The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • ‘Enterprise agency supported 4,863 persons in 2016’

    As part of efforts to boost small-scale businesses, the Abuja Enterprise Agency or AEA, of the Federal Capital Territory Administration supported 4,863 individuals and businesses in 2016.

    The breakdown of the support, profile, according to the agency, is as follows: capacity training for 1,498 entrepreneurs, 510 business owners, promoted 1,010 enterprises, financed 154 businesses, created 216 enterprises and created 839 jobs, among others.

    Also, the Agency had empowered over 200 women and youths who have graduated in various skills acquisition programme of the agency in ICT/entrepreneurship with starter packs and cash.

    The Acting Managing Director of the Agency, Malam Arabi Tukur who made these revelations at the presentation ceremony of starter packs to beneficiaries of skills acquisition training also stressed that the Agency has designed and sustained a number of initiatives to accelerate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, in the Territory.

    Tukur also stated that the Agency recorded successes in the area of youth development by organising the 3rd Abuja Business Plan Competition, Youth—ICT Training Programme, Youth Entrepreneurs Programme and the FCT Skills Acquisition Training Programme.

    “The FCT Administration through its support for 3rd Abuja Business Plan Competition built the capacity of 1200 youths. Furthermore, this project facilitated access to finance through the provision of a credit facility of N20 million and Grants worth N6, 750, 000 to the top 21 performers in the competition. This led to the start-up and growth of 21 entrepreneurs,” he added.

    The AEA boss used the occasion to reveal that the 4th edition of the competition will commence in the first quarter of this year, and it is expected to accommodate over a thousand entries in areas of fashion, ICT and agriculture sectors of the economy, noting that the multiplier effects of the competition in the FCT cannot be overemphasised.

    Tukur maintained that plans have been concluded to have two sessions of the Skills Acquisition Training to take place in March and October 2017, stressing that the Agency is targeting 500 participants for the training, and of this number 150 will be people living with disabilities.

    While thanking the FCT Administration for the support to achieve its mandate, he said the Agency is set to implement its strategic plan targeted at creating over 20, 000 jobs in 2017.

     

  • ‘We’ve been rescued’

    ‘We’ve been rescued’

    After years of lack, some Plateau State communities relish basic necessities, reports YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU 

    They were once united in lack and grief. Farmers who prided themselves on being the largest producers of vegetables and uncommon fruits found themselves harvesting less and less and even losing much of what they produced due to lack of storage facilities. In some communities water was a mirage. In some, lack of electricity spanning over a decade was the headache. Yet, that was not all. Public firms which once provided jobs for teeming youths, disappeared, leaving the communities with unengaged, disenchanted youths and soaring crime rates.

    Thankfully, change has come in Plateau State. In three local government areas, Shendam, Pankshin and Bokkos, disused water treatment plants have been repaired and are pumping again. In Jos, the state capital, and the adjoining Bukuru, old and rusted water pipes have been removed and replaced.

    “We just saw drilling machines all over the areas drilling boreholes in villages that are having acute water problems,” said Dung Dalyop, a resident of Riyom. “In my own village Makera, more than 10 boreholes have been drilled; you can imagine the joy of the people.”

    One housewife said, “Since my 25 years as housewife, this is the first time that I have water in less than 100 meters to my house, so anytime I return from farm or market, I will just reach out to the closest borehole to me and fetch water the way I like; it is more than a relief, this government is God-sent, God has answered our prayers.”

    Panyam Fish Farm owned by the state government, once filled the people with joy and hope, and then despair. The firm which employed many residents and flooded the state with fish, went under, but now it has been revived, complete with an MoU signed with a private firm, SOLBEC Ltd. Such is the revival that the state Commissioner of Information Mallam Muhammed Nazif is upbeat, saying that this year, the farm managers are looking at flooding Nigerian markets with fish.

    Nazif shed more light on the new developments. “Midway into the mandate of four years they unanimously gave Governor Simon Bako Lalong, the people have begun to take stock of how much change the governor Lalong administration has been able to bring to them especially those promised them during the electioneering.

