Indigenous people of Gude, Sauka and Dakibiyu communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have cried out against being left out when communities affected by the Centenary City project are compensated.
They have also called for the revaluation of their economic trees and crops.
Over 199 native people in the three communities affected lamented what they described as irregularities and deception in the assessment and valuation of their economic trees and crops, saying that they were unduly influenced and that the process lacked transparency.
The natives through their counsel, Mr. James Ndeye, a lawyer, are appealing to the federal government and the FCT administration to do a mop-up in the valuation or conduct another assessment and valuation.
Ndeye, who addressed journalists in Abuja on the presumed wrongful manner in which the natives were cheated during the valuation of the economic trees and crops, said that about 250 hectares of land was acquired for the project in the three communities.
He added during and after the assessment and valuation of economic trees and crops on their farmlands, only officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the Centenary City representative, the private consultant and the farm owners’ committee chairman went round the entire 250 hectares of land without the participation of the individual farm owners.
“It was a fraudulent exercise since no amount was disclosed to farm owners before collection and signing of cheque as they were unduly influenced to collect cheque first before seeing the amount written on it,” Ndeye said.
While stressing the need for government authorities to revisit the valuation process, he said inadequate compensation will not only be a scourge to the natives, but a gradual extinction of their livelihood and their generation yet unborn.
He said all the affected farm owners were paid about N26 million, with the highest paid farm owner receiving N885, 000 for his 14 hectare while the least paid farm owner was N10, 000.
Ndeye said the aggrieved natives would have to seek redress by taking legal action in a competent court of jurisdiction to challenge the mode or manner of acquisition of farmlands by the authorities in charge of the Centenary City Project.
The Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) has condoled with the family of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Nigerians over the death of Mrs. Dideolu Awolowo, wife of the late sage.
President of ALGON Hon. Micah Jiba said he received the news of her passing with sadness, adding that Mrs Awolowo will be greatly missed.
“On behalf of the 774 local governments’ chairmen and residents of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), we sincerely commiserate with the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of their mother.
“She was a jewel of inestimable value to this great country. Nigerians will missed her, because of motherly role to many people who knew her and the role she played with her husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in ensuring the unity of this country, is something that can never be over emphasises.
“We join the family and millions of admirers of her late revered husband, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in mourning Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo who will be long remembered and celebrated as the famous spouse and pillar of strength of the late nationalist, political leader of our great country Nigeria,” he said.
Jiba, who is also the chairman of AMAC added that the history of the nation will forever remember that Mrs. Awolowo was a great woman of substance and has left an indelible impression and very significant legacy both in the country and the minds of her admirers.
“We prayed that God will comfort Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo’s family, relatives, friends, associates and admirers, and grant them the fortitude to bear the loss and uncommon vacuum she has left behind.
“We also pray that God will receive the soul of the late mother of the nation and grant her eternal rest from her long, earthly service to her renowned spouse, family, community and the entire country,” he stated.
The chairman of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Shaban Tete has appealed to residents to support the council during the economic meltdown.
Tete said that the economic issues in the country are not only causing hardship in other states but also in the FCT.
He further gave the assurance of more and better developments on ground in the area council when allocations to the council’s improve because, according to him, no form of developmental intentions can be met without funds.
The council boss made this known through his special assistant Media and Publicity, Hon. Yusuf Dabo who divulged the issue to newsmen in Abuja.
“But, we are doing our best to affect the lives of our people positively. But, people will not understand what is going on in the council, particularly Kuje area council that is sharing border with Nassarawa state. For instance, we are presently grading a ten kilometre road from gigbe in Kwali area council to Kwaku up to Takwa.
“We sunk boreholes in Kwaku, Pasu, Gadoro and Sabo villages and also rehabilated some broken down boreholes in Lanto village and in Kayada in Kuje town. We are building a health centre in Chibiri village and also provided rural electrification in Kango village.
“Since our administration, we have purchased six 33kva transformers that have been installed in various locations of the central ward, like Unguwan Gade, behind central mosque, Unguwan Gade Kassa, Kayada Primary School, Low cost housing Mentobal.
“All this have been achieved within the meager amount of money that is coming to the council coffers. We will definitely do more in future, all we need is for residents to support and always pray for our administration,” he said.
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Zakari Angulu Dobi has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint an indigenous Abuja person as minister.
