The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • The storm against Buhari’s men

    With unfolding events in the past weeks, it appeared as if there are underground moves to bring down the powerful men and women around President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Buhari has not only put words into action in the fight against corruption in the country in the past nineteen months, but has recovered some looted funds, quizzed and arrested some key actors in ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    So it is not in doubt that Buhari has stepped on many big toes in the past months.

    The trend now, however is the series of corrupt allegations rising against some of the key people around the President.

    It is not clear whether the allegations are just naturally coming up or part of premeditated grand plan to weaken the men and women around Buhari.

    Besides labeling some of them as cabal, some were said to have hijacked Buhari’s government for their selfish goals.

    One of those being accused of wrongdoing is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal.

    He was alleged by a Senate’s Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East of breaching Nigeria’s law in handling contracts awarded by the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE).

    Lawal was accused by the committee of putting himself in a position of conflict of interests as his firm was said to have been awarded over N200 million contract to clear ‘invasive plant specie’ in Yobe State.

    But a press statement by Hamidu David Lawal, who is the Managing Director of the firm, Rholavision Engineering Ltd., which the SGF was connected to, had last month claimed that Lawal resigned as director of the firm and relinquished his shareholding in the firm as soon as he was appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation in August 2015.

    Noting that the PINE contract came in 2016, a year after Lawal resigned from the company, the statement disagreed with the over N200 million allegedly paid to the firm as it explained that the firm only got N7.01 million contract for Consultancy Services from PINE.

    The statement reads in parts: “It is also very instructive that inspite of the weighty and potentially damaging allegations being peddled about and against us, the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East did not bother to invite us to the Public Hearing to put our case across despite the fact that our Head Office is directly opposite that of the Committee Chairman, Senator Shehu Sani.

    “Hence the Senate has left us with no choice than to put our case across directly to the Nigerian public. In conclusion, we wish to urge the General Public to disregard the information being circulated in both the electronic and print media as being false and malicious.” It stated

    Apart from the statement, those in the SGF’s camp believed that the recommendations in the Committee’s interim report were maliciously hasty as it was released while the committee had not completed its investigations.

    They noted that the over N200 million contracts mentioned in the committee’s interim report were meant for other items apart from what it called grass-cutting. The contracts included purchases of some machinery and tools.

    According to them, the implementation of the contracts in the area has resulted in appreciation letters and delegation visits by royal fathers from the area to the office of the SGF.

    The immediate past Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, had last December urged his colleagues to give Lawal fair hearing, insisting that Lawal had not been indicted by the Senate on the matter.

    But in a twist of events, Ndume was removed as the Senate Leader of the Upper Chamber by his colleagues last Tuesday, which was the first day of plenary sitting after the Christmas and New Year break.

    Another top government official, who has also been accused of corrupt allegations is the President’s Chief of Staff (CoS), Abba Kyari.

    He was first alleged to have collected N500 million bribe from officials of MTN Telecommunications Company to ensure that the government discontinue its heavy stance on the $5 billion fine imposed on the company for failing to disconnect subscribers with unregistered phone lines bought before January 2012.

    The COS has since denied collecting such bribe. But few weeks after that allegation, it was also alleged recently that Kyari abused privileges by allowing the Nigeria High Commission in London to pay his medical bills in London hospital.

    That allegation made two top government officials to rise to Kyari’s defense last week Monday.

    First was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, who told State House correspondents that the allegation was false.

    Barely two hours after Onyeama spoke with journalists, the Presidency also issued a similar statement exhonorating Kyari from any wrong doing.

    The statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said: “The Nigeria High Commission in London did not at any time ever settle the medical bills or any other bills for that matter as Abba Kyari personally took responsibility for paying his own bills. This is by the Chief of Staff’s choice.

    “He pays for his medicals, his taxi and accommodation in the U.K in spite of the high office he occupies, even when there is no rule that says he cannot be catered for by government.

    “Hospital records are available for verification to show that the Nigeria High Commission in London didn’t spend a penny on Kyari, as its involvement didn’t go beyond the issuance of the letter of guarantee to the Wellington Hospital.” he added

    Also the case against Buhari’s anti-corruption arrowhead, Ibrahim Magu, who is the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is not better.

    The Senate had rejected confirmation of his appointment, claiming that the Department of State Services (DSS) security report had alleged that Magu has failed the integrity test and that if confirmed as the substantive chairman of the Commission, he could constitute a liability to Buhari’s anti-corruption drive.

    Magu was alleged to be occupying a N20 million per year accommodation, claimed to have been rented for him by someone under EFCC investigation.

    The Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has also not been spared in the allegations.

    She was alleged to have abused privileges at the Nigeria High Commission in London, which she had denied.

    She went further to challenge the online medium championing the report to back up the report with concrete evidence or tender apology.

    Only time will tell who is next on the list to face such allegations.

    While it is very important for those in the executive arm of government, being accused of one corrupt practice or the other, to clear their names as soon as possible, some Nigerians however believed that there is more than meet the eyes concerning the allegations.

    To them, the increasing onslaught against Buhari’s men is corruption fighting back or part of grand scheming towards race for 2019 general elections.

    It is certainly not easy to pinpoint if these allegations are coming now to weaken the men around Buhari towards 2019 elections or just corruption fighting back.