    “For instance, we know that 80% of our people are farmers and there is need for government to provide them fertilizer to enhance the volume of harvest to feed the entire population, so government procured and distributed 777 trucks (over 400,000 bags) of fertilizer to farmers at subsidised rates during the 2016 cropping season. Government also purchased and distributed improved seedlings of tomatoes and Irish potatoes to farmers at subsidised rates. We also realised that Plateau is the largest producer of vegetables and exotic fruits, all we needed to do was to add value to the product for the farmer to derive maximum value from their products, so the state government signed an MoU with a company, Greenlands Integrated Agribusiness Limited, for the setting-up of storage facilities, fruits and vegetable storage, milk packaging plant and dairy/pig, swine genetic centre, poultry processing plant, and Integrated (wind and solar power) Generation Plant.”

    Nazif said a total of 340 boreholes have been sunk in Riyom and Shendam local governments, some being drilled, but most of them completed and the benefiting communities are already enjoying the water. This particular water project, the commissioner said, is being carried out with the support of EU-UNICEF Project through the Plateau Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency.

    In such communities as Miango, Datti-Zawan, Kung-Bwana, Du, Karon-Foron, residents said the Lalong administration is the only one that has listened to them, understood their needs and has solved one major one: electricity.

    Mr. Bulus Demshi of Datti-Zawan community in Jos South Local Government Area said, “The last administration failed to solve our electricity problem for eight good years, we have been in darkness for close to 15 years, but this government of change has come to our rescue, they said they are a rescue administration, and they have proved that by rescuing us from total darkness, we are now being counted among communities that enjoy electricity, our entire lives have been transformed”.

    Similarly, residents of Karon-Foron are saying they are planning a thank you visit to Government House Jos to show their appreciation to the governor for restoring their long-expected electricity.

    “We have resolved to remain loyal to this government and we will continue to pray for it to succeed better that any other government before it,” said Baba Gyang.

    Commissioner Nazif said, “Government has already signed an MoU with William Duncan Hydroelectric for 32 MW hydro power project in Kwall, Bassa LGA, this is still the projects of the out-gone year, we have planned to do more in terms of rural projects in the 2017 budget, by the time the 2017 appropriation is approved by the state house of assembly, government is going to move into the rural areas because that is where most of our people reside.”

    The shelter programme has also made an impact. The government has already begun the process for building 22,500 housing units under a Public Private Sector scheme.

    Civil servants are already dreaming big on this project.

    “Can’t wait to own my own house at the age of 30, I don’t even dream of buying a piece of land based on the present economic situation, but it is clear to me that some of us will own a house under this scheme, we are already praying for government to succeed on this plan. I’m even very confident it will succeed because the project is going to be handled by developers, not government, so I believe it will not be abandoned project like every other government project,” said a civil servant who pleaded anonymity.

    Nazif said, “The plan of this administration in the area of shelter for its citizens is more than what people are talking about. Apart from the initial 22,500 houses, government has already signed an MoU with another private firm for the construction of another 7,500 housing units are to be built across the three senatorial zones with 4500 in the northern zone and 1500 each in the central and southern zones.”

    The jobs plan is catching on, too. One beneficiary, Jeremiah Dadu said, “Since the last seven years that I graduated, I have gone to three states for a job apart from Abuja, it was like I’m unemployable because I was not considered good for any job, but now my own state is going to create jobs and I have being considered suitable. Even though I have not been given the job, I have high hopes that my job is near.”

     

  • Joint Task Team grabs 89 sex workers in Abuja

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Joint Task Team for the Cleansing of Abuja has arrested 89 prostitutes. The  team which was constituted by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also impounded 104 tricycles and 114 unpainted taxis.

    Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary FCT Muhammad Sule made the disclosure in a press statement.

    According to him, the Acting Director FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Mr Wadata Bodinga informed the Minister of the arrests in Abuja.