Hon. Dobi’s appeal was contained in a letter, part of which read, “Mr. President…for the purpose of all-inclusiveness in your administration, followership, equity, fairness and justice of the indigenous people of the FCT, Abuja who have a firm root in history, culture and tradition, I humbly hope and pray that you will…appoint an indigene of FCT, Abuja as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in your proposed cabinet.”
In the letter made available to The Nation, Dobi said the issue of having a minister who hailed from Abuja has been raging for a long time.
The letter read further: “Mr. President the mantra of our revered political party All Progressives Congress (APC) through which…you gained widespread and national acceptance is change. It is in this view that I am writing this piece with all passion to appeal to your humble self to consider appointing an indigene of the Federal capital territory, Abuja as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in your proposed cabinet.
The fiscal discipline machine is alive and revving. It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the purchase of new cars for his personal use when he took office.
He had insisted on using the cars left behind by former President Goodluck Jonathan. By that singular act, he saved the country N400 million. Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also cut their salaries by 50% at the beginning of their tenure.
While Buhari is still pursuing looters of the commonwealth of Nigerians, stolen from the national treasury under former President Jonathan, he has also remained focused on blocking or cutting down drastically any area of leakage or wastage under his watch.
One of his ways of blocking financial leakages was the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) for all non-exempted Federal Government’s revenue generating agencies to pay in their revenues, rather than using multiple accounts, which are susceptible to fraud.
Complying with the TSA directive was a sort of bitter pills to swallow for some of the civil servants as they hesitated and tried to dodge the Presidential order.
The latest area where President Buhari has cut down wastages, which is in the public domain, is the expenses to be incurred by Nigeria towards her 55th independence celebration billed for Thursday, October 1.
As he cut down the budget for the celebration to N70 million, Buhari harped on the need to avoid frivolity and the importance of channelling such resources to good use for the benefit of the man on the street.
To him, having a low-key independence celebration and using the money that would have been spent on elaborate celebration for tangible infrastructure and development is the way to go.
This N70 million budget is in contrast to most costs expended on past independence anniversary celebration in the country.
The costs of such annual celebrations under the immediate past administration had been in billion naira range.
The celebration, then often go with a lot of fanfare and drains on the treasury despite the fact that the country was suffering from many infrastructural decays and poverty in the land.
But announcing the low-key 2015 independence celebration last Tuesday, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, through the Permanent Secretary (Political) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (OSGF), Ibukun Odusote said: “Let me emphasise that this year’s celebration is indeed low-key.
“This is because the present administration appreciates the economic hardship that Nigerians and indeed the nation is confronted with today.
“To address the situation, government has adopted a general policy to be very prudent in the management of our financial resources. This year’s celebration is therefore, in consonance with the cost saving policy direction of this administration.
“To ensure a successful commemoration, four sub-committees have been constituted to handle the preparations for each of the four event. The events are: Jumat prayers, international thanksgiving service, ceremonial change of guards and a children’s party.” He stated
One of the cardinal targets of the President Buhari administration is to ensure the security of lives and properties of all Nigerians and other nationals residing in the country.
The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended also backed President Buhari in that direction.
That is why he is leaving no stone unturned in the efforts to defeat the terrorists, Boko Haram as soon as possible.
Boko Haram, which have claimed the lives of many Nigerians, injured others and destroyed billions of naira worth of properties in the country in the past 5 years, have in recent times been carrying out their evil attacks in neighbouring countries.
Besides relocating the headquarter of Nigeria’s Armed Forces battle against Boko Haram from Abuja to the heart of the war, Borno State, Buhari also gave the new service chiefs mandate to crush the sect before December, 2015.
He did not hesitate to seek the support of neighboring countries under the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Republic to defeat terrorism in the sub-region.
The cooperation in the commission is mainly geared towards deployment of Multinational Joint Task Force against terror.
Apart from the immediate Nigerian neighbours, Buhari also took the campaign against terror to the world stage.
He visited Germany on the invitation of the G-7 leaders, where the world leaders opened a new chapter of diplomatic relationship with Nigeria as they promised technical and material support to quell Boko Haram and assist in rebuilding the Nigerian economy.
Buhari also visited the United States of America (USA) in July 2015 and did not fail to seek the support of the US against Boko Haram.
As a fallout of the visit, the United States pledged $5 million to the fight against Boko Haram, in addition to other material support.
