The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • ‘Seek foreign military assistance’

    ‘Seek foreign military assistance’

    As Boko Haram insurgents continue to wreak havoc  on Borno State, the people seem to have given up on the   Joint Task Force (JTF) to protect them. They are asking  the Federal Government to seek foreign military assistance to curb the menace. BONDUNRIN KAYODE (Maiduguri) reports. 

    They do not know what may happen the next minute. Whether guns will boom or not , they do not know. Neither are they sure which village, town or installation will be attacked by Boko Haram insurgents. They are constantly praying for their safety.

    This is the lot of residents of Borno State who seem to have lost hope in the Joint Task Force (JTF) protecting them. The many killed by Boko Haram, especially in the first two months of this year. This didn’t go down well with the relations of those who are indigenous to Borno State who were killed by Boko Haram in the first two months of this year, the bereaved families are calling on the Federal Government to seek external military assistance in fighting the insurgents.

    In tears, one of them told reporters in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, that the JTF was unable to protect her two sisters who were taken away by the insurgents.

    “As it is now, I do not know whether they are dead or alive. These people are like vipers that drink blood. How would those girls survive under them?

    “I think the situation is beyond the soldiers sent to counter these people. Something must be done urgently to save our girls from being captured as prisoners of war and impregnated in their camps,” said Aisha.

    Serving and retired military officers and others expressed similar sentiments.

    A retired military officer Yusuf Barma, whose brother was killed in Bama, decried what he described as “obvious lack of capacity” on the part of the JTF in Borno State.

    Others observe that the morale of the soldiers is low.

    Some who spoke to our correspondent in confidence said the only way the crisis could be resolved is for the Federal Government to ask for urgent military assistance from the Americans or any of its friends within the African sub-region.

    Some respondents say the military was not sensitised enough to deal with the Boko Haram insurgency because of the obvious low level of morale of the soldiers.

    While some felt that the Presidency was doing its best, Hajia Muslima Kolo whose business was ruined by the insurgents in Barga last year said President Goodluck Jonathan is deliberately punishing the people of the state.

    Her words: ”Doyin Okupe should stop blabbing about what he does not know. These people destroyed my fish business and killed so many of my friends and relations. They claim the military is on top of the situation. Is the military on top of the situation and 500 people were killed in less than two months?

    “If our soldiers can’t do the job, let the President seek help elsewhere. They should give arms to the civilian JTF and see what these boys would do,” she said.

    Hajia’s friends corroborated her views, saying “the President should know that Maiduguri is not safe. What is happening here can never be compared to what happened in the Niger Delta creeks where insurgents were compensated later through the amnesty programme.”

    According a member of the Nigerian Legion who pleaded anonymity, there was nothing embarrassing as seeking for help elsewhere because the soldiers were not trained in this kind of warfare. They have demonstrated gross inefficiency in managing the problem so far.

    He said the situation is akin to that of Al-Qaeda whose activities are still on in Afghanistan.

    “I strongly believe that the real soldiers are all retired. What we have now are boys who do not know their left from their right. That is why they allow these people to disgrace us the way they do,” our source said.

    Governor Kashim Shettima had recently accused the Presidency of insensitivity to “the sorrowful plight” of the people judged by the fact that almost 500 lives have been lost this year alone.

    His frustration was in response to comments by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe over Shettima’s views on the military in its fight against the insurgents. He had said the Presidency was unfair.

    Okupe had recently dismissed Shettima’s assessment and reminded the governor that the war against the insurgents was not conventional in nature, insisting that there was evidence that the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies are on top of the situation in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

    But in a statement in Maiduguri , Shettima’s media aide, Isa Gusau said: “The statement was rather unfair and insensitive to the sorrowful plight of the people and the government of Borno State. It is an irony that Okupe didn’t find it worthy to sympathise with the people of Borno State and to join in condemning the horrible serial attacks that left nearly 300 innocent citizens killed in February alone.

    “Governor Kashim Shettima has the highest regard for President Goodluck Jonathan and appreciates his continued efforts in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

    “Governor Shettima equally holds the Nigerian Armed Forces in very high esteem.

    “The Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Security feels the same way of the Shettima administration.”

    “As most Nigerians would testify, Shettima had been very patient before he opened up to Mr President and the sole aim was for Nigerians to appreciate the situation in the state.

    May be Dr. Okupe wanted Governor Shettima to tell lies or to conceal the truth by deceiving Nigerians, or perhaps he wanted the people of Borno State to die in silence. rcumstance he found himself.