    He stated, “The Joint Task Team for the Cleansing of Abuja City recently reconstituted by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has impounded 114 unpainted taxis within the first one week of its operations.

    “The Acting Director of the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Mr. Wadata Aliyu Bodinga made this disclosure when he visited the Minister’s office.

    “The Director disclosed that 104 Keke Napep (Tricycles) were also impounded and riders prosecuted at the Mobile Courts during the same period.

    “Mr. Bodinga further disclosed that during the one-week operation of the Task Team, 8 commercial motorcycles (Okada) were also impounded, noting that in the subsequent weeks special attention would be given to impounding and arresting of Okada.

    According to him, the Task Team would hit the Okada riders from all angles from Airport Road, Gishiri village, Wuye, AYA and Asokoro area, warning that all those arrested would be prosecuted.

    “On the menace of commercial sex workers, he said that the Task Team has so far arrested 89 of them who have been prosecuted and handed over to the Social Development Secretariat for rehabilitation to enable them learn useful skills.

    “The Director, however, urged the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to assist the FCT Administration by not patronising the unpainted taxis, Keke Napep, Okadas as well as the commercial sex workers.

    “He warned that their existence have security implications because they are veritable channels being used by the criminals which is in nobody’s interest.

    “The Director while saying that the Task Team is chaired by the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Mustapha Mohammed assured that the Task Team is prepared to carry the mandate of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello to its logical end.

    “The reconstituted Task Team which has the mandate to deal with traffic problems, environmental nuisances and any social menace within the Federal Capital City, commenced operation on January 15, 2017.”

  • Corporate organisations make case for tax in Kwara

    High net-worth individuals (HNIs) and corporate organisations have met with Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, making suggestions as to how tax collection and payment can benefit everyone in the state.

    The event dubbed “Breakfast meeting with Governor Ahmed,” was organised by the state Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS). The occasion afforded the organisations and HNIs to bare their minds on the activities of tax consultants employed by KWIRS.

    The stakeholders agreed that tax payment is a necessary and sufficient condition for infrastructural growth, but urged the state government to ensure judicious use of revenue from tax through provision of necessary infrastructure.

    KW-IRS at the forum revealed that it raked in N17.4 billion as the state internally generated revenue in 2016 as opposed to N7.2 billion in 20l5.

    Executive chairman, KW-IRS, Dr Muritala said that that the feat was a justification of the vision of the governor to transform the revenue generation process in the state.

    “In appraising our 2016 revenue generation we realise that there are so many things tied to generation and because the government has played its part the corporate organisations are expected to play their role,” the former university teacher said.

    He also hinged the success of the service to the cooperation of and support of tax payers in the state.

    Commenting on the state government’s drive to improve IGR, Proprietor, Fossil Oil Nigeria Limited, Brigadier-General Saliu Bello (rtd) said hitherto the state was being administered with the money coming from the federation account.

    The retired general added that the dwindling allocation from the centre informed the state to look inwards on how to generate revenue internally.

    “I urge the governor to create a forum for frank interaction with the stakeholders on how to move the state forward. We will tell you the truth. Politicians will sing your praises and say awful things behind you,” he said.

    Also speaking, Chairman, Mount Olives Nigeria Limited, Ajibola Ademola beseeched the state government to grant tax incentives through tax holidays to some companies that default in their social responsibility.

    Governor Ahmed said, “Taxation is very necessary…Any state or local government that has not woken up to know that internally generated revenue (IGR) is the in-thing will not see physical and infrastructural development. Money for human capital development and infrastructure can only come from IGR.”

  • Boko Haram: New IDPs found in Jos

    Another group of persons  displaced from the Northeast as a result of the activities of Boko Haram has just been discovered in Jos, the Plateau State capital. Apart from the one that has been camping at a school hostel at Zawan Commercial College Bukuru since 2014, another group has been found camping in a village in Bassa Local Government Area the state.

