The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Joy, pain of hosting a refinery

    Joy, pain of hosting a refinery

    Firms and their host communities are not always the best of friends. But at Rido community, hosts of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), residents and the refinery workers are not at daggers drawn, either.

    True, the poverty level in the community is quite high, but the farming community has no doubt benefitted from the firm, even though sometimes it also has some grievances.

    Youths of the community and others in the operational area of the refinery are currently benefiting from oil firm’s youth empowerment programme, but the residents have also lived with pollution from the activities of the refinery.

    An executive director of the company, Idi Mukthar told The Nation that what the company flares is not gas, but carbon which is not harmful to the human system. He said that the company is aware of the community’s complaint and is working round the clock to address it.

    He pointed out that the black smoke coming out from the refinery is the result of a breakdown of one of the compressors which has been identified and is being corrected by the company. He said further that the company constantly mobilises a team of medical experts, officials of the Safety and Public Affairs Department of the company to enlighten the host community on their operations, and what to expect.

    He said: “We have sunk a borehole for them because we are aware that often, the carbon settles on the water and that is not good for them. So, we gave them a borehole so that they only have to get water when they need to use water and don’t have to store water from the stream. However, we have contracted someone to clean up the stream. At the moment, we have people working round the clock to clean up the carbon”.

    Even though members of Rido are quick to point at some of the benefits they now enjoy from the company. Some of their youths have been beneficiaries of the Youth Empowerment scheme initiated by the immediate past Managing Director of the company, Bolanle Ayodele. Some

    other things which the company has provided to the community include a bore hole, blocks of classrooms and a health centre among others, they are not happy with the level of pollution they have to grapple with daily. Mukthar said that the borehole, classroom and health centre is

    not the only intervention of the company in the community. He disclosed that at every stage, the company regularly carry out immunization in the communities. He said “every time we immunize our staff, we do the same thing for the community. In fact, the immunisation is not limited to children alone. At every stage, we cover about 5000 people in the host communities. We have also provided electrification for some of the communities”.

    The Manager Public Affairs of the company, Abdullahi Idris also told The Nation that the company has a standing community relations committee made up of about 11 district heads and some management team from the company. According to him, the committee meets regularly to articulate the needs of the communities which are prioritised in line with the budget of the company.

    “When we meet, they will come with their needs and we discuss them and see what can fit into our budget and we tell them. This has worked very well”, he said.

    In spite of that, the community is worried about the double flame from the company anytime they are in production. Some members of the community spoken to by The Nation admit that the company has done so much for them, but claimed that the gas emitted from the refinery on a daily basis is polluting their environment and doing a lot of harm to their livestock, farmlands and water bodies. Iliyasu Elijah, a resident of the community told The Nation that their farmland has been subjected to all manner of chemicals from the refinery.

    He said: “This is where we were born but our farmlands are now suffering. We can’t even drink water from our rivers anymore”.

    Michael Waziri, another resident of the community corroborated Elijah’s position, saying, “we the poor are tired of complaining but honestly it’s not funny at all. It is not in doubt that have provided a few amenities for us here, but that is not enough compared to what they are subjecting us to daily. Take a good look at this community and tell me if this is what we deserve. You can see poverty written all over the place. However, we hope that with the construction of the Eastern byepass, the government will remember us and compel the refinery to do something better for us”.

    Another resident, Luka Makama also spoke in similar vein. According to Makama, the community has lost several children to pollution in the past and are not ready to loss more. He said, “we have lost several children in this community to pollution. The last time they gave each household 3 packs of milk. If they are to be trusted, they should be giving us milk every month”.

    On her part, Jumai Jatau said that “getting food from our farms now is a difficult thing, not to talk of drinking water. Everybody in this community now has catarrh due to the black emission”.

    However, Bature Bidam is more militant in his response, saying, “Very soon we will block the roads and nobody will be allowed access into the refinery again until the issue of pollution is addressed”.

    Similarly, Abubakar Shehu who said he lives close to the refinery fence said that the gas being flared daily has saturated the area and is causing serious health problems to them.

    “People who are working there are big men and women driving jeeps and others expensive cars. But do they want us living in our poor ancestral homes to die? We allow government to establish the refinery here and not to send us out of this place. Our children are not working there except the Rido community chief who has betrayed us and sold us out to Kaduna refinery and so he can’t even defend us. The emission of the carbon dioxide is a serious disaster on us. In the morning and evening the gas always descends on the whole environment, making it difficult for us to breathe, it is also the same thing in the evening.

    And it has a very powerful unbearable odour. If we are eating, it is as if we are swallowing the substance along with the food.”

    Another resident, Suleiman Joseph expressed fear that with the increasing level of awareness by the youths, they may not be able to hold on for too long without taking steps to speak out against the pollution. He said, “the residents might not be able to bear it for long. We are calling on government and management of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company to take immediate action to stop this flaring, because what we are inhaling in this place is poisonous and is capable of killing us. Some people in our area who rented houses have left but the landlords have no place to go”.

    Some other members of the community told The Nation that credit must be given to the company for making effort to give them a good life.

