The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Grim facts as Kuje residents test for HIV

    Grim facts as Kuje residents test for HIV

    As residents of Kuje council were screened for HIV, it was revealed that out of 3.5m people living with the virus in the country, only 700,000 are on treatment. GBENGA OMOKHUNU reports

    It was a memorable day at the Kuje Area Council when residents gathered to be tested   free for HIV, and given drugs courtesy of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

    The exercise was in commemoration of the 2016 Worlds AIDS Day.

    Many residents of Kuje, especially the rural ones, took the opportunity to get tested.

    The Clinical Coordinator of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Abuja, Dr. Kema Onu expressed disappointment that out of 3.5 million persons living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, just about 700, 000 are on treatment.

    He said, “Worlds AIDS Day celebration has been on since 1988 December 1st. It is a forum where you can increase awareness. Prevention is what everybody is talking about and we want the world to know that for about 3.5 million persons living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria just about 700,000 are on treatment and we feel that the 27per cent gap must be closed because if everybody is on treatment the risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS will be reduced significantly.

    “That is the viable prevention model. We are also seeing a very funny data where young women and girls…being the highest population of persons living with HIV/AIDS and we must domesticate the factors that are making these figures thrive. Young women and girls are the ones that are abused and they are the ones that are given out in early marriage against their will.

    “We are leaving the urban areas to the rural areas, we need to talk about HIV/AIDS and reach the underserved. People need to get HIV prevention services, everybody needs to keep the awareness on. Keeping the promise for those living with HIV/AIDS means taking their drugs. Everybody in the world has kept the silence promise to end the HIV/AIDS scourge.

    “To further enable this work, corruption must be stopped in government so as to channel the funds meant to end the HIV/AIDS scourge in the right way. Foreign donors should please increase their funding is this regard.”

    The Chairman of Kuje Area Council Abdullahi Galadima at the event said health is one of his major priority projects.

    He said the World AIDS Day will give all the opportunity to remove the fear of HIV/AIDS in the community.

    Galadima who was represented by the Vice Chairman of the council, Hon. Duda Tanko, said, “We all know that the first case of HIV was recorded in Nigeria in 1985. Ever since then, to 2014, the prevalence rate of HIV in Nigeria among sexually active adults stood at 3.17 percent. Before now people saw HIV infection as the end of the road and HIV was attached with a lot of discrimination and stigma. Many people died of HIV infection not because they have HIV; but because they were discriminated upon and stigmatised, they could not openly access HIV treatment and support.

    “Today the opportunity is here again for us to anchor and discuss extensively the scale up activities of HIV programme in Kuje Area Council and how we can leverage on that to achieve outstanding zero new infection, zero death due to HIV and zero discrimination.”

  • Budget 2017 and padding

    The year 2016, which is about to expire in a few weeks, will go down in history as one that recorded one of the highest controversies surrounding budget padding.

    While there is no clear definition of ‘budget padding’, it is referred, in some quarters, to a situation where principal officers in the National Assembly, with the help of civil servants, disproportionately appropriate large sums of money to their constituencies or introduce new or fictitious projects to the proposal presented by the President.

    Political watchers believe that they hide under the legislative powers they have to amend the President’s proposal the way they deem fit and to introduce controversial and selfish projects in the budget.

    In line with their power to amend the budget anyway they desire, some of the lawmakers have even claimed that budget padding was not a crime and was as old as the institution itself.

    Budget padding controversies in the 2016 Budget became a very big issue between the Executive and Legislative arms of government as it was claimed that lawmakers removed some key projects proposed by the executive, drastically reduced their costs and introduced many other projects not contemplated by the Presidency.

    It also resulted in open accusations and counter-accusations between the House of Representatives leadership and past Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumini Jibrin.

    He accused the leadership of padding the budget through introduction of billions of naira projects in the 2016 Budget, which they planned to benefit from indirectly.