    In the Bassa camp, the inmates are mainly children who became orphans when Boko Haram invaded their communities and killed their parents. These children numbering over 200, according to our investigation, were brought from some of the displaced camps in Maiduguri to their current camp in Jos.

    A source disclosed to The Nation that the children were brought from their camps in Borno to enable them have Christian education.

    The source who pleaded anonymity said, “We realised that in the IDP camps in Maiduguri, they were teaching children in the camp Islamic education and not Western education, but most of these children came from Christian families. So, if these children are allowed to remain in the camp in Maiduguri, they might end up being converted to Islam forcefully. That was why some of them that their parents are alive decided to look for any organisation in Jos that can give their children Christian education. Most of these children don’t even have parents anymore, but we need to rescue them from forceful conversion to Islam, the kind of education the IPDs camp in the far North is mainly Islamic education which is not favorable to victims from Christian backgrounds. That was how this camp was created in Jos for Christian children.”

    Meanwhile, the displaced and orphaned children in Bassa camp, Jos, are under the care of a non-governmental organisation known as Youths With a Mission, City of Refuge Centre, Miango, Bassa LGA. The NGO was founded 12 years ago by a couple, Mr. Michael Kurams and his wife Joy, to help the less privileged.

    Mr. Kurams said, “Our attention was drawn to the plight of these children at the IDPs camp in Maiduguri and even some that are not in camp in Adamawa, so we went out to fish for such groups of orphans, some of them, their parents brought them voluntarily to enable them access formal education. At the moment we have about 200 of such children in the camp and we have organised formal education for them. We have employed a few teachers to teach them, but there are some youths that have come to do voluntary jobs here to educate the children because my NGO cannot pay to employ enough teachers.

    The founder said, “We started the school for them in October last year in whatever way we can hoping that one day government will come to their aid. But even though no government has come to our aid, this particular woman got the information of this camp and visited last year and promised to bring some help to us. Today she has come to make some donations for the food and education of these children. She is God-sent, I don’t know how she got to know we are here, she came on her own. Maybe because she is a mother, she has shown a lot of concern for these children, I hope other Nigerian will emulate her and come to the aid of these orphans,” he said.

    The woman in question, Eunice Ayisa Sambo, a Good Samaritan, is a native of Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State. Mrs Sambo, an All Peoples Congress (APC) stalwart, who resides mostly abroad, involved an international NGO based in the United Kingdom to help the orphans at the Bassa camp when she discovered that they were brought from the Northeast.

    The APC stalwart said, “My decision to bring help for these children should not be mistaken as a political campaign because these children are not even from Plateau state, neither are they from my constituency, a time will come when they will return to their original state of origin, so I’m just doing this out of compassion, as a mother I can’t have the knowledge of these kinds of orphans and pretend I don’t know, they are vulnerable, they need help, they have lost their parents, who will cater for their needs. So all these thoughts moved me into coming with the little I can do to help, they are my children, if I’m rich enough I would have adopted all of them and kept them in my house, but I can’t. But I know I am a trustee in an NGO that can help, hence I went back to U.K, and this is how they decided to help these children with this token donation.

    While presenting the donations to the camp manager, Mrs Sambo said, “On behalf of myself, a trustee of and co-founder of Amazing Grace Charitable Trust, UK and founder of Jos Wallgate Foundation Nigeria, we make this visit to internally displaced persons including women and children from Borno state domicile in Jos Plateau state. The situation in the North Eastern part of Nigeria over in the past and present has affected lots of communities and forcing inhabitants of affected communities into unimaginable traumatic experiences.

    “In our own little way we make this visit and donation to the displaced persons particularly the children whose future has been endangered as a result of the insecurity in the Northeast. It is our belief that the immediate needs of these vulnerable children is not limited to food and shelter, but their education is of utmost important. The future of these children is basically anchored on their education, which is why we decided to support the NGO hosting these children in our little way to an ale the children receive quality education while in this camp” she said.