    Some of them said that regularly, the company brings carton of milk to distributed to children in the community, adding that at the last exercise, about 700 cartons were given to them in addition to over 30,000 exercise books distributed quarterly to primary schools in the host communities. As at the time of this report, the company was making arrangement for another set of books to be distributed to the selected schools.

    A visit to the community revealed that apart from the gas emission from the refinery, Rido community, like many others have remained the most poorest within Kaduna metropolis and environs while the refinery makes billionaires of other people. The community can best be referred

    to as a slum suffering from the constant shadow of unrelenting noxious fumes.

    investigation however revealed that Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that still flare its gas while other nations are making billions of dollars from it. In other words, the flaring of

    gas by oil companies in the country is not limited to the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company along. It is believed to be more common in the Niger-Delta region where cities like Warri and Port Harcourt also experience the same hazards.  It is believed that Nigeria is flaring between 1.3 and 1.4 billion cubic feet of gas daily, second only to Russia which flared three times the size of what Nigeria burns.

    Environmental experts believe that the gas flaring by Nigeria oil companies is doing so much damage to the environment, pointing out that the damage on the environment, to the land, water habitat and human beings cannot be quantified. An environmentalist who would not want his name in print told The Nation that even though there is still ongoing research on the effect of gas flaring on human beings, “the effects are sometimes visible on people residing in areas close to refineries. The sign and symptoms include vomiting, cancer diseases, lung diseases and Asthma.”

    It is believed that Nigeria is losing lots of gas daily, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur and nitrogen oxide, which could be channelled to positive use by Nigerians. It is also believed that rather than trapping these gas substances for use, Nigeria allows them to be flared while importing them for use in various aspect of the country.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    These gases are also believed to combine with rainfall to cause serious damage to the soil.

    Public Affairs Manager of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, Mallam Abdullahi Idris was quoted as saying that the company was doing everything humanly possible to ensure that the community does not suffer any damage. He was also quoted as saying that the community have benefited from initiatives of the company which include the Youth Empowerment scheme introduced about five years ago and is currently being modified to make it more effective. He said that at the moment, the company has contracted those who trained the youths in the various vocations to mentor them, set them up and monitor them for six months. He said “during the first two exercise, we realised that it was not making the impact we expected as only about 40 percent

    utilise the take-off grant they were given. Right now, what we do is give the grant to the trainers to set them up and we believe that will make a bigger impact. Today, the KRPC YESEP is a house hood name in KRPC. We believe that Corporate Socia Responsibility goes beyond sinking borehole. We also believe that if every company assist in providing skill for the youths, we will greatly reduce the level of unemployment in the country. Idi Mukthar who collaborated his spokesman said that many organisations including government has come forward to either learn from them or collaborate with them in carrying out such training.

     

  • ‘Foreigners behind Fulani/Tiv clashes’

    ‘Foreigners behind Fulani/Tiv clashes’

    Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, on a visit, distributed relief materials to internally-displaced persons in various camps in Benue State. He spoke with journalists about the security challenges in the country, particularly in Benue State, saying, among other things, why he thinks foreigners are behind the clashes between farmers and herdsmen. UJA EMMANUEL was there for The Nation. Excerpts:

    What are your thoughts about the security challenges in the country, particularly the sustained attacks on farmers in Benue State?

    Nigeria is undergoing very serious security challenges. These were the kind of challenges that we never anticipated that would happen in our part of the world. If you heard about it you thought that it was something for different regions of this world. Unfortunately the reality now is that most parts of the country are undergoing these security challenges. Benue State is not alone; it’s the general situation across the country. States like Zamfara, Borno, so many other states and then particularly Benue State, now are facing very serious security challenges. Initially we thought that it was a dispute between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers but from what we’ve seen so far I think this has gone beyond these common Fulani herdsmen. We’ve lived with the Fulani herdsmen; as a child we’ve grown up with them, we joked together, and were playmates. In fact, most often when I see a Fulani person I never thought he would ever be my enemy because we just looked at them as friends and playmates. Then suddenly you see that the Fulani herdsmen cannot live side by side with the Tiv man; I don’t believe it’s the Fulani herdsmen that we’ve known. The herdsmen that we know carry sticks, at most a dane gun. For this kind of sophistication I don’t think that a true Fulani herdsman has the time to go and train how to shoot like these people, the kind of expertise that they display and the kind of sophisticated weapons that we see them with. I believe that this is aggression from outside the country. These people are coming from somewhere outside the country to come and attack. We have to sit down with our Fulani colleagues and think very carefully to find out where these attacks are coming from. I don’t believe these are common herdsmen. But they are causing very serious security challenges with potential danger that the farmers cannot go to farm. I heard that as far away as Delta, Kogi and so many other states, farmers cannot go to the farm any longer because they are afraid that they would be attacked and so there will be hunger in a few years to come because people are not planting their crops. Apart from that whole villages have been sacked and people are living in very difficult conditions, some are dying under very difficult conditions. But I believe that Nigeria will overcome these security challenges because there is a lot of work going on, a lot of discussions and negotiations and I believe that very soon a solution would be found. I advise our people to be very circumspect about what they say, the kind of things that they say. They should refrain from making inflammatory statements because like I said there is a lot of work being done to find a lasting solution to this situation. Sometimes you will be complicating the work of the leadership or the solutions they are trying to find by making unguarded statements or sometimes taking the law into your own hands. I think we should leave the security agencies; many of them have been dispatched already to Benue State so leave their job to them, do not complicate their jobs for them. I also want to tell our people that if the security agencies find you causing problems, as far as they are concerned any person causing problem is the enemy so they do not distinguish between people who have come to attack and the people who are being attacked. If they see you on the attack they will deal with you so you have to be very careful. Sometimes you have your right but if you mismanage how you convey your rights or you react to what has happened you become the aggressor. Our people have to be very careful. Do not just lynch anybody on the street because he looks different. Do not attack anybody or make statements that will cause panic or may cause people to feel that they are being attacked.