    The 2016 Budget was said to have been padded with more than N481 billion by the leadership in the N6.08 trillion budget presented to National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    While constituency projects were said to be increased from N60 billion to N100 billion in the budget, Abdulmumini Jibrin had accused the Speaker of allowing 10 committee chairmen to insert projects worth N284 billion in the 2016 Budget.

    Among the allegations was the insertion of 82 new projects, mainly roads, at a cost of N50.63 billion under the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing budget.

    While the House of Representatives leadership had defended itself and accused Jibrin of single handedly changing the budget estimates presented by President Buhari and adding N250 billion, Jubrin had denied the claim.

    Before the accusations and counter-accusations among the lawmakers, some ministers were stunned during the 2016 Budget Defence of their ministries as they raised alarm that the budget they were defending was different from what President Buhari presented to the National Assembly for their ministries.

    They noted that many alien projects were smuggled into the 2016 budget proposal.

    To prevent re-occurrence, President Buhari, a fortnight ago, vowed to block any padding from being introduced to the 2017 Budget proposal he plans to lay soon before the National Assembly.

    In line with his determination, ministers, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting last Wednesday spent almost nine hours in the Council Chamber, mainly considering and familiarizing themselves with the 2017 Budget proposal before it is forwarded to the National Assembly.

    At the end of the meeting, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, expressed confidence that new measures have been put in place to stop padding in the new proposal.

    He said: “The computerized system that we are using can trace every item and who puts any item into the budget as everybody have access code to the system.

    “We have a new and experienced Director General of Budget office. He was Commissioner for Budget in Lagos State for about eight years. He set up a system that is rigorous and you can trace every item that is input to the budget.

    “So there will be no possibility of that in the 2017 budget.” He added

    It is hoped that all these will really help to check padding and reduce heat up of the polity in 2017.

     

    Rewarding excellence

     

    History was made last Thursday when a female scientist was for the first time named among the two laureates that got the 2016 Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) Award.

    While the female, Prof. Omowunmi Amoke Sadik got the award in Science, Prof. Tanure Ojaide, got the award in Humanities.

    Each of them went home with N10 million prize money for winning the award.

    Prof. Sadik, who is a leading international authority in biosensors and bioanalytical Chemistry, an educator, and researcher, received her B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. degrees in Chemistry from the University of Lagos in 1985 and 1987 respectively, and a PhD (also in Chemistry) from the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia in 1994.

    She won the prestigious Australian scholarship to pursue the PhD degree in chemistry, which she completed in 1994.

    She was awarded National Research Council (NRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the United States-Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) in Las Vegas. In September 1996, she joined the faculty at the State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY-Binghamton).

    Prof. Sadik is currently the Director of the Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems (CASE) at State University of New York at Binghamton (SUNY-Binghamton).

    She is the President and Co-founder of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization.

    Ojaide is a highly distinguished, immensely prolific and talented creative writer and scholar whose works combine social relevance, humanistic vision, quality, elegance, and accessibility.

    He attended University of Ibadan where he received his BA in English and Syracuse University in New York State where he obtained both the MA in Creative Writing and Ph.D. in English.

    As poet, he has published twenty poetry collections, most of which received prizes, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for the Africa Region (1987), twice the All-Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry (1988 and 1997), the BBC Arts and Africa Poetry Award (1988), and four times the Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Award (1988, 1994, 2003, and 2011).

    Noting that the two awardees were chosen based on merit, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the occasion said Nigeria can always get the best from making appointments on merit rather than on federal character or quota system.

    On his part, the Chairman of the Nigerian National Merit Award (NNMA) Governing Board, Prof. Etim Moses Essien, said the awardees are among the best brains in the world and are competing well with their contemporaries around the globe.

     

  • ‘Substance abuse on the rise in Kwara’

    ‘Substance abuse on the rise in Kwara’

    The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Kwara State government have said substance abuse was on the rise in the state, but they have also resolved to stamp it out.

    Speaking at a-one day seminar in Ilorin, the state capital, Head, Drugs Demand Reduction Unit of the agency, Friday Oluwi described drug and substance abuse in the state as worrisome.

