The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Politicians warned against abusive messages

    As the general elections approach, a political group under the auspices of The Republican Mind (TRM), has expressed worry over what it described as hate messages deployed by political actors on campaign grounds.

    The group advised politicians to stop the use of abusive, divisive and indecorous words.

    It pleaded with politicians to use their party manifestos as the major tool for campaigning.

    The National Chairman of TRM, Alhaji Shittu Mohammed, who briefed reporters on the state of the nation, urged voters to reject any political party or candidate that fails to undertake policy-driven campaigns.

    His words: “We are worried by the intensity of the dissemination of intemperate or hate messages by political actors and their sympathisers as well as the violence being unleashed on political opponents and their properties. This is in spite of the accord signed by the presidential candidates and gubernatorial standard bearers in the states.

    “Perhaps, we need to remind ourselves of the serious damage that dissemination of hate messages had done to our fragile country with the journey towards democracy truncated many times while we also had to fight a costly and avoidable civil war. We have experienced several religious crises and inter-communal conflicts with attendant loss of lives and properties. It is therefore unfortunate that some political gladiators have chosen not to check the excesses of their followers.

    “We therefore call on all those involved to stop forthwith the use of abusive, divisive and indecorous words in campaigning for votes in the forthcoming general elections. They should, instead, use their party manifestos as the major tool for campaigning. They should mass produce and circulate their manifestos to the public to have an issue-based campaign as practiced in other civilised democracies. Indeed, we urge voters to reject any political party or candidate that fails to undertake policy-driven campaign.

    “We are impressed with the increasing rate at which millions of eligible Nigerians, who would have hitherto be disenfranchised, now collect their permanent voter cards (PVCs). It clearly demonstrates the determination by the public to exercise their civic duties in the forthcoming elections and the increasing political awareness by the people.

    “We appeal, however, to all eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so immediately. INEC, political parties, the civil society groups, traditional rulers, community and opinion leaders as well as the media should continue to educate Nigerians on the overall benefits of active participation in the electoral process.

    “We hope that the move would check the consistent reduction in voters turn out in successive elections in the country. For example, 79.52 per cent voted in 1999; 99.32 per cent participated in 2003 and only 28.60 per cent in 2011 legislative election. An independent study commissioned by INEC revealed that only 35 per cent of registered voters took part in the 2011 general elections. This trend must stop in order to entrench democracy in Nigeria. Civic education must be encouraged to deepen citizens’ understanding of democratic governance.”

  • Hope for VVF patients

    Hope for VVF patients

    Despite vesico vagina fistula (VVF) repair facilities in some hospitals, the problem persists. But, thanks to funds from USAID, a non-governmental organisation, Fistula Care Plus (FC+) is rehabilitating patients in Bauchi State. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports

    non-governmental organisation (NGO), Fistula Care Plus (FC+), is providing succour for vesico vaginal fistula (VVF) patients, whose conditions persist even with remedial facilities at hospitals. FC+, funded by USAID, is helping to treat and rehabilitate them with what has been described as better equipment.

    During a two-day interaction with journalists in Bauchi State, Country Programme Manager of FC+, Dr Habib Saduaki, said the organisation had been supporting the effort by performing surgical procedures and repairs on patients across the country since 2007. Some 10,284, he said, have benefitted from the intervention. The participants were also taken to the Ningi Fistula Hospital, Bauchi.

    According to Dr Saduaki such an approach will strengthen the local capacity available to women to improve their health and social environment through the implementation of coordinated model programmes.  And that is what this project- Fistula Care Plus (FC+), has done by, “addressing the social and economic status of the community as a whole with focus on girl-child education, adult literacy and income generating skills development for women of childbearing age.   Also appropriate, affordable and accessible health services provision at the grassroots level, interventions that has integrate the socio-economic aspects of women‘s health, with the groundwork for total involvement and community participation to address the integrated relationship that exists between the health of women and their social environment have been embarked on. This approach will soon, highlight the contribution that women make to the quality of life within the community.”

    Dr Saduaki said VVF and RVF (Recto-Vagina Fistula) are holes resulting from the breakdown in the tissue between the vaginal wall and the bladder or rectum caused by unrelieved obstructed labour.  “The consequences of such damage are urinary or faecal incontinence and related conditions such as dermatitis and erosion of the skin and other tissues in the vulva and vagina from the constant leaking of urine or faeces.  In extreme cases the urethra, bladder and vaginal wall can be completely eroded.   If nerves to the lower limbs are damaged, women can develop foot-drop, a loss of co-ordination with one or both of the lower limbs.”

    He said, “In addition to these physical problems, VVF and RVF cause acute social problems.  Due to constant leaking of urine or faeces and the accompanying smell, most communities consider these women outcasts and cut them off from all social activities.  Commuting in public transport and engaging in social activities such as naming ceremonies becomes difficult.  If the fistulae are not repaired, their husbands may divorce the women.  Some leave their families to roam in the cities where they are not known as the outlook for them remain bleak in the community.”

    His Deputy, Dr Adamu Isah added that USAID funded Fistula Care Plus (FC+), in addition to supporting 19 prevention-focused facilities, works with ten hospitals and Fistula Centres in the prevention, repair and training of health professionals on fistula case management.

    Dr Isah said, “The centres supported by Fistula Care Plus include the three National Fistula Centres in the country and some state government owned facilities like the Birnin Kebbi Specialist Fistula Centre, Kebbi State, Faridat Yakubu General Hospital, Zamfara State, Laure Fistula Centre at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano State, Maryam Abacha Women and Children’s Hospital (MAWCH), Sokoto State, Ogoja General Hospital, Cross River State, Sobi Specialist Hospital, Kwara State, University College Hospital Ibadan, Oyo State among others.

    “One way the project supports the centre is through the facilitation of what is called “pool effort” during which fistula surgeons are brought from some selected fistula centers to work in a team at a designated fistula centre for the mass repair of women with fistula. This is to increase within a period of one or two weeks the number of women with fistula repaired. We call it ‘pool effort”.