    There are claims that chemical weapons are being used in these attacks; can NAFDAC investigate these claims?

    I have heard about these claims; in fact from the symptoms that they described to me it would appear that chemical weapons are being used. I have seen some of the canisters that we have at our disposal; they’ve shown them to me. These people went and cut this usual tear gas, poured the chemical inside and then sealed it up. I have seen them first hand. But NAFDAC does not have the capacity right now to verify that. It has to be done in a specialized laboratory for testing of these sophisticated chemical weapons that are used. But from the description of some people who have died from the attacks I believe that chemical weapons are being used on our people. From some of the symptoms that doctors have described, doctors who have attended to these victims.

    Why did you procure relief materials for the displaced people and what kind of things did you bring for them?

    Generally when you see people suffering from lack of basic things, you are concerned. Because of my position I have a lot of friends in different parts of Nigeria, so these items, none of them was procured by me personally, it was not my funds. Friends called me offering to see how they could be of help. That is why many of these donations have come. Friesland brought 6,000 cartons of their milk juice. They called themselves and volunteered to donate these things because they saw the news in the media and they immediately contacted me. They knew that my people were under this type of difficult condition so they offered to give some of these things. Companies like Emzor brought some medicines and anti-malaria drugs and some of them vitamins for people who are malnourished. Different companies brought some things here and there that is why I have these items that I have here. Drinks, biscuits, Beloxi a company from Lagos called and donated biscuits, so many other companies called to donate some items that I brought here.

    What did you do in your first term as well as your vision for the second term?

    I think we did a lot in the first term; we brought a lot of innovations to so many things. When I came to NAFDAC in 2009 I told Nigerians that I would sustain all the gains that had been made at NAFDAC before I came and then take the agency’s operations to the next level, to international standards that are obtainable in the most advanced countries. I think that is exactly what we did. First and foremost we consolidated on all the gains both infrastructure-wise, there is no abandoned project in NAFDAC to begin with, all the projects that my predecessors started we’ve completed them. We also sustained the war against counterfeit medicines and then expanded that war. By the time I came to NAFDAC the incidence of counterfeit medicines had been reduced in 2005 to about 16.7 per cent. Unfortunately the incidence of counterfeit anti-malaria drugs had increased. In 2008 we had more than 60 per cent of anti-malaria drugs circulating in Nigeria were either fake or substandard so we had to reduce those indices. We set to work, we increased public awareness campaign. You know that before I came the public awareness campaign was different. NAFDAC was popular but when I came I refined the public awareness campaign to make it more educative. We created a television program, what we call ‘NAFDAC and your health’ to give the masses information about the products, more details about our regulatory activities, the products that we regulate so that the masses can be part of what we’re doing at NAFDAC and so that they can define a stake for themselves so that they will also be able to help us. It has turned out to be very successful. But realizing that not everybody has access to television we also created what we call the NAFDAC number. It’s on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN, and so you can hear our messages even in very remote corners of the country. Herdsmen can hear our messages; farmers can hear our messages in very distant corners of the country. They can call in and report incidences of fake products, that was another addition. We increased collaboration with all other security agencies in Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Immigration and all other security agencies, we partnered with them more. At the international level we also increased our visibility. I became the Vice Chairman of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce, IMPACT in Geneva. When IMPACT was scrapped and the first membership mechanism under the World Health Organization, what we call the SSFFSC that is the Spurious Sub-Standard Falsified False-labeled Counterfeit Medical Products Taskforce was created in Geneva made up of 193 countries I became the first chairman and currently I’m still the first chairman under the areas. But of course on a daily basis you support individual students as much as you can if they come with financial problems so that you help them go back to school. We have other programs that we’re doing even at the village level. In my village I was able to refurbish my primary school and bring it to international standard. I visited the school and when I went back I felt so bad that the children did not even have basic facilities compared to where my children at age seven they already have access to computers. My program is that I wanted every child to have access to food when they go to school so I built them a dining hall at the school and of course I have a computer room there and they’ve installed some computers so that they can have access to them and the internet. And then we refurbished the hospital which was lying there idle. We were able to refurbish and bring them a modern ambulance there and even equipped it. We encourage young doctors who come here to go back to the villages and sometimes I pay them some stipend. I had to recruit some nurses that I’ve over the past four years as well as some cleaners at that General Hospital in Lessel. About seven people have been on my payroll there for the past four years. I recruited them when I knew that after I refurbished the hospital it did not have enough staff so I had to recruit them and I pay them monthly from my own pocket for the past four years. These are some things that we’re trying to do in order to give some people opportunities.