    Items donated during the visit includes; 10 bags of maize, 10 bags of locally-milled rice, 9 bags of beans. The donation also includes the cash sum of N240,000.00 (Two Hundred and Forty Thousand Naira) for the payment of two teachers to be employed for the education of the children for the period of one year begging from January 2017.

  • Rooting for SGF

    Many ministers and cabinet members in the President Muham-madu Buhari administration who seemed to have kept a distance from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal since his trouble with the National Assembly started last December, have made a U-turn.

    A corruption allegation was leveled against Lawal last month by a subcommittee of the Senate.

    The Senate’s ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the Northeast had accused Lawal of breaching Nigeria’s law in handling contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the Northeast (PINE).

    The committee had claimed that Lawal put himself in a position of conflict of interests, stressing that his firm was awarded over N200 million contract to clear ‘invasive plant specie’ in Yobe State.

    Based on the report, the Senate had called for Lawal’s resignation, probe and prosecution. But Lawal had denied the allegations and claimed that he was not given fair hearing by the Senate committee.

    To get to the root of the matter, President Buhari immediately directed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, to investigate the matter and the corrupt allegations against the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

    Since the cabinet members didn’t know where the pendulum will swing to at the end of the day, most of the ministers appeared to be avoiding the SGF like a plague while the accusations and investigations lasted.

    But President Buhari last Tuesday cleared Lawal and Magu of the corruption allegations. In separate letters to the Senate, Buhari informed the Senate that the duo have been cleared of the allegations based on the submission of the investigation report by the AGF

    On SGF, Buhari said that the Senate report, which was forwarded to him, was lacking substance that is needed to remove Lawal from office.

    According to him, the report of the Senate Ad-hoc committee was a minority report, noting that it was only three members of the committee that signed the report.

    The President, in the letter, also said that the report being an interim one should not compel the SGF out of office, particularly as serious as SGF office is.

    He said: “Having gone through the report which emanated from the Senate, I discover it was an interim one and particularly only three members out of nine signed the report.

    “Moreso, Babachir Lawal was not invited by the Senate Ad-hoc Committee which is in tandem with the principle of equity and fair hearing.” He stated

    The letter, which was read in the Senate last Tuesday changed the mood of the ministers twenty-four hours later at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last Wednesday.

    Lawal instantly became a centre of attraction prior to the commencement of the FEC meeting. Most of the ministers who had kept a distance from the SGF during the trying period, rushed to greet him. Lawal was standing by his seat in the Council Chamber for over twenty minutes exchanging pleasantries and recounting his experience in the past few weeks with the cabinet members who approached him.

    He first had a long discussion with the Minister of State for Agriculture, Heneiken Lokpobiri around 9.40 a.m. Ministers who joined the discussion included Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani Uguru. Others included Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Abubakar Bwari Bawa, and Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar.

    When he moved away from his seat and was walking across the Council Chamber, he was also stopped by other cabinet members who chatted with him.

    Those who stopped him on his way included the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

    His movement round the chamber was cut short by 10.00 a.m when the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s arrival for the meeting was announced. He quickly returned to his seat for the opening National Anthem as other ministers also rushed to their seats.

     

    Osinbajo and FEC meeting

     

    For the third time in a year, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was on the 19th of January, 2017 elevated to the position of Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That became possible as President Muhammadu Buhari proceeded on vacation. Osinbajo had also last February and June assumed the position of Acting President.

    Last Wednesday, Osinbajo had the opportunity to preside over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting under his new role. By 10.00 a.m. he was ushered into the Council chamber by one of the aides shouting ‘Acting President’, ‘Acting President’. Even though the FEC meeting was one of the shortest presided over by Osinbajo, the meeting had a substantial number of ministers in attendance. About 25 ministers were already in the Council Chamber when the meeting that lasted for about two hours, commenced. In the past, the attendance when the meeting starts used to be very scanty.