    He said, “Drug abuse situation in Kwara state is worrisome, people abuse different kinds of drugs. There are so many substances that are being abused. There are some illicit drugs. These drugs are for normal treatment of ailments but people now use them for abuse sake just to get high, for purposes the drugs are not meant for. And producers are selling, people are dying.”

    Mr. Oluwi, who said that the agency had entered into agreement with the state government to tackle the menace, said the agency has been rehabilitating clients.

    “We appeal, lecture and sensitise people to know the danger inherent in drug abuse and consequences of abusing drugs. We appeal. We don’t see abusers as criminals, rather we see them as victims that need help. If they continued in that way and we don’t bring them back in love they may never recover. So we do what we call counselling, treatment and rehabilitation. And we carry out public enlightenment campaign.

    “As at today, the federal government brought manpower. The states are supposed to use us. So, if the states can come in to assist it will bring better result.

    “Our success rate is 80 per cent in Kwara State. And by UN assessment, we top the chart. Why is it so? For every 10 person discharged, we expect two back. Why would they come back? The nature of the drug the person was abusing. The nature of his system or the way the person is made up, facilities available for the rehabilitation, then level of cooperation of the family. Most families, when they are recovering, don’t want to take them back. They don’t trust them any longer.

    “Currently, there are 25 clients with us on rehabilitation. We have discharged about 32 persons. Age range is between 20 and 45 and recently someone of 53 years came, but since rehabilitation move is not by force, he said he does not belong there. He told his people that he couldn’t stay. The opinion of person coming for rehabilitation is always considered.”

    Mr. Oluwi added, saying, “For those who have never used drugs, let them not use it, while those in it should retrace their steps. But rehabilitation is not cheap. The minimum period you will be with us in NDLEA is three months. For the 90 days, the parents will have to be responsible for the feeding and the medication.

    “Most parents, when they come around, discover that they have to play that role and sometimes they live with their problems. So in other states, the assistance like feeding of clients is being provided by state governments. But we have not received such as at now. The commissioner for health has just invited me to see him for possible intervention. We hope something would come out of that.”

    In a remark, a sociologist and convener of the programme, Queen Nimat Siaka said her encounter with robbery gangs twice who were predominantly youths prompted her get involved in the project to tackle the menace.

    “They are frustrated and they get involved in drugs. They engage in drugs to commit dastardly crimes. So, we mobilise and sensitise youths against drug abuse. We take the campaign across states. We also refer clients to rehabilitation centres. Despite challenges encountered we keep on,” she said.

  • Lack of cash threatens Taraba’s fortune

    Lack of cash threatens Taraba’s fortune

    Well, the potentials are there but without money, what can I do with our tourism potentials?

    That may well have captured how Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku felt when the reporter caught up with him.

    He told The Nation, “I see the potentials, I know what to do, but I don’t have the resources to do it. If I have money, what I’d do in my state within the next four years would be unimaginable. I can tell you that if that is done, you won’t meet me here for an interview.

    “You will meet me either in Gembu or Mambilla. That is where the Presidential resort should be, that is where the Camp David of the President should be because if he takes people there, he does not need any air conditioning even when there is no light. These are the potentials we have in this country but are not exploited. There are some Germans that come to the Gamshaka Gumti Park every year for studies with their students for the last ten years. We have a lot of things there. But what we lack is the resources to do the right thing. I wish the money they use to get is coming now.”

    The governor said the state could  explore other natural resources available in the state.

    He said, “We have the rarest minerals in Taraba State. We have bauxite which is aluminum used for making airplane and one mineral sourced for all over the world. Saphire is being mined there illegally and it is next to diamond. Gold is available in the state. Without barrette, you can’t drill oil and it is available in the state.

    “During Abacha, the importation was banned and people where rushing to Taraba to mine it and take to Port Harcourt to drill oil. After Abacha, the ban was lifted and people went back to importation because by doing that, they are able to take our foreign exchange. We have over 50 mineral deposits in Taraba State. There is coal there which can be turned to power. There are many rivers which can be turned to hydro which can be turned to power. I have wind potential which can also be turned to power. There are so many natural resources in the state.”