    Reacting to the call for foreign military assistance, an impeccable source at the Defence Headquarters said calling the Americans or mercenaries to assist us in fighting Boko Haram may be inimical because the mercenary can equally work for the other side if the right fees are paid.

    The source believes that the military has its problems like every other institution but was not unmindful of the problems on ground which includes extreme lack of personnel to counter the massive recruitment being carried out by the insurgents.

    He said: ”I do not think this is the time to call on the Americans or any foreign anti-terrorist troop to fight our own war because it goes with a huge prize. It would mean compromising in some areas and you do not want that to happen to us at this trying time.

    “It is not as easy as the people perceive it because the issue raised could actually cause the compromise of our sovereignty. All we regard as our secrets would be compromised because of the conditionality they will attach to this if we allow them. If they are allowed to interfere in our sovereignty, this may surely spell doom for us.

    “On desertion of soldiers, I don’t agree that any soldier who was trained by us may have defected to Boko Haram as alluded. If the people are saying that our soldiers are fighting on the side of Boko Haram, I do not agree on that.

    “Any soldier that turns his back on a battle is committing a crime. You are asking the Chief of Army Staff to go and stay in Maiduguri. That is not possible.

    “There must be a central point of co-ordination in case other flash points trigger. So, if the Niger Delta region is triggered again, they expect the Army Chief to move down again to show how effective he is. That does not make sense to us,” he posited.

    Meanwhile, social life has been completely paralysed in the state as most people close their shops and businesses as early as four in the evening to avoid being caught up in the curfew which may last longer than expected.

  • Council to help fire victims

    The Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council,  Alhaji Abubakar Giri, has promised to  collaborate with the FCT Administration to help people affected  in the  Dobi International Yam Market fire disaster.

    Giri, who made the pledge while inspecting the extent of damage caused by the fire incident, expressed dismay at the level of destruction. He urged the victims not to lose hope.

    It was gathered that over 60 shops were razed while farm produce, cash and property worth millions of Naira were  destroyed in the incident.

    Narrating his ordeal, Mohammed Yusuf, a yam seller, stated that  he lost about N3 million in the fire incident, even as he thanked the chairman for his visit and his encouragement.

    Also speaking, the District Head of Dobi, Alhaji Sule Dobi, stated that the disaster which was suspected to have been caused by bush burning, was the worst he ever witnessed.

    Dobi called on  government to assist the victims through provision of yam seedlings for the  farming season as  yam was the major cash crop for people in  the community.

    While sympathising with the victims, the Head of Agriculture in the council, Dr Ahmed Abdullahi, urged government to assist its department to carry out fire tracing which will help cordon off farm produce sites from bush burning. This, according to him, will help prevent future occurrence of such incident.

  • Making a living out of stones

    Making a living out of stones

    T HE sea of heads and the busy nature of the area attracts your attention. Then, the staccato sound of the hammer hitting the stone gives an indication that some activities are on through which people are deriving their means of livelihood. A close watch also reveals some form of marketing going on as trucks of various sizes are packed waiting to be loaded with granite.

    These are the routine jobs of young men and women engaged in the difficult business of cracking stone as a means of livelihood at either of the two sites of stone deposits in Kaduna.

    The first of these two sites is located along the newly constructed Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Way, a few metres from the residence of Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo while the other is located along the Umaru Gwandu Road in the Malali area of the metropolis.

    From these two places, most of the granites used for house constructions within the Kaduna metropolis and its environs are sourced. As difficult as the business may be, it is expected that it should be carried out using modern equipment, but the workers use local tools and said some of them have been involved in this business for several years.

    Incidentally, some of those involved in the business of stone cracking are graduates and students of higher institutions who fend for themselves.

    Without the luxury of using dynamites to blast the rocks before breaking them into smaller pieces, those involved in this business first blast the rock firing it up. While leaving the place after the day’s business, they make bonfire on the crack between the rocks.

    Abubakar Ladan, one of those involved in the business told our correspondent that the exercise usually starts at 6:00 in the evening when they set fire to blast the rock.

    “When the fire is burning and gets to a higher degree, we keep away, watching from afar as the rock is blast. In the morning, we return to the site and our leaders will apportion the broken rocks to different groups to break them down to the desired shapes and sizes before they are sold,” he said.

    On his part, Ibrahim Isah, who said he has been involved in the business for 15 years, said it requires some procedures and instruments.

    He said: “You need chisels, hammers, shovels and diggers to do your work and when you have a rock before you to break; you may end up sitting down for hours breaking the stones into pieces.  This requires patience and endurance.”

