Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammad has said that President Goodluck Jonathan inherited the insecurity problem in the North-eastern part of the country.
Mohammed said this during a PDP stakeholders’ meeting which included the leadership of the six geo-political zones resident in the FCT.
He reiterated that Jonathan’s administration has been working assiduously to tackle it head on.
According to him, the problem is not restricted to Nigeria but has global dimension.
According to the statement issued by the Assistant Director/Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, Muhammad Sule, the minister assured that the government has the will power to defeat and stamp out insurgency from the country.
He called for continued support of the people for the government, particularly the military.
He said: “The Transformation Agenda of the President has been able to put smiles on the faces of the residents of the Federal Capital Territory. The expansion and rehabilitation of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (Airport Road) as well as the Murtala Muhammad (Kubwa Raod) Expressways are some of the achievements the President has recorded.”
•Nigerian troops crossing the Kafin-Hausa Bridge constructed by military engineers to facilitate the pursuit of fleeing terrorists.
The minister further said the Jonathan-led administration has been able to complete the Gurara Water Transfer Scheme as well as the 3rd and 4th Phases of the Lower Usuma Dam for the benefit of all.
Senator Mohammed also assured that the FCT Administration is to deploy a substantial part of its projected N300 to N400 billion earnings from internally-generated revenue (IGR) to the funding of rural and neighbourhood infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges.
His words: “With the passage of the FCT Board of Internal Revenue Act by the National Assembly, the internally-generated revenue profile of the FCT is expected to rise significantly with positive multiplier effects on the residents.”
The minister emphasised that the FCTA hopes to generate about N300 billion to N400 billion annually; adding that the anticipated revenue would be used to fund infrastructure and accelerate development of the entire 8,000 square kilometres of the territory as well as pay the outstanding debt owed contractors.
He revealed that the FCT Administration would soon launch another batch of 300 taxis that would be owned directly by the drivers to alleviate poverty and stamp out rickety commercial vehicles.
This year’s International Women’s Day would have ended just like any other day in Kwara State. It didn’t. National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) chose the day to bestow an award on the state governor’s wife, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed for her contributions to the well-being of the less privileged.
National Assistant Secretary of the council, Nasiru Yusuf presented the award dubbed ‘Silent Achiever’ to the founder of LEAH Charity Organisation in Ilorin, the state capital.
The state chairman of the NYCN, Kazeem Adekanye said Mrs. Ahmed unwavering passion for youth and women development was legendary.
Mr. Adekanye said the governor’s wife’s achievements include social welfare package for widows, reading camp for pupils of secondary schools, women empowerment through the provision of basic tools and cash support, health awareness among the women folk, donation to the less privilege, free cancer screening and treatment.
He said: “LEAH Charity Foundation has proven to be a reference point in the league of pet projects of wives of presidents and governors; that you have been able to successfully run the foundation independent of your office is a sign that the foundation has come to stay even beyond you as the first lady of the state.
“Today’s mentoring programme cum interactive session is aimed at providing the teeming youth (girls) unrestricted access to learn firsthand from our mother who shall admonish the youth with a view to making them better citizens while even as we celebrate the International Women’s Day.”
Guest lecturer of the day, Nasir AbdulQuadri said the gathering was to celebrate the noble contributions of the women in the informal sector, to the economic viability of the state.
AbdulQuadri, an ex-banker also hailed Mrs. Ahmed for her support to the women folk through her foundation in the screening and treatment of breast and cervical cancer.
He encouraged your ladies to stop chasing after white collar jobs that might not be available but to be entrepreneurially inclined.
In a remark, Mrs. Ahmed urged young ladies to eschew promiscuity as that could lead to cervical cancer.
She added however, that cancer is neither contagious nor a death sentence, saying that “the only rejection a woman can put to cancer is regular medical check-up every year. It becomes incurable when it has degenerated.
“Currently, LEAH Charity Foundation has 29 screening centres across the state. this is to enable our women have access to cancer screening and treatment.”
When parents needed a place to take their children with disability, the Child Care Trust (CCT) easily came to mind.
The Child Care Trust consists of critical facilities such as classrooms, health care centre, large playgrounds as well as vocational training centres. These facilities aim at providing best form of care and upbringing of special children. Its operations are more of a boarding school.
The facility is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), established by former First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo to cater for under-privileged children in the country. However, the once best rated school for the less-privileged in Africa is in dire need of revival.