    But one thing that is very certain is that lies and evil can never prevail against truth and good forever.

  • Zamfara govt to construct 160 toilets, 581 boreholes in 2017

    The Zamfara State government will construct 160 blocks of public toilets, 580 boreholes in public schools and hospitals as part of its efforts to ensure Open Defecation Free (ODF) in the state.

    The projects would be executed under Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN II) a UNICEF/DFID intervention programme.

    Zamfara is one of the six states benefiting from SHWAN projects in the country which aimed at improving sanitation, hygiene and water supply in the rural communities in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    The state commissioner for Rural and Community Development, Alhaji Lawal M-Liman, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Sunday.

    M-Liman said that 78 Solar motorised boreholes would be constructed and rehabilitated, while 250 hand pump would also be constructed under the projects.

    According to him, the project is being jointly financed by the state government and DFID/UNICEF with sharing formula of 50 per cent contribution of the total cost.

    “In the first phase of this project in 2015 the state government released over N84 million naira as counterpart fund for its implementation in the three pilot local government areas of Birnin-Magaji, Talata-Mafara and Tsafe.

    “We constructed 33 blocks of public toilets, 168 hand pump boreholes in 15 primary schools and health centers in the benefitting Local Government Areas (LGAs) under this programme in 2015.

    “Considering the importance of this project in improving healthcare delivery to rural communities, the state governor, Alhaji Abdul’aziz Yari had recently approved the release of N400 million as counterpart fund for the second phase of the projects in 2017.

    “We will follow the criteria given by the state government and DFID/UNICEF through the state Rural and Water Sanitation Agency (RUWATSAN) to select another three LGAs that will benefit under the programme in the second phase.

    “Over 80 public school and hospitals across the three LGAs to be selected will benefit under the projects in 2017 “, he said.

  • Peace eludes auctioneers after Abuja AGM

    Peace eludes auctioneers after Abuja AGM

    Things are falling apart in the Nigeria Association of Auctioneers (NAA) after its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja, WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.

    Controversies, discordant tunes and accusations. These are the outcomes of the national election and Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigeria Association of Auctioneers (NAA) held last month at the Women Development Centre, Central Area of Abuja. The AGM, some aggrieved members said, was inconclusive.

    Since then, the association has been in disarray, prompting its registered Board of Trustees (BoT) members to make moves to save the association from imminent collapse. The BoT said it has dissolved the national leadership of the association and constituted a caretaker committee to run its affairs.

    The association’s national president, Alhaji Aliyu Kiliya, said the BoT members do not have powers to dissolve the executive. He also dismissed the claims that the AGM was inconclusive, denying the association is in crisis. He said he had won re-election for another term of four year, saying new leadership would be inaugurated in February.

    But, at a meeting held in Lagos by members of BoT and some aggrieved members of the association, public and private organisations were cautioned to be wary of their dealings with members of the ‘dissolved’ executive, saying the Kiliya-led executive of the NAA had ceased to exist since December 15.

    The BoT members said the dissolution of the NAA executive followed a crisis which rocked the association over the ‘inconclusive’ AGM. The trustees also said they had disbanded the electoral committee inaugurated by NAA national executive, describing the committee as fraudulent. They said the election would not stand.

    The BoT members said the machinery of the association had been hijacked by people they described as “buccaneers”, noting that the dissolution of the executive was a move was to restore sanity in the association.

    Chief Saibu Akan, who spoke for the five-member registered trustees, said the BoT took the move to save the association from imminent disrepute, which he said may lead to the collapse of the body founded 30 years ago.

    Relying on Section 34(3) and (4) of the association’s constitution, Akan said the trustees the exercised powers vested in the registered BoT by dissolving the Kiliya-led executive and inaugurated caretaker committee led by Alhaji Salisu Garba to run the association for a period of six months.

    The caretaker committee, which has Mr Goke Adedokun as its secretary, was installed on December 15 with the mandate to unite aggrieved members and conduct a new election into the national offices of the association.

    However, Kiliya said the national executive had gone to court to challenge the legitimacy of the caretaker committee. Garba, Kiliya said, has been served with court order barring caretaker committee to run the affairs of the association.

    Garba, however, denied being served any court order. He said Kiliya was lying.

     

    Origin of the crisis

    The crisis rocking the association, according to the BoT, started with the constitution of the organising committee for the AGM, which was initially scheduled to hold in Bauchi State. But, for security reasons, the AGM was moved to Abuja to enable members across the federation participate in it.

    After a meeting held to select members of the AGM organising committee, Akan said the registered trustees were sidelined by the Kiliya-led executive in the process of ratification and swearing in of the committee members.

    This, Akan said, contravened the association’s procedures and rules. He alleged that some unknown persons were appointed as members of BoT to ratify the organising committee members’ selection.

    Akan said: “These unknown persons were nominated as trustees to represent their geo-political zones, but their membership is yet to be approved by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in line with the laws and procedures. They were engaged as unregistered members to swear in the AGM organising committee. This was not proper, because it breached the provision of the association’s constitution.”