    The state, he said, is blessed in all areas and the government is taking advantage of this to develop its tea and coffee potentials. At the moment, the Highland tea which has been moribund has started production, while the sugar potentials are being explored.

    He said, “One of the areas where we have made some level of impact is revitalisation of the tea and the tea factory is running 24 hours right now because we had a small mini dam which was constructed with the help of the United Nations in collaboration with the state government. That dam is working, providing 24 hours services. We refurbished the old tea factory, removed the obsolete machines and replaced them with brand new ones and right now, it is working very well.

    “That has made the people in Kakara village and the surrounding villages busy, proving the tea which hitherto was not in use before now, sell it to the factory and go there every week to collect. In October, I was in India and went to virtually all the tea farms in India to see what they are doing correctly that we are not doing. Right now, four of our boys are in India, being trained . We want to pursue aggressive nursery for the tea. For coffee, we want to learn the model and from what I have read and heard, the Kenyan and Ethiopian models seem to be best suitable for our climate.”

  • Soaring commodity prices unsettle consumers

    A market survey conducted by The Nation has revealed that prices of commodities have been rising in most markets, causing enormous worry for many residents in Federal Capital Territory (FCT), especially low-income earners.

    A visit to Wuse and Utako markets in Abuja revealed that there has been a presistent increase in the prices of basic household commodities such as rice, beans, beverages, wheat, yam, red oil, garri and groundnut oil, among others.

    The reason for this increase in the price of commodities has  been ascribed to the ever rising exchange rate and high cost of transportation, among other factors.

    A trader at Wuse market told our correspondent that the increase in the prices of food itmes is as a result of the cost of transportation, adding that there has been low patronage following the price increase.

    He said that he makes little or no profit from some of his goods in order to keep the customers coming.

    Some of the items that have witnessed a sharp increase in prices include rice which was formerly sold for N10,500 a bag, now going for N18,000 or N19,000 depending on the brand, while a measure of beans formerly sold for N350 is now sold for N550 and above,  and a keg of 10 litres groundnut oil has soared from N4500  to N8,000 and above depending on the brand.

    Speaking on the development, a mother of two recalled her experience at the market. She disclosed that a sachet of milk she had been buying for N1,400 is now sold for N1,800.

    She said,  ”The price of  everything generally is now very expensive. It is not easy at all, if not that I come to the market myself I would have thought my househelp has been lying about most of the prices of these items, it’s really unbelievable.”

    Hussan Ibrahim who sells smoked fish disclosed that there has been no price increase in his product,  there has been low patronage, “fish dey cheap now, but dem no they buy well, na only dry fish no add money. Na as we dey buy before we still dey buy now we no add anything but garri, yam, rice, everything don cost.”

    He added that people complain of not having enough money to buy major foodstuff let alone buying dry fish.

    Hajia Memunat who often visits Utako Market said that due to the price rise, her budget can no longer cover the quantity of food she used to buy, and this has reduced her purchasing power.

    Some of the traders said that the price increase can be better explained by the manufaturers as it starts from them.

  • Reps to residents: stop paying tax to unlawful collectors

    The House of Representatives has advised residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop paying tenement rate and property tax to consultants, explaining that the body responsible for tax collection in the FCT has not been set up.

    While condemning the unlawful collection of taxes in the FCT, the lawmakers said the crude method employed by the so-called consultants was designed to extort money from residents.

    The House has directed its Committee on FCT to conduct an investigation into the matter as well as establish the reason behind the non-composition of the FCT Internal Revenue Board (FCTIRS) despite previous resolutions of the House to do so.

    The decision of the House followed the adoption of a motion by Emmanuel Oker-Jev (APC, Benue), who regretted that certain individuals have in various guises engaged in forceful collection of taxes and tenement rates without the consent of relevant authorities.