    During the ‘pool effort’, Fistula Care Plus provides consumables, allowances and other theatre materials needed for the surgeries amongst others.”

    Medical Officer in-Charge, Ningi Fistula Hospital, Bauchi, Dr Adamu Mohammed said Fistula Care Plus (FC+) has really helped out a great deal in the repair of the clients because, “I have been working with women with fistula in the last three years at the hospital. The conditions under which these women live are unacceptable. It is gladdening that they can obtain back there gynecological track.

    “Usually, if we repair the fistula, we are repairing and at the same time restoring three functions at a go. One, we are closing the fistula itself; we restore the normal anatomy, i.e, restoring the sexual functions of the vagina, also restoring the normal anatomy, which the restoration of a normal reproductive cycle of the woman, so the woman can bear a child again.

    “After the repair is done, we normally tell them that if they take in, she should prepare her mind for selective Caesarean Section. This is because if she delivers through the repaired vagina, the fistula will break down and she will be compelled to come back for fistula repair all over again.”

    Dr Mohammed said the challenges facing his hospital in the management of VVF and RVF is that, “the seemingly rotational circle, whereby, as we are repairing some cases, new cases are coming in. So we need a holistic approach to prevent these cases. Technical constraint such as stable electricity is another obstacle.  Other challenges include training and re-training of personnel, modern instrument, consumables, drugs and payment for accommodation. And that is where the support of USAID funded Fistula Care Plus (FC+) is invaluable. After the CS is even done, the antenatal care should be addressed as well.

    “Due to logistics, we always pull, that is, schedule the clients together and carry out the repairs in the same period. We cannot, at the moment, be doing repairs on routine basis. Every three months, we organise a number of clients to come and be operated upon. This is the 11th edition since we started in 2011. We take in about 50 cases in for repair every three month.”

    The Medical Officer in-Charge said fistula leaves its sufferers in a terrible condition. “If you go and see these patients, you will be demoralised because some of these patients have been divorced by their husbands; they have been abandoned by their relatives and friends, because of the odour associated with it. “This is because once you come in to this place, it will be smelling and everybody will want to walk away. That is why Fistula Care Plus is taking responsibility for the repairs of these patients free of charge in the country through the collaboration of the Federal Government. This is appreciated here,” Dr Muhammed said.

    Dr Saduaki, Country Project Manager of Fistula Care Plus said the project will support the hospitals for another five years. According to him, attention will be directed more at preventing new occurrences because, “we need to close the tap while treating the backlog to halt the growing figures of fistula in the country,” he stated.

    A former Commissioner of Health in Zamfara State and certified Doctors trainer on fistula repairs, Dr Sa’ad Idris said the ‘good thing’ about fistula is that 80-95 percent of fistula can be closed surgically.  Leading a team of doctors at the ‘pool effort’, at the NIngi Fistula Centre when reporters visited the centre as part of the media workshop, he said fistula repairs can be challenging too.

    “This woman here has a combined RVF and VVF (rectum vaginal fistula and vesico vagina fistular) which are abnormal connections between the vagina and the rectum or between the vagina and the bladder. She had had a baby that was supposed to come out through this place (the vagina wall), then it got stocked and this is a bone; so the whole area got dead and opened. This one (pointing at the lower wall of the rectum) got dead again and opened because there is a bone here. So the baby got stocked for a long time, maybe after sometime the head collapsed because the baby died. The baby eventually came out but the damage had already been done,” he said.

     

  • Agony of fuel drought

    Agony of fuel drought

    his time, not even the ever reliable young black marketers could save the residents. Fuel dried up at the pumps, leaving motorists, commuters and even the enterprising fuel boys to gnash their teeth.

    Transport fares rose by 50 per cent and in some cases 100 per cent because the few black marketers who had the products were selling between N200 and N300 per liter and most drivers who had no other option were patronising them, leaving commuters to pay high transport fares.

    Residents who needed to get to their destinations had to grudgingly pay while others spent time quarrelling and arguing with drivers and their mates.

    At the Second Gate in Kubwa, for instance, residents were stranded for long periods of time because there were no cars.

    A private motorist who pulled up at a point called for passengers going to Nicon Junction and Banex. He charged N150 instead of the usual fare of N100. As he informed them of the fare, passengers protested but they only got the driver’s tongue-lashing for their remonstrations.

    “Wetin you dey complain for?” a tout yelled. “You no dey see the kind of line wey dey your front for fuel, even small pikin way dem born today know say scarcity of fuel dey and no go dey argue price with driver.”

    A taxi driver Elvis, who plies the Banex Junction-Apo Bridge stretch, explained that drivers were not to blamed for the hike in price.

    He said: “My sister, you will not believe it, but I left home as early as 4:00 a.m. to queue for fuel and only bought it now, which is 2:00 p.m. I paid more than the usual price. So, you cannot expect me, after spending half of the day away from my business, not to recover my money and lost time.”

    Aisha, an expectant mother, and also carrying a baby, ran to one vehicle that pulled up to board it but was pushed aside by other more desperate passengers.

    She said she had been at the bus stop for close to two hours trying to board a vehicle to Wuse Market. It was not as if vehicles going to Wuse were scarce, but she had been stranded for that long because as the cars came, the crowd did not allow her to board, even as some passengers behaved as if they would yank off the doors of the vehicle.

    “The struggle is too much, everyone is tired and in a hurry to get to their destinations. I can assure you that the men are not in any way gentlemen; women had to equally struggle. You will not believe it that a woman was almost knocked down by an oncoming vehicle because she was struggling to board a car on the other side of the road.

    “No one even bothered to stop and sympathise with her after her near brush with death. They just pushed her aside as she was yelling to the driver of the other car. I have to be careful in my condition and no one is ready to sacrifice their space for me in this situation and I won’t even dream of asking. Since the scarcity began, I have to continue to struggle till I get to my destination,” she said.

    The fuel scarcity hit Abuja hard. The city that was always busy with exotic and regular cars plying the roads in their numbers actually became a ghost of itself during the period of scarcity; less than half the number of cars were seen on the road while the rest were parked at different filling stations or trying to purchase from black marketers.