  • Air Force fights cancer

    Air Force fights cancer

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has conducted a cancer awareness campaign and free screening to mark the opening of its brand new cancer screening centre at the 461 NAF Hospital, Kaduna. Assistant Editor SEUN AKIOYE reports

    Those expecting the usual military-style programme at the ceremony to open the Cancer Screening Centre at the 461 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Hospital Kaduna were disappointed. Instead of marches and parades, there were doctors and specialists who came to deepen the knowledge of the NAF personnel about cancer.

    The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar  since assuming office seems to be in a hurry to deliver on his mandate of “re-positioning the NAF as a professional force” which includes training and provision of infrastructure all over NAF bases.

    One of such was the Cancer Screening Centre and Registry which was commissioned on December 19, 2016 and domiciled at the 461 NAF Hospital Kaduna. The establishment of the centre, which was the first of its kind was to “provide a modern facility with the capability for early detection of the most common cancers affecting our personnel and other people in the local community,” said the Chief of Medical Services, Air Vice Marshal Saley Shinkafi.

    Although the 461 Hospital is the first cancer screening centre, there has been expansion, upgrade and provision of modern, high technology equipment to all of the NAF’s 33 health care facilities and recruitment of specialist manpower to manage them.

    The maiden cancer awareness programme which was tagged: “Kick Cancer out of NAF Bases”, according to the Air Chief would be replicated in all NAF bases across the country. The CAS said the health of an individual is one of the most essential pre-requisites for the individual to survive and carry out his duties effectively.

    He also noted that: “The cost to the Service could be unimaginable if we neglect the health of our personnel and their families,” while expressing the hope that the cancer screening centres would provide the personnel and the host communities of the NAF bases the opportunity to carry out regular checks in order to detect cancers early enough and prevent late diagnosis.

     

    A cancer conundrum

     

    Three experts joined the NAF medical personnel in discussing the cancer challenge and the ways to prevent the untimely deaths usually associated with the disease. Dr. Monday Yilkudi, a consultant surgeon at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagalada and breast cancer specialist  said cancer is an abnormal body cell which “keeps dividing and not under the control of the body.”

    Yilkudi said the cause of breast cancer  which is one of the most common forms of cancer has not been determined even though there are risk factors that may contribute to its emergence including’ gender, family history, race, early menstruation etc.

    There are other lifestyle factors including low physical activity, alcohol consumption, obesity which may contribute to its risk factor. However, early detection which can be accomplished either by screening and or detection by constant physical examination by women is essential to beating the disease.

    For Dr. Sam Ojah, senior consultant and gynecologist with the Ministry of Defence, cancer of the cervix may be the second most common form of cancer, it is however the most deadly with over 270,000 deaths and over 500,000 cases every year.

    The cancer which is caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), a sexually transmittable disease affects mainly women and early detection is the only way to survive the cancer. However, a third consultant, Dr. Ahmed Mohammed, a consultant at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria said prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men but it advances with age.

    “Prostate cancer is a disease of men and it is the 6th leading cause of cancer death in the world. It is very rare before the age of 45 and like the other forms of cancer, we do not know the cause,” he said. But there is good news, only one out of 38 people diagnosed with the disease will die of it.

    One of the remedies of prostate cancer is also an unusual and unwilling treatment by most men; “As long as men have testicles, they are at risk of prostate cancer so if a man wants to diagnose prostate cancer early, then they should remove the testicles early,” Mohammed said.

    This unusual remedy drew laughter from the participants but the doctor was not done yet, one of the unproven remedies is frequent ejaculation to the tune of 20 times a month. This proposition though unproven scientifically drew loud applause from the mainly male audience while the women looked on in disbelief.

    After the lecture, a town hall meeting between the experts, NAF medical personnel led by AVM Shinkafi and officers and men of the NAF Training Command, Kaduna took place. Many of the women wanted to reconcile preventing Cervical cancer through abstinence from sex and helping their husbands prevent prostate cancer through frequent ejaculation. However, Dr. Ojah insisted sexual transmission of cervical cancer is a risk factor when multiple sexual partners are involved.