    According to him, the taxes and rates are arbitrarily collected by individuals brandishing forged court documents while threatening to lock up premises of defaulters

    Oker-Jev noted that such act was aimed at defrauding unsuspecting members of the public in these days of recession.

    “It is worrisome that the FCTIRS, the agency empowered by law to collect taxes and rates in the FCT has not been set up, thus allowing all manners of individuals to extort money from hapless law-abiding residents of the FCT,” he added.

    The lawmakers were unanimous in their condemnation of the illegality saying that a stop must be put to it immediately because to extort money from anyone in this period of recession is sheer wickedness.

    The lawmakers also noted that forcing residents to pay illegal taxes by the consultants, who were described as hawkers amounts to double jeopardy as the victims would have to pay such taxes again whenever the appropriate body is set up by the FCT administration.

    It was also noted by the lawmakers that extortion and forcefully locking up people’s businesses may lead people to self-help.

    The lawmakers advised that tax must be structured by relevant authorities saddled with the responsibility of tax administration and that Nigerians have the right to know who they are paying the tax to.

    The House also resolved that its investigation must also determine why the illegality has been been going on.

  • Abuja becoming 24-hour city

    After 9pm in most cities across the country, residents retire to bed. Well, not so in Lagos, and it is becoming clear that Abuja is joining the non-sleeping towns.

    The nation’s capital bustles with nightlife. Clubs hum through the night with patrons happy to deny themselves sleep for fun.

    Now, it is not only the partying crowd that is staying awake; shoppers are waking up in the middle of the night and proceeding to the shops for some household items and more. That is because 24-hour shopping is taking root in the city.

    Twenty-four-hour shopping is gradually becoming a welcome development for residents of the FCT. In Maitama and Wuse II, closing shop for the night is becoming a thing of the past as 24 hours service is now in great demand by customers.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Metromart, a supermarket located in the heart of Wuse II Chief Chima Iwuanyanwu said, “We believe that the time we are in is when people are looking for where to buy food and things to eat and not the time to buy cars or some luxury items but the time for basic necessities. We have looked at this environment and realised that there were big shops all over the place but we needed a shop that will be close to the people and we intend for it not to be a profiteering venture, we believe in minimal profit and that the volume of sales is basically what makes the business profitable.

    “Ours is homely and we stock up with things necessary for residents; it is a 24-hour shopping experience, residents are free to wake up in the midnight and come shopping, we brought it to Wuse II so it is very close to people.”

    A customer at Metromart who identified herself as Mary Moses said that she now enjoys her night outings with the opportunity of 24 hours shopping experience close to her hangouts.

    “Formerly when you hung out and felt like going out to buy something outside the club, you realised that all the shops were closed, most of the shops close as early as 10pm and customers are stuck with no access to most of the things they need at night but with this right now, my friends and I and confident to hang out now and all I do is run across to Metromart or the pharmacies around that now operate 24 hours when we need it, it is really good and a great business strategy for them.”

     

  • Hope for the old in Gombe

    Hope for the old in Gombe

    I know we are old people and many of us do not have money,” said retiree Salome Melusa. “The strength to be running up and down for the purpose of this verification thing is not even there. I am begging the Federal Government to please try and pay us the money and in good time so that we can at least enjoy the fruit of our sweat while still alive.”

    Ma Melusa had some kind words about this round of verification, describing it as “the best in terms of organisation and…looking more promising than the others.”

    Melusa had gone through four verifications and was on her fifth organised by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) verification exercise in Gombe when our reporter caught up with her.

    The retirees said they see hope, judging from the orderly nature of this exercise and the humane way they are treated by the officials.

    Previous verification exercises across the country were chaotic, sapping and filled with grief. There were reports of repeated but fruitless calls at the verification centres. Some senior citizens were sometimes ferried to the centres on the backs of their grandchildren, relatives and Good Samaritans. There have been slumps on the queues and deaths before pensioners could claim their entitlements.

    Melusa said she hoped that the Federal Government would not disappoint her, and pay the pensions and in good time.