    At the NNPC Filling Station along the Kubwa Expressway, vehicles could be seen lining up on all the lanes for a long distance. A private car owner Chris Okon, who spoke with our correspondent, was very upset about the people he referred to as a nuisance.

    “There is nothing more annoying than having to join the line patiently and waiting for your turn that might never come because no one knows if they have sufficient fuel, then these people that think that they are smarter and in more of a hurry than the rest of us, pushing themselves to the front of the line or to the other gate that we are meant to drive out from. Instead of the attendants at the filling station to tell them to go and join the line, they collect money from them and allow them to drive in as if us here are not human beings.

    “When we confront them, they denied it or promised not to do it again, but it is a lie because they continued to allow and encourage them which cause chaos,” he said.

    The scarcity affected the social lives and night life of the city. The fuel line began to swell up in Abuja on Thursday and by Sunday; areas inside the city of Abuja such as Wuse 2 and Maitama began to feel its negative impact. Since the few people that had access to fuel had to be careful to economise it since no one knew when it was going to end. Most people lessen the level of socialisation and stayed indoors, there are no much customers in some bars and clubs and those that tried to beat the odds and hang out felt the difference.

    Ifeanyi, a resident of Kubwa and ardent socialite who, according to him, usually hangs out, said the fun of hanging out in bars has greatly reduced because most people were either stuck at home or at the filling stations.

    “Honestly, I can’t wait for this scarcity to be over. I actually bought my fuel from black marketers even though it was more expensive.

    “Actually it is boring hanging out these days with the scarcity in place. I have visited most of my regular joints, both in town and Kubwa here, and I must honestly tell you that this fuel wahala is affecting the fun. So, I can’t wait for it to be over, so that my fun life can get back to normal,” he said.

    Mr. Isaac Ugochukwu, a civil servant said he stood at the bus stop for over three hours before he could get a taxi that charged what he described as reasonable fare compared to the normal transport fare before the fuel scarcity began.

    “I stood at Dutse Alhaji for over three hours waiting to get to Berger and any vehicle that comes will say Berger from Dutse First Gate is N200, which used to be N100. I could not enter the taxi cabs because I did not have enough money on me. Until one came announcing Berger N150, that was when I rushed inside.

    “This fuel scarcity is not funny at all. We are really suffering, mostly people like us that depend on our meager resources to take care of ourselves and families. The government should quickly do something about this situation. Is this how they want us to come out and vote for them, when they always fail to get things right?” he said.

    Another civil servant, Miss Anthonia Somadina said motorists charge N500 from Gwagwalada to town where she works, saying that things have become very challenging to her since the fuel scarcity.

    “I never thought it would get to this level that transport fares would increase by 100 per cent, because of the assurance from the Federal Government that things are improving. The truth is that there is nothing improving in this country. That is why we have been praying that God should help us in this country, because, Nigerians are suffering.

    “Where I am working, I do not receive up to N40, 000 which I depend on to take care of myself and my family. If this scarcity persists, only God can save us in this expensive city. It is

    his time, not even the ever reliable young black marketers could save the residents. Fuel dried up at the pumps, leaving motorists, commuters and even the enterprising fuel boys to gnash their teeth.

    Transport fares rose by 50 per cent and in some cases 100 per cent because the few black marketers who had the products were selling between N200 and N300 per liter and most drivers who had no other option were patronising them, leaving commuters to pay high transport fares.

    Residents who needed to get to their destinations had to grudgingly pay while others spent time quarrelling and arguing with drivers and their mates.

    At the Second Gate in Kubwa, for instance, residents were stranded for long periods of time because there were no cars.

    A private motorist who pulled up at a point called for passengers going to Nicon Junction and Banex. He charged N150 instead of the usual fare of N100. As he informed them of the fare, passengers protested but they only got the driver’s tongue-lashing for their remonstrations.

    “Wetin you dey complain for?” a tout yelled. “You no dey see the kind of line wey dey your front for fuel, even small pikin way dem born today know say scarcity of fuel dey and no go dey argue price with driver.”

    A taxi driver Elvis, who plies the Banex Junction-Apo Bridge stretch, explained that drivers were not to blamed for the hike in price.

    He said: “My sister, you will not believe it, but I left home as early as 4:00 a.m. to queue for fuel and only bought it now, which is 2:00 p.m. I paid more than the usual price. So, you cannot expect me, after spending half of the day away from my business, not to recover my money and lost time.”

    Aisha, an expectant mother, and also carrying a baby, ran to one vehicle that pulled up to board it but was pushed aside by other more desperate passengers.

    She said she had been at the bus stop for close to two hours trying to board a vehicle to Wuse Market. It was not as if vehicles going to Wuse were scarce, but she had been stranded for that long because as the cars came, the crowd did not allow her to board, even as some passengers behaved as if they would yank off the doors of the vehicle.

    “The struggle is too much, everyone is tired and in a hurry to get to their destinations. I can assure you that the men are not in any way gentlemen; women had to equally struggle. You will not believe it that a woman was almost knocked down by an oncoming vehicle because she was struggling to board a car on the other side of the road.

    “No one even bothered to stop and sympathise with her after her near brush with death. They just pushed her aside as she was yelling to the driver of the other car. I have to be careful in my condition and no one is ready to sacrifice their space for me in this situation and I won’t even dream of asking. Since the scarcity began, I have to continue to struggle till I get to my destination,” she said.

    The fuel scarcity hit Abuja hard. The city that was always busy with exotic and regular cars plying the roads in their numbers actually became a ghost of itself during the period of scarcity; less than half the number of cars were seen on the road while the rest were parked at different filling stations or trying to purchase from black marketers.

    At the NNPC Filling Station along the Kubwa Expressway, vehicles could be seen lining up on all the lanes for a long distance. A private car owner Chris Okon, who spoke with our correspondent, was very upset about the people he referred to as a nuisance.

    “There is nothing more annoying than having to join the line patiently and waiting for your turn that might never come because no one knows if they have sufficient fuel, then these people that think that they are smarter and in more of a hurry than the rest of us, pushing themselves to the front of the line or to the other gate that we are meant to drive out from. Instead of the attendants at the filling station to tell them to go and join the line, they collect money from them and allow them to drive in as if us here are not human beings.