    It was further gathered that the stones are sold in different shapes and sizes. The pieces go for between N2,500 and N3,000 while a tipper load is sold between N50,000 and N75,000 depending on the size of the truck.

    Even though some of those spoken to believe the business is a difficult one, it is daily attracting many youths apparently because it doesn’t require much initial capital to start except small amount of money needed to acquire the tools.

    Some residents of Umaru Gwandu Road in Malali are, however, not happy with those cracking stones in the neighbourhood. They believe that those involved in the business in the area constitute public nuisance to them.

    Smart Adejoh, a teacher with Destiny College located close to the quarry in the area told our correspondent that the noise from the rock affects teaching and learning in the school as it often causes distraction to the children. He, therefore, wants the government to relocate them to other areas. He believes that they have a right to earn a living, but insisted that such a business is better carried out outside the town in order not to disturb other people.

    Alhaji Bashir Mustapha, a retired Permanent Secretary said apart from being a source of public disturbance, the area where the people operate shields criminals. Mustapha said it is very common to see people engage in this business who indulge in taking hard substances as source of extra energy. This is because stone breaking demands much energy.

    “There was a time a young man was killed at that very site because of misunderstanding between two of them over who owns some equipment to which both of them were laying claims. Anybody in normal senses will never engage in such dangerous action.

    “The police saved the day when they raided the area and culprits were arrested while others abandoned the site and for a few months, we enjoyed a quiet environment. But by the middle of last year, they returned. I am calling on the authorities to monitor their activities,” he said.

    However, Alhaji Mohammed Iliyasu Malali, who is the leader of the workers, disagreed with the allegations, saying they pose no form of threat to society. He said the business in the area is as old as Malali itself.

    He said: “In 1974, all the stones used in constructing the state and federal low cost housing units for the FESTAC 77 were gotten from the Malali rock. In fact, the area was so named because of the business. We have contributed immensely to the economic development, not only of Malali, but also the state in general. That people live in houses is enough for shown some gratitude, because we endure all kinds of hazards in order to get these building materials.”

    He, however, said it is not impossible to find criminally-minded ones among the people, saying “it is human nature. Everybody cannot be a saint. But we have a way of controlling ourselves. If we discovered that any of them steals stones broken by other people, the punishment is automatic expulsion from the membership of our business.

    “If someone fights or engages in taking hard drugs, he is suspended until he shows some remorsefulness. So, you see we are organised. I am part of the Badarwa/Malali District Council and I cannot be leading hooligans and rogues as being peddled around by some people.”

    However, the stone crackers along Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Way declined comments on their operations as they demanded to be paid before doing so. They alleged that they have been promised equipment to ease their operation , a promise they said was not fulfilled.

    However, at the two sites, it was discovered that some of those engaged in the trade are teenagers and under-aged children who claimed they want to be of help to their parents. The plight of these kids is currently before the House of Representatives.

    The House has reportedly directed its relevant committees to investigate the alleged use of child labour at the quarries and report back to it. Even though the directive was issued in May last year, it is not clear if the committees have done that.

    According to available reports, the directive by the House followed a motion raised by Hon. Hassan Saleh (PDP-Benue) entitled “Urgent need to investigate the use of child labour in some quarries in Kaduna and Nasarawa states”.

    Saleh said the quarries usually engaged children of primary school age who ought to be in school to work in their quarries crushing rocks from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., pointing out that about 40 children were engaged at the quarry site along Yakowa Road in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, while some are also found along Akwanga-Lafia Road in Nasarawa State.

    He believes the children were daily working in rather very risky environment and are exposed to very harsh conditions while working under the scorching heat of the sun and even in the rain.

    Saleh also alleged that the children working in some of these quarries were children between ages nine and 15, who, he said, still required the protection of their parents and the states.

    He said: “The employment of children of these ages is a deprivation of their ability to attend regular schools and could subsequently cause irreparable mental, social and moral damage to them.”

    Those engaged in this business are, no doubt, exposed to various health hazards. A visit to the area revealed high level of hazy dust resulting from the cracking of the stones. Unfortunately, the boys engaged in this business do not wear protective masks to prevent them from inhaling the dust.

    Health experts believe that the dust settles in the lungs over time and results in ailment such as asthma.

    To reduce such ailments, Mallam Ali Sokoto appealed to the government to provide them with equipment to enable them carry out their trade with little ease. He lamented that government has not considered them important enough to be included in the SURE-P programme, adding that the government has an obligation to come to their aid.