•A part of the facility
Some of the facilities that made it so exceptional are almost moribund. The health centre, which was a point of attraction for children suffering from one health issue or another, is no longer active. Prior to this time, there were concerns over survival of the school after the death of Mr. Obasanjo. It was gathered that the school had to suspend operations due to funding challenges until three years ago. So, basically the supports are meant for up-keep of the pupils, including the hard at hearing and different categories of mentally challenged kids.
Situated in Bwari Local Council Area at the outskirts of Abuja, the school is tucked in a quiet environment, highly fortified with strong concrete fence. The fence is painted in white with a big tree right at the entrance of the premises. Aside from the presence of both uniformed security men and those on mufti, the entire premises were very tidy.
During a visit to the school, Abuja Review met the pupils during their lunch time. The first pupil who met our correspondent was Chisom Obi, a Primary four student. He was careful in his pace because he could hardly get his steps right, as he walked in a meandering manner.
After much effort, he managed to move some inches. On his face was an expression of someone who has been fed. He smiled out of the cafeteria as he approached our correspondent.
On his experience at the school, Chisom said: “I like this place. They take care of us very well and we eat three times a day…” Shortly after, the other pupils left the cafeteria for the alley. They were about 40 in number and of different ages, both male and female.
Some have hearing impaired while others could hardly see. Yet, they were so excited to welcome visitors. The youngest among them was little Success who is about six years old. She is fair in complexion and looks so innocent. She solely depends on crouches before she could walk.
Supports
In a chat with one of the senior members of staff of the school, it was gathered that the school depends on volunteers and supports from individuals and big schools in the territory.
Students of Durben Polytechnic, a higher institution in Bwari Local Council Area often celebrate their birthdays with the kids.
“This place is not an orphanage. All these children have parents. So, during the holiday, they go home and come back to school after the holiday. So, it’s not an orphanage home per se,” the Coordinator, Mr. Thomas Ojo said.
Continuing, she said: “We depend on volunteers in meeting our needs because the school is an NGO. So, with little supports from outside, we meet some of their needs.”
When the school was inaugurated in May, 2000 by the late philanthropist, she did not know the edifice will become derelict decades after. It was her dream that the school would make greater exploit and create lasting impression in the minds of millions of children with challenges.
Abuja Review further gathered that the son of the late Stella Obasanjo, Mr. Muyiwa Obasanjo, who is also the Chairman of the school, supported it immensely, the last time he visited from the United States. Prior to the visit, a Kubwa-based NGO, Solid Rock Foundation had visited the pupils.
Mr. Ojo acknowledged it has become an annual event for the foundation to visit the school. As for him, the foundation was always offering many relief materials, including foods, to support the children. Ironically, there was silent murmur when our correspondent inquired when last the former President visited the school. “Former President…?” One of the members of staff asked. “He has not visited this place since he left office. I think when the woman passed on was the end of his visit to this place.”
It was gathered that no tangible help comes from the family. “Nothing is coming from the family. The only support we got is from the Chairman of the school, who is the son of late Stella Obasanjo who doesn’t live in Nigeria but in US,” our source said.
Extra-curricular activities
•The children at play
Apart from regular normal school activities, the pupils were also engaged in vocational activities such as bead making. Others include salon and hairdressing and tailoring, among others.
The school authorities appealed to public-spirited individuals to help in training some of the students.
Alaba is the most popular student in the school. He is considered as one of the talented students who love drama and dancing. The 18-year-old boy, despite his situation, was willing to showcase his creative talent. Deliberate efforts are, however, being made to ensure their needs are met. There are plans to also visit corporate organisations and other related institutions to solicit supports for the school.
On staff motivation, the coordinator said the organisation is trying its best. “When they are sick, we take them to the general hospital to see a doctor. We are actually short of funds and that’s why we cannot employ medical personnel,” Ojo, who suggested that actors and artistes could promote the centre through their activities and songs, said.
“Empress once came to take pictures with them some time ago and during December, 2014, the artiste invited them to a party to celebrate with her, he said.” Expectations are, however, high that the Federal Ministries of Education and Youth Development would consider addressing some of the needs of the school as private individuals could unite to reposition the Child Care Trust.
A former administrative capital of Nigeria and the city where the country’s two major rivers meet, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, has a suffocating accommodation profile, writes JAMES AZANIA.