    Of the five registered trustees statutorily recognised by the CAC, The Nation gathered that two are deceased. They are the late Mr. Ojo Olufemi and the late Chief Felix Igbinosa Ehigiator. The remaining three registered BoT members are Chief Akan, Mr Suara Ajuwon and Alhaji Fatai Mogbonjubola.

    Akan said the three living members of the BoT should have inaugurated the organising committee for the AGM and the electoral committee in accordance to the association’s procedure.

    He said: “When we discovered the NAA executive breached the constitution, we drew the attention of Kiliya to the problems. We instructed him to tell members of the committees to constantly submit the reports of their activities to the registered trustees for approval. Kiliya agreed to conditions and promised to do things in proper way.

    “About two days to the AGM, the registered trustees summoned the organising committee members to submit the report of their activities, none of them showed up. We learnt they met with unrecognised trustees and took decision to go ahead with the AGM.”

    This led to discontent in the association, because state chapters’ members feared they could be favouritism in the NAA election. This led to the call for the dissolution of the committees constituted by the unregistered trustees before the annual meeting.

    Akan said: “We still reached out to the committee members on the eve of the AGM and told them they would use their agenda to destroy the association. We gave them the last chance to submit the report to know whether the AGM could hold or not. We reminded the committee members that all decisions must be taken at our instances.”

     

    ‘Inconclusive’ AGM

    Despite the effort of the registered trustees to ensure the organisation of the AGM was in line with the association’s procedure, it was learnt that the organising committee installed by Kiliya-led executive went ahead with the event.

    Some aggrieved members, it was learnt, boycotted the AGM because of the secrecy of the committee’s activities.

    At the AGM, it was gathered that the president of the association could not give members the annual report of the national executive’s stewardship. Adedokun, who attended the AGM, said there was no debate on the financial reports read by the association’s Financial Secretary, Mrs Salamotu Abdullahi. This, he said, contravened the usual practice in the association, which gives members opportunities to debate the administration of the association’s affairs in line with its constitution.

    Akan said: “It has never happened in the history of the association that the president would not give members annual report of his stewardship. It is the annual report that gives members a sense of direction about the association’s progress. Where there is a fault, members will take note and draw the attention of the executive. There will be argument and counter-argument before conclusion is reached and report is adopted. This was not done.”

    Besides, the AGM was billed to start in the morning. But the event did not commence until 3:30pm, giving rise to claims that the Kiliya-led executive had predetermined agenda to disorganise the association.

    When it was discovered that Kiliya had no annual report, some members walked out of the meeting in protest and called for dissolution of the national executive.

    Also, against the rule of association, the Kiliya-executive said it did not have the list of attendees at the AGM. This, Akan said, breached the established procedures of the association, noting that absence of attendance record showed the AGM was null and void.

     

    Allegations of financial impropriety

    While the dust raised by Kiliya’s alleged failure to give annual report was yet to settle, it was learnt that the Financial Secretary allegedly failed to give detailed report about the finances of the association. It was alleged that Mrs Abdullahi read undetailed financial report at the AGM and failed to make copies of the report available to members.

    This, it was learnt, gave rise to suspicion among members, who alleged that the Kiliya-led executive misappropriated the association’s Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR).

    It was gathered that the finances of the association had not been audited in the last four years, despite the provision for annual audit of the account of the body by its duly elected national auditor.

    Members also alleged that the registration fees paid for attendance at the AGM could not be accounted for by the national executive. It was gathered that more than N500,000 was realised from the AGM attendance fee, but about N100,000 was remitted to the association’s account by the organising committee.

    Akan confirmed this, saying: “They could not provide the AGM attendance record for members to know how much realised. It is an important duty during the AGM to have the attendees’ list for us to know how much collected from people present.

    “We asked Kiliya and other members of the executive to tell how much they realised from the AGM, they said it was N500,000. When we asked them to bring the money before we dissolve the executive, they came with N100,000 and we asked for the balance. They could not explain how they spent it.”

     

    ‘Fraudulent’ elections

    The last straw the broke the camel’s back was the process adopted by the electoral committee on the conduction of election into the national executive offices. Against the association’s electoral procedure, candidates were asked to pay between N50,000 and N100,000 each to facilitate their nominations.

    The registered trustees said the development was in anathema to the principles of the association, which make all offices open to members free of charge.

    It was gathered that some candidates who could not pay up to N100,000 had their names screened out by members of the electoral committee. Besides, the money realised from the sale of nomination form for the election was not remitted into the association’s account.

    This led to discontent among members who challenged the committee’s decision by sending petitions to the registered trustees for urgent actions. The BoT responded by dissolving the electoral committee and the national executive which inaugurated it.

    To the surprise of the BoT, Akan said members of the electoral committee went ahead with the election despite allegation of favouritism and irregularities in the process.

    He said: “When we received the petitions from aggrieved members, we knew the association was heading to precipice. We summoned the national president and aggrieved members for resolution of the crisis that arise from the AGM and election. To our surprise, Kiliya said he would not attend the meeting. Then next thing we heard was a rumour that the BoT has been charged to court. We have not seen any court summon.”

     

    Kiliya: ‘crisis caused by NAA’s enemies’

    Kiliya denied wrongdoings in the organisation of the AGM and constitution of the electoral committee. He described members of the BoT as enemies of the association, alleging that the trustees employed divide-and- rule tactics to perpetuate themselves in the BoT position for life.