Buhari’s newest campaign against Boko Haram at the world stage is at the ongoing 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States of America.
Terrorism is among the top issues he tabled at the session.
This campaign is directly to the right forum as the United Nations (UN) has the primary responsibility of maintaining international peace and security.
Optimistic that the end of Boko Haram was really in sight, President Buhari in his Eid-el-Kabir message to Nigerians said: “Boko Haram’s reign of terror in parts of the country will be finally over very soon as the ongoing military onslaught against the terrorist sect will continue relentlessly until total victory is achieved.”
Ifeanyi Chiazor hoped for the good life leaving Delta State for Abuja. On arrival, he was asked to mind a shop owned by his aunt, who would allegedly batter and slash him with a blade. VINCENT IKUOMOLA and FAITH YAHAYA report
Not all the boy’s dreams crashed. Nine-year-old Ifeanyi Chiazor dreamt to see the big city, its huge buildings and sleek cars cruising on paved roads. He achieved that because he was taken to the Federal Capital City (FCT) to live with an aunt who promises matched his ideas. So he did see the glitzy nation’s capital, though he headed straight to the suburbs of Dape, Gwagwa where his relative lived with her family.
It was the second arm of his dream, which was to continue his primary school and one day become a successful man that misfired terribly.
What Ifeanyi got was assault and battery.
At the time when the entire world was uniting against child abuse and violence, somewhere in the rusty settlement of Dape in Abuja Municipal Centre, her aunt was reportedly busy perpetrating crime against her defenseless nephew, inflicting cuts on him.
For an offence whose gravity could not be ascertained yet, Ifeanyi’s aunt beat him severely, using a razor blade to cut him in several parts of his body.
One account said the boy spilled palm oil. Ifeanyi’s version was that it was the aunt’s son who actually poured out the oil, while Ifeanyi got the beating for spanking the aunt’s two-year-old son who spilled the oil.
What he thought was a correctional measure for his aunt son resulted to injury that is sure to leave a scar that will probably last a lifetime.
Ifeanyi spoke to our cur correspondents at Our Lady Clinic and Maternity Home in Gwagwa where he was rushed to.
He said, “My name is Ifeanyi Chiazor, and I am nine years old. My aunt (name withheld) inflicted this wound on me because her son spilled oil and I spanked him and then packed the oil and then the son reported me to my aunt and that was how she started beating me.
Continuing, he said: “She used belt to beat me but in the process the belt cut, and she then used wooden kitchen stool to hit me and when that one broke, she carried lamp and after that, she took me to the room, she locked the door and started using razor blade to cut my body.”
Asked how neither her aunt’s husband nor the neighbours heard him shout and came to his rescue, the boy said: “If neighbours come, she will pick up a fight with them. Her husband was around but he could not help me. All he did while my aunt beat and cut me with the blade was to cry.
He continued: “After cutting me, she went to look for vehicle that will bring me to the hospital but the [driver] charged her N1500, but she said she could only afford N100. So, she looked for a tricycle (Keke NAPEP) to bring me here.”
Ifeanyi also disclosed to our reporters that contrary to the promise his aunt made to his parents before he came to Abuja, that he will be registered in school, all he has been doing ever since was to assist his aunt in selling in her shop instead of going to school.
The boy who could not communicate properly because of the pain he was going through, said: “I used to be in school in the village but my education stopped when I came to Abuja. I was in Primary 3 in Agbogidi Primary School in Ogboani, Delta State and my aunt promised my parents that she would enrol me in school immediately I got to Abuja but when I came to Abuja, I was not enrolled; rather, I was helping her sell provision in her shop.”
When asked if he would still want to stay with his aunt, Ifeanyi said, “I will like to go back to the village because the suffering here is too much. I came to Abuja from Ogboani in Delta State. My father is an okada rider and my mother makes and sells garri,” he said.
The owner of the clinic and nurse who attended to Ifeanyi, Mrs Virginia Ugwu described his situation as very bad.
•Some of the stitches
She said, “The situation of the boy when he was brought in was very bad. She cut him in several places like the abdomen, the buttocks down to his back thigh, lower abdomen, and because of the condition, we started treating him without even demanding for anything.
“When the police officers in Gwagwa came, they said I was supposed to report the incident before I begin treatment but I began the treatment because the boy was in a bad shape and he had lost so much blood.