     

    n I knew that after I refurbished the hospital it did not have enough staff so I had to recruit them and I pay them monthly from my own pocket for the past four years. These are some things that we’re trying to do in order to give some people opportunities.

     

  • Plateau to export potatoes

    Plateau to export potatoes

    Plateau is not just about temperate climate and breathtaking rocks. It boats potentially money-spinning solid minerals. Its potatoes are a delicacy. But the state is seeing more in the legumes than merely something to chew; it wants to export them and make money.

    Plateau produces plenty potatoes and other crops, thanks to its rich soil and friendly weather.

    Such vegetable crops as Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, apples and strawberries, among others, are easily produced in the state. Farmers on the Plateau harvest the crop three times a year because it grows well in both dry and wet seasons.

    The Plateau Irish potato serves a dual purpose; it is mainly used as food, and it is also used for its medicinal value. As food, people cook it like yam and consume it; others fry it into chips. Those who want its medicinal value wash it and eat it raw.

    However, the state never gets the real value for this essential crop because of its perishable nature.

    Soccour has come the way of the farmers. An international organisation, GIZ will now provide the technology that will enhance cultivation of the crop. It will aslo provide the technology for preservation, processing and packaging of the product for export. This is money for all concerned.

  • City agog for oral health

    City agog for oral health

    It was a day everyone focused on the teeth. The Lagos Osun Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja was the setting. Among the audience were the high and mighty, all making a strong case for better teeth care. The event was the World Oral Health Day (WOHD), which promotes oral health and hygiene amongst Nigerians and creates awareness on the myriad of oral diseases in the country.

    The Senate President and National Oral Health Champion for Nigeria, Senator David Mark, represented by the Deputy Chair, Senate Committee, Senator Gyang Pwajok, was there. So also Health Minister, Prof Chukwu Onyebuchi; Minister of State for Health, Dr Khaliru Alhassan; Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Ado Jimada Gana Muhammad; President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Akanbi Olojede.

    Not to be left behind in the business of good oral health for Nigerians were Rector, Federal School of Dental Therapy and Technology, Enugu, Dr Kehinde Sofoluwe; Country Representative, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Rui Gama Vaz; Director -General National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Chris Onyemenam; Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mike Omeri and Director General, National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii.

    The occasion was put in place by the Ministry of Health and UNILEVER Nigeria Plc. Its theme was: ‘Celebrating Healthy Smiles; your mouth says who you are’. Pupils of Model Primary School, Maitama, Abuja and the Africa International College, Abuja campaigned for better oral health for all, even demonstrating how to achieve that goal through proper brushing morning and last thing at night.

    Senator Mark, who is Oral Health Champion, appreciated Unilever’s commitment to the oral health campaign in Nigeria. He charged Unilever with the responsibility to lead advocacy, and be the image maker for oral health through the industry, facilitate and mobilise resources and support the full integration of oral health into general health.

    He used the occasion to also inaugurate other Oral Health Ambassadors across the country from different walks of life. Each of the states of the federation has an ambassador.

    Senator Mark said: “This is an opportunity for us to assemble all stakeholders in oral health to distillate ideas that will bring Nigeria to a pride of place among the committee of nations. The health of the entire body can be affected by oral health so the whole mouth needs to be taken care of for any individual to be in good health. The word ‘oral’ refers to the mouth, which includes the teeth, gums, jawbone and supporting tissues. Oral health is a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancers, oral sores, birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, periodontal disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and other diseases as well as disorders that affect the oral cavity. Risk factors for oral diseases include unhealthy diet, tobacco use, harmful alcohol use and poor oral hygiene. Good oral healthcare habits can prevent diseases in the mouth.”

    He said it is no more news that there is a huge oral health need amongst the Nigerian populace and there is a relatively low dental awareness in the country as research has shown that a large number of people visit the dental clinic because of pain. “This is unacceptable because the onset of pain is an indication that the disease can no longer be remedied with simple therapy. The treatment often required in this circumstance would be too expensive for a low to middle income patient. Sustainable Oral health campaign among Nigerians has therefore become imperative to create awareness on the prevention, early detection and treatment and management of common oral conditions,” Senator Mark said.

    He recalled that he was inaugurated as Oral Health Champion in November 2012 along with a formal launch of a National Oral Health policy. “The policy provides a strategic framework for oral healthcare delivery in the country. Subsequently, I have identified 37 eminent personalities who were inaugurated as State Oral Health Ambassadors on 16th May, 2013 to lead oral health awareness creation in their respective states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). I have also identified other prominent functionaries in various sectors of the Nigerian economy who would be inaugurated today as Oral Health Ambassadors.

    “The Federal Ministry of Health has adopted a community participation approach which involves primary oral healthcare education through promotion of oral healthcare in schools, market places and worship places. Introducing these target groups to good oral healthcare habits would prevent oral diseases and improve outcomes when they do occur. This will lead to better quality of life and improved socioeconomic status of Nigerians,” he said.

    Senator Mark said he has undertaken to scale up the Oral Health Campaign in schools and eventually cover all the schools in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. He said: “Certainly, I would need the involvement of all Oral Health Ambassadors. This campaign will equally sensitize the general public to rise up along with Government to promote good oral healthcare habits. To this end, the Federal Ministry of Health has resuscitated its School Oral Health Programme which is an oral health promotion programme targeted at school children and their teachers.