•The confluence in Lokoja
It has enough to wow anyone. Colonial masters once ran the country from there. Rivers Niger and Benue, two biggest waterways in the country, also meet in the city. And being just about two hours away from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lokoja is not that far away from the airs of affluence and power. But does that explain why accommodation in the Kogi State capital is so prohibitive?
To rent an apartment there is such an expensive affair that many wonder why the city is not listed as one of the most expensive places to live. Its weather is suffocating, its accommodation even more so.
From Kabawa to Ganaja, Felele to Lokongoma, Adankolo to Phase 1 or 200 Unit, Old Poly Quarters, to areas around the Federal University Lokoja, the story is the same.
In the Adankolo area, a modest two-room apartment goes for between N100, 000 and N250, 000 per annum, and comes with the standard 10 per cent agency fee in the first year. In comparable areas like Meiran in Agbado/Ado Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, for example, a two-bedroom apartment with a sitting room is available for between N100, 000 and N150, 000.
Meiran probably has better road network and more government presence than Gadumo.
Further survey of rent in Lokoja is more revealing. A room with a kitchen and toilet goes for between N70, 000 and N120, 000 anywhere in the capital. One bedroom apartment is available at between N100, 000 and N250, 000 in any location except
Felele and Ganaja. Ganaja extends into Ajaokuta local government.
In Lokoja, a two-bedroom apartment, depending on the standard, is available for between N150, 000 and N400, 000 per annum, in any part of the capital apart from Felele and Ganaja, where it could be slightly lower. When an agent tells you an apartment you are prospecting is standard, it simply means that such an apartment is tiled. Three-bedroom apartment is between N170, 000 and N600, 000 per annum in any location. A one-room accommodation in what Nigerians call ‘face-me-I-face-you’ apartment is between N30, 000 and N50, 000 per annum.
Interestingly, a survey of the price of building materials shows a slight reduction from what obtains in other capitals around the country. A standard bag of Dangote cement in Lokoja for example is readily available for between N1, 500 and N1, 600, while a nine-inch block which is used for laying foundation hovers around N110. 6 inches sells for around N85. Standard tipper load of sharp sand in Lokoja is about N12, 000, while that for plastering sand, full tipper is N15, 000.
In response to what he thinks might be responsible for the high cost of accommodation in the state capital, an agent, Idi Abu (not real name) lays it squarely on the greed of the house owners.
He said, “Greed is a major why accommodation is on the high side in this small town known to be a civil servant state and most landlords are trying to copy Abuja style. They are not being fair to the tenants. Landlords in Lokoja are very greedy. I come to understand that tenants are becoming so tired of rent and making provision for their own house, so that is to say in the next two to three years people will no longer rent houses in Lokoja any more”.
Whether this will play out in the near future or not, time alone will tell.
He called for state intervention in order to check the excesses of the landlords, saying, “Government need to look into this matter and provide solution before it is too late to handle, and majority of the landlords are civil servants that are stealing in the government. The government has been doing nothing. The solution is government intervention to build housing estates and allocate to individuals in Lokoja”.
In other major towns like Kabba, Okene or Idah, it is akin to ‘a walk in the park for the tenants, as what they have to pay as house rent is quite a relief, when compared to what obtains in Lokoja.
In Idah, home to a federal polytechnic, one can rent a three-bedroom flat for between N80, 000 and N90, 000 per annum, a two-bedroom apartment for between N50, 000 and N60, 000 per annum and about N45, 000 per annum for a single room accommodation around where the polytechnic is located. Elsewhere, N30, 000 is enough to secure a room accommodation in Idah. In addition, water rate is lower, electricity bill not as outrageous as obtains in Lokoja, commission on rent and other sundry charges are also lower outside of Lokoja.
In Kabba, a three-bedroom apartment is between N120, 000 and N140, 000 per annum and two-bedroom is between N70, 0000 and N80, 000 a year. A room apartment goes for around N700 per month. In Okene, a three-bedroom apartment cost between N120, 000 and N150, 000 per annum and a one room self-contain apartment between N45, 000 and N50, 000 per annum.
Mr. Abel Ameh, publisher of Kogi Echo magazine, expressed regret over his inability to cash in on what himself described as disproportionate boom in the accommodation business in Kogi State. This, he attributed to the “mistake” of building his house in Idah. Idah is about 120
kilometres away from Lokoja or the equivalent of between N600 and N700 in transportation fare.