    The Air Officer Commanding, Training Command, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Christopher Okoye said the CAS has spent millions of naira  on the cancer screening centre and it must be utilized by the personnel. “ The Chief has spent so much to put this together, you must make use of it, the facility is not only for the personnel and their families, but for everyone in Kaduna,” Okoye said.

    Chief of Medical Services, AVM Shinkafi said there are plans to open the cancer centre in all the 33 health care facilities of the NAF in Nigeria.

    “The Nigerian Air Force has tried to improve our facilities because cancer is becoming a prominent health concern in Nigeria. The Chief of Air Staff felt no area of health care should be left unattended to so we have started addressing the issues of cancer.”

  • Minister disappointed with NHIS services

    Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello has called for improvement in the quality of services being rendered to patrons of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in FCT hospitals.

    Bello made this call when the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf paid him a visit.

    He said the feedback he has been receiving from enrollees of the scheme has not been encouraging, especially with regards to the quality of drugs being provided to them.

    The Minister wondered why patients would be asked to purchase drugs from third parties outside of the scheme, despite making part payments to hospital managements in addition to their contributions to the National Health Insurance Scheme.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister urged the organization to also tackle the issue of the perception in the public that drugs in the NHIS system are always of low quality types because this is what the feedbacks usually reveal.

    His words: “If the funding or contribution being made by the enrollees is the issue, then it is very important for us to tackle that because it is not appropriate for them to pay for portion of the services in the hospitals and then they go outside to pay for other services. That makes it difficult for the physicians and for you the agencies moving these services to really profile your patients properly, because parties that are under your supervision as well as parties that are not under your supervision are giving services. So, it becomes difficult for you to detect issues of maybe wrong diagnosis or wrong prescription.”

    Reacting to the suggestion that Desk Officers should be assigned to healthcare facilities nationwide to monitor the services being provided to subscribers of the NHIS, the Minister said the FCT Administration would give full support to any idea that could help improve services to the residents.

    His words: “The bottom line is service delivery and the feedback from the general public, not only in FCT but so many other States has not been encouraging. For the Scheme to succeed, we as the operators, the policy makers and more importantly, those in enforcement and supervision is the key and that’s why we whole heartedly support your vision and requirement to assign Desk Officers in all the hospitals nationwide.

    “The FCT will naturally key into it and provide you the necessary support. The advantage you have is that being stationed in the FCT, you could always use the facilities you have in the FCT to try all the new ideas and interventions you want to do and we will support you so that the FCT will be a model that you will always showcase to other states when you go for advocacy or when you invite them to Abuja.”

    Bello directed the Secretary of the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, General Manager of the FCT Hospital Services Management Board as well as the FCT Health Insurance Scheme to sit down with the NHIS team and discuss issues on how to improve the situation.

    The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Scheme, Professor Usman Yusuf said: “Our enrollees nationwide have not been treated with the respect and dignity they deserved as many of our patients go to hospitals and they complain to us that drugs are usually out of stock”.

    Yusuf added, “That is why I solicit the support of the FCT Minister to allow NHIS to deploy Desk Officers in FCT hospitals to advocate for patients. So that when our patients go to hospitals and are told they encounter problems, they have somebody to go to and complain, which is the NHIS Desk Officer. The Desk Officer will get direct access to me just as I have direct access to the Hon. Minister of FCT”.

     

  • Parks, parks everywhere

    Parks, parks everywhere

    The authorities have cracked down on vice, including operation of illegal motor parks in the nation’s capital, reports GRACE OBIKE

    There is a sense of nostalgia for the El-Rufai days in the nation’s capital. Demolition Man, as the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory was called, had little patience for disorder. He moved in his bulldozers at will, incurring the wrath of many. Those days, even motorists behaved themselves. Transporters knew their bounds.