    “In line with this strategy, I personally flagged off the Oral Health Campaign in schools in Nigeria in November 2013 at the L.E.A Primary School, Ushafa, Bwari Area Council. The event was a high point in the celebration of the 2013 National Oral Health week by the Federal Ministry of Health. At this juncture ladies and gentlemen, I solicit the commitment and support of all and sundry towards a paradigm shift from limiting dentistry in Nigeria to only the treatment of diseased teeth to the care of the mouth. This is a global trend and Nigeria must join the rest of the world in the ‘Celebration of Healthy Smiles”. I therefore urge this distinguished audience to maximise the opportunity before us to galvanise the available resources that will position the Nigeria Oral Health system on a sustainable pedestal for development.”

    Corroborating Senator Mark’s submissions, Unilever MD, Nsarkoh represented by the Brand Building Director, David Okeme, said: “Dental decay affects up to 90 per cent of children in many countries and research also found that adolescents who brush their teeth more than once a day by 12 years of age are more likely to continue to do so throughout their teenage years and into adulthood.

    “These figures matter to us, which is why we’re harnessing the ingenuity of kids to get them to actively participate in our campaign. If we wish to create an impact in the oral care habits of Nigerians, we thought it best to start with the kids. If we empower them, they can then influence adults to create change in their oral care habits.”

    Nsarkoh said UNILEVER as part of its celebration of the World Oral Health Day with its leading oral health care brand, Close Up, is more committed commitment to improve the oral health of 10 million Nigerians by 2020.

    “This will be achieved by educating children to brush twice a day through its Brush Day and Night School Programme, which aims to inculcate among Nigerian children good brushing habits so they can avoid major oral problems and lead a healthier, more fulfilled life through to adulthood.

    “Our commitment to oral care attests to our leading as manufacturer of oral care products, including toothpaste and toothbrushes. A category within Unilever, a global manufacturer of leading brands in foods, home care and personal care, Unilever Oral Care is represented by brands including Close Up, Pepsodent, Signal and others. Unilever Oral Care is present in more than 50 countries around the world meaning, four billion people; approximately 70 per cent of the world’s population has access to Unilever oral care products. UNILEVER oral care supports over forty oral health improvement programmes in countries around the world. Unilever Oral Care holds a unique partnership with the FDI World Dental Federation – the authoritative independent voice of dentistry – to improve oral health on a global scale. Unilever Oral Care supports dental research through its partnership with IADR (International Association of Dental Research) spanning over 20 years.”

    Speaking at the event, the Honorable Minister of Health, Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu said that “Oral health is extremely important to our overall health and well being and that is why the Federal Ministry of Health has joined forces with UNILEVER in their campaign against poor dental hygiene.”

    Dr Alhassan was of the opinion that hitherto the Nation’s oral healthcare delivery system was haphazard in terms of organisation and management and only minimal attention was given to oral health. This was due to the erroneous perception that oral problems are not life threatening.

    “Meanwhile, studies have shown the significant impact that oral diseases have on the health and well being of affected individuals. They cause pain, increase morbidity and mortality which results in loss of school hours and reduced social-economic activities. For example, oral cancers and some oro-facial deformities are left untreated until it has become late. This leads to gross deformity and scarring thereby requiring expensive reparative surgeries.

    The FMOH recognizes that oral health promotion in Nigeria is a national task. All stakeholders must collaborate to meet the targets in the National Oral Health Policy, which includes raising the level of awareness of the importance of Oral Health among at least 70 per cent of Nigerians by the year 2015.”

    Head, Dentistry Division, FMOH, Dr (Mrs) ‘Bimpe Adebiyi speaking on the National Oral Health Policy and the roles of the Oral Health Ambassadors said the vision of the Federal Government for Oral Health is to improve the oral health status of all Nigerians; while the Mission is to improve the level of oral health through the development and promotion of accessible, effective, efficient and sustainable oral Health System based on prevention, early detection and prompt treatment of oral diseases, using evidence-based intervention.

    The Oral Health Champion hosted other Oral health Ambassadors to a gala night and dinner.

    At the gathering, the representative of the Unilever MD, Okeme announced the company’s commitment to partner with the Senate President and National Oral Health Champion to improve the oral health behaviours of 10 million Nigerians through the Close Up Brush Day and Night campaign.

    He said many Nigerians, who brush their teeth, brush only once a day and that was mostly in the morning. “Brushing at night after dinner is a very important challenge to address,” said Okeme.

    In support of the initiative to address night brushing, the Chief of Staff to the Senate President who represented the National Oral Health Champion at the dinner, Hon. Anthony George Manzo, supported a young girl, Kaetochi Okeke-Mgbajiaka, who demonstrated and challenged the audience on the importance of night brushing.

    Hon Nsarkoh said: “We want to engage as many school children as possible with our Close Up programmes because we believe they have the power to influence. This demonstration and the brush day and night campaign provides them with the platform to show Nigeria their ideas and inspire people to change how they take care of their teeth.”

     

  • Regulating outdoor advertising in Kwara

    The Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASSA) is out to ensure the aesthetics and beauty of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The agency is also determined to make money for the state government.