He said, “If I had known I would have built my 10-room apartment in Lokoja, which would have given me over N1m per annum. But I thank God for giving me the financial muscle to build a house. Why I thank Him is because I slept in a pool (betting) house for seven years because of joblessness, but to the glory of God the story is different now”.
Findings shows that there is no ministry or government agency is charged with the duty of regulating landlord/tenant relationship or activities in the sub-sector, though the Governor Idris Wada administration has inaugurated a number of government housing estates, including the Bond Housing Estate, to cater to the needs of both federal and state civil servants domiciled in Lokoja.
Alhassan Abraham submits that it is not only the cost of accommodation that is high in Lokoja, but practically the cost of everything, including water.
His words: “Not only the cost of accommodation, the cost of living is highly expensive in Lokoja compared to other parts of the state. House rent is unbearable, then commodities in the market. A plate of food which cost say N350, N400 in Lokoja, you can get for N200 elsewhere.
It’s not even as if such food contain anything outstanding, yet they are so exorbitant. Even bottled water, 75 80cl, it is standard N100, sachet pure water in Lokoja is N10. Go to Lagos, go to Benin, and go to Ibadan; bigger and more established places, you get them for less”.
A building expert and Head of Department of Building Technology, School of Environmental Technology at the Kogi State University, Samuel Dada Madamori, gave insights into why accommodation cost is on the high side in Lokoja.
He attributed the high cost of accommodation to several factors, including, the centrality of Lokoja, its closeness to the nation’s capital, Abuja, topography and above all else, the law of demand and supply.
•Another part of Lokoja
He faulted the view that the Kogi State capital is lacking in uniqueness to command the high demand for accommodation by those seeking to live in it.
He began, “I want to correct the impression that there is nothing spectacular about Lokoja. It’s a confluence town and is close to Abuja. Don’t forget again that during the creation of the state, people moved from Benue and others from Kwara. So, there has always been the need. Those who came first, some were sleeping under trees.
“And you know Lokoja was an administrative town, and added to the weather, there was not much accommodation, so the scramble continues because there are not enough buildings. I’ll tell you why accommodation is high; we have external factors; like during the Kano riot, Kafanchan riot or Kaduna riot, a lot of people moved here.
And, if you are in Ilorin, you will know the rapid growth too. People from the North tend to be drawn to these two places.
“The establishment of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Federal University Lokoja and others like that that need to accommodate a large number of people many of who have to seek accommodation outside the campus for various reasons. So, houses that rent for N40, 000, N30, 000 have now
gone up to N70, 000 or more. Then, the effect of Obajana Cement Factory, and Lokoja as residential area for many of the workers.
Others include the National Inland Waterways (NIWA), the Naval base and hence the effect of demand and supply”.
The don said the situation is not healthy, but he added that the government was trying its best with new housing programmes. He added that the cost of acquiring land for building is high in Lokoja and labour even higher than in other local governments in the state.
He continued, “Even because of the hills, River Niger and River Benue, the terrain generally, there is limited room for expansion. People don’t want to move out; they want to stay within already developed areas because of nearness to their place of work. Water, for example, has not extended to other areas, but those little things are surmountable.
“If investors can come it’s a good opportunity for them. If they approach the government, and we the professionals are on ground. On a serious note, we don’t have investors. We have the professionals, so we plan to partner with the government on their mass housing, low housing or whatever they call it, if the government comes. Even the Police, Road Safety (Federal Road Safety Corps), they are saying that they want staff housing. So, provided developers come early and come and take advantage, they will solve that problem.
Before you finish a building, people are ready to buy.”
For the President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda in agriculture to succeed, the menace posed by cattle must be solved, Kwara State chairman, Nigerian Cassava Growers Association (NCGA) Gabriel Fasanu has said.
Fasanu, an engineer, said this in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the distribution of fertilisers and herbicides, under the federal government agricultural programme, to cassava growers in the state.
He said the famers in the state have been battling with the menace of cattle rustlers in the state for ages.
His words: “Many of our people here are taking loans from the banks. After putting in all your efforts and you have a good yield; that all things will be well with you to repay your loan, then suddenly you wake up one day to find out the whole farm has been destroyed by cows.
“We have been battling with this menace for a very long time. The state government has not been able to address the issue and it is a very serious concern to the farmers and it is making most of us incur debts. That is also why the banks are a little bit unwilling to give loan to farmers.