    “When we confront them, they denied it or promised not to do it again, but it is a lie because they continued to allow and encourage them which cause chaos,” he said.

    The scarcity affected the social lives and night life of the city. The fuel line began to swell up in Abuja on Thursday and by Sunday; areas inside the city of Abuja such as Wuse 2 and Maitama began to feel its negative impact. Since the few people that had access to fuel had to be careful to economise it since no one knew when it was going to end. Most people lessen the level of socialisation and stayed indoors, there are no much customers in some bars and clubs and those that tried to beat the odds and hang out felt the difference.

    Ifeanyi, a resident of Kubwa and ardent socialite who, according to him, usually hangs out, said the fun of hanging out in bars has greatly reduced because most people were either stuck at home or at the filling stations.

    “Honestly, I can’t wait for this scarcity to be over. I actually bought my fuel from black marketers even though it was more expensive.

    “Actually it is boring hanging out these days with the scarcity in place. I have visited most of my regular joints, both in town and Kubwa here, and I must honestly tell you that this fuel wahala is affecting the fun. So, I can’t wait for it to be over, so that my fun life can get back to normal,” he said.

    Mr. Isaac Ugochukwu, a civil servant said he stood at the bus stop for over three hours before he could get a taxi that charged what he described as reasonable fare compared to the normal transport fare before the fuel scarcity began.

    “I stood at Dutse Alhaji for over three hours waiting to get to Berger and any vehicle that comes will say Berger from Dutse First Gate is N200, which used to be N100. I could not enter the taxi cabs because I did not have enough money on me. Until one came announcing Berger N150, that was when I rushed inside.

    “This fuel scarcity is not funny at all. We are really suffering, mostly people like us that depend on our meager resources to take care of ourselves and families. The government should quickly do something about this situation. Is this how they want us to come out and vote for them, when they always fail to get things right?” he said.

    Another civil servant, Miss Anthonia Somadina said motorists charge N500 from Gwagwalada to town where she works, saying that things have become very challenging to her since the fuel scarcity.

    “I never thought it would get to this level that transport fares would increase by 100 per cent, because of the assurance from the Federal Government that things are improving. The truth is that there is nothing improving in this country. That is why we have been praying that God should help us in this country, because, Nigerians are suffering.

    “Where I am working, I do not receive up to N40, 000 which I depend on to take care of myself and my family. If this scarcity persists, only God can save us in this expensive city. It is not easy at all. The government should do something about this problem we are experiencing in Nigeria,” she said.

    A resident said he left his house at 6:00 a.m. to queue for fuel, but has not been able to get the product at 2pm, saying that the present development is beyond the expectation of Nigerians.

    “The question most of us are asking is must we continue to suffer this kind of hardship in Nigeria. We have a government, but it is as if this country is without a government. Nigerians are suffering, there is the need for government to find permanent solution to this incessant strike in the petroleum sector,” he said.

    Another motorist, Aliyu Husein at Total Filling Station at Central Area, explained that for him to be able to buy fuel, he had to sleep at the fuel station, saying that he was able to get fuel at 11:00 a.m. the following day.

    Our correspondent gathered that 10 litres of fuel in the black market goes for between N3, 000 and N2, 500 which is N250 and N300 per litre, while 20 litres cost N5, 000 causing transport fares to increase on different routes in the FCT. From Federal Secretariat to Mabushi on drop for instance, which used to be N350, is now N500.

    Also, from Bwari to town which used to cost N200 was increased to N250 and from Area 1 to Bwari which used to be N250, was increased to N300.

    Miss Favour Chukwuma, a resident of the FCT said: “I wonder what is wrong with our Petroleum Ministry. The workers will just decide to subject Nigerians to suffering without considering anything. Imagine the kind of suffering Nigerians are going through currently and nobody is telling anybody the reason for the scarcity.”

    his time, not even the ever reliable young black marketers could save the residents. Fuel dried up at the pumps, leaving motorists, commuters and even the enterprising fuel boys to gnash their teeth.

    Transport fares rose by 50 per cent and in some cases 100 per cent because the few black marketers who had the products were selling between N200 and N300 per liter and most drivers who had no other option were patronising them, leaving commuters to pay high transport fares.

    Residents who needed to get to their destinations had to grudgingly pay while others spent time quarrelling and arguing with drivers and their mates.

    At the Second Gate in Kubwa, for instance, residents were stranded for long periods of time because there were no cars.

    A private motorist who pulled up at a point called for passengers going to Nicon Junction and Banex. He charged N150 instead of the usual fare of N100. As he informed them of the fare, passengers protested but they only got the driver’s tongue-lashing for their remonstrations.

    “Wetin you dey complain for?” a tout yelled. “You no dey see the kind of line wey dey your front for fuel, even small pikin way dem born today know say scarcity of fuel dey and no go dey argue price with driver.”

    A taxi driver Elvis, who plies the Banex Junction-Apo Bridge stretch, explained that drivers were not to blamed for the hike in price.

    He said: “My sister, you will not believe it, but I left home as early as 4:00 a.m. to queue for fuel and only bought it now, which is 2:00 p.m. I paid more than the usual price. So, you cannot expect me, after spending half of the day away from my business, not to recover my money and lost time.”

    Aisha, an expectant mother, and also carrying a baby, ran to one vehicle that pulled up to board it but was pushed aside by other more desperate passengers.

    She said she had been at the bus stop for close to two hours trying to board a vehicle to Wuse Market. It was not as if vehicles going to Wuse were scarce, but she had been stranded for that long because as the cars came, the crowd did not allow her to board, even as some passengers behaved as if they would yank off the doors of the vehicle.

    “The struggle is too much, everyone is tired and in a hurry to get to their destinations. I can assure you that the men are not in any way gentlemen; women had to equally struggle. You will not believe it that a woman was almost knocked down by an oncoming vehicle because she was struggling to board a car on the other side of the road.

