The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • FCTA moves to protect environment

    In order to protect and preserve Abuja green areas; the Federal Capital Territory Administration has set up the Abuja Green Corps to be supervised by the FCT Parks and Recreation Department.

    The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed disclosed this after meeting with some officials of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) in Abuja.

    He disclosed that the Abuja Green Corps would be used to serve abatement notices on persons and organisations that fell or destroy trees, shrubs and lawns in the city.

    According to him, the Corps will also sanction motorists moving, crisscrossing or parking on central verge and green areas. They, in addition, will ensure the replacement of any felled tree.

    Senator Mohammed further revealed that the FCT Department of Parks and Recreation has so far identified, captured and is organising 93 Private Plant Nurseries in the Federal Capital City for better outputs, even as he reiterated that the exercise is a continuous process.

    The minister also revealed that a special unit has been set up in the FCT Parks and Recreation Department to regulate the operations of private plant nurseries throughout the Federal Capital Territory with standardised identification and organisation, which will not disturb pedestrian movement on walkways.

    He said that the Administration has also set up three intervention squad/teams which will work round the clock to respond to critical situations especially during this rainy season. Such critical situations, he said, include obstruction of traffic by trees felled by wind and/or storm.

    Senator Mohammed stated that members of staff of the FCT Department of Parks and Recreation are being restructured to achieve better service delivery.

  • Hospitality, philanthropy as hotelier lifts sickle cell patients

    Combining hospitality and philanthropy, the management of Hawthorn Suites, Abuja, primarily concerned with pleasing their guests, have demonstrated care beyond cosy hotel rooms.

    They presented drugs worth N500,000 to the Sickle Cell Club in the nation’s capital.
    Managing Director of Hawthorn Suites, Farouk Aliyu, said the gesture was part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibilities to the society.

    Aliyu bemoaned the plight of affected persons and called on well-meaning Nigerians to assist in giving them quality life.
    Noting that most sufferers come from poor backgrounds, they find it difficult to access the needed daily medications that could prolong their lives.

    He said the hotel would continue o partner with humanitarian organisations to be able to reach out to more of those with the illness.

    Aliyu said: “We are looking at it from several aspects. The first step is to see how we can get medications to those that cannot afford it and how we can work behind the scenes to help the Sickle Cell Club in Abuja.

    “What we are looking at now is getting a new website up and running that will be tied into social media like Facebook and Twitter for the club.

    “We have also given them one of our halls for their monthly meetings to solve their accommodation problems. We are also trying to see how we can help in getting them an office accommodation for their convenience,” he said.

    In his remarks, the General Manager of the hotel, Paul Murry noted that very few people know much about sickle cell disease.

    He added that there is no cure for the anemia but with awareness, it can be put under better control.

    Murry said: “My wife has a sickle cell trait and I did lose a son as a result of sickle cell. So, I fully understand exactly what it is and it is the awareness that we need to be able to put to the world about sickle cell. When I first saw my wife with the crisis, it was quite horrific for me to see something that people can go through with sickle cell.”

    President of the Sickle Cell Club, Abuja, Dr Tamunomieibi Makama expressed his gratitude to the management of the hospitality outfit for the donation.

    Makama noted that with better care and treatment, sickle cell patients can still live a quality life.

    Noting that the disease is hereditary, affected persons need medications daily to stay alive.

    He said that most of the drugs are costly and out of the reach of average Nigerians. Makama said: “I am delighted, and indeed short of words. We thank God that such a day has arrived and has come to be in our lifetime.

    “We thank the management of Hawthorn Suites for taking this initiative and for giving back to society.

    “As human beings and mostly as it happens in Nigeria, all we are interested in is how much can I get from the society and even after you have gotten so much, you are careless about how much you can put into the society to support the lives of other people.

    “Sickle Cell has been with us. We all read about Abiku, Ogbanje and all the rest. All these are insinuations of what sickle cell is. Professors Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe mentioned them in their text books. But scientifically, we know that it is inherited.