    Kiliya spoke through the association’s External Counsel, Ibrahim Jibril Gusau. He said the AGM was successfully held in line with the association’s constitution.

    Gusau said: “It is not true that the last AGM was inconclusive. We have the video evidence to support this. The people claiming the event was inconclusive made the vote of thanks after the meeting. How possible is it for a vote of thanks to be said at an event some people claim is inconclusive? These people are enemies of the association.”

    On the allegation of appointment of unregistered persons as BoT members, Gusau said: “We want the public to know that the association is a national body and every zone in the country must be given fair representation in the leadership of the association. In line with the constitution, members said the BoT membership should not come from one zone. The present BoT members are all from the Southwest, which does not reflect the true spirit of our constitution.

    “At the 2014 AGM held in Minna in Niger State, members met to agree on the expansion of BoT membership to minimum of nine or maximum of 10 from five. The resolution was ratified by all members present and it was enshrined in the constitution that each zone must produce BoT member.

    “Since this was done in 2014, the three registered trustees have not gone to the CAC to regularise the BoT membership expansion. They have been using divide-and-rule tactics to perpetuate themselves in the position for life. This is not done anywhere.”

    Gusau also denied the allegation of financial appropriation against the Kiliya-led executive, wondering why the BoT members did not raise the issue during the AGM. He said there was never a time any member called for the auditing of the association’s account, noting that Kiliya is ready anytime for auditing of the executive activities.

    The lawyer said the crisis came to the fore because the BoT members did not want membership extended to people from other region. He said all allegations against any member of the executive were unfounded. He advised the aggrieved members to follow the conflict resolution process spelt out in the association’s constitution, urging them to channel their complaints to the body’s disciplinary committee.

     

    The way forward

    While the warring parties disagree on how the association should be run, both are on the same page on how the crisis can be resolved.

    Akan said: “BoT is the custodian of the association’s values. We are open for peaceful settlement of the crisis, because in-fighting cannot bring anything good to the association. We are not taking the action to witch-hunt or drive away anyone; we took the decision to save the association from collapse. The Kiliya-led executive erred, so we need to make correction and unite members.”

    Gusau said: “We want the aggrieved members to come for dialogue. Only dialogue can keep peace and unite members. Our position will not change. We want the membership of the BoT expanded to other zones in order to give the association a national outlook.”

     

  • Govt spends N10m to refurbish 30 police vehicles

    Govt spends N10m to refurbish 30 police vehicles

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has refurbished 30 vehicles belonging to the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) with about N10 million.

    The 30 vehicles include one water canon used for crowd control, two Armoured Personnel Carriers, one lorry, 21 Toyota Hilux Jeeps and five Toyota Corolla cars.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello, who inaugurated the refurbished vehicles, described the FCT Police Commissioner, Muhammad Mustafa as an exceptional police officer that should be recommended to the highest authorities for this marvelous job.

    According to him, “the repairs of all these vehicles are not up the cost of one brand new Hilux vehicle in the country”.

    His words: “This kind of achievement is the kind of change President Muhammadu Buhari is talking about, because for us to salvage this country, we must return to the maintenance culture we have thrown away”.

    Bello reiterated that this indeed is the face of change and that he is

    highly impressed by this act of the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force, particularly its leadership.

    The Minister revealed that he sat down with the Police Commissioner where they discussed some of the major challenges of the Command, which is mobility, and that he told him that FCTA cannot afford to buy new vehicles for the Police now but resolved to approve the sum of N9 million to refurbish what can be repaired amongst the rickety ones on ground.

    He lamented that public institutions seem not to be taking good care of their assets and promised that since this has been achieved, the next phase would be the renovation of Police Stations across the Federal Capital Territory.

    The Minister however charged the Police high command to come back with the idea of having mechanical workshops as it used to be in the past, which could make a lot of difference.

    Mustafa appreciated the minister for releasing funds to the Police.

    The Police Commissioner called on corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals to embark on corporate social responsibility by giving back a

    little to the society that has done so much for them.

    He revealed that the Chinese Embassy has also donated one brand new Honda Car to the Command in addition to the N1 million donated by one hotelier to augment the repairs.

  • FCT party planners look forward to a better year

    FCT party planners look forward to a better year

    Events and wedding planners bemoan poor patronage in 2016. They are looking forward to a better New Year, writes Jean Ambele

    A number of events and wedding planners in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), moan that the current economic recession in the country caused their business to decline in 2016.

    Some event and wedding planners, who spoke to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, conceded that they still had some patronage last year, even though the number of festivities had decreased considerably due to the prevalent cash crunch.

    They recalled that they welcomed 2016 with high expectations of a revived national economy that would give citizens the opportunity to celebrate their joyful moments but noted that the economy still remained in comatose throughout the year.

    The reasons for the sustained economic depression in 2016 are not far-fetched: The year started off with a plunge in oil prices and a drastic reduction in Nigeria’s oil production due to the insurgent activities of a militant group, “Niger-Delta Avengers’’.

    Judith Anyawu, a Lagos-based event planner, said the development had made many event planners to be apprehensive of the impact of the economic realities on their business.