    He said: “Many of the people here are young men. They are engaged here and will have no time for mischief. So, they cannot be used to foment trouble. When they leave this place, they will be too tired to go and foment trouble. So, we deserve to be included in the poverty alleviation programme of the government and the SURE-P.”

  • Suspected robbers arrested in Kwara

    Suspected robbers arrested in Kwara

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 8 Christopher Dega has handed over key of a recovered Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) Infinity to the owner Mr Lawal Adewale Dare.

    Presenting the vehicle stolen in December last year to the owner in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, Mr. Dega lauded the gallantry of the officers and men of the command for being diligence, adding that the vehicle was recovered in the neighbouring town of Shaki, Oyo State.

    The states under Zone 8 are Kogi, Ekiti and Kwara.

    The AIG was in Ilorin as part of his working visits to police formations in the zone.

    Earlier the immediate past Commissioner of Police in the state, Agboola Oshodi-Glover had told reporters that the information extracted from the suspects led to the recovery of the vehicle.

    The Commissioner, who paraded the suspects and others, gave their names as Adekunle Ishola, Dele Cletus, Simon Ogundeji, Dare Suleiman, Salisu Balogun, Okesola Rufai, Kazeem Yakubu and Fatai Yakubu.

    Items recovered from them include three sharp cutlasses, one Toyota Corolla car, three motorcycles, two cut-to-size barrel guns and the sport utility vehicle.

    He said: “On December 13, 2013, one Lawal Adewale Dare of Mubo area of Ilorin reported that a gang of about six robbers invaded his house and stole some personal effects. The arrest of the first suspect who was identified by the complainant led to the arrest of the second, third and fourth suspects by a team of anti-robbery men from the state Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

    “Their confession also led to the arrest of one Fatai Balogun of Shaki area of Oyo State, who later led detectives to the recovery of an earlier stolen SUV and arrest of two other members of the gang.”

    The owner of the Infinity SUV, Elochukwu Okeke hailed the state police officers who helped him recover his vehicle.

    Mr. Okeke said he had lost hope of recovering this vehicle, “but this your boys have worked hard to recover my car. May God Almighty continue to be with them.”

    Mr. Oshodi-Glover also paraded a woman in her 30’s for allegedly kidnapping one-month-old daughter of her neighbour.

    The woman, whose name was given as Funke Odelabi allegedly, committed the crime early February around Sobi area of Ilorin.

    “On February 2, the complainant, one Funke Olowokere of the said address gave her one-month-old daughter to the suspect, who was her neighbour to help her take care of to enable her wash the baby’s napkins. But the woman allegedly disappeared with her baby. A search party was organised but neither she nor the baby was found.

    “This was reported at the police station and, in the course of investigation, the suspect was traced and arrested at Ogbomosho. She confessed that she did not have a child of her own, hence she decided to steal the child,” the commissioner said.

  • Foundation’s free medicare, food for community

    Foundation’s free medicare, food for community

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Joseph Amuta Adeyi Foundation (JAAF),has provided free healthcare services to the residents of Jahi community populated by Gbagi and Gwari people. The

    community is one of the many slums within the heart of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It has over 400,000 people.

    However, in spite of being close to the seat of power, the community is an irony of what Abuja should be known for in terms of provision of basic amenities. The features of the settlement are such that give first-time visitors the impression of a people long abandoned to their fate.

    The community, which is sandwiched between highbrow Ministers’ Hill in Maitama and Gwarinpa can only be accessed through  a narrow and dusty road. To a first-time visitor to the community, the picture of Jahi is that of desolation. The forlorn atmosphere witnessed on getting to the community gradually transforms into a beehive of activities as one gets to the community. Within the community, people burble as they go about their business activities. Wares displayed in most of the shops are mostly food items, clothes, shoes, handbags, electronics and firewood.

    The settlement, like other slums in the FCT, is characterised by the multiple shanties and glowing waste water which is ever running even in the dry season.

    Cars are parked haphazardly. People, cars motorcycles and hand drawn water carts mingle freely. Ironically, the community is already being fenced-in by beautiful high-rise edifices owned by top government functionaries, politicians, businessmen and big time contractors who have secured land allocations in the area.

    A cursory look around the settlement reveals that only two blocks of classrooms, with one malfunctional borehole, are the only mark that signals government’s presence  in the community of over 400,000 inhabitants.

    However, given the numerous beautiful houses which have formed a shield for the slum, it becomes a paradox of existence that such life of squalor, complicated by long period of utter government neglect, goes on silently within the area without the FCT authorities siting any basic amenities.