    “No one even bothered to stop and sympathise with her after her near brush with death. They just pushed her aside as she was yelling to the driver of the other car. I have to be careful in my condition and no one is ready to sacrifice their space for me in this situation and I won’t even dream of asking. Since the scarcity began, I have to continue to struggle till I get to my destination,” she said.

    The fuel scarcity hit Abuja hard. The city that was always busy with exotic and regular cars plying the roads in their numbers actually became a ghost of itself during the period of scarcity; less than half the number of cars were seen on the road while the rest were parked at different filling stations or trying to purchase from black marketers.

    At the NNPC Filling Station along the Kubwa Expressway, vehicles could be seen lining up on all the lanes for a long distance. A private car owner Chris Okon, who spoke with our correspondent, was very upset about the people he referred to as a nuisance.

    “There is nothing more annoying than having to join the line patiently and waiting for your turn that might never come because no one knows if they have sufficient fuel, then these people that think that they are smarter and in more of a hurry than the rest of us, pushing themselves to the front of the line or to the other gate that we are meant to drive out from. Instead of the attendants at the filling station to tell them to go and join the line, they collect money from them and allow them to drive in as if us here are not human beings.

    “When we confront them, they denied it or promised not to do it again, but it is a lie because they continued to allow and encourage them which cause chaos,” he said.

    The scarcity affected the social lives and night life of the city. The fuel line began to swell up in Abuja on Thursday and by Sunday; areas inside the city of Abuja such as Wuse 2 and Maitama began to feel its negative impact. Since the few people that had access to fuel had to be careful to economise it since no one knew when it was going to end. Most people lessen the level of socialisation and stayed indoors, there are no much customers in some bars and clubs and those that tried to beat the odds and hang out felt the difference.

    Ifeanyi, a resident of Kubwa and ardent socialite who, according to him, usually hangs out, said the fun of hanging out in bars has greatly reduced because most people were either stuck at home or at the filling stations.

    “Honestly, I can’t wait for this scarcity to be over. I actually bought my fuel from black marketers even though it was more expensive.

    “Actually it is boring hanging out these days with the scarcity in place. I have visited most of my regular joints, both in town and Kubwa here, and I must honestly tell you that this fuel wahala is affecting the fun. So, I can’t wait for it to be over, so that my fun life can get back to normal,” he said.

    Mr. Isaac Ugochukwu, a civil servant said he stood at the bus stop for over three hours before he could get a taxi that charged what he described as reasonable fare compared to the normal transport fare before the fuel scarcity began.

    “I stood at Dutse Alhaji for over three hours waiting to get to Berger and any vehicle that comes will say Berger from Dutse First Gate is N200, which used to be N100. I could not enter the taxi cabs because I did not have enough money on me. Until one came announcing Berger N150, that was when I rushed inside.

    “This fuel scarcity is not funny at all. We are really suffering, mostly people like us that depend on our meager resources to take care of ourselves and families. The government should quickly do something about this situation. Is this how they want us to come out and vote for them, when they always fail to get things right?” he said.

    Another civil servant, Miss Anthonia Somadina said motorists charge N500 from Gwagwalada to town where she works, saying that things have become very challenging to her since the fuel scarcity.

    “I never thought it would get to this level that transport fares would increase by 100 per cent, because of the assurance from the Federal Government that things are improving. The truth is that there is nothing improving in this country. That is why we have been praying that God should help us in this country, because, Nigerians are suffering.

    “Where I am working, I do not receive up to N40, 000 which I depend on to take care of myself and my family. If this scarcity persists, only God can save us in this expensive city. It is not easy at all. The government should do something about this problem we are experiencing in Nigeria,” she said.

    A resident said he left his house at 6:00 a.m. to queue for fuel, but has not been able to get the product at 2pm, saying that the present development is beyond the expectation of Nigerians.

    “The question most of us are asking is must we continue to suffer this kind of hardship in Nigeria. We have a government, but it is as if this country is without a government. Nigerians are suffering, there is the need for government to find permanent solution to this incessant strike in the petroleum sector,” he said.

    Another motorist, Aliyu Husein at Total Filling Station at Central Area, explained that for him to be able to buy fuel, he had to sleep at the fuel station, saying that he was able to get fuel at 11:00 a.m. the following day.

    Our correspondent gathered that 10 litres of fuel in the black market goes for between N3, 000 and N2, 500 which is N250 and N300 per litre, while 20 litres cost N5, 000 causing transport fares to increase on different routes in the FCT. From Federal Secretariat to Mabushi on drop for instance, which used to be N350, is now N500.

    Also, from Bwari to town which used to cost N200 was increased to N250 and from Area 1 to Bwari which used to be N250, was increased to N300.

    Miss Favour Chukwuma, a resident of the FCT said: “I wonder what is wrong with our Petroleum Ministry. The workers will just decide to subject Nigerians to suffering without considering anything. Imagine the kind of suffering Nigerians are going through currently and nobody is telling anybody the reason for the scarcity.”

    not easy at all. The government should do something about this problem we are experiencing in Nigeria,” she said.

    A resident said he left his house at 6:00 a.m. to queue for fuel, but has not been able to get the product at 2pm, saying that the present development is beyond the expectation of Nigerians.

    “The question most of us are asking is must we continue to suffer this kind of hardship in Nigeria. We have a government, but it is as if this country is without a government. Nigerians are suffering, there is the need for government to find permanent solution to this incessant strike in the petroleum sector,” he said.

    Another motorist, Aliyu Husein at Total Filling Station at Central Area, explained that for him to be able to buy fuel, he had to sleep at the fuel station, saying that he was able to get fuel at 11:00 a.m. the following day.

    Our correspondent gathered that 10 litres of fuel in the black market goes for between N3, 000 and N2, 500 which is N250 and N300 per litre, while 20 litres cost N5, 000 causing transport fares to increase on different routes in the FCT. From Federal Secretariat to Mabushi on drop for instance, which used to be N350, is now N500.

    Also, from Bwari to town which used to cost N200 was increased to N250 and from Area 1 to Bwari which used to be N250, was increased to N300.

