allowing some hawkers who can afford to bribe them each day go ahead with their trade without any fear of intimidation.

    Others accuse them of going about in plainclothes so they can catch unsuspecting hawkers.

    Elkana Habilla said, “Most of us hawking are people trying to make ends meet instead of always begging from people or relatives or getting involved in criminal activities; it is not everyone that has the means of renting shops, some people start small and probably save enough to become big.”

    A few weeks ago, a groundnut seller beside the NNPC Mega Station in Wuse was killed by an oncoming vehicle because she was being chased by the task force and she tried to cross the road too suddenly. A boy who roasted maize by the roadside around Central Area was also knocked down and killed by a lorry as he tried to escape from the AEPB.

    Sani Shehu did not notice the AEPB officials on time, his co-hawkers said. So the team caught up with him and his friends at Bolingo Junction. The officials reportedly bundled some into their vehicle but could not take Shehu in because he held onto the bridge railing. In the scuffle, the hawkers said, Shehu was pushed over and died.

    Umar Farouk, 20, who sells sachet water, said to be a close friend of Shehu, said he was one of those dragged into the AEPB vehicle.

    “They threw him over and he died and the painful thing is that, maybe, it is because we are poor or seen as unimportant but we see his killers everyday and they act normal as if nothing happened, they have returned on several occasions to chase us after killing Sani and no one seems to care about the case,” Farouk alleged.

    Other witnesses said they could identify Shehu’s killer any day.

    “We all know him, every hawker in Abuja knows him. I know him very well just like I know the hunger in my stomach. He is the most heartless among all the members of the task force. We were all here and saw him kill our friend.”

    Shehu’s 65-year-old father, Mallam Shehu Umar looked devastated, saying that the AEPB has taken his only hope and reason to live.

    “Sani was my only hope after God; he was the only son that I had in this life, he was so hard-working, was always ready to help me out and I was grateful to God for giving me such a responsible child. All my hope was that now that I have grown old, he will take care of me but now they have killed him.

    “No one has bothered to come and talk to me since the incident; his killers all ran away and now I’m only living like a shell, I feel like I have nothing else to live for.”

    Mallam Umar says that since the burial of his son, the police force who acted like they will take up the case have forgotten about it.

    “I am crying to Baba [President Muhammadu] Buhari for justice, for him to wipe away my tears. During the election, Sani was one of those that fought hard to ensure victory for this government but now see what was done to him; they killed my only eye because he decided to be responsible, to work hard and support his family. To be honest if I could have my way then I will ask for AEPB to be scrapped completely, since they took my son away from me without remorse then I can never feel sorry for them.”

    When Abuja Review contacted the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of AEPB Joe Ukairo, he said that the case was still being investigated.

    “The case is a criminal case that is presently being investigated, the case is with the Inspector General of police and I cannot comment of it.”

    Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Anjuguri Manzah informed Abuja Review that the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase has ordered investigation into the matter.

  • ‘I’ll resolve resettlement issues’

    The long-drawn-out concerns of displaced indigenous peoples of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will be sorted out if Hon. Yamawu Tanko wins the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) chairmanship election, said the aspirant.

    Tanko, running on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) pledged to resolve the resettlement issues that have bedeviled the indigenous people of the territory.

    He said the Federal Government cannot afford to pay everyone who was displaced but will have to come up with solutions that will work for both the government, natives and residents of Abuja.

    Tanko said that in other to handle the issue and put and end to demolition of houses which causes so much hardship on the people, he will work with the minister of the FCT and the FG to come up with a standard design of rural areas that will work with the master plan.

    He stated this at the FCT, APC secretariat when he appeared to declear his intention of running for the chairmanship position and also added.

    “What is paramount to me is the issue of resettlement in the FCT; it has been a lingering problem for a very long time between ministers and the natives, the non-natives in Abuja suffer from it as well and they are all part of my electorate, so it will be a question of sitting down with the minister and possibly bringing in developers that know how to create rural dwellings into urban areas and get them involved.

    “Discuss with the minister on how to develop of rural areas to forget what is called resettlement because we talk about resettlement every year, I do not believe that it is something that can be achieved, the Federal Government cannot afford the money involved in resettlement, so instead of demolishing people’s houses every year it will be better to sit down and probably have a design in this rural areas, a design of houses that people can afford to build or the government engages a developer to build the houses which they can pay by installments.