    “It is not something that you acquire because you took some water that is contaminated. The point is that, except you have actually experienced or seen or managed a patient with sickle cell, you will probably not appreciate what it entails for a child to have sickle cell and to go through a crisis.

    “Because it is inherited, it is something that you have to live with for as long as you are alive. You don’t cure it but you can manage it.

    “Thank God for science today. There are giant strides as to how to overcome it through new techniques and therapy. But these are not cheap.

    “So, all we can do really now is to manage these people and give them quality life.
    “I remember as a child growing up. It was assumed that a sickler can never live beyond 16 or 21 years. But I tell you there are grandfathers and grandmothers who have sickle cell today, who have children, who are living well and are in all spheres of government and in society.

    “It was because at a time where we come from, there were no good medical facilities and people were not properly informed as to how people should take care of themselves and how to take care of these ones. So, they were dying because of environmental factors and poor facilities.

    “But today, things are better off and most importantly, since it is inherited, it is something that can be ameliorated and abated through proper education and enlightenment.”

    The doctor who works at the National Hospital Abuja also noted that the Sickle Cell Club is made up of people who are affected by the illness, caregivers and those who have a heart to reach out to people who have the ailment.

    “You may ask, there are hospitals alright, how many people can access these facilities. Because it is a lifelong ailment, you need to be on drugs every day of your life and for somebody who cannot even afford to take three square meals, how can he afford to get analgesics, antibiotics and anti-malaria?

    “It is financially burdensome and so some people just give up. But we have people who can encourage them and show them how best to take care of themselves so that they can live life that is of good quality.

    “We are delighted about this gesture and we want to call on other well-meaning Nigerians who have the wherewithal to come on board and key into this partnership and see how they can give back to society so that we can make this country a better place for everyone. If you don’t have somebody who is directly affected, you may have a relation who is also affected,” he said.

  • Gwagwalada residents get free health services

    EJAYES Charity Organisation, a non-governmental organisation, has said that more than 1,000 people indigenous to Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have benefited from free medical treatment it organised in the area.

    The Coordinator of the group, Dr Ijeoma Nduka disclosed this in a chat with Abuja Review during a week-long free medical treatment at Gwagwalada Township Clinic.

    According to her, the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), in collaboration with the organisation, was carrying out the exercise in different rural communities.

    She said patients who suffer stroke, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and other common illnesses were examined and treated.

    Nduka said majority of the patients diagnosed were not aware of the kind of diseases they were suffering from.
    “Health is not a privilege; it’s a right hence being poor does not stop one from having quality healthcare,” Nduka said.
    She noted that the American Medical Volunteers, a group of health workers, were in Abuja with some medical equipment to look into stroke prevention and treatment and to encourage stroke patients.

    “Being a stroke patient is not the end of one’s life; it could be managed. The team has among them experts from different medical fields to assist these patients,” she said.

    Nduka also said that children with neurological problems were taught through their relations, how to exercise themselves at home on daily living.

    She advised mothers, especially the old ones, who engage in too much hard labour, to always engage in physical exercises that are not strenuous.

    She also advised patients who had been examined and treated, to frequently see their doctors for necessary check-ups to ensure complete recovery.

    Also speaking, Hajiya Aishatu Garba, a Chief Nursing Officer of NAPEP said that “the health volunteers were invited from the United States of America by NAPEP to help alleviate health problems among rural dwellers.

    “We discovered that some people will have diseases like diabetes and hypertension without knowing that they have such. It is through this means that they discovered the ailments.”

    She said that an 11-year-old girl was diagnosed with growth in her bladder during the free medical exercise.
    Nduka, therefore, appealed to authorities of the council to assist the girl’s family in the surgery, since the family could not foot the bill.

  • Residents groan under high rent

    ALMOST everything is expensive in Abuja, from foodstuff to accommodation. Despite this, people still flock to the city in search of greener pastures and the easy life, not deterred by the problems of accommodation, transportation and security risks.

    In 2006, the population of Abuja was about 800,000, but the 2012 consensus shows that the number of people living in Abuja is about 3 million.