    Miss Favour Chukwuma, a resident of the FCT said: “I wonder what is wrong with our Petroleum Ministry. The workers will just decide to subject Nigerians to suffering without considering anything. Imagine the kind of suffering Nigerians are going through currently and nobody is telling anybody the reason for the scarcity.”

  • Enter a new Chief of Staff

    There is a huge difference between the new Chief of Staff (COS) to the President, Brig.-Gen Jones Arogbofa (rtd) and his immediate predecessor, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe on their relationship with staff in the State House.

    Oghiadomhe from Edo State, a former Deputy Governor of the state and elevated to the position of COS when President Goodluck Jonathan assumed office in 2010, was said to have resigned from the position on February 10, last year while Arogbofa from Ondo State, who has a military background, replaced him eight days after.

    The Chief of Staff is the administrative head of the State House and has great powers and influence in the Presidency.

    Oghiadomhe, during his tenure, constantly built a wall of about six security aides round himself whenever he appears in public in the State House.

    While two stern-looking security aides will normally stay ahead of him, there were always two aides walking beside him while about two aides will trail behind him.

    Either moving from his office to the President’s office or any office in the Villa, the security aides surrounded him as if the seat of power was not safe or was under threat of imminent invasion.

    When on the move, Oghiadomhe’s aides clear the corridors before their principal gets to any particular point and sometimes shoved aside anybody on the corridor that may not directly be on their principal’s path.

    Oghiadomhe’s phones were mostly permanently on his ears when walking on the corridors and many staff then thought that he was doing that because he did not want to acknowledge their greetings.

    Even when the phones were not raised to his ears, he hardly responded to greetings from journalists when walking by the corridor to the council chamber.

    His gaze was always fixed ahead of him with each step taken with the aura of power and authority that go with his office.

    Some members of staff then that see Oghiadomhe from far coming in opposite direction most likely will make a detour to hide in any nearby office to allow him pass before proceeding to their destinations.

    But since Arogbofa took over as the COS, hardly is he seen walking in the Presidential Villa with more than one security aide. He sometimes walks alone.

    He walks freely and side-by-side with some members of staff on the corridor. The shoving and pushing by security aides of former COS is now a thing of the past, at least for now.

    Not only does Arogbofa acknowledges greetings from staff on the corridor, he has severally stopped to crack jokes with some journalists who were on vigil by the corridor waiting to interview some high-profile politicians coming out from the President’s office,

    Today, members of staff who used to hide in other offices, only stand aside on the corridor to allow Arogbofa pass by. They greet him with respect for his office, knowing that their greetings will be acknowledged.

    Oghiadomhe and Arogbofa, no doubt, are worlds apart in their approaches to issues and interpersonal relationships during their different tenures as Chief of Staff to the President at the State House, Abuja.

    Arogbofa’s style has earned him the admiration of members of staff and most journalists alike.

    Some members of staff and journalists, who were skeptical about the new man and thought that he would revert to the Oghiadomhe’s style as soon as he settles down on the job, have long erased the thought from their minds.

    With over a year in the saddle, they have not only found Arogbofa as a complete gentleman and someone who knows his onions, but they now love and admire him as he passes them by the corridor on a daily basis.

    Aggressive monkeys in the Villa

    Monkeys in the thick forest around the Presidential Villa are supposed to be friendly to an extent, but they are fast becoming aggressive.

    No thanks to the dry season which has resulted in a sort of drought and made their means of livelihood scarce.

    The trees in the forest, which were normally green with fruits, have become dry; with most shedding their leaves.

    As there are very limited eatable items in the jungle, some of the monkeys, which had stayed in the thick forest in the past months, have started strolling out to the car parks of members of staff and the surrounding areas at the seat of power.

    Not only are they coming out in twos and in groups to look for food, their countenance is now full of anger like the popular proverb, “a hungry man is an angry man.”

    On Monday last week, a female member of staff was shocked to her marrow when she experienced a situation that showed the present moody nature of monkeys in the Villa.

    The member of staff who closed from office around 9:30 that night was holding her handbag in her right hand and food flask and other items in another bag in her left hand as she walked towards the car park.

    Her car was parked at the extreme of the car park popularly called ‘Nyanya’ among members of staff.

    A little bit of digression here. The car parks were named according to their proximity to the main entrance to the President’s and Vice-President’s offices. The closest car parks to the entrance are the ‘Maitama’ and ‘Asokoro’ parks.

    Before the ‘Nyanyan’ car park is a mosque on the right side of the road with a dustbin in front of it.

    As the lady walked past the dustbin, two monkeys suddenly sprang up and held the bag on her right hand.

    The lady, who did not see the monkeys before then, immediately dropped the bags and ran backwards to the only staff that was coming behind her.

    As there was no edible item in the bags, the monkeys left them by the bin and jumped over the wire fence to the forest as the lady and the other staff walked towards the bin.

    The lady, who was trembling from the attack, quickly bent down to pick the items scattered on the floor from the bags before rushing to her car.

    The other staff had to wait for her to start the car engine and drive off before going back to his car.

    State House staff and visitors now have to be on their guard when moving around the area, especially in the night.

    It is also hoped that the monkeys will remain calm as the rainy season sets in to make the trees green again in order to produce fruits for their sustenance.

  • Help for freed Boko Haram captives

    Help for freed Boko Haram captives

    Emotions were mixed when insurgents released 158 captives unconditionally in Yobe State. Why?  The joy of freeedom was undercut by the agony of children still held back by the extremists.  But relief materials donated by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) may cheer them up a bit, DUKU JOEL reports

    PERHAPS, the relief materials will cheer them up a bit. When Boko Haram insurgents released some 158 captives in Yobe State, there was probably as much joy as grief. One man, for instance, was happy to have his wife back with some of their children after three weeks, but not all their offspring were set free by the militants.

    That was the picture in Damaturu, the state capital, as the freed captives reunited with their relatives.

    Now, help has come for them. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) some relief materials.

    NEMA Northeast Zonal Coordinator, Mohammed Kanar presented the materials, saying, the intervention was “to compliment the efforts made by the Yobe State government”.