“The stitches are over 30. The cut was so deep, the cut at the lower abdomen got to his tissue and after the stitches, it was difficult for Ifeanyi to urinate; I had to take him to another doctor who helped in draining the urine before he started urinating normally”.
Also speaking, the son to the owner of the clinic, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwu said: “I was here when the boy was brought in; the woman brought him on the third of September; she came in crying because the boy was in a pool of his own blood.
“She told the clinic that he is her son and that she inflicted the injury on him but she blamed the whole act on the handiwork of the devil. According to her, the boy is a stubborn type and that he does not listen to her instruction [which angered her] but she also said it was not intentional and that it was the work of the devil.
“She actually deceived us because she claimed that the boy was her son and that made people to desert the boy because they saw it as a family matter but it was when the aunt left that she was going to bring him food and clothing that the boy spoke up because it was obvious that the boy is really afraid of her.
Continuing, Mr. Ugwu said: The woman left and never wanted to come back. We later got in touch with the Mai Ungwa in Dape who helped in getting in touch with her. The Mai Ungwa called her and when she picked, she asked if the boy was dead?
”After waiting for several hours for her without seeing her, we went to report to the police station because she brought the boy around 3pm, and she didn’t come back until 1am. She was arrested thereafter but she was released the next day.
Our correspondents discovered that Ifeanyi’s case has not only attracted the attention of the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP), the agency has rescued the boy while it has also commenced investigation which according to gathering might lead to prosecution of the boy’s aunt. The Head, Press and Public Relations of the agency, Mr. Josiah Emerole who confirmed the incident, told our correspondents that the boy was already with them and that investigation on the matter was on.
Mr. Emerole also revealed that the woman has been granted administrative bail because she is currently nursing a three month old baby. But he said she has been asked to be reporting to the agency. He also confirmed that the woman will be prosecuted at the end of the investigation.
Ifeanyi has also pleaded not to return to his aunt’s house because of the ill-treatment he gets.
Speaking on how NAPTIP got to know about the boy, he explained that the boy’s aunt wanted the boy discharged and that was when the clinic called NAPTIP and they have since taken over the case.
In section 351 of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, any person who unlawfully assaults another is guilty of an offence and may be liable to imprisonment for one year but it has been observed that cases of assault has continued to thrive despite the spelt out punishment.
For this act to be curbed, there is need for enforcement of the law which will serve as a example for those who indulge in this act. On the part of parents, they should also be careful of who they give their children to no matter the promise made.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCDB) has revealed that about 2000 children were infected with measles in the territory last year, adding that 16 of them died of the disease.
The Executive Secretary of PHCDB, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed made this know to journalists at the Integrated Measles Campaign (IMC) stakeholders meeting in Abuja in respect to the forthcoming measles Campaign which is bid to commence in November 7 to 12, 2015.
According to Dr. Mohammed, despite the immunisation is been done at nine months, there have been a lot of outbreak of measles in the FCT, because the highest outbreak of measles in the world is in Nigeria as a result of the numbers of people infected in the states which are not reported.
“In the FCT last year, we had almost 2000 people who were infected with measles and about 16 died from our statistic. We did not know of those that were not reported. This year, we have had so many outbreak of measles from across the FCT in all the area councils.
“The federal government has said that since there are so many outbreak because the measles campaign was not done properly, we should bring the stakeholders together early and discuss with them, because it is a facility based intervention.
“Because unlike the polio immunisation we do not go to house to house to give injection, the stakeholders should come in and buy in and tell us where we can go in and improve in this campaign, because the government does not have a lot of money and we need to achieve what we want to achieve,” he said.
According to the Executive Secretary, for now they are going to be immunizing from nine months to five years old, because they do not have enough money those beyond five years, saying that if they have the money they would have immunised up to 12 years old.
“Since it is not house to house immunisation, people have to come to the facilities to get immunised and most of the ages that are infected are between 9 and 12 years, because they were not immunised at the age of nine months.
“This infection affects the eyes, ears, chest, skin will be with rashes and even the intestine and the child can die. So, we are trying to bring together the stakeholders early in order to make this year’s campaign a success, because there are two area councils the we did not do well and they are Gwagwalada and Bwari area councils and we are going to improve on that,” he said.
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been asked to respect the Abuja master-plan in order to prevent flooding in the capital city.