    Even dependents of the pensioners like Abdulkadir Sabo, a young man who accompanied his aged and weak grandfather to the venue of the verification, equally craved timely payment of the retirees’ dues.

    Melusa and Sabo’s grandfather represent thousands of pensioners who participated in the recent verification exercise in the Northeast.

    Sharon Ikeazor, the Executive Secretary of PTAD explained the applause that greeted the assignment.

    She mentioned “compassion, passion, empathy and dedication” as part of why the people are well disposed to the exercise.

    The intention, according to her, was to make a difference while ensuring the success of the assignment, to let the pensioners know that PTAD and the Federal Government were doing everything humanly possible to make sure they get their payment as at when due and to announce to them that the era of suffering to get their payment is over.

    She said over 2,600 pensioners had been registered across the Northeast as at Wednesday, three days into the five-day exercise, thus indicating that more beneficiaries would still be captured.

    She said the biggest centre had been Yola where a lot more showed up for the exercise, which she said had gone so well.

    “In Yola, we even had a few people coming in from Borno and Yobe states and we are handling them. But by January next year, we will complete Yobe and Borno,” Ikeazor added.

    Lawan Abubakar, representing Yola North, Yola South and Gire Federal Constituency and a member of the House Committee on Pension described the exercise as a really huge success.

    He said the entire exercise reflected signs of seriousness from the government. As you can see, they take care of their welfare, they serve them with food and even those that do not have their BVN, they take them to the bank.

    He said the verification exercise had been planned in a way that pensioners do not have to travel to cut down on their expenses.

    Apart from the assistance observed by Abubakar, wheelchairs were equally provided to assist the aged, weak or sickly ones among the pensioners, just as they were served lunch all through the five days.

    The essence, it was gathered, was to make the pensioners comfortable, and the exercise less burdensome.

  • Violence: Kaduna adopts Plateau blueprint

    Violence: Kaduna adopts Plateau blueprint

    Faced with unending violence, Kaduna State has borrowed the peace strategy which helped to douse tensions in neighbouring Plateau State. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

    They have a lot in common: a shared border, variety of ethnic groups and a mix of Christian and Muslim populations. That is not all. Kaduna and Plateau states are also troubled by communal tensions which are often violent. Thankfully, Plateau seems to have figured out the path to peace, thanks to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD), a conflict-resolution non-governmental organisation. Communities which intermittently hacked at one another are finding good reason to dwell together in peace.

    Kaduna, on the other hand, has not been that lucky, but that is not to say it has been a long stretch of darkness there. After the 2011 post-presidential election violence in which many lives were lost and worship centres and other property were destroyed, crisis broke out in parts of the state, especially in its southern parts. But since Governor Nasir el-Rufai came into office, there was quite a considerable spell of peace. It came as a result of interventions by a peace and reconciliation committee headed by Gen Martin Luther Agwai. The committee was said to have traced some aggrieved Fulani herdsmen connected to the violence to faraway Niger Republic, Chad and other neighbouring countries where the herders said they lost cattle and other things in the Kaduna crises. The committee pleaded with them to let bygone be bygone; in some cases compensations were paid for the sake of peace.

    It worked, but only for a year. Thereafter crisis erupted intermittently especially in Southern Kaduna. There were isolated killings though not just in the south but also in the north and central zones of the state, especially Birnin Gwari axis. Herdsmen and crop farmers blamed one another for the violence. Herders accused the growers of intolerance, while the farmers blamed the allocation of grazing reserves to herdsmen as cause of the violence.

    Now there is some good news. Representatives of 29 communities  in southern Kaduna have unveiled a Peace Apology Billboard in Samaru-Kataf, saying sorry to everyone affected by the violence. They hope the latest effort will end all hostilities.

    The community representatives were trained by the CHD, which helped to restore peace in Plateau. The Chairman of Plateau State Council of Chiefs, Gbong-Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba was at the unveiling of the peace billboard.

    He spoke passionately on the violence racking the two states and recommended the Plateau antidote. The traditional ruler relived the wonders of the CHD and its leading figure.