    The huge influx of people into the city has led to the emergence of satellite towns such as Karu Urban Area, Suleja Urban Area, Gwagwalada, Kuje and others. These suburban areas which are mostly on the outskirts of town with their high population. But be it in the satellite towns or what the residents refer to as ‘Town,’ they are daily confronted with rising cost of accommodation .

    The costs of houses in these suburban areas, though cheaper than what you can get in the town, are still very high. For example, a self-contained apartment, which is just a room with an adjoining toilet and bathroom and maybe a kitchen, goes for N 200,000 in Lungu in Gwarimpa. The same type of accommodation at 69 Road, also in Gwarimpa, costs N500,000 with five occupants sharing one kitchen. In Maraba, such apartment goes for N200,000.

    Abuja residents have complained severally about how expensive these houses are especially those in the suburban region which are some distance from their offices or work places. A resident, Isaiah Bantu said: “When I think about the two hours journey I have to make from Kubwa everyday to Utako because of these narrow roads and hold-up, I almost give up. I really wish I could afford to stay in town, but I don’t have the millions needed. Even in Kubwa, I pay too much just for one-room apartment.”

    Another challenge faced by Abuja residents is the two years’ rent that landlords collect at a time. Ncheta Ilechukwu, an Abuja resident had this to say: “I pay N650,000 for a room and parlour apartment in Karu. Water doesn’t run in the taps; I have to buy that separately. Imagine that!  And to make matters worse, the landlord insists on collecting two years’ rent up front!”

    Clement Orji, a taxi driver who says he pays N250,000 yearly for a one-bedroom apartment in Nyanya suburb, complained bitterly about the area. According to him, the roads are bad and basic facilities such as light and water are hard to come by.

    One would wonder why, when the practice of collecting two years’s rent up front has been abolished in some cities, such still thrive in the area. Another challenge faced by the residents is that, after struggling to pay the rent what becomes the fate of a typical resident if the building is pulled down by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) like the mass demolitions going on in Mpape, Abuja

    Apartments in places like Garki, Wuse, Maitama and Asokoro are far more expensive. A room and parlor in Garki for example goes for about N1.5million and the landlords usually insist on collecting two years’ rent. That automatically means you would need N3million naira to rent a room and parlour in Garki.

    Some would say that living in “Town” is not for everybody. It seems that we can comfortably conclude that ‘Town’ in this case is not just the urban areas of Abuja, but Abuja itself. The overall cost of living in Abuja is approximately three times the cost of living in most cities in Nigeria.

  • Health insurance scheme for rural communities

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has flagged off a Community-based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) in some selected rural communities in the territory.

    The scheme, which is a replica of FCT Health Insurance Scheme at area councils, is aimed at ensuring easy access of rural dwellers to health services at affordable cost. It is also aimed at achieving universal healthcare of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    Speaking at the flag-off of the scheme, Dr Grace Aganaba, a Programme Director at the FCT Health Insurance Scheme, said the scheme was a life-saving programme that was engineered towards alleviating the suffering of the poor and those who need health services most across the communities in the area councils.

    She said: “This community-based health insurance scheme is an emerging and promising concept packaged by FCT Health Insurance Scheme of Health Secretariat to address healthcare challenges being experienced by the rural poor in particular.

    Besides, this is a potential instrument designed to protect grassroots dwellers from the impoverishing effects of health expenditures for low-income populations.”

    She urged the people to make use of the opportunity and cooperate with the people that would be coming to the villages to take care of their health.

  • Minister promises more jobs for residents

    The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide has said that the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government would create more jobs for youths in the territory..
    Akinjide, who made this known while receiving members of the Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), FCT Chapter in her office, said the programme was targeted at creating more employers of labour.

    She said: “The SURE-P programme is aimed at creating employment for our women and youths. The women and youths will be trained and economically empowered to enable them to be employers of labour. More jobs are expected to be created in the system through the SURE-P programme.”

    She disclosed that the FCT Administration would soon launch the empowerment programme in the Territory, even as she solicited the support of the group in making the programme a huge success.