    The law establishing the agency which came into existence in 2010 was last year amended to align with the current global trends and standard practices.

    The law also prescribes that political parties, corporate bodies , individuals and religious organisations having outdoor structures to register with the agency.

    Accordingly, the agency has resolved to bare its fangs on all structures including billboards, banners and pasting of posters illegally mounted or pasted by political parties, body corporate and religious bodies in the state. In fact, all such structures are now to pay a certain fee.

    Also, the use of the Flyover bridge panels in the Post Office area of Ilorin, the state capital for pasting of banners will attract a sum of N6 million per annum.

    The state Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner, Kamaldeen Ajibade said KWASSA law regulates outdoor structures for the display of signage, hoarding and advertisement in the state.

    Ajibade said it is mandatory for any person or body corporate to register and obtain permit from the agency before erecting, constructing, enlarging or structurally modifying any outdoor structure.

    He urged all affected persons, groups, political parties; corporate entities and religious organisation in the state to remove all such structures with contravene this law.

    He said: “It has come to the attention of the state government that across the state there are many outdoor advertisement and signs without compliance with the provisions of the extant law on same, which is, KWASSA law.

    “Under the law, any corporate entity that owns outdoor structures must of necessity register same with the agency. The law empowers the agency to enter into any property or premises for the purposes of carrying out inspection necessary for the proper administration of the law.

    “Equally, owners and operators of existing outdoor structures are required to regularise their signage and advertisement structures with the agency and if not done within a period of one month after enactment of this law, the agency shall with or without notice as it deems fit, direct the removal of same at the expense of the owner.

    “It is important to stress here that any person who violates any of the provisions of the signage and advertisement law or does anything in order to stultify the application of the law or continue to be in breach of the law by displaying or permitting the display of unauthorised outdoor structures shall be guilty of an offence and liable to punishment (s) and sanctions provided under the law.

    “These include terms of imprisonment or fine or both. And of course, include demolition of the offensive structure (s) at the defaulter’s expenses.”

    The General Manager of KWASSA, Hammed Olufadi, remarked that: “A billboard for political party costs N1 million per year. Flying a banner costs N40,000 per week. The aim is to discourage unnecessary flying of banners. If you want to use ultra wave or you want to have your campaigns at the airport that is a specialised area, the amount payable is N2million for the purchase sheet. If you want maximum exposure you pay maximally also.

    “If you want to use our bridge panels you will need to pay N6million because we don’t want the panels to get dirty. If you want to even paste posters you are expected to come to us, we ask you the number of posters you intend to paste and we tell you where to paste them at a fee. Then you sign statement of responsibility with us irrespective of the political party. You pay before you expose your posters and then you deposit a penalty with us; 10 days after if the posters are not removed, we will do and the money deposited with us becomes that of the government.

    “So we have prices for normal zones and prices for specialised zones for different sizes of billboards and banners. If it is not properly regulated very soon people will start pasting posters on government house walls. Most of the posters are pasted at night. But we are making it clear now that we will not go after those pasting the posters, but those that own the posters.”

    Curiously, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has picked holes in the law, noting that giving teeth to the law this time around is a ploy against it.

  • Lawmaker enlivens constituents

    Lawmaker enlivens constituents

    The representative of Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Hon. Emmanuel Goar has launched a programme aimed at reducing the rate of poverty in the three local government areas that make up the constituency.

    Hon. Goar noted that the level of poverty at the grassroots requires a purposeful programme of intervention by individuals, political office holders, governments, non-governmental organisations as well as corporate entities. He insisted that such intervention does not require millions of Naira to resolve, adding that as little as N20 can save a life in the rural areas.

    The most interesting aspect of Hon. Goar’s poverty alleviation programme was the presentation of 20 wheelchairs to people with physical disability. They expressed their gratitude to the lawmaker for his benevolence.

    One of the beneficiaries of the wheelchairs, Martha John, said: “I was born like every other human being, but I grew up to realise I had no legs. I have been crawling since I was born. But today, our representative has given me this instrument to facilitate my movement from one point to the other, no more crawling like snake. I am very much grateful to him.”

    Aside the wheelchairs, the lawmaker also provided 100 irrigation water pumps for dry season farmers.

    Hon. Goar said: “I have developed 175,000 hectares of land for agricultural farming which has the potential to generate 870,000 metric tons of grains and vegetables.

    “Today, as I present these irrigation pumps, many youths will be encouraged to take to farming and this will reduce the rate of unemployment in my constituency. The beneficiaries of the irrigation pumps will also become employers of labour in the agricultural sector.”

    Other empowerment items which Hon. Goar presented to some beneficiaries during the programme held at Trinity Missionary College, Pankshin were 200 sewing machines, 150 grinding machines and 20 motorcycles.

    Hon Goar said: “As a representative of my people, I’m here to present to them some items as a way of kick-starting the poverty alleviation programme. I will mobilise other stakeholders to help my people. This is because I alone cannot solve the challenges of poverty. It requires combined efforts of governments, individuals, private companies and non-governmental organisations.

    “We need concerted efforts to tackle poverty through job creation and empowerment schemes because they will help in minimising youths’ restiveness in the state and the entire country.”