    “Mine is a familiar name in the political class of AMAC, I have served as a councillor twice in AMAC, I have been the NAPEP cordinator in the area council, held other political offices at the national level and have contested for this position twice before

    “I have a lot to offer, I want to provide roads, health services to the rural areas and build standard houses for the doctors in the rural areas.”

     

  • FCT Minister to prioritise mass rail

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Bello has promised to prioritise the Abuja Rail Mass Transit projects of the administration. Bello assured that he would do everything possible to fast-track the completion of the project, considering the relief it would bring to commuters in and around Abuja.

    Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary FCT Muhammad Sule made it known in a press statement and said that the minister stated this when he visited the project sites at the Airport, Wupa, Idu and Ring Road II Stations, which forms part of his familiarization tour of projects and facilities in the FCT. He also added, “He remarked that the FCT Administration would support any project that would have positive impact on the lives of the common man especially as this would go a long way in reducing traffic congestion in Abuja.

    “The Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of the job done so far, but however charged the contractors (CCECC Nigeria Limited) to redouble their efforts in delivering the job on schedule. “Malam Bello reiterated that everything must be done to ease movement, particularly public transportation in the city to make it at par with other modern cities around the world.

    “His words: “This is a very important project for the residents of the Federal Capital Territory and everything would be done to see to its early completion because of its utmost benefit”.

    “The Managing Director of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Li Quigyong who led the Minister and his entourage round the sites remarked that his company takes the project with seriousness and would do all it takes to complete it.”

  • Pupils donate N300,000 to IDPs

    Pupils donate N300,000 to IDPs

    The pictures taken with members of the House of Representatives could be framed for life, but the more enduring gesture by pupils of Straitgate School, Magodo, Lagos was donating to children displaced by the insurgents. DELE ANOFI reports

    For many, if not all of the pupils of Straitgate school, Magodo, Lagos who visited the House of Representatives, it was history fit to be frozen in pictures. Yet, it was their donation of N300,000, to children forced from their homes by Boko Haram that will outlast their moments with the lawmakers. The recipients are those in camps in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    The gesture triggered a standing ovation from the federal lawmakers.

    The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, while introducing the school children who came to the House to observe legislative proceedings, urged the pupils to keep pressing on for excellence.

    He said: “I want to say that this is a first and an historic gesture because no school has ever done this in this House.

    “I asked them to keep standing so that I can read what they have in this envelope.

    “These children have donated N100,000 to the children of displaced persons in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Adamawa.”

    The Speaker said that was not all as he removed a cheque leaf from the envelope and showed the lawmakers.

    “This is another cheque of N100,000 for children in Yobe IDP camp, and this is another one of the same amount signed for children in Borno IDP camp.

    Mr. Omoniyi Olasehan, who led the children and two other staff to the National Assembly, said the Head of School, Mrs Tolu Orojo was enthusiastic about the gesture.

    “She was very enthusiastic and supportive when it was suggested to her that this was what the children wanted to do.

    “The school decided to present the cheques to the Speaker because we are aware that he was instrumental to the creation of a committee on IDPs and very keen about the situation in the Northeast.

    “The children just want to send a mesaage to their counterparts in such situation, saying that they are not alone.

    “I want to believe also that our children are in another way sending a message to those in authority and well-meaning Nigerians to do more for the children in IDP camps while making efforts to put a stop to the cause of the sad situation.”

  • Scramble for emblem

    With the launching of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem by President Muhammadu Buhari a fortnight ago, there has been a great rush for the symbol at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Besides urging Nigerians to buy it in support of the families and relatives of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers, Buhari had urged Ministers and other government officials to always hang the emblem on their clothes from the period of the launching to the January 15th Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

    He also warned that the emblem may be made mandatory for staff and any visitor to government establishments during the period.

    This last remark was a further nugde for visitors and officials at the seat of government to go for the emblem.

    Of special note was the rush for the emblem three days after the launching when the 63rd session of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    State governors, their aides and some ministers who came for the meeting, who were not with the emblem had to buy at the main entrance to the President and Vice President’s offices.

    Some beautiful ladies were already positioned at the entrance to sell the emblems.