    The minister further explained to the delegation that the FCTA had directed the chairmen of area councils in the Territory to open a dedicated account for the SURE-P funds, which would be utilised solely for wealth creation and critical infrastructure development in the areas.

    She enjoined the association to continue to pray for the peace and unity of the country. She also urged them to pray for the leaders.

    “As mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, it is our duty to pray for our leaders and country as the Lord has directed. We need to have unity of faith–both Christians and our brothers and sisters who are Moslems need to be united in faith,” she said.

    Earlier, the chairperson of WOWICAN, Evangelist (Mrs.) Philomena Uche, praised the minister for her developmental drive in the area councils, even as she encouraged her to sustain the ongoing infrastructural development in the satellite towns.

    She extended the association’s gratitude to President Jonathan for fulfilling his promise to reserve 35 per cent of the administration’s appointment for women.

    The association requested for a land in the FCT to build a befitting secretariat and dormitories to provide accommodation for its members during conventions and retreats.

    “We also require a bus to convey our members to all area councils in the FCT and also attend national conventions when the need arises,” Uche said.

    The FCT chapter of WOWICAN was established in 2006 by the Christian Association of Nigeria and comprises Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Council of Churches in Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Organisation of African Instituted Churches, and all evangelical churches.

  • Church provides free treatment for residents

    Determined to improve the health of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Rhema Chapel International Church, Abuja has carried out a free medical outreach at Kado-Kuchi Village.

    The outreach, which was held in conjunction with Society for Family Health (SFH) and Aenon Foundation, carried out various health tests and gave out drugs and mosquito nets to many residents of the village who turned out for the programme.

    Among the free tests conducted on the residents included malaria, blood pressure, blood sugar level, HIV/AIDS and body mass index checks.

    Drugs were also given out to those who tested positive to malaria, HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

    While insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed to pregnant women who attended the programme, children were de-wormed in the presence of their parents. Residents were also educated on how to treat water before drinking.

    Speaking at the occasion, Pastor Olusoji Malomo of Rhema Chapel pointed out that they were overwhelmed by the huge turnout of residents, which was more than the resources planned for the event.

    He said: “There are so many sick people in the society that don’t have money to go to hospitals to receive treatments. We were only prepared for few people but many turned up. We have to go back to the drawing board in order to cater for more in the future.

    “We thank God we have been able to touch some lives. Some of them told us that their situations were beyond medical care. So, we have pastors on ground who continuously prayed for such people whose cases are spiritual.”

    While commending the church for the gesture, the Chief of Kado-Kuchi, Alhaji Suleiman Dodo pointed out that there is no single healthcare facility in the village.

    He said: “We have, several times, made some representations to government to provide us with a healthcare centre, schools, water and good road. But they have always promised and done nothing.

    “We don’t have any healthcare facility here and I am very happy with what the church has done.”

  • Kwali central market for upgrade

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration has said that plans to upgrade the Kwali Central Market have reached advanced stage.

    The Manager of Kwali Central Market, Joshua Madaki, who revealed this in Abuja assured traders and residents of Kwali Area Council that the market will soon be upgraded to attract more investors to the area.

    Speaking with reporters, Madaki lamented the lingering sewage problem which he said is affecting the market. He further expressed the determination of the area council to carry out necessary repairs on the market.

    According to him, some security measures have been put in place to ensure safety of the traders and their property.

    “We discovered recently that the market has become over-stretched due to the influx of people on daily basis. You know that residents in the city centre do come to the market to buy their foodstuff and other commodities. As a result of this, the available infrastructure become over-stretched,” he said.

    Madaki also identified lack of parking space as one of the problems confronting the market.
    “Most of the cars that should have come in to discharge one commodity or the order are usually parked outside due to lack of space in the market,” he said.

    According to him, apart from the crowded environment, poor drainage system is another challenge confronting the market, even as he added that the council’s chairman, Joseph Shazin has visited the market and took note of the problems confronting the market.

    He further disclosed that a borehole will soon be sunk in the market. He therefore urged traders to continue to transact their businesses and avoid acts that would engender violence in the market.