    She recalled that by February last year, there were strong indications that the events’ planning business would experience a downturn.

    “February is known to be a good month for us in the business because of the Valentine’s Day celebration, which normally attracts several events across the country.

    “There are various events hosted by churches, offices and individuals to celebrate unity, kindness and love among the people.

    “Many marriage proposals are also expected to take place on that day; you might be surprised to know that scores of marriage proposals usually occur on every Feb. 3, the Valentine’s Day, in Lagos alone.

    “You can imagine how many marriage proposals that would take place on that day across the country every year, and that is something which all event planners look forward to because marriages are veritable avenues of making good money.

    “However, in 2016, I organised only three wedding ceremonies and they were not big ones. You might tempted to attribute that to the inability of people to find ideal suitors or special persons they would like to marry but we found out that most people now decide on simple marriages without any iota of flamboyance whatsoever.

    “People have become more money-conscious or frugal; they now see the need to cut down on their expenditures but we then had no idea that the worst has yet to come.

    “As months went by, there was an obvious reduction in the number and magnitude of events and weddings that were organised in the later part of 2016,’’ she said.

    This is because the economic situation became somewhat hopeless with the abysmal fall of the exchange rate of the Naira in 2016, as over N400 merely fetched one U.S. dollar, while the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, in August, confirmed that Nigeria had slipped into economic recession.

    Stefanie Okerafor, a wedding planner in Abuja, said many events and wedding planners hoped to make up for the lost chances during the celebratory month of December, adding, however, that they were totally disappointed.

    She recalled that there was a drastic reduction in the number of wedding events organised as the year drew to an end.

    “The major wedding months are June, July, August and December. The recession was officially announced in August, even as we began to feel it in June but it hit us hard in September and since then, there has been a drastic decline in the number of events we organised.

    “I have clients that had fixed dates for events but ended up making deductions or cancelling the events outright due to some financial glitches.

    “I was looking forward to making more profit in December but the month was really `slow’ and uneventful,” Okerafor said.

    Sharing similar sentiments, Tonye Jack, an Abuja-based event planner, said: “It was really hard in December and I think it is the worst month I have had since I became a wedding planner four years ago.

    “December normally has many events and we, events and wedding planners, are usually busy in December because of the weddings, bridal showers, Christmas parties and other end-of-year festivities.

    “We are just hoping for a better 2017 and we pray that more Nigerians would be able to celebrate those moments that ought to be celebrated.’’

    Nevertheless, Seun Ajisafe, another event planner in Abuja, expressed the hope that 2016 would be the last year with harrowing economic experience for all Nigerians.

    “There was a slight fall in demand for the services of event planners by December of 2015, and I thought that would be the worst experience for us.

    “We had high hopes for 2016 but it was a terrible year for all Nigerians. As 2016 drew to an end, I concluded that it was a very bad year, particularly for event planners in Nigeria, and we just pray it doesn’t get any worse. I hope 2016 will be the worst year we ever experienced,” she said.

    Looking into the future, observers insist that 2017 portends a better time for events and wedding planners, even though the planners, who are somewhat sceptical, are preparing themselves for a slow recovery to forestall any form of disappointment.

    On the other hand, some of the events and wedding planners have decided to veer into other businesses and projects in the dire need to beef up their finances while they await better patronage this year.

    All the same, as the clock begins to tick for the year, event and wedding planners continue to pray for the country’s economic revival and a resurgence of the citizens’ patronage of their services which has nosedived considerably.

    • Ambele is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
  • Minister to cultural organisations: work for Nigeria’s unity

    Minister to cultural organisations: work for Nigeria’s unity

    Socio-cultural organisations  in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) have been urged to work for the unity and progress of the country.

    FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello made this call when the Igbo in Diaspora Assembly paid him a visit.

    Bello reiterated that the unity of the country must be emphasized to promote development and peaceful co-existence of the various peoples and cultures within the country.

    He also urged the Igbo Group to throw their weight behind the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enable him take Nigeria to enviable heights.

    His words: “The Igbos should also extend their support to the

    Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to enable the President deliver on his mandates of restoring the economic and political integrity of the country”.

    According to him, “I appeal to you to continue to support President

    Muhammadu Buhari for all the good work he is doing in Nigeria, the sacrifice he is making to make sure that we go back to what we used to be as Nigerians in terms of political strength on the international scene; in terms of economic activity as well as social cohesion”.

    “The way you have supported me, I want you to please support the President of Nigeria in the same manner because God knows why President Buhari is on the driver’s seat today,” he stressed.

    He emphasized, “The elders among you who have travelled widely in this country, you know how you have related very closely with your neighbours and your friends, irrespective of the location in this country. I think this is something that is very unique with Nigeria and we should not lose it at all”.

    While describing the Igbos as a very vibrant and influential group that have been part and parcel of the development of the FCT, the Minister said they must also ensure that those they elected during the last Area Council elections in the FCT are held accountable to the people.

    “Since the Area Councils Chairmen and Councilors were elected by you and your members, it is your duty to ensure that they perform by making sure that markets are clean and the relevant agencies handling waste disposal are able to do their work,” he added.