    While presenting the items to beneficiaries, Hon Goar said: “I have gone beyond legislative function to ensure that my constituents also benefit from my quality representation. The presentation of these work tools today aims at reducing poverty, increasing income and employment and improving the living standard of our people.

    “Many of the beneficiaries of this little gesture are youths of my constituency. I believe that when youths are provided with means of livelihood that secures their economic independence, they will be less restive and less vulnerable since they have something doing. I intend to instil working culture in our youths which will accelerate Nigeria’s accomplishment of MDGs by 2015.

    “I will work hard to free our youths from abject and dehumanising conditions occasioned by poverty. If we must eradicate poverty by 2015, well-meaning individuals, private companies and NGOs must join hands with government and lawmaking to free our people from want through deliberate empowerment programmes.”

    Hon. Goar pledged to give the people quality representation, adding that more benefits of democracy will be attracted to Pankshin, Kanam and Kanke constituency in the 2014 appropriation Bills when signed into law.

    “I will continue to give hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak and protection to the defenceless by growing the economy of the constituency through job creation, securing appointments, constructing rural roads and sinking boreholes.” He urged people suffering from different ailments to be available this month for free medical treatment.

    He urged the newly sworn in chairmen of local government areas in the state to work towards the well-being of the people of the council areas irrespective of party affiliation.

    He said: “You should shun divisive policies, hatred, ethnic distrust, reject violence, insist on justice and equity, insist on defending our people from those threatening our unity, pursue peace, fight poverty not the poor, attack destitution and uphold democracy and development.”

    The Senator Representing Plateau North Senatorial zone and Chairman of the occasion, Senator Gyang Pwajok described Goar as an embodiment of humility who has deployed his legislative ability to combat poverty in his constituency.

    Senator Pwajok urged members of the constituency to support Hon. Goar.

    He said the empowerment scheme embark upon by Hon. Goar is a clear demonstration of his appreciation of the people’s mandate given to him.

    He advised the beneficiaries to use the tools to liberate themselves from poverty.

    The traditional ruler of the constituency, Ngolong Ngas, His Highness Nde Joshua Dimlong who presented the items to the beneficiaries said: “This gesture by our son is a source of relief to me as the custodian of peace and security in Pankshin and Kanke local governments respectively. This is because there will be drastic reduction in youth restiveness. This empowerment scheme has offered direct jobs to about 500 youths who will, in turn, employ other youths. This is a better way to fight unemployment.”

  • Impressive turn-out at Sambo-led FEC meeting

    Impressive turn-out at Sambo-led FEC meeting

     

     

    he Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo last week witnessed an impressive turn-out of ministers.

    President Goodluck Jonathan was away in Brussels, Belgium attending the European Union (EU)-Africa summit.

    The FEC meeting recorded attendance of 27 ministers out of the current 37 members of cabinet.

    Attendance to various past FEC meetings presided over by Sambo had always been within the range of between 12 and 15 ministers.

    The practice was that many of the ministers always regard official trips of President Jonathan outside the country as an opportunity to stay away from Sambo-led FEC meetings.

    The ministers, who were rarely absent during any FEC meeting presided over by President Jonathan, unless on official engagements abroad, always prefer to go for their private businesses when the President is not around.

    It has also been rumoured in the past that ministers who travel for international conferences abroad prefer to go on shopping sprees while important meetings were in progress.

    But the President has spoken on their defence, claiming that not all ministers were meant to attend all meetings as they were scheduled to attend those meetings relevant to their portfolios.

    The ugly trend witnessed in some past Sambo-led FEC meetings prompted me to draw attention to it in my write-up of Tuesday, October 1, 2013 entitled “Where are the Ministers?”

    Only 14 ministers attended the October 1, 2013 FEC meeting.

    I also pointed out in the write-up the importance of truly serving the country with commitment and without any eye-service. I also added that any disrespect for Sambo is also disrespect for Jonathan who mandated the Vice-President to preside over such meetings in his absence.

    But last Wednesday’s attendance was a different story even though the meeting did not last for more than one hour.

    The 27 ministers who arrived at the FEC Chamber before the meeting started with National Anthem and opening prayer by 10:07 a.m. were Mike Onolememen (Works), Chinedu Nebo (Power), Laurencia Mallam (Environment), Mohammed Adoke (Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice), Mohammed Sada (Mines and Steel Development).

    Also at the meeting were Emeka Wogu (Labour), Tanimu Turaki (Special Duties), Omobola Johnson (Communication Technology), Asabe Ahmed (Agriculture – State), Nyesom Wike (Education -State), Sarah Ochekpe (Water), Zainab Maina (Women Affairs), Boni Haruna (Youth Development), Edem Duke (Culture and Tourism).

    Others in attendance were Samuel Ortom (Trade and Investment-State), Abba Moro (Interior), Viola Onwuliri (Foreign Affairs-State I), Garious Ishiaku (Niger Delta-State), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Finance), Umar Idris (Transport), Labaran Maku (Information), Olajumoke Akinjide (FCT-State), Khaliru Alhassan (Health – State), Musiliu Obanikoro (Defence-State), Mohammed Wakil (Power-State), Deziani Alison-Madueke (Petroleum), and Bala Mohammed (FCT).