    He said, “Alice Nderitu and her team from Center for Humanitarian Dialogue came to me and gave me a brief of exactly what is happening here in Kaduna. And they appealed to me to come here so that we can talk to our brothers and sisters here about how to stay in peace.

    “They did this because like you all know we have had our serious challenges in Plateau State; challenges that are very distasteful. Lives were lost, communities torn apart. Up till today, there are some villages that are still vacant; the natives have not gone back to their villages but we want to thank God Almighty for the relative peace we are enjoying on the plateau. And we will want to thank Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue that came in to Plateau over three years ago.  They came to the palace and requested that we give them people from the communities to work with. Today I thank God for the relative peace we are enjoying.

    “The governor of Plateau, upon coming on to the seat of governance, immediately called the Berom community. I hope you all know that I am Berom anyway?  I know His Excellency, Governor Nasir el-Rufai knows, and he had serious discussions with us after which he called the Fulani communities and had serious discussions with them. Thereafter he called both the Berom and Fulani communities and had a discussion with them.

    “At the end of which he suggested that we get representatives of the Fulani and the Berom, and that government was going to put in place a committee to work with these groups so that they can dialogue and talk to themselves. He encouraged that nobody should shy away from the issues that are creating problems. And this team sat together and they came up with a very beautiful report that virtually tallied with the report that the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue had packaged with very serious recommendations.

    “It will interest you to know that in the Gazette for the selection of kings in Berom land, the head of Fulani is a king maker despite not being a historical indigene, but because we stayed together for so long that it was the wisdom of the elders to ensure that since we have stayed particularly with them, let them have a sense of belonging and that is why the ’Ardos’ (head of Fulani) participate as king makers in the selection of District Heads in the entirety of Berom land. I met it there and we are working with that. We will continue to work with that.

    “Having told you I am Berom, I am sure you will be wondering why is my name Buba? Buba is a Fulani name. But this is because my grandfather had a very intimate Fulani friend called Buba. So when they gave birth to my father, the Fulani man said this boy is my namesake and my father was named Buba. After that they never gave him any Berom name again and that is why I bear Buba. If at that time these old people could do this, why are we tearing ourselves apart? Why can’t we find common ground on which to rejoice in?

    “It is embarrassing to all of us seated here that a young lady from Kenya, Alice Nderitu, has gathered us here to talk peace. Look at us and look at her age. The passion with which she talks is so touching, that’s why I conceded to come. Governor Nasir el-Rufai is someone I have had privilege to work with. He was a minister in the Obasanjo regime while I was traversing the country chasing smugglers.”

    The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue boss, Alice Nderitu who is a Kenyan, said Nigeria as the leader of the black nation in the world ought to set the example for other African countries on peaceful co-existence.

    She suggested that, as part of efforts to restore peace in Southern Kaduna, churches, mosques and vehicles destroyed during previous crisis should be rebuilt, saying leaving them in their state of destruction leaves negative and devastating impressions on the minds of children growing up.

    In reaction to her request, el-Rufai donated N100 to support the rebuilding of damaged churches and mosques, saying, his government has drafted a bill to set up the Kaduna State Peace Commission in fulfillment of the promises he made in 2015.

    In a speech entitled ‘Apology, Forgiveness, Key to Peace’ the governor said the Commission will enable inclusion of all citizens on plans for peaceful co-existence of the peoples of the state.

    According to him, “In recognition of the vital importance of showing concrete manifestations of peace, the government has decided to support civic efforts to rebuild damaged churches and mosques with a seed fund of N100m. The challenge of achieving peace and justice is a complex process that requires imagination, wide consultations, technical support, research and time. I have promised you change. I will not be derailed from the legacy of peace that Southern Kaduna deserves from my generation.

    “This state belongs to everyone that has chosen to make it home. Let us respect each other, abide by the law, do our duty to uphold harmony and firmly reject division and violence! Today we are here to launch a Public Apology Billboard, as we grieve  over the lives sadly taken in the recent violence in the Godogodo chiefdom. Why, our children ask, are we able to discuss peace for decades but not find it on the ground?”