    Some of the governors and aides who bought the emblem as they were heading to the meeting that morning included Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi.

    Rather than paying the going rate of N500 per emblem as was being sold to Villa staff that morning, some of the governors paid as high as N20,000 per emblem.

    One of the governors after he was decorated by one of the beautiful ladies selling the emblem turned and gave his aide instruction to settle the bill.

    Some staff, who saw what was happening were surprised to see some of the aides to the governors counting counting N20,000 and some above N20,000 for just one emblem they just parted N500 for.

    While the governors might have been thinking that they were making donations and supporting the course of the fallen heroes and the living soldiers as directed by the President, it is another story altogether whether what they gave out really gets to where it should go or just to enrich the ladies.

    Whatever the case may be, some staff who witnessed what was going on also benefited from the governors’ largess.

    They refused to pay for the emblems they collected from the ladies.

    One of the staff, who collected one emblem and already agreed to pay N500 but waited for one of the ladies to attend to a governor who just arrived, had to reply her this way when she came back for her money: “So, after seeing all these, you expect me to pay for this emblem.”

    The staff walked away as the lady continued to count and properly pile the money from the governor into her purse.

    When another staff was approached by the second lady for the money for the emblem he collected, he brought another angle to the drama by demanding a cut from the governors’ largess.

    Although he didn’t get any cut from the lady, but just like the first staff he walked away with the emblem without paying for it.

    Despite the rush for the emblem, there was no full compliance enforcement at the entrances two weeks after the launching unlike under the last dispensation.

    Many staff and visitors could still gain entrance to the State House without the emblem.

     

    Total refund

     

    One of the common and popular practices under past administrations is that you are left off the hook the moment you refund part of the loot stolen from the national treasury or in a public office.

    Many public officers accused of stealing public funds during their tenures have been allegedly given soft landing by the investigating government agencies as soon as they play ball by secretly parting with part of the loots.

    Whether the money and assets recovered from such looters get to the government purse or ended up in the pockets of those in charge, the cases always died down.

    Often times, the case file may mysteriously disappear from the custody of the investigating agencies or the case simply forgotten with time.

    Such looters not only continue to walk freely in the society but they also continue to command great respect among the low and mighty.

    The trend has also encouraged many to see any public officer, who declined to steal while occupying such office, to be foolish.

    With such treatment on looters, there was no deterrence to discourage massive looting especially in public offices.

    The various laws put in place to check such fraudulent practices cannot achieve much on their own without the human aspect.

    While the laws appeared to be very good on paper, those saddled with the responsibility of enforcing them most times disappoint in carrying out their duties effectively.

    All these have given many thieves in high places the courage and hope that they will always escape prosecution and total refund of stolen money at the end of the day.

    But President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that such partial refund of money stolen under past administrations will not be entertained under his government.

    Even as he claimed that some of the looters have started to secretly return part of the stolen funds to his government, he has insisted that all monies stolen must be refunded to the government coffers in full.

    Speaking at a forum with the Nigerian community in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran last Tuesday, Buhari said: “On corruption; yes, they are still innocent. But, we are collecting documents and some of them have started voluntarily returning something. But we want all.

    “When we get those documents we will formally charge them to court and then we will tell Nigerians to know those who abused trust when they are entrusted with public funds. So, the day of reckoning is gradually approaching,” he warned

    This, definitely, is a welcome development as it will go a long way under the present dispensation to discourage such looting.

  • Zuma Rock erupts

    Zuma Rock erupts

    Zuma Rock, an outstanding view on the FCT skyline, frightened nearby residents when parts of its fell off amid deafening sounds. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    A few weeks back, they heard the sound and wondered what it was and where it came from. Then they heard the ear-splitting blast again, and confirmed that it was from the good old Zuma Rock.

    But how?  Some said it was parts of the ancient rock that were disintegrating, a development that struck fear into residents of Suleja and comuters on Abuja-Kaduna Road.

    There are myths and superstitions around the old Zuma, seen by some as the centre of rituals and fetish. This was why it became alarming to residents when thunderous sounds were heard around it at night, some weeks ago and again last week.

    Speaking on the possible cause of the explosion, the Village Head of Chachi, in Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, Malam Musa Abubakar, who is also the traditional custodian of Zuma Rock and its surroundings, said he could not remember the last time he heard such explosions.