    Mallam Nasir el-Rufai’s successor Bala Muhammed even ensured that there was some sanity in the city centre. He banned the 14- and 18-seater buses popularly refered to as the Araba buses in  the city, replacing them with the long El-Rufai buses, while registered and painted taxis where restricted to motor parks and specific bus stops.

    These days, motor parks have sprung up everywhere, even where there used to be none. You find them at Churchgate Junction, Bolingo Junction, Wuse General Hospital bus stop, under the Wuse Zone 3 Bridge; more than six parks have also recently being created at the Wuse market alone and on both sides of the Mabushi Expressway, Nicon, Banex Junction under the newly created overhead bridge and walkways, Sheraton Junction, along Transcorp Hilton, the National mosque, Grand Square Junction and a lot of other parts of town.

    Why bother about the parks? They create traffic gridlocks in most parts during rush hours.

    The situation is worst outside the city centre, along the Kubwa Expressway, the activities of these taxis both painted and unpainted, sometimes cause accidents or create terrible gridlocks.

    Fortunately, something is being done about it. In order to return sanity to the city, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello constituted a Ministerial Task Team on City Cleansing saddled with the task of sanitising the nation’s capital city and restoring its beauty.

    The Committee which is chaired by the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Muhammad Mustafa was given the mandate to sanitise the Federal Capital City and rid of drug peddling, activities of scavengers, hoodlums hibernating in shanties, commercial sex workers, street hawking, beggars, Illegal operators of unpainted taxis, operation of motorcycles (Okada) in the city centre and restricted areas, tricycles (Keke Napep) in the city centre and restricted areas, traffic violators, and one-way driving, among others.

    This committee in a recent press statement revealed that it will carry out full enforcement of the ban on the operation of unpainted taxis within the Federal Capital City (FCC). This will also include the enforcement of the existing ban on the operation of tricycles (Keke Napep) and motorcycles at the City centre.

    According to them, operations of tricycles (Keke Napep) will again be restricted to Estates while motorcycles (Okada) are to operate only at the satellite towns keeping 100 metre distance from the highway.

    Authorised painted taxi operators where advised in their best interest to confine their operations to only designated motor parks. Those arrested acting in disobedience to this advice should note that they will be prosecuted in accordance with the appropriate sections of the law. They are therefore warned.

    It revealed that mobile courts have been constituted to prosecute those arrested for violating the ministerial order and constituting nuisance.

    Scavengers where advised to restrict their activities to only designated dump sites and guard against loitering in the city centre.

    The Committee also reiterated that security personnel using motorcycle as means of transportation to work must be fully dressed in their uniform, with reflective jackets and crash helmet. Any security operative acting in disobedience to this directive will also be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law.

    The Chairman of the Committee and Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Muhammad Mustafa enjoin members of the public to cooperate with the committee as it

    Now these same taxis that where restricted to parks have begun creating illegal parks of their own all over Abuja, creating nuisance all over and causing major damages to infrastructures all over the city.

     

  • Boko Haram: ‘UN House ready soon’

    The first phase of renovation work on the United Nations, (UN) House in Abuja has since been completed and the second phase comprising security equipment and furnishing is being fast-tracked to enable its agencies move back into the building.

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, dropped this hint when the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon paid him a visit.

    The Minister said that the government would do everything possible to complete the remaining phase of the renovation work and deliver it to the end-users as soon as possible.

    According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Sule, the minister assured that the FCT Administration will strengthen its relationship with the UN Agencies and will continue to support them to achieve their mandate in the country.

    He revealed that the FCT Administration had made efforts to complete abandoned projects in the Federal Capital City and intends to carry development to the Satellite Towns and Area Councils to reduce pressure on the city centre this year.

    The UNDP Resident Representative, Mr. Edward Kallon who is a Sierra Leonean, promised to connect the FCTA with global development partners.

    He said that the UNDP would also work to promote ICT development in the FCT to assist in making Abuja a smart city for youth development.

    It may be recalled that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, during an unscheduled visit to the site directed the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to hasten the complete rehabilitation of the House to ensure quick handover.