    “We are encouraging the Area Councils to make their markets safer and to ensure that access roads to the markets are okay as well as proper fire service arrangement so that we do not have instances where if God forbid, something happens, properties will be destroyed in the fire. Where they call upon you to pay minimal charges to help you maintain a clean environment, I think you should support them,” the Minister emphasized.

    The Minister said as an Administration, the FCTA is working towards the expectations of the residents of the Federal Capital Territory to make Abuja a true centre of unity.

    Bello, who stressed the need for security consciousness among the residents in the FCT and the country, appealed to Igbo leaders in the country to also emphasize the importance of security, good neighborliness and responsibility of the citizens so as to promote development.

    “What we have tried to do and we will continue to do is that we want to make sure that the FCT is the most secure place in the country and that is why we devote a lot of human and material resources to ensure that this is really maintained and I’m very happy that you have acknowledged that,” the minister noted.

    Bello remarked: “Human endevour depends on progress and development and if there is no security we cannot achieve that; so as a government, we will continue to emphasize that. But government alone cannot do it without the collaboration and partnership of the citizenry”.

    “The present FCT Administration is assiduously working to complete abandoned road projects in the Federal Capital City because the

    Administration has been able to pay the contractors some amount of money and that is why you can see a lot of work is being done”, the Minister stated.

    He said: “With good infrastructure, it becomes easier for us to run our businesses and do things that normally make a community like our own to be very successful and progressive.”

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Igbo in Diaspora Assembly, Chief Kalu Uche Kalu, lauded the Minister’s efforts in the maintenance of high level security in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Kalu urged the minister to continue with the completion of abandoned road projects around the Federal Capital City and appealed to the Minister to help allocate a plot of land for the building of Igbos in Diaspora Assembly Headquarters in Abuja.

    The FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye and other senior officials of the FCT Administration joined the Minister to receive the delegation.

  • ‘We shared water with animals’

    ‘We shared water with animals’

    Residents of rural areas in Kaduna relive their experiences with the phase II of Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) project, reports Philip Yatai

    Unarguably, reducing the gap between urban and rural access to basic sanitation, hygiene and water remains a major challenge in most developing countries of the world.

    Concerned by the width of the gap, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) notes that most of the people without access to drinkable water are poor and live in rural areas or urban slums.

    The report of a recent survey in Nigeria by UNICEF indicates that only 14 per cent of the people wash their hands with soap after cleaning a child’s faeces in rural areas.

    It notes that Nigeria loses no fewer than 150,000 children from diarrhoea, largely caused by drinking unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene practices.

    But medical experts observe that the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities can go a long way in closing the gap by promoting healthy living and reducing poverty in the country.

    In the light of this observation, Kaduna State, Katsina State, Zamfara, Benue, Bauchi State and Jigawa were selected to participate in the phase II of Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) project.

    The project is aimed at improving access to sanitation, hygiene and water supply to all citizens through eradication of open defecation, hand washing promotion, sanitation and provision of water facility.

    It is being funded by United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and UNICEF with counterpart funding from the state governments.

    Beneficiaries of the project in Chikun, Kubau and Kachia local government areas of Kaduna State have described the project as a success, claiming that it is transforming the lives of rural dwellers.

    Malam Rufa’I Baba, a community leader in Unguwan Bukka, Kujama Ward of Chikun Local Government Area, said before the project, the community’s open wells were only sources of water for drinking and cooking.

    Baba said the water, usually infested with germs, predisposed the community to preventable diseases, ranging from cholera, diarrhoea to malaria, among others.

    “We defecate openly because we do not know the health risk and so, animal and human faeces become a normal sight all over our community.

    “This unhygienic behaviour made us vulnerable to diseases. Our children were always sick from one form of ailment or another, until the SHAWN project came and completely transformed our lives,’’ he said.

    Similarly, Malam Zakari Isa, the Chairman of SHAWN committee saddled with the responsibility of maintaining its facilities in the community, said the project had encouraged people to build toilets and encourage access to good sources of water.

    “The project taught us how to keep our wells and environment clean and how to properly wash our hands with soap all the time,’’ he said.

    Beneficiaries of the project in Kubau Local Government Area described the project as a blessing that saved them from infectious diseases and gave them hope and a sense of belonging.

    “During dry season, our only source of water, the wells, get dry and we had to travel long distance to fetch water from the river which we shared with animals,’’ a resident of the community, Malam Mustapha Shuaibu, said.

    He further explained that life had previously been difficult for the people of the community due to lack of access to clean water.

    “Water is life and the SHAWN project has given us life, this is in addition to the improve quality of life through good hygiene practices such as hand washing, environmental sanitation which made life more interesting,’’ he said.

    Mrs Hauwa Ahmed, resident of Gidan Jifa in Anchau Ward of Kubau, said the SHAWN project started a new life of hope for the people of the community, saying: “With 24-hour access to clean water, our life has never been this good.’’

    Mrs Theresa Pamma, WASH specialist of UNICEF in Kaduna, explained that the project, which began in 2014 in Kaduna State, started with Chikun, Kubau and Kachia local government areas.

    She added that due to the success stories in the three local government areas, the project was extended to Lere, Soba, Jaba, Jema’a, Kajuru, Zangon Kataf, Giwa and Kudan local government areas.