    It was further learnt that a lot of pregnant women die in the process of delivery because the only health centre in the town lacks equipment and personnel to handle emergencies resulting from complications during labour. It was also revealed that maternal mortality is on the increase due to unprofessional and local methods employed by local midwives during labour.

    Investigations by Abuja Review also revealed that a lot of women have lost their lives while being conveyed to the hospital during emergency cases arising from prolonged labour.

    In addition, it was discovered that a good number of women prefer hiring the services of of the native midwives, to going to hospitals in the town due to the distance that they would trek before they get vehicles that would convey them to the town.

    The Chief  of Jahi community,  Salihu Adamu, told Abuja Review that lack of  motorable road and good means of transportation in the community contribute to the death of several women during childbirth. Adamu also blamed the several deaths on poverty, saying that most of the locals prefer to patronise local midwives because they cannot afford high medical fees which both private and government hospitals located in the city centre charge.

    Chief Adamu, who spoke when a medical mission organised by the Joseph Amuta Adeyi Foundation (JAAF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), provided free healthcare services to the people of the community.

    He urged the FCT Administration to come to the people’s aid.

    “Health is life, that is the most important thing,” Adamu said, adding, “our women die because we don’t have  a health centre here in the community. This community has over 400,000 people. If government can provide one health centre, it will help us.”

    He called on the government to help sink functional boreholes in the community since the river which is their primary source of water is not only unhygienic but dries up during the dry season.

    The Chief  praised JAAF for the drugs and health services which it freely donated and provided  for the members of the community.

    One of the women in the community, who identified herself as Salmatu Halisu, recounted how she lost her baby during delivery, saying the hospitals are far from the community.

    On why women in the community do not patronise the hospitals in the town for them to be delivered of their babies, she said when a pregnant woman is in labour at night, there is little she could do than to call in the local midwives.

    Even though she argued that the native midwives are experts who have been assisting expectant mothers in the community for many years, she admitted that several lives, including those of babies and their mothers, have been lost in the process.

    The founder of JAAF, Albert Adeyi, told Abuja Review that the foundation decided to assist the community in their little way because of their pathetic condition.

    Adeyi, an engineer, said the medical mission was in the community to conduct medical examinations, treatments to those in need and to provide free drugs.

    He said the NGO also distributed free drugs and food items worth millions of Naira to the people. He said the gesture was meant to alleviate the health challenges confronting the people of Jahi.

    He stated that about 100 adults, including men and women,  were examined for high blood pressure and provided them with medications while over 500 children were de-wormed.

    He said a sub-group in the foundation, whose duty it is to go round Abuja and identify communities with such challenges, located Jahi community, hence they stepped in to lend a helping hand.

    Adeyi  expressed shock that the community, despite being so close to the seat of the Federal Government, has no single healthcare facility.

    He urged good-pirited Nigerians to locate such communities in their areas and extend health and other essential  services to them.

    He further explained that the mission of the foundation was to assist the less-privileged in areas of education, skill acquisition and health services.

    Adeyi stated that the gesture was part of the foundation’s contributions to the development of the society and humanity and not for any material or political consideration, adding “as an engineer, I am called to be a pastor and not a politician.”

    He said JAAF was established as a result of his desire to give back to the society, in fulfilment of a promise and commitment he made to God. He also said he was able to achieve the mission by setting aside a percentage of his income monthly.

  • Tackling youth restiveness in Gombe

    Tackling youth restiveness in Gombe

    For close to eight years, youth restiveness was a common phenomenon in Gombe State. Peace was elusive as a particular class of people, popularly known as yan kalare, raided, intimidated and maimed other citizens with impunity.

    But the inception of the administration of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo brought relief as he immediately proscribed the group and its activities. The pronouncement was made at his inaugural speech when he made it clear that his administration would neither tolerate them nor their activities.

    As if it was still business as usual, three youths flouted the declaration. They were immediately jailed. Their arrests and eventual prosecution became a message to the kalare boys.

    Soon after that episode, government slackened the noose a little by offering an olive branch to the political thug group. The youth were encouraged to submit their weapons as prerequisite for enlistment into government’s re-orientation and rehabilitation programme. Thereafter, it became a criminal offence to wield weapons around in the state.

    Details of the programme may not be pointless at the moment, but suffice it to state that many well-behaved unemployed youths also saw a window of opportunity in the novel initiative and enlisted for the programme under which they were trained as Ward, Environmental and Traffic Marshals.