    Abubakar said, “The Rock loathes impurities of any form, and these days every spiritually impure person, girls and boys gallivant in its vicinity and provoke it. I was on my farm when it occurred. People returning from the area near the affected part of the rock later informed me that a portion of Zuma Rock had fallen off. I actually thought it was a bomb, until I went and saw things for myself.

    “In the past, sacrifices of a black cow or black he-goat were made to the rock yearly to appease it, especially when our ancestors were praying for rain. It is probably angry, because it feels cheated of the cultural practices usually undertaken to mark its significance to the communities surrounding it. In the past, whenever sacrifices were offered to the rock, it showed its acceptance of the sacrifices by beaming a light from the spot on it which looks like an eye.

    “Tradition dictates that no one approached the rock wearing a cap, out of respect. Anyone who does that, will get lost never to be found again. The rock has every cause to be angry, because it’s sanctity has been violated by the government, selling land traditionally belonging to it. The rock has been under the custody of the government is not helping matters at all,” he said.

    A thick layer of ash-like dust settled over a wide expanse at the foot of the great Zuma, on the part of it which overlooks the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, with massive boulders scattered all over and a wide, flat slab of rock which fell off the stone.

    Some of the frightened residents who were yet to get over the panic, gave various accounts of the situation, describing it as frightening and unbelievable.

    A military officer on duty close to the rock, who spoke anonymously, said they heard the thunderous explosion, which was followed by a rumble. “It was such a powerful explosion that I thought it was a bomb, and thick dust covered the sky. It was really frightening, but we were ready for any eventuality,” he said.

    A resident of Madalla close to the Zuma Rock, Rose Abachi said, “Animals, birds and people around the area fled for shelter. We have never experienced anything like the last two explosions of a month ago and last Wednesday from the Zuma Rock. We have had meetings and nobody could explain the caused the explosions. All I can say is that the whole thing is mysterious,” he said.

    Another resident of Chachi village, Ibrahim Mohammed, said when the slab-like portion fell off the rock, they were at a nearby junction, that they heard a very loud explosion, followed by a rumble, which made them to think that something big had exploded in nearby Zuba.

    Another resident said, “It terrified the villagers around the rock and many fled for their lives, taking shelter in any place they found themselves at that moment. I personally thought it was a Boko Haram bomb attack and I started saying my prayers. I give God thanks because it was from the rock and not Boko Haram,” she said.

    They could also have been living too close to the majestic Zuma to know that just like any other rock, parts of it could break off and simply come tumbling down.

     

  • Other killer-diseases next as polio is gone

    Other killer-diseases next as polio is gone

    After the country was certified polio-free, the authorities have mounted a vaccination campaign to tackle other childhood killer- diseases, reports GRACE OBIKE

    It was just as well that after polio was kicked out of the country, the health authorities did not go to sleep. In fact, Minister of Health Dr. Isaac Adewole, just weeks on the job, led a road show to drive the importance of vaccination home. After all, even with polio out of the way, there are still such killer diseases as pneumonia, measles, diphtheria, tetanus and tuberculosis.

    In the campaign, the federal government aims to immunise as many as 39 million Nigerian children against measles and hopefully give the scourge the polio treatment.

    The campaign took place all over the country, but in Abuja the Minister led volunteers, staff of the Primary Health Care board, Non-Governmental Organisations and other donor agencies into the streets, schools, mosques and churches to immunise children between the ages of nine months and five years.

    Dr Adewole said that measles has not only caused untold hardship and death in the country but has ravaged the country for so long, adding that the Federal Government intends to educate Nigerians on the fact that vaccines are safer and cheaper to prevent measles than to treat the complications of measles like pneumonia, deafness, blindness, etc.

    The minister also said the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari intends to take health care to the doorsteps of every Nigerian, knowing the fact that over 65% of the populace are poor and unable to transport themselves to hospitals and healthcare centres.

    He said, “This as I learnt is the first time that a minister of health will be in attendance of such an event; it is quite significant, it shows the commitment of the present administration to bring health to the doorsteps of our people. Since our mantra is change, there must be a change, my presence is an indication of our commitment to change.