“If you will agree with me no nation can develop or get to its economic heights without agriculture. By the destroying the farms the cattle rearers are making the farmers to incur huge debt as well as bringing down the economy of the whole nation. So it is a food for thought actually for our cattle rearers.”
NCGA chair said the association is to “ensure the implementation policy whereby cassava flour is included in bread made in Nigeria. It may interest you to know that two tonnes of raw cassava tubers produced only one tonne of high quality cassava flour. This is why we should endeavour to plant high yielding cassava varieties recommended by the federal government.
“You will agree with me that the major stakeholders in the cassava value-chain (flour mills, bakers etc) have a very big challenge. The millions of tonnes that are needed annually call for major cassava planting and for many harvests all hands must be on deck.”
He urged the Nigerian youths to take to farming “instead of the youth roaming the streets in search of job I urge them and the cassava farmers in Nigeria to come and register with us. Packages have made available to various stakeholders in the high quality cassava flour programme, it is only left for them to come forward and join us.
For NCGA the high quality cassava flour programme (HQCFP) is N81,000 per hectare.
“It comprises of cash, fertilizer and herbicide. Actually, a farmer under this programme is entitled to two hectares. The farmer is to pay back only about half of the loan value while the balance is a grant for the farmer.
“On this note I sincerely express our gratitude to the federal government for this magnanimity. The handing over of the fertilizer and herbicides to the beneficiaries is what we are here to do today.”
Members of Zandan Pazeri Property Owners’ Association has taken the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed to court over plans by the Department of Development Control to commence demolition exercise in the area.
Chairman of the land owners association, Elder Friday Ugoala, told Abuja Review that they observed encroachment by some estate developers into Zauda Layout more than a year ago and they wrote series of letters to the FCT Director of Urban and Regional Planning, which they followed up with reminder letters, detailing their observations over the encroachment into the layout.
Ugoala further explained that in the director’s reply, it was stated that Dei-dei districts, particularly Zauda, Filindabo and other layouts have been superimposed to Phase IV of the Federal Capital City (FCC).
According to him, their investigation confirmed that Zauda, Saburi, Filindabo, Block Industry, Building Material and Timber Market done by taskforce, are not part of the Federal Capital City Phase IV, as the director wanted them to believe.
“We have authority to that and the authority that equally gave approval to do it, and they confirmed that their work was professionally done, without encroaching to any structure in existence. Our files are in AGIS, these plots were allocated to us in 1998 and files were opened.
“During el-Rufai administration, he called for regularisation and our members started afresh and paid the money for regularisation and new files were opened. All our allocation papers have two references; reference for old files and new files. Now, from what we have gathered from the authority, it implies that they are about to alter the master plan,” Ugoala said.
Most communities in the FCT have instituted cases against Senator Mohammed, because since assumption of office as the FCT Minister, almost all the communities in the capital city have dragged his administration to court as a result of what they described as anti-people land policy, which has led to so many FCT natives and residents displaced unwillingly from communities in which they have spent the entire parts of their lives.
Some of the communities that have dragged the minister to court for either demolition of their houses or threat of forceful displacement from their ancestral lands are Kpaduma, Mpape, Gosa, Dutse, Gbebudna and Jidna communities, among others.
The case which is currently under the Justice Banjoko of Court 11, Gudu District in Abuja, saw Barrister Victor Umah, Counsel to Zaudan Pazeri Property Association being urged by the Presiding Judge to ensure that all necessary documentations are put in place with the evidences, so as to avoid delay in the case, when it fully commences.
Ugoala further said they are praying the court to stop the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) from carrying out the planned demolition as well as return their properties to them, stressing that the plots in question were allocated to the members of the association by the FCDA between 1988 and 1989, saying that all documents and money paid in respect of the property were well receipted.
“Since the time of el-Rufai, the file for regularisation has been with the heads in the FCDA. So, government cannot claim not to be aware of the fact that the place is not an empty place. Unfortunately, the minister decided to take over the place, whereas, our members have paid all the necessary levies to the government during the el-Rufai administration and we have equally paid for the regularisation and new files were opened for us,” he said.
Ugoala also pleaded that the court which adjourned the case to March 30, for hearing, should order the authority of FCDA to accelerate the processing of their files, which he said has been dumped over the years by subsequent administrations.