    Pamma said that the project had so far constructed 325 hand pump boreholes and rehabilitated 244 to improve household water supply in 354 communities.

    According to her there are 262,611 beneficiaries in Chikun, Kachia and Kubau local government areas.

    “Similarly, the construction of 30 motorised boreholes, 40 new hand boreholes and rehabilitation of 240 is ongoing in the three local government areas.

    “As at November 2016, we were able to achieve 502 communities certified Open Defecation Free out of the 1,017 communities across the three local government areas.

    “These communities have completely denounced open defecation and they are currently encouraging neighbouring communities to stop open defecation,’’ she said.

    According to her, 138,882 pupils in 3770 primary schools in the three local government areas have engaged in group hand washing as routine practice.

    She added that the 370 primary school teachers were also trained to promote hygiene practices and management of WASH facilities in the respective schools while 8,854 caregivers in 19 health centres had access to WASH facilities.

    To boost the activities of the project, Malam Bashir Lere, Manager, Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, said the state government had earmarked N698 million for various interventions to improve access to sanitation, hygiene and water.

    He said the government had also spent substantial amount of money from inception of the SHAWN project in the state as counterpart fund.

    Lere said the government gave priority to sanitation and hygiene because “if you have clean water and you do not keep your environment clean, then the water will become unsafe’’.

    Mr Utpal Moitra, the Chief of Field Officer of UNICEF in Kaduna, said that the main goal of the SHAWN project was to ensure that state governments provided water, good sanitation and hygiene to the citizens.

    “The project is not an end in itself, it is a project deigned to create examples to state governments that it is possible to provide water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to the citizenry.

    “By doing that, the states would be convinced that it is worthwhile to invest in sanitation, hygiene and water; providing these basic rights to their people,’’ Moitra said.

    He insisted that regular hand-washing with soap after using toilets, after changing children’s nappies and before eating or handling food can save more lives than any vaccine or medical intervention.

    …Yatai is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

  • Gbagyi celebrates cultural day

    Gbagyi celebrates cultural day

    The Gbagyi community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has for long been known to organise cultural displays.

    The recent festival, which took place on  January 2, was organised by the Karu Gbagyi Youths Development Association (KAGBADA) with representation from Nyanya, Jikwoyi, Kugbo, Gbagalape, Dagbadna and other villages under Karu chiefdom.

    Present at the festival were representatives from the FCT Administration, politicians and royal fathers, including the Ona of Abaji, Esu of New Karu in Nasarawa State, His Royal Highness, Luka Panya.

    The media coordinator, Karu Gbagyi Youths Development Association (KAGBADA), Sumner Sambo, in a statement, said political and traditional leaders in the Federal Capital Territory urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to speed up the process of democratising governance in the territory through a second-tier system for Abuja.

    Speaking on behalf of the political leaders of the territory, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda, who is also the Talban Karu, said the time had come for all Nigerians to support the Abuja natives to elect a Mayor.

    Aduda said: “We are appealing to our colleagues at the National Assembly, legislators in the 36 states Houses of Assembly and the Federal Government to support the new constitution review on the status of the FCT when the amendment is concluded and passed around for concurrence so that we can have a sustainable and democratic second-tier system of governance in Abuja.”

    The Chairman of the occasion and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Prof Andrew Zamani,  harped on the need for the Federal Government not to take the patience of Abuja natives for granted. He added that the people were tired of constantly having ministers imposed on them.

    “The advent of Abuja culminated in the dispersal of our people. Out of goodwill, not out of conquest, our people welcomed the Federal Government. It culminated also in our extension of friendship to our brothers and sisters from other parts of Nigeria. But what have we received in return? It is spite and contempt. It is really highly unfortunate. We therefore call on our brothers and sisters who joined us today to celebrate our common humanity and unity to ensure that we enjoy the prosperity of the land usurped from us alongside other Nigerians.”

    Other speakers at the event included the Member representing AMAC/Bwari federal constituency, Honourable Zaphaniah Jisalo who said the two members representing the territory will join hands with Senator Aduda and other sympathetic federal legislators to push for a constitution review that will be acceptable by political leaders and all Nigerians.

    The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Hon. Abdullahi Adamu Candido, urged Nigerians resident in Abuja to support natives in their quest for self-governance.

    He also praised the organisers of the cultural festival for including other indigenous tribes within FCT and ethnicities from all over Nigeria.

    Traditional rulers at the event praised their people especially the political leaders who they said are beginning to appreciate the need for unity of all tribes and political groups in Abuja.

    The host and Sakaruyi of Karu Chiefdom, His Royal Highness, Emmanuel Kyauta Yepwi, said: “We are still like orphans in Abuja and if we don’t bring ourselves in unity, and be fighting a reasonable cause, I think we shall not reach anywhere.”

    The Esu of New Karu in Nasarawa State, His Royal Highness, Luka Panya Baba, admonished the nine indigenous tribes in FCT to live peacefully and support one  other in their quest for self-administration. He also talked about the proposed museum project for the entire Gbagyi race to be sited in Abuja.

    “I want to encourage all Gbagyi sons and daughters at this forum to work towards the success of this project. The trustees of the project are spread across various states in the country from Niger, Kaduna, Kwara, Kogi and many more states. We count on all the Gbagyi people in Nigeria to queue into this project.”