    The three ministers, who were officially announced to be in the President’s delegation to Belgium, were Aliyu Gusau (Defence), Aminu Wali (Foreign Affairs), and Olusegun Aganga (Trade and Investment).

    Since there are currently 37 ministers in the cabinet, seven ministers who did not travel with Jonathan were not at the Sambo-led FEC meeting last week.

    Being the last warning, I will not mention those who were absent from the FEC meeting here.

    Even with the impressive attendance at the meeting last week, this piece is a reminder to all of us to continue to put in our best at all times for the country’s growth and development.

  • FCT tackles poor medical waste management

    Determined to improve the management of medical wastes and reduce the rate at which health personnel contract infectious diseases, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has approved the FCT healthcare waste management guidelines to improve the handling of such wastes in the FCT.

    Over 100 health personnel in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have so far contracted Hepatitis B, HIV and AIDS and other diseases due to poor management of medical wastes.

    The health workers are said to have contracted these diseases as a result of shoddy handling of injections and other medical wastes.

    The Secretary, FCT Health Secretariat, Dr. Ademola Onakomaiya said the administration, in accordance with international best practices, has approved the FCT healthcare waste management guidelines to improve the handling of such wastes in the FCT.

    Onakomaiya revealed this at a press conference in Abuja where he said the administration will make an annual budget of N300 million in the next three years to make the policy a success.

    He said: “The minister directed that the old policy be streamlined into guidelines for a more suitable FCT waste management policy, to formulate guideline that will be broad and holistic in approach towards healthcare waste management.

    “Before now, we had incinerators in about 60 to 70 per cent of our hospitals which do the burn and bury approach for healthcare waste management. But in the next two quarters I am sure, every hospital will have incinerators to handle their wastes.

    “The reason for this guideline is to enable public health workers who are more prone to the dangers of contracting hepatitis B, HIV and AIDS and other diseases to have a guideline to follow for medical waste management.”

    He also said in its determination to enhance the procurement, storage and distribution of drugs, laboratory reagents, medical gases and other specialised medical items to all FCT Administration Hospitals, the FCT Executive Committee has approved that the Abuja Central Medical Stores (ACMS) operate in line with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.

    Onakomaiya said the minister noted that the approval was to further ensure regular provision of quality and cost-effective medical supplies for FCT residents.

  • FRSC to auction abandoned motorcycles

    The Federal Road Safety Corps, Sokoto State Command has said that the 75 impounded and unclaimed motorcycles may soon be auctioned .This indication was given by the Sector Commander Dr Gummi in a statement he issued last week.

    According to the statement, all motorcycles impounded in Sokoto and Isa and have stayed beyond six months in police custody will be auctioned after obtaining a forfeiture order from the court.

    “The corps will apply to court for the order of forfeiture and auctioning of the said motorcycles. Only motorcycles impounded in it’s custody for a continuous period of more than six months will be auctioned”, the statement read in part.

    Gummi, however, advised owners of such abandoned items to hasten up and claim them before the date.

  • N477m to keep nation’s capital clean

    N477m to keep nation’s capital clean

    Everyone loves a cute city. Neat, ordered streets are irresistible. The sweet scents of flowers are therapeutic. But how do you make a city, even a nation’s capital adorable?

    The Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed believes he has an idea, and it is to, first of all, rid it of waste. And to that extent, his administration has forked out about N477m to acquire waste disposal equipment, saying the effort was necessary in order to achieve the objective of Master Plan.

    One of the objectives in the Master Plan is to make the nation’s capital city be as neat as possible.

    Mindful of this, the Federal Capital Territory Administration has been doing its best to ensure that the city is uncluttered at all times. To this end, it has placed emphasis on procuring equipment that will help in keeping the city tidy. This is apart from individuals in the administration’s employ that manually sweep the streets of the city on a daily basis.

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed revealed that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has spent N477 million to procure waste management equipment.

    The equipment, which he said were acquired for effective sanitation, included street sweepers, litter pickers and roll-on-roll off (RORO) trucks.

    Senator Mohammed said the equipment would solve waste disposal needs of the residents.

    He stated this while inaugurating the equipment at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) premises.

    He said: “The procurement of these waste management equipment was borne out of the need to achieve the administration’s pursuit of a clean Abuja.

    “These equipment include eight Global M3 (3000MX) street sweepers, four LN50 litter pickers that will be deployed to clean highways and other high activity points with high litter generations.

    “Other equipment that are being expected include 28 compacting trucks for refuse collection, two canal master flushers for maintenance of sewage network and four RORO trucks for refuse collection in villages within built-up areas.”

    The minister further said the administration has paid all money to the manufacturers who are training staff of AEPB on how to handle and maintain the equipment.

    He urged the Abuja Environmental Protection Board to inculcate a healthy maintenance culture to ensure longevity and durability.

    Acting Director, AEPB Mrs. Aishat Adebayo assured the minister that the provision of the sweepers will not, in any way, affect the women currently carrying out litter control as none of them will be laid off.

    Adebayo also said the administration is building three waste transfer stations to improve the turn-around in waste collection services.

    She appealed to the residents to take responsibility of their immediate environment by not indulging in indiscriminate littering and defecation and prompt payment of service charges.