Counsel to the plaintiff, Barrister Victor Umah, who faulted the moves by the FCTA to forcibly displace the original owners of the concerned plots of land, also told newsmen that if truly the land belonged to the Federal Government, there are laid down procedures which they must follow before taking over such property which the people have occupied over a very long period of time.
His words: “The case was slated for motion, but originally would have proceeded for hearing like the Judge rightfully hinted. But there were some very sensitive issues why the FCTA raised, because we are standing on the ground that there were no revocations of the property owned by the plaintiffs, which are the land owners. But suddenly, they discovered outright development by unknown persons, who must be agents of the FCDA.
“That is why we are saying that they cannot come into a land and start altering it. If truly the land belongs to the Federal Government and they want to take over them, there are laid down procedures that must be followed, before they can take over the land. Not just coming into the land by virtue of their being an authority. We are saying ‘no’ to it. That is why we are in court for a declaration to prevent them from what could be described as injustice.
“The plaintiffs regularised their papers as at when due. They have evidences to show that the regularisations were done at the appropriate time they were asked to do it. Documents were offered to them as proof to the fact that the necessary things were done and all the evidences are genuine.”
According to findings, other communities which are still under the demolition list from the Bala Mohammed-led administration are Idu-Karmo, Dape, Tasha, Gwagwa, Saburi, Zauda, Jahi, Gishiri, Mabushi, Kuchigoro, Chika, Aleita, Piwoyi, Lugbe, Pyakassa, Tudun Wada, Dei-Dei and Guzap.
President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed that his administration has fashioned a 30-year national infrastructure integrated master plan that would cost $3trillion to provide infrastructure in the major sectors of the economy.
Speaking in Abuja while performing the groundbreaking ceremony of Land Swap Districts, President Jonathan said the master plan would run between 2013 and 2043.
He said the 30-year master plan which has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), would cover the entire major infrastructure such as energy, transportation and security, among others.
The President, who was represented at the event by Vice-President Namadi Sambo said the development of the 30-year infrastructure plan was in line with his administration’s transformation agenda in meeting with infrastructural gap in the country.
His words: “In line with the transformation agenda of our administration and in realising the inadequacies of an infrastructure plan, I directed a 30-year national integrated plan be put together by stakeholders.
This plan has been presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and has been duly approved
“The national integrated master plan will require a total investment of $3 trillion over a period of 30 years from 2013 to 2043
The sectors for investment include energy about $1 billion, transportation $775 billion, agriculture, water and mining $400 billion, housing and regional development $350 billion, and ICT $325 million, social infrastructures $150 billion and vital registration and security $50 billion”
President Jonathan said the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would require about N2.6 trillion in the next four years which he noted would be targeted at providing infrastructure in the territory.
“In this integrated infrastructure master plan, the FCT will require about N2.6 trillion in the next four years representing 65 per cent. It would be targeted at providing infrastructure in the territory” he said
He remarked that the land swap project by the FCT Administration was a further testimony to the impact of his administration’s commitment in transforming governance, especially in attracting private sector investment in public infrastructure.
Speaking earlier at the event, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed said 15 investors in the Land Swap project would spend N64 billion in the funding of infrastructure and housing for the original inhabitants of Abuja affected by the project.
He said a total of $6 billion investment is expected to be injected to the project by investors; noting that N4 billion has so far been expended by investors to produce the necessary critical documentation for the districts
At their workshop where everyone has a physical disability, they fashion out almost anything you can find around the house, from beds to doors and gates to containers. These Kaduna technicians are determined to thrive despite their challenges. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports
very one of them lives with at least a physical disability. Most cannot stand. A few are deaf. But their minds are razor-sharp and their sight far. They are the super fabricators of Kaduna. Hating the very notion of holding out a begging bowl before passersby, they learned a trade and have not regretted the decision. They have been fending for not just themselves but also their families. They even make things for other people living with disability.
For 13 years, this group of physically challenged people led by Mustapha Abubakar has distanced themselves from begging, deciding to engage in fabrication of households items.
Has it paid off? Yes, it has fetched them what they described as “legitimate income”.
It started with a federal government-sponsored training, after which, they decided to stay together under one firm. Their metal fabrication workshop, Physically Handicapped Welding Multipurpose Cooperative Society, resulted from that team work.
They are 15 in number. Their workshop is located in Kinkinau, a serene part of the Kaduna metropolis. There, they produce iron doors, windows and stoves, which they neatly display for buyers.