    “Measles has ravaged our land, decimated our children, inflicted untold miseries on our children and killed many of them, as of year 2000, estimate indicated that about 523,000 children died from measles, this will be unacceptable to any serious government and therefore we join the campaign of the WHO to contribute to the elimination of measles by 2020.

    “For this campaign, the goal is to immunise 39 million Nigerian children, this we shall do and if their is the need to go beyond that, we will do so, I want to assure you that we should make sure that this becomes a routine, so that we do not have to conduct follow-up campaigns every now and then, we should spread the gospel that the vaccine is safe and cheaper to prevent measles than treat the complications of measles like pneumonia, deafness, blindness etc.

    “It is going to be an administration with a change, change in the sense that we want to cover Nigerians, we want to target poor people, over 65% of our people are poor and so we must take health to their doorsteps, we recognise the fact that many of them cannot pay for the cost of transportation, so our duty as a responsible administration is to put health at their doorsteps, so that they can contribute meaningfully as Nigerians to the development of our great nation.”

    WHO country representative Dr. Fiona Bracca explained that the measles vaccine has been in use for over 50 years and it is safe, effective and inexpensive, over the past three years, measles vaccination has prevented an estimated 17 million deaths globally, making it one of the most cost effective, intervention plans in public health. The efforts in the African region has resulted in over 90% reduction measles however the continent continuous to experience measles outbreak that pose a real challenge towards achieving elimination efforts in the region and country as a whole.

    She said, “WHO recommends that every child should receive at least two doses of measles vaccine and we are happy to note that many countries including Nigeria have reached many children through mass vaccination campaigns.”

    Representative of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Acting Secretary of Health, Mrs Odeh Achu stated that the administration has been doing everything possible to improve the health of women and children in the FCT.

    She also added, “This intervention has shown to be cost effective, have high impact and result oriented in respect of improving child health in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole. In the FCT presently like in the other states of the federation, the FCT is shifting away from the stand alone vertical campaign to a more integrated approach that is why it has embarked on other programs that positively impacts the lives of women and children like the free anti-natal care programme, the free under five distribution of long lasting insecticide nets to households.

    “This event is yet another avenue for the FCTA to further strengthen action that will increase health care delivery to the people of the FCT, although modest achievements have been recorded in certain areas, it is my believe that we still need to do more, I am aware that the vitamin A coverage was 87% in 2010 as against the 76.6% in 2015. The FCT cumulative penta three coverage rate was 92% in 2015 and 83% in 2009.

    “The FCT Administration has placed for attainment the global target of measles elimination by the year 2020, all the necessary arrangement that will ensure the availability of relevant supplies to meet the demands for this intervention. No eligible child should be allowed to miss any of the interventions that will be provided.”

     

  • Agric to the rescue

    President Muhammadu Buhari has not only insistently expressed his administration’s determination to diversify the economy but also stated how eager the government is to find other sources of foreign exchange earners.

    To achieve this, the two major sectors he is targeting are agriculture and solid minerals.

    The government last Tuesday took concrete steps in the agriculture sector towards food security for the country, employment creation and boosting foreign exchange.

    It began the disbursement of N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) to farmers at a single digit interest rate of 9.0 per cent.

    To reduce Nigeria’s huge import bill and conserve foreign exchange reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the past months have held various engagements with stakeholders in rice, wheat, oil palm, cotton, sugar and fish value chain towards providing financing through intervention schemes.

    The CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, who declared on assumption in office on the 5th of June, 2014, to make the CBN a financial catalyst in some sectors like agriculture, has expressed his commitment to transform the agricultural sector through Produce Add Value and Export (PAVE) initiative.

    Speaking in Kebbi State last Tuesday during the launching of N40 billion CBN Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) for rice farmers out of the N220 billion MSMEDF, Emefiele said that the programme will link over 600,000 smallholder farmers and reputable large-scale processors.

    According to him, beneficiaries under ABP will get loans ranging from N150,000 to N250,000.

    Under the Programme, anchor firms will serve as off-takers in recognition of their track record and experience in working with out-growers involved in production.

    The scheme involves a finance model where the anchor firms, CBN, Nigeria Incentives-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and state governments organize the out-growers.

    The state governments are also expected to ensure that the out-growers comply with contractual terms and reduce the incidences of side-selling.