    He praised the state for setting up a good structure which he said will enhance care for victims of disaster in line with NEMA standards.

    Kanar also said that the agency had been directly distributing relief materials to victims of insurgency in the state, pointing out that the agency was ready to assist the state government in identifying the the medical and psychological needs of the victims and how to manage them.

    The Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)  Alhaji Idi Jidawa who received the items on behalf of the state government, thanked the Federal Government for the gesture, assuring that the materials would get to the victims.

    He said,  ”This is the first time that NEMA is making a formal presentation to SEMA for onward distribution to victims of insurgency in the state.”

    Items distributed included bags of rice, noodles, vegetable oil, tomatoes  and cloth, among others.

    The 158 victims comprising 62 adults and 96 children were abducted early January after an attack  on Katarko  community.

    Out of the 62 women, 15 lost their husbands to the attackers.

    It was a pleasant surprise, for  the insurgents were under no apparent pressure. The 158 victims were set free unconditionally, with no apparent physical injuries.

    Most of those released were women and children.

    Sometime in early January, the insurgents launched a heavy attack on Katarko village some 20km away from Damaturu where they killed all able-bodied men on sight and abducted about 200 people mostly women and children.

    After their release on January 24, the eve of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign visit to Maiduguri, some unconfirmed reports filtered in that government secured their release. Another version had it that the insurgents could not cope with the cost of feeding the women and their children hence the decision to release them unconditionally.

    It was gathered that some of the grownup boys kidnapped along with the women were either killed and dumped in wells or dropped by the roadside. The stories went on until they were freed.

    Most of them had said their last prayers for themselves and their children.

    Fannam Bukar who was abducted with her five children, was freed with three of them while the remaining two are still in the hands of the insurgents.

    “Myself and five of my children were taken away by Boko Haram,” she said amid tears. “I came out with only three of them (pointing at three small girls by her side). My two sons are still with them. My first son is 15 years old and the second one is 13. Only Allah knows what they are going now. I pray that Allah will bring them back safely to me.”

    Another woman, Aisha Dauda, saw her husband brutally murdered by the insurgents before she was whisked away with her three children to a place she described as “a big building” that she had never seen before in her life.

    “On that day when they came to our village,” she said, my husband and I were in the house including my children. When we heard the gunshots; we wanted to run but it was too late. My husband came out of the house and he was surrounded by the Boko Haram boys. One of them put a gun in his head, asking him where he was going to. I was hiding in the room but I could still see what was going on between my husband and the boys. I was praying for his life and the next thing I heard was his head on the ground.”

    As she narrated, Aisha often held her breathe, fighting back tears.

    Were they manhandled? Not quite. Most of the women attested to the fact that they were treated with dignity.

    One of the victims, Fanta Mohammed, said, “To say the truth, they did not maltreat us since they took us away. Throughout the three weeks that we stayed in their camp, they provided us with enough food and drinks. They gave us soap and water to bathe through some small, small boys in the camp. Sometimes they even gave us perfumes to spray on our bodies.

    “Anytime they entered our apartment to preach their ideologies to us, they asked us to avoid looking at them. They will always call us pagans. When they were releasing us, they asked us to prepare and join those pagans in the town.

    “We thank God that we have reunited with our family members after three weeks of being in captivity,” Fanta said.

    Bintu Lawan gave an insight into their release. She said they asked them to decide whether to join their religion or leave to join other pagans outside of their camps.

    “They asked us to join their religion and we told them we will not practice their style of religion. So they agreed to release us, saying we should go and join the pagans who have the symbol of the green-white-green flag in Nigeria, vowing that they will meet with us one day. But we then told them we would rather join the pagans.”

    She added: “They often provided raw food items to us and we cooked them ourselves. They gave us soap, perfume and any other basic needs you can think of. It’s only God that released us from the hands of these dreaded militants,” she said.

    Abdulrahaman Dauda was the first person to receive a call from his friend who sighted the freed victims at a village called Kasaisa near Damaturu. He informed security personnel because his two wives and five children were among the victims.

    Despite his re-unification with his family, his joy was not complete as his two grownup sons were still held by the insurgents.

    “I thank God because today I have my wives and three of my other children back. I am happy I have seen my family again but my two grownup sons are still in the hands of Boko Haram. I only pray that they return safely,” Abdulrahaman said.

    Aisha Dauda said: “I am happy because I came out alive to see my husband and other members of the family. My husband has informed me that two of our children are still missing. We are not sure what happened to them.”

    The freed captives were presented to their families at a ceremony organised by the State Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Victims of Insurgency in the state headed by Mr. Ahmed Mustapha Goniri, a lawyer, who is also the state Commissioner for Justice.

    He said that all the freed victims were in sound health, maintaining that the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in conjunction with his committee and medical experts have examined the mental, psychological, and medical state of the victims.

    The event was also co-organised by the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA). Relief materials were presented to the freed victims.

    Goniri during the presentation, said, “Out of the 158 that are freed, 62 are adults and the rest are children of the victims. Of the 62 adults, there are 15 widows among them. The Yobe State government as part of her resolve to cushion the sufferings of the victims has decided to give each of the widows two bags of rice; one bag of sugar; two cartons of noodles, wrappers and N50,000 cash while the remaining will receive the same quantity of items with N30,000.”

    He thanked the parents for their patience during the period the victims were screened by the security operatives.

    The voluntary release of these detainees was the first since the insurgency started in the Northeast six years ago. Over 200 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the insurgents last year were yet to be freed.

  • Hope for three-year-old’s sight

    Hope for three-year-old’s sight

    After a playmate seriously wounded three-year-old Hope Dimlong in one eye on November 20, 2013 there is a chance that she could regain sight in the eye. A whiff of Christmas was already in the air when Hope was playing with her mates near her house in Ner, Pankshin Local Government of Plateau State and, quite accidentally, a mate stuck an object in her eye.

    Since then, she has been in excruciating pains, while her financially challenged parents have been unable to pay for any major treatment.