One interesting thing about this group of welders is that they are all physically challenged. Even their leader Abubakar has a disability.
Apart from making money and saving themselves the indignity and other horrors of begging, they also produce wheelchairs for other disabled people at a highly subsidised rate. They also fabricate motorcycle parts. ý
When The Nation visited their workshop, the super technicians did not want to be distracted from their work, but they managed to speak with the reporter while still concentrating on the job.
They said they took up the business because they wanted to be independent. They expressed the belief that if youths toed the same line, ýby working, the country would have found a way out of its unemployment challenges and also grow the economy.
The Nation discovered that their products can compete favourably with any made by their able-bodied counterparts anywhere.
One of the leaders of the group, Mustapha Abubakar,ý said, “We have been working here for the past 13 years. We were trained under the government skill acquisition programme and we expected that the government would cater for us and empower us. But, when we discovered that the support was not forthcoming we were forced to come together to form this cooperative. We formed a cooperative called Physically Handicapped Welding Multipurpose Cooperative Society. We are into welding work. We weld gates, burglary-proof, doors and beds. We construct wheelchairs, customised machines for the disabled; it is God’s gift and talent. We construct them ourselves. We are talented but the only thing we need is assistance from government to make our dreams come true. Individuals patronise us; they give us all sorts of works to try our talents and by the grace of God we don’t fail or disappoint them. In fact, our work is less expensive compared to other places they patronise. Take, for instance, construction of burglary-proof; they make it within the range of N8,000 to N10,000 but we do it for as less as N5,000 or N4,500. If people will patronise our works, street begging will certainly become a thing of the past.”
When asked how they feed their family with what seems to be meagre income, Abubakar said, “Sometimes, we go home smiling because we record high sales and some days, we go home empty-handed because of lack of sales. But we are thanking God for everything. Abubakar is a proud husband and father and is not ashamed to display his family.
He said, “I have a wife and four children. They attend both Western education and Islamic school. My first-born is nine years, while the second is 6 years old.ý”
Another fabricator, Suleiman Sani, popularly known as Container among his colleague, said, “We are working here and trying to make ends meet.
He told The Nation: “All the works displayed here are our handwork. If you were not here while I’m doing this work, you might doubt if I actually did the construction. There is no work you bring here that we cannot do.ý”
Sani who claimed to have been in the business for six years, said he attended a welding school located in the Kakuri area of Kaduna metropolis for three years and since graduating, has been in the business.
“Having worked here for six years, I can say I have become an expert and anytime soon, I will go and open my own shop.”
The 26-year-old cripple said, “It takes me four days to construct a container,” adding, “This is simply because we encounter the problem of power outage. If not I can complete the work in less than three days. And it costs between N90,000 to N100,000.”
Like others in the business, these physically challenged persons face several challenges. According to Sani, one of these challenges is the lack of capital which has often left them at the mercy of their customers.
He explained that since they lack adequate capital, they simply work with their customers’ demand.
“When they come with their demands we go ahead and do the work for them,” he said. “But if we have capital we can go ahead to construct the products and showcase them. Whoever wants to buy will pay and we will give it to them. You know, there is no work without its own challenges. We face the challenge of power outage. Again, people feel if they give us job we will disappoint them. The wealthy men feel we can’t do the job. They prefer to go abroad to buy the things they use. Some of them feel if they give us the job we will not do it effectively. They go to the extent of testing us. Some of them stigmatise us; once they see us they give us alms. We are disabled but not beggars. We want people who will assist us with capital to set up business not one who will give us alms. We want something to keep us going, to sustain us and we depend on solely as source of income.ý”
The 26 years old Sani is ýhoping to get married soon but wants to establish his own business before setting up a family. His pride however is his state of independence. According to him, “I’m fulfilled with the work I am doing at the moment. I don’t depend on anybody and I also don’t wait for anybody to do anything for me before I do my things.”
They need working aids and patronage from government. This will go a long way in attracting others like them into such trades and discourage street begging. ýGovernment programmes such as SURE-P should cater for and focus more on persons with disabilities who have their own trade.
odupe Ozolua and her organisation, the Body Enhancement Foundation, have been active in the camps of internally displaced persons. They have provided funds and jobs tools for displaced women in Gombe State to help them pick up their lives again after Boko Haram insurgents forced them from their homes.