  • Buhari and 2019

    Some ardent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari must have been shaken up by the outburst of Alhaji Buba Galadima, a fortnight ago.

    Galadima, who was one of the close allies of President Buhari and who worked with him in the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 general elections, had claimed that Buhari could be standing alone at the end of his first tenure in 2019.

    According to him, Buhari may not have a platform to run for re-election if he decides to recontest in 2019 going by the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that brought him to power.

    But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, wasted no time to reply Galadima last week Monday.

    He declared that the masses will still queue solidly behind his principal in 2019.

    In a statement titled ‘Buhari won’t be alone in 2019′, he described Galadima’s suggestions that the masses will desert President Buhari in 2019 as unfounded and utterly ridiculous.

    He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari is far from isolation. He enjoys a very strategic relationship with ordinary Nigerians. This relationship is as solid as the proverbial rock.

    “If Buba Galadima thinks that because he has no role and no job in this government that means president is isolated he is putting himself up to ridicule.”

    But it’s important to note that the masses on the street will eventually have to decide where their support will go as the election year 2019 approaches.

    In doing this, they will carry out independent appraisal of the administration.

    They will want to review how the administration has improved their lives in the first tenure.

    By the end of the first four years, they will also want to see a strong Nigerian economy fully diversified into agriculture, solid minerals and other key sectors in line with the promises of the administration.

    The adverse effects of the high inflation rate in the country, pushed up by the increase of fuel price from N86 per litre to N145 and high exchange rate of the naira to a dollar, must be reversed through sound policies in the coming months.

    But the good thing is that the administration still has over two years to fulfill its promises of change to Nigerians.

    Even as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) third quarter figures last week Monday showed poor performance against second quarter figures, the government was confident that things are looking up and that the fourth quarter will be better than the third.

    Speaking to State House correspondents last Wednesday, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, said that the non-oil sector improved in most encouraging direction to the government.

    “Agriculture continues to growth at 12.5 percent, solid minerals continue to grow at seven percent. We are encouraged by the direction that the non-oil sector is moving.

    “Even for the oil sector, because oil production has started moving up as a result of a lot of initiatives that this government has been taking.” He said

    It is the hope of most Nigerians, who have been at the receiving end, that the improvements will soon start to materialize and have bearing on their lives and well-being.

    When the nation is on the path of growth on all indices and Nigerians are better off than the beginning of the administration, the masses on the street will not only root for Buhari, but massively mobilize for him in 2019.

     

    Reducing unemployment

    After weeks of delay the Federal Government last week announced that first batch of 200,000 unemployed graduates will start work on Thursday 1st of December, 2016.

    They are the first set of the plan by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to hire 500,000 unemployed Nigerian graduates.

    The programme, under the N-Power Volunteer Corps, is said to be an expression of President Buhari’s commitment to invest in the human capital development of Nigerian citizens, particularly the young people.

    The N-Power programmme is also an innovation meant to enhance ailing public services in the area of basic education and primary healthcare.

    It also aims to achieve self-sufficiency in the agriculture sector by ensuring farmers get relevant advisory services to boost their yields.

    The first batch of 200,000 graduates comprise of 150,000 that would be deployed to teaching, 30,000 will work in the agriculture sector while 20,000 will serve in healthcare delivery.

    They would be sent to the 36 state governments of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which will in-turn deploy them to their specific programme assignments.

    Each of the graduate is to earn N30,000 monthly throughout the duration of the assignment presently fixed for two years.

    Beside rendering the services at the grassroot level where they would be posted, the graduates are also expected to learn the skills that will brighten their future.

    While this first 200,000 might be seen as a drop in an ocean considering the high rate of unemployed graduates in the country, it is definitely a good start.

    Time should not be wasted now to complete necessary processes and fill the balance of 300,000 spaces for unemployed graduates under the programme.

    It should also hasten steps to generate more employment in other sectors, while ensuring  open and transparency in all the processes.