    The financial institutions, under the scheme, will serve as veritable channels for delivering credit to the out-growers.

    Training of farmers, extension workers and banks under the scheme are expected to bundle Farm Business School (FBS), Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Cooperative Management in a coherent and seamless manner.

    To ensure success of the scheme, various strategies have been put in place to mitigate possible risks that may come up.

    There is comprehensive farmer education and technical assistance in place to check poor farming technique and low crop yield.

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has also put in place guaranteed minimum price for the farmers in the case of price variation.

    Agricultural insurance has also been made mandatory to mitigate any risk as a result of loss of crops due to floods, drought or other natural disasters.

    The Project Management Team is also saddled with the responsibility of selecting recognized agro dealers in order to prevent poor quality or fake inputs that could lead to low yields.

    Millers will also be banned from future CBN funding as a deterrent for any miller that plans to default by reneging on Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) agreement.

    To overcome the challenges of infrastructure under the scheme, Government is to provide infrastructural facilities like Fadama feeder roads, irrigation facilities and others.

    The linkage of farmers and processors, Emefiele said, will increase agricultural output and significantly improve capacity utilisation of integrated mills.

    As part of the problems facing the nation, he said: “Nigeria’s agricultural commodities and food import bill has averaged over N1 trillion in the past two years. Food products like wheat, sugar, milk, rice, and fish accounted for N901 billion or 93.5% and N788 billion or 88.71% of this total in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

    “These figures are exclusive of the activities of smugglers. The import bill of rice and wheat was estimated at N428 billion and N307 billion in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

    “These huge amounts were expended on items that the country has the potential to produce locally with the attendant loss of employment generation and wealth creation opportunities.

    “Furthermore, the allocation of foreign exchange to the importation of these items has continually depleted our foreign reserve, which has been on steady decline in recent times.” He noted

    To further discourage importation and boost domestic production, the CBN is said to have implemented several policies to complement the fiscal initiatives of the Federal Government towards conserving foreign reserves.

    In this direction, the CBN classified 41 items including some agriculture based commodities as ‘Not valid for forex’ in June, 2015.

    The implication of the policies was that CBN prevented importers of the items from accessing the official foreign exchange window.

    At the launch of ABP in Kebbi State, President Buhari was visibly glad last Tuesday that the programme was commencing in line with the diversification drive of his administration.

    While declaring that Nigeria couldn’t sustain spending huge sums of money to import foods that could be locally produced in Nigeria, he was optimistic that the nation in the long run will be able to produce all the food it requires to feed her people.

    To carry the farmers and the local people along, President Buhari after reading his prepared speech in English during the launching took time to summarize the speech in Hausa language to the delight of the farmers who came for the function.

    After the speech, President Buhari also took his time to go round the various stands to inspect the agro products and materials on display.

    While what has been put on paper concerning the scheme is laudable, it will not be out of place here to call for vigilance in its implementation.

    This is important because past sound agricultural policies like the ‘Operation Feed the Nation’ and the ‘Green Revolution’ did not achieve much towards removing Nigeria from a mono economy dependent on oil due to poor implementation.

    To avoid past mistakes, the nation cannot afford to lose sight of the ball in its effort to diversify the economy even if the prices of oil in the international market increases over $100 per barrel.

     

  • Minister woos media

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Mohammed Bello has urged the media to support him in the discharge his new duties.

    He spoke at a meeting with the FCT Press Corps, noting the redemptive mission of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    He said, “This administration has come on board based on the yearnings of Nigerians for specific changes in our polity, in our society and how we operate as people, so we will need to change out attitude, behaviour and the way we do things.

    “The essence of the entire process is for good governance but good governance in itself has to have an objective which is for the people to be better off and have a good life.

    “I wanted to meet with you, for those people that I have met in the past, to thank you and for those that I am just meeting for the first time, to appeal for your support and cooperation, I am sure that you know of the enormous responsibility bestowed on me and I need your support. You are the eyes, ears and vanguard, a lot of things that you are privy to know will be based on your own maturity, professional judgment, goodwill and integrity to determine what needs to be deciminated, I leave it up to you, you know your training and what you are suppose to do. I assure you that we are going to work very closely together as friends and family.”

    Bello at the occasion, announced the appointment of Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the FCT Press Corps as his Special Adviser on Media.