Now Ozolua’s team has turned to children in IDP camps in Adamawa State. The 501 children, as the team found out in one camp, have had no access to education since they fled from Boko Haram, so the foundation provided funds and learning materials in addition to paying teachers.
The children whose ages range from one to 14 will be taught at the Lamido Lawal Model Primary School, Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Upon visiting the camp, the team discovered the children were not having any form of education like their counterparts in some camps which have temporary schools for the children.
At that point, the foundation immediately provided funds for school uniforms, shoes, books, writing materials, boards, chalk, rulers and hired teachers among the displaced Nigerians at the camp to start teaching the camp children. The foundation has also taken up the responsibility of paying the teachers monthly salaries. All the children between nursery and Primary 6 ages at the camp are beneficiaries of the Foundation’s benevolence.
On February 25 items donated by the foundation were presented to the students at the camp, was the wife of Adamawa State governor, Mrs Hasana Ngilari who also helped distribute the school materials to the children.
Modupe Ozolua thanked the governor, his wife the first lady, officials of Adamawa State SEMA and all other relief organisations that have worked tirelessly towards providing different forms of assistance to displaced Nigerians all over the country.
In addition, she informed the displaced families that they should be hopeful because God has not forgotten nor forsaken them. She also told the children that their destinies are not tied to a refugee camp, so they should not feel they can’t be as great as they wish to be.
Ozolua stated the Body Enhancement Foundation’s sponsored school programme is part of the organisation’s rehabilitation plan for the internally displaced Nigerians, which will impact all camps in Nigeria.
Many have criticised the introduction of entertainment and event fee by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) but the authorities of the administration have explained that the new charges would fetch between N10b and N15b in internally-generated revenue yearly.
According to the FCTA Director of Economic Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Isa Ari, who addressed reporters on the the introduction of the fee, the revenue generated through entertainment fee would be used to improve three critical social services to the FCT residents.
“This is a task that we want to realize. We are targeting between N10 and N15 billion in the first year and this will grow by 25 per cent in the next five years. So, it is one of the major sources of internally-generated revenue for the FCT. It is a huge task because anything luxury you want to have you are going to pay five per cent of it,” he said.
He maintained that the fee would only be levied on luxury goods as a way of taking from the rich to benefit the poor members of the city, noting that users of services such as DSTV, internet services and liquor would pay five per cent of the total cost of services they enjoy to government coffers.
Mr. Ari hinted that the FCT Administration plans to spend the generated revenue to improve health, education and public transportation system in the nation’s capital.
His words: “Basically, entertainment fee is there to increase the revenue of the FCT Administration. This is a revenue you find everywhere in the world; most cities of the world. And beautiful cities of the world have acknowledged the fact that this type of fee is important to keep the city moving.
“And then we are really targeting specific areas such as education, health and public transportation to support. We felt that these are critical areas that the FCT needs support at the moment.
“It is not essentially to stifle residents of the city. We are only saying less than eight per cent of city population controls 80 per cent of the resources and if there is no fee to share, how will those 92 per cent remaining in the city get the benefit? It is only fair that everybody should be encouraged to support entertainment fee in the FCT.
“Before we began, we visited most cities of the world; we have researched so many cities of the world. In the US, Washington which is equivalent of Abuja, has it, if you go to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, they do the same. If you go to London, you have it. Each city of the world has its own way of collecting this levy. If you come back to Nigeria, Lagos State is collecting its fees even with all issues going to Supreme Court.”
On whether the tax is backed by law, Mr. Ari quoted Section 11 Entertainment Act Cap. 498 Laws of the FCT Nigeria 207, Section 4 FCT Act Cap. F6 Laws of the Federation, 2004″ as the enabling law behind the five per cent entertainment fee.
He added that the FCT Administration was only waiting for the presidential accent to the FCT Board of Inland Revenue Bill which has been passed by the National Assembly.
“I remember our gazette is available. If you turn to Section 11 Entertainment Act Cap. 498 Laws of the FCT Nigeria 207, Section 4 FCT Act Cap. F6 laws of the Federation, 2004. If you look at the statutes of the FCT as if it is a state which is privileged by Section 299 of the Constitution, we are very capable of collecting this tax. Because of the enabling law, I appreciate the fact that some others have failed, like park and pay. Just of recent, the National Assembly, the Board of Inland Revenue Bill and its waiting accent, “ he said.