    This, however, was after the recommendations of the Committee on Youth Empowerment and Poverty Alleviation, one of the 12 sector-based committees constituted by Governor Dankwambo to look into all sectors of the state and proffer suggestions on how to improve or better the system.

    Recently too, the governor launched yet another groundbreaking youth empowerment package tagged Talba Empowerment Scheme (TES).

    This package “is capable of giving direct employment to 3,500 youths. The aim of the governor is to teach the people how to fish rather than to give them fish,” said the Commissioner of Finance, Alhaji Hassan Muhammad.

    Components of the package include the supply and distribution of 100 Suzuki Alto cars (taxi), 50 18-seater buses, 1,050 eight-seater tricycles for commercial purposes and 220 tractors with four sets of implements at subsidised rates. By extension, it equally includes the establishment of tricycle assembling and servicing plant in the state.

    Thousands of youths have benefitted from various training schemes and skill acquisition programmes put together by the administration with the aim of curtailing the hitherto prevailing idleness and attendant restiveness among youths in Gombe State.

    Apart from these, all the programmes and policies being generated by the Governor Dankwambo’s administration are inclined towards empowerment of youths with a view to making them better citizens capable of contributing positively to the growth and development of the state.

    Prioritising the revitalisation of the educational system, building structures for the acquisition of tertiary education, massive infrastructural development; unprecedented attention to agricultural development, rural electrification and direct assistance to enhance commerce and commercial activities and other endeavours underscores the administration’s determination to better the lots of youths and the entire state.

    No wonder the governor said at the launch of the scheme that the concept of empowerment has remained in the forefront of his administration because it represents one of the most practical and realisable means of fulfilling the mandate given to him by the people of Gombe State through their overwhelming votes in the 2011 general elections.

    With all these measures, the state has witnessed tremendous growth and development. People go about their activities without fear of molestation or intimidation because the usual disturbances attributable to the kalare thugs are no longer there. There is peace as well as unity. Those who have expressed their fears about the state and vowed not to have anything to do with it due to activities of the dreaded group now visit the state at will.

    However, recent events unfolding in the state have shown tendencies of the re-emergence of the kalare boys. Most of them feared that the dare-devil boys may re-appear as 2015 general elections are around the corner.

    True to their fears, police started the random arrest of some hooligans during the ‘ember’ months of last year. But activities of the kalare boys indicating their re-emergence manifested at a wedding ceremony that took place at the palace of the Emir of Gombe in December last year.

    While the ceremony was going on, some youths clad in blue T-shirt with the inscriptions of an opposition member currently representing a portion of the northern part of Gombe State at the House of Representatives came brandishing cutlasses, sticks and daggers. One person was injured in the incident.

    Penultimate week, a representative of one of the political parties at a political party stakeholders’ meeting with the police boasted that if their political party’s symbols were removed over the night, they would retaliate in broad daylight.

    On January 21, some youths created a scene around the usually busy Bauchi Motor Park. They brandished dangerous weapons like cutlasses, cudgels, daggers and others over what eyewitnesses said was not unconnected with symbols of political parties.

    Commenting on the development, the spokesman for Gombe State Police Command, Fwaje Atajiri a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) who was contacted on the phone, said no arrest had been made as far as that incident was concerned, even as he assured that they were still investigating the matter with a view to getting to the root of the development.

    He added that some arrests were nevertheless made within the same week over another incident at Jekadefari where some youths, with dangerous weapons, attacked people and destroyed property. Jekadefari is on the same axis with Bauchi Motor Park.

    He said one other youth was arrested with one double barrel gun, a locally made pistol, 174 live ammunition and four cutlasses, adding that the two young men who were arrested in connection with killing have been prosecuted.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) expressed his disappointment over the developments, saying the police have been warning parents and political parties to ensure their wards do not get entangled in criminality.

    He, therefore, warned the restive youths and their sponsors that “the police will deal ruthlessly with anyone caught causing problems in the state. The Commissioner of Police is determined to see that Gombe State is safe for development and growth. The police are determined and nobody can spoil our efforts.”

    Governor Dankwambo has done so well to restore and sustain the peace in Gombe State.

    Government should not rest on its oars and watch its efforts go down the drain. The forces that made kalare thrive and thick in the past may be at it again to probably rattle, unsettle and eventually scuttle government’s good intentions for the people.

     

  • FCTA remits N3.2b to PENCOM

    FCTA remits N3.2b to PENCOM

    The FCT Administration has remitted N3.2 billion to the National Pension Commission in 2013 as contributory funds of staff of the administration and the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, disclosed this while receiving the Director-General of the Commission that paid him a working visit.