Garba Kwamkur, chairman of the FCT chapter of Nigeria Institute of Town Planers (NITP) who made this known at the FCT 2015 Town Planners Week, said that residents tend to forget that Abuja is the only city in the country that was carved out, planned and built under the law.
Kwamkur said residents of the FCT are expected to have a change of heart, so that they can build an Abuja of their dream that is comparable to any city in the world.
“Abuja residents have to respect the master plan because it is something everyone can see online, or you go to AGIS to enquire the purpose of a particular land to know if it is a green area, residential or business area. Abuja is a different city, unlike Lagos and other cities, that is why we must all stick to the details of the master plan. With that we can avoid any flood in the city and people will live happily.
“We expect residents, both in the urban and rural area to key into the project of change by abiding with the rules and regulations of the master-plan. You have to seek the planning approval, start drawing before you start building your house, instead of doing what some people do, having offer-letters or even going to the Gbagyi chiefs to buy land and build.
“So that we can have something like all these mass transit, the rail system and bus system. Everybody does not have to drive a car to the city. There are other ways and during this event, we are trying to put it on the table, so that the government will now know about this modern innovation and try to put them in place,” he said.
The Chairman, Organising Committee, Mukhtar Galadima, also expressed the need to involve the stakeholders in all their activities during the planning process, from the conception, surveys, decisions and implementation, saying that this could be done through workshops, charades and seminars to get the Peoples view.
“Then, when that is done, you carry on with your surveys on the people again, make your findings about their needs and desires. Then you draw up your plans and bring it to the people again to know if they are okay with it and they will give you their opinion.
“If you carry the people along in everything you are planning with them, it will make your planning very successful, because they are part of the process. As a professional, you should not assume that you know everything,” he said.
That is the true position of the $1 billion Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) deposit being managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA)?
Is the $1 billion deposit still intact and generating profits or depleted to a balance of $300 million?
The Sovereign Wealth Fund, which was set up by the NSIA Act, came into force in October 2012 and was created to receive surplus income generated from Nigeria’s excess oil reserves.
It is intended to invest the savings gained on the difference between the budgeted and actual market prices for oil to earn returns that would benefit future generations of Nigerians.
But conflicting reports indicating that all was not well with the fund came to the fore again last Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
While the Managing Director of NSIA, Uche Orji claimed that the $1billion initial sovereign fund contributed by the government was intact and generated N15.7 billion profit last year, the Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC)’s Ad-Hoc Committee on the management of the Excess Crude Account and related Federation Account issues and Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole disagreed with the claim.
Oshiomhole maintained that he has evidence to prove that the $1 billion deposit has not only been depleted to $300 million, but that there were false claims that the fund was invested on other projects already funded from other sources.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa on the 9th of this month, Orji said: “The government gave us $1billion which is the only contribution we have received and we made N15.7 billion profit last year from the contribution.
“We haven’t gotten additional fund from the govt but the fund is structured in a way that it can go through hard time.
“We all know that the oil price is volatile, it comes up and goes down but the
fund is structured in such a way that it can remain continuously profitable.
“The funds remains the fund from the government and the profit made.” He added
Orji’s position was deflated barely a week after by Oshiomhole last Thursday.
Oshiomhole said: “I reported to the media that the Sovereign Wealth people in their report to us, which I have in black and white, showed clearly that they have only $300 million left in the Sovereign Wealth Fund account.
“We have it in black and white and I can publish it if anybody wants to deny that because it was not submitted to me secretly. It was submitted at plenary of the committee.
“And then we asked, because I knew that the fund was $1 billion, what was done with $700 million. And they said they have made some investments.
“We asked them what they invested in and they said the second Niger bridge and partially in Kaduna-Abuja rail. That is what they said and I was not alone there.
“We were about five governors and it was a full plenary. But we know that the Kaduna-Abuja rail was funded with Chinese loan, which even Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala spoke about, when they said the loan from China was not used for Lagos, she said it was for Kaduna-Abuja rail.
“You media need to develop your own library and have your record so that when people speak from both sides of their mouths, you can replay back. Because sometimes it hurts me when political leaders and technocrats say one thing in the morning and they change the language the following day.” He said
Urgently beaming the anti-corruption searchlight of the present administration in that direction may be needed to unravel the true position on the matter. Its time to act now.