  • Kano POWA chief lifts widows

    Emotions were high at the Kano State Police Command Officers’ Mess, wife of the Commissioner of Police,  Hajiya Salma Rabiu Yusuf, touched the lives of over 350 widows and orphans of police officers who died in service. Acting in her capacity as the Kano State chairperson of Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), and in company of POWA chairpersons from other Northwest states, Hajiya Yusuf donated several bags of assorted food items and other household necessities, including 70 bags of rice, 70 cartons of Macroni, 350 cardigans for children, 150 pairs of school sandals, 57 cartons of Indomie noodles, six bags of millet and 80 pairs of slippers, worth over N8 million.

    Hajiya Yusuf said she wanted to alleviate the burden the widows and their orphans have been carrying due to the loss of the bread winners.

    She said: ‘‘POWA is donating some food items and clothing to the wives and children, whose husbands and fathers laid their lives to pay the supreme price, while on active service of the nation. We shall remain focused in our vision to take the association to a greater height    by alleviating the sufferings of our widows, because their plight is ours and we shall not rest in oars to ensure that they are happy. I will like to reiterate that the widows and orphans in our midst are part of us and they will continue to remain part of us.

    “It is therefore our responsibilities to come to their aid by making sure that they are comfortable as their plight will continue to be our priority. We are determined to build to a credible foundation for the sustenance of these goals by developing the association, where principle of accountability, transparency and honesty shall continue to be our guide. It is against this backdrop that we found it expedient to acknowledge the efforts of the national president of POWA, Hajiya Asmau K. Idris, who is the wife of the current Inspector General of Police for her immense contributions toward the upliftment of the association.”

    She added: “Plans are underway by the association to engage the widows in small-scale businesses and skills acquisition programmes  to enable them cater for their orphans.  As you can see, what we have given them now would not be enough for them in their lifetime. But we have demonstrated to them that we love and care for them. We have at least shown that we are aware of their condition. We would soon embark on a training programme on skills acquisition, as well as provide small-scale businesses to help them cater for their wards.”

    She urged them to take care of themselves and their wards in accordance with their respective religious injunctions, noting that, “God is aware of your condition and only Him can take care of you the most.  I will like to reiterate that the widows and orphans in our midst are part of us and they will continue to remain part of us. It is therefore our responsibilities to come to their aid by making sure that they are comfortable. Consequently, their plight will continue to be our priorities,” pointing out that the gesture was a tip of the iceberg in the association’s commitment to alleviate the untold hardship of the wives and children of Police officers, who died in the course of defending their nation, adding that the effort was just to express their love and care to them.

    Speaking on behalf of the Command, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Administration, Mr. John Amadi, commended Hajiya Salma for organizing the event saying, “this is a very touching event for the nature of our policing in the country. Policing is a high risk prone profession. Any wife of a police officer can be a widow at any time and that is what we signed for. What the Police Commissioner’s wife, the Kano POWA chairperson, Hajiya Salma Rabiu Yusuf, by putting a little drop in the ocean to show concern and the welfare of our widows. I hail POWA for this noble exercise for touching the lives of the widows and the orphans, whose husbands were killed while performing their duties.

    Most of the widows, who spoke to our reporter, praised Hajiya Yusuf and the leadership of POWA for their compassionate disposition. They described the gesture as very timely and helpful.

  • 4, 000 people benefit from free medical outreach in Plateau

    No fewer than 4, 000 people have benefited from a three-day free medical outreach organised by Rep. Timothy Golu (PDP Plateau) for people in Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau.

    Dr Sabo Emmanuel, Team leader of the outreach, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Pankshin at the end of the programme.

    Emmanuel said that the programme was organised in conjunction with an NGO, Project Zero, and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

    He said that no fewer than 1, 020 people with eye problems were treated with over 500 free glasses given out free to those with serious cases.

    “A total of 116 surgeries of different types including eyes, dental, Hernia, Apendix, Lipoma, Ganglion, Hydrocele, among others were done.

    “The surgeries were done on both adults and children who came from various communities within  Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Constituency and they were given free drugs,” he said.

    The team leader also said that over 100 medical personnel with different specialties- surgeons, ophthalmologists, pharmacists, nurses and family physicians- were on ground for the programme.

    He described the programme as “very successful” and “encouraging” given the response of people from the constituency.

    “We are surprise by the influx of patients, especially those who came, even before and after Sunday service,” he said.

    According to him, HIV and Hepatitis screenings were carried out with counsellors on ground who assisted in counselling the patients on what to do.

    In his remarks, Golu expressed happiness over the success of the programme, which he said had achieved its aimed of touching lives of the masses in his constituency.

    “This is just the beginning as I will replicate same programme at Kanke and Kanam Local Government Area very soon till my people are properly catered for health wise, ” he said.

    Golu said that preparations were on for the drilling of boreholes in various communities in the constituency to alleviate the problem of water scarcity being experienced by the people.

    Commissioner for Health Dr Kamshak Kuden had on Friday, while flagging off the programme, commended Golu for the gesture and called on other elected office holders to take a cue from him.

    Kuden said that the state government intended to commence similar free medical outreach in some local government areas in the state to enhance the wellbeing of the people.