    The minister further said that the payment was done after due reconciliations between the officials of the FCT Administration and the National Pension Commission.

    Senator Mohammed revealed that in addition, about N92 million is now being worked out to pay the commission being the outstanding of fee the FCT Contributory Pension fund.

    The minister, however, called on the management of the National Pension Commission to look into ways of investing the huge amount of funds available to it in infrastructural development instead of remaining idle.

    He said the commission can moderate the law establishing it to enable it go into partnership with genuine investors where such funds can be used thereby reducing over-dependence on foreign capital inflow.

    Senator Mohammed stated that such partnership could be guaranteed by a reputable bank in the country to take off the risk aspect of the investment from the commission.

    According to him, infrastructure such as roads, housing and transportation are bankable and that money stockpiled at the National Pension Commission can be used to turn around infrastructure in the country with profitable interest to all parties.

    His words: “The banks can be used to float bonds for such purposes which could be beneficial to all parties involved”.

    He said for instance, the Abuja Master Plan has about 79 districts with nine sector centres in the Federal Capital City and with only 11 Districts as well as two Sector Centres were so far developed while about 80 percent of such districts have not been attended to due to the paucity of funds.

    The minister promised to make available a plot of land for PENCOM to build its State-of-the-Art headquarters after the commission has met all administrative processes.

    Speaking earlier, the Director-General of the National Pension Commission, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, remarked that she has gone round the country including the FCTA to explain the merit of PENCOM scheme to the end users.

    The director-general noted that ignorance from the people seems to be working against the commission especially some members of the Organised Private Sector that are not keen in joining the scheme.

    She pointed out that the National Pension Commission has opened zonal offices across the country to strengthen its performance.

  • Residents lament power outage

    Residents of Zone 1, Dutse Alhaji in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are lamenting the prolonged power outage being suffered for the past two months.

    The residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said that several complaints had been made to the management of Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Zone 1 but with no positive result yet.

    Gloria Igado, one of the residents, said that the youth in the community made an attempt to stage a protest in January to make known their grievances, but were pacified with the promise that the transformer problem would be tackled .

    “We have been living in darkness for more than two months now, but the authority in charge does not care about what we are going through. We have made different complaints to them, they kept on promising that they would come and fix the problem, that they will replace the faulty transformer, but since then, nothing has been done.

    “We are appealing to the leadership of the council to come to our aid, by providing us with a transformer, so that we will be free from this darkness that we are experiencing now. This is the first time we are experiencing such a thing in this area, and it is crumbling businesses here,” she said.

    Ahmed Ibrahim, another resident, lamented that since the power outage over two months ago, his barbing saloon has not been moving well, the way it used to because he spends more money on generator fuel and this has been having negative effect in his business.

    “This situation is really painful, because I buy fuel on daily basis to keep the saloon moving, and the amount I spend buying fuel on daily basis is really affecting the money I make. Most times I find it difficult to safe money since this power outage. We really need the help of government to restore electricity,” he said.

    Attempts by Abuja Review to speak with the operation manager of PHCN at Zone 1 proved abortive, as an official who preffered anonymity said that the operation manager was not available , but said that there are moves to replace the faulty transformer.

  • Residents kick against park-and-pay policy

    Residents kick against park-and-pay policy

    Residents of Jos, the Plateau State capital, are unhappy about the park-and-pay policy which the state government introduced last year.

    Residents say that Jos is just recovering from nearly two decades of multi-dimensional ethno-religious/political crises. The strife was responsible for years of devastation of the city and state. This also led to massive bloodshed and exodus of non-indigenous residents with the resultant capital flight.

    But since late 2012 when the last bomb blast was recorded in Jos, the city had been recording relative peace except for some mischievous attacks/clashes in the neighbouring local government areas between the Fulani herdsmen and the natives.

    This relative peace in the city had encouraged the return of many who fled the city in the heat of the crises to resume businesses. Jos city also became one of the major recipients of victims of Boko Haram onslaught in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states where many relocated and re-established their businesses.

    In the circumstances, it is obvious that the greater percentage of the population in Jos metropolis has been traumatised by either loss of life, property or source of livelihood occasioned by these crises or the monumental fire incident that gutted the magnificent Jos ultra-modern main market in 2002.

    The population and the city that are struggling to pick up the pieces from the ruins are again being oppressed by the new government policy of park-and-pay which is in practice in designated areas of Abuja and Lagos where car owners are made to pay a token fee on parking in properly built parking slots away some city roads or in well-fenced and secured car parks.

    This was quickly copied by the Plateau State government and introduced in mid-last year on some roads in Jos. These roads, namely Ahmadu Bello Way/Beach Road, Rwang Pam Street, Tafawa Balewa and Bukuru Park area were built in the 1970s by the late J.D. Gomwalk administration.

    Except Ahmadu Bello Way/Beach Road which has become a dual carriage way, others are in dilapidated condition. Yet, car owners are made to pay N100 for daring to park there.

    Unfortunately, the law does not exempt property owners (landlords), tenants, shop/office owners who live or run businesses in these areas. As soon as one is navigating to park along any of these roads, one is rushed by the youth engaged in the task of collecting money from people.

    Most pained are those who survived the deadly onslaught in Dilimi, Sarki and Ayeni streets and are managing to find their feet along Tafawa Balewa and Rwang Pam streets.

    Their businesses are seriously being affected as their customers who cannot afford the daily park-and-pay fee of N100 look elsewhere for their transactions.

    The park-and-pay policy is good. It is a good source of revenue for the government. But the roads should be properly built and demarcated for easy parking by motorists. The youth engaged to collect these revenues should undergo proper orientation as some of them lack manners. Additionally, the N100 currently charged is on the high side considering the weak financial power of average Jos resident just recovering from the crises.

    If the park-and-pay policy has come to stay, there should be a downward review. But if the state government has the feeling of these traumatised residents at heart, this policy should be suspended for now as it is seen to be anti-development, even as it affects small businesses. This may further deplete the population of the city if these people, out of frustration, relocate to other cities where they can operate in a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

    Some residents maintain that the peace in Jos is too fragile so much so that implementing some laws which may further traumatise the people may trigger anger which may lead to another round of crisis.

  • ‘We are not touts, we make musicians’

    ‘We are not touts, we make musicians’

    You can be the best musician with good songs, if you like re-invent the songs of Michael Jackson, if Disc Jockeys (DJs) don’t play the song, there is no way it will be a success. DJs make musicians who they are.”

    The above underscores the importance of DJs in the society.

    When DJs (Disc Jockeys) are mentioned, what comes to mind first is just some young men who usually wear trousers that is well sagged; rough looking individuals with dreadlocked hair, face cap, earphones and other things to make them appear rugged.

    DJs are known as people who play music and make a particular occasion lively and fun-filled with musical sounds. An occasion is believed to be incomplete without a DJ.

    Abuja Review was surprised to see a group of graduates from reputable institutions in Nigeria and who work as civil servants, bankers, engineers gather for the first National Conference of Nigerian DJs.

    The conference, which had as its theme, Promoting Unity and Creating Employment was organised by the DJ’s Association of Abuja and it saw delegates from 22 states of the federation.

    The National President of the Association, Tade Adeyemi, said the continuous clamour for job creation due to the level of unemployment can be reduced as he believes his sector can create jobs for some unemployed youths and graduates.

    He said: “People are complaining of unemployment not knowing that DJ is a profession. Out of the over 160 million Nigerian population, the DJs we have in Nigeria are not enough. We are not sufficient. We can create jobs if we come together as one. We can help government. All we require is DJ academy and we will train them to become professionals like us.

    “President Jonathan cannot do it alone, he needs support and since his administration is talking about Public Private Partnership, we believe, we the DJs can contribute our quota. We can give jobs, we are not touts, most of us are graduates from reputable institutions”.

    He explained that DJs are usually overstretched during festivities because of too many demands as a result of unending ceremony.

    “You will discover that during festivities, Abuja and other cities are always short of DJs which makes it difficult for some DJs to even sleep in their houses because they have to be in almost all shows. If they have subordinates or enough trained DJs, this will not happen and it will reduce the workload.

    Lamenting the near non- recognition they suffer, Adeyemi said,  “We make musicians and they end up ignoring us. Some people think the only thing they need to become a DJ is owning a laptop. It goes beyond that.”

    Also speaking, Mr Sam Kpago, a legal practioner, attributed their lack of recognition to absence of an association or a body, saying most doctors, lawyers, and other professional bodies are easily identified because they are under a body.

    “In Nigeria, selective value is given to professionals for no convincing reasons, we say doctors are better than other profession without scientific proofs. You need to blow the trumpet of your profession because if you don’t, no one will do it for you”.

    According to Kpago, “You own the night life, a night life without DJs is nothing. Use the power to get better returns from what you offer.