    Hope’s mother Mrs. Christiana Dimlong, said, “They were playing around the house when one of her mates mistakenly put a stick directly into her eyes. The accident caused a deep tear on the outer lens of her eye. Since then she could no longer see with the affected eye. She has been managing to see with the other eye. We have tried to seek medical attention to treat her but we are so poor to afford the cost; we were told the treatment would require a major operation and we cannot afford the cost.

    The affected eye sheds water in the day; at night she passes through severe pains. She cries endlessly and if you ask what the problem is, she will say, ‘My eye’. She has these pains all night but we are helpless; we can only give her pain relief drugs to enable her sleep; that’s all we’ve able to do. So we left her to her fate until this Senator came.”

    •Pwajok
    •Pwajok

    That Senator is Gyang Pwajok, who is running for governor of Plateau State. The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in Ner on campaign and stopped by the school to shake hands with the pupils. And there on the line was little Hope with her mates. Pwajok caught sight of her eye and asked what happened. It was there the story was told and immediately he decided to save the Primary One pupil’s sight. The school authorities and her parents were directed to travel with the Senator to Jos, the state capital, for immediate surgery.

    In Jos the following day, Pwajok directed the girl be taken to an eye specialist hospital anywhere in the country. The Chief Press Secretary to Pwajok, Chuwang Dung said, “Luckily for us someone recommended Angel Raphael Eye Centre in Jos to us.”

    After examining the girl, the Medical Director, Dr. Jonah Wuyep said, “The case of the girl has been complicated due to delay; we have to subject her to a major eye surgery after consulting with children’s eye specialists for appropriate medical advice.”

    According to Chuwang, “Senator Pwajok is not just interested in restoring the eyesight of the girl; he has made up his mind to offer the girl a scholarship to cover her primary, secondary and tertiary education considering her poor parental background.

    Senator Pwajok represents Plateau North senatorial zone at the Senate.

    The mother of the girl, Christiana, the entire family and the school management were full of gratitude to the Senator.

    Mrs Dimlong said, “The coming of Senator Pwajok is like a miracle to me; he is God-sent; I’ve hardly slept since the accident. I keep praying for help because it is beyond my power. Because of the psychological trauma I’ve been passing through over my daughter’s case, her grandmother was to come and pick her to the village. But God caused a delay so that divine help would come. If not for God, the girl would have been taken away and the Senator would not have meet her, but God had arrange it to happen this way for her to get help, so I thank God. I thank Senator Pwajok, I never know the senator before now, he has touched my life, that of my daughter and the entire family.

  • Jonathan and the two-million jobs

    Jonathan and the two-million jobs

    Rather than abate, the unemployment rate has continued to rise despite various efforts by successive administrations to check the trend.

    downloadAccording to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment rate which was 5.30 per cent in 2006 averaged 14.60 per cent between 2006 and 2009. It increased from 21.10 per cent in 2010 to 23.90 per cent in 2011.

    The regimes have not been able to put in place proper measures in collaboration with the private sector to absorb the high turnover of young graduates being thrown into the labour market every year.

    A Nigerian Institute of Social Economic Research (NISER, 2013) report showed that graduates from tertiary institutions make up about 20 per cent of youth unemployment in the country and they mostly remained unemployed for upward of five years after graduation.

    If not properly handled, some have warned, it could be the basis for a major revolution in the country. Many Nigerians have already attributed unemployment as contributory factor to the insurgency being witnessed in the country.

    Many Nigerians also believed that the many years of corruption and mismanagement, military rule and the civil war had, in no small way, hindered economic growth of the country, despite its endowment of natural resources.

    There is also the problem of inadequate information and data on unemployment which have adversely affected effective planning to tackle the unemployment.

    All these are part of the factors that gave rise to the high unemployment and poverty rates in Nigeria.

    Goodluck-JonathanPresident Gooduck Jonathan, who said his administration, in the past two to three years, has created 1.4 million jobs yearly, hoped to increase it to two million jobs annually.

    Speaking at the launch of the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy and the Nigeria Youth Entrepreneurship Network in Abuja, he said: “At the inception of this administration, we clearly identified unemployment, especially among our youths, as one of the biggest challenges we were set to tackle.

    “Our administration took a number of unique steps to appropriately tackle this challenge. First, we recognised that the transformation of our economy from an oil-based economy to a non-oil economy presented the greatest opportunities for job creation in our country, and as a result, we embarked on diversifying of our economy.

    “Today, I am happy to report to Nigerians that this effort has yielded positive results to date, with the creation of about 1.4 million jobs on average per annum for our youths, and we are working hard to improve on this.

    “Secondly, given the depth of the unemployment problem, we understood from the onset the need to directly intervene in job creation through a number of carefully designed programmes. As you all know, our labour market is stratified, consisting of youths with different skill set and capacity. So, to ensure no group is left out, we designed programmes tailored to the various skill-sets.”

    “We started with the implementation of the Community Services Scheme, under the SURE-P Programme to cater for unskilled youths, and so far, over 120,000 young Nigerians, including 42,000 women and 4,700 physically-challenged youths across our country have been engaged in various projects such as road maintenance, community security, sanitation, and so on.

    “Several of these youth are also being trained in various skills so that they can succeed in the labour market.

    “In the same spirit, we started the Graduate Internship Scheme, targeting university graduates with one year internships in private sector-led enterprises, so that they can acquire requisite skills and experience that can improve their long-term employability.

    “We also have programmes such as YouWin and Nagropreneurs to support highly skilled youths and budding entrepreneurs.

    “These programmes have been designed to ensure that young Nigerians get training, mentoring, and more critically access to finance through grants, which had been difficult for them to access in the past, to set up their own companies, which will then employ their fellow youths.”

    Towards creating the two million jobs annually, the National Presidential Jobs Board, chaired by Vice-President Namadi Sambo met at the State House on Tuesday last week to map out strategy.

    The Minister of Trade and Investment and member of the Board, Olusegun Aganga, who spoke with State House correspondents said there are lots of incentives to encourage the private sector, just as a bill on job creation will soon be forwarded to the National Assembly for passage.

    He said: “We deliberated on a number of issues. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) updated members of the board on the status of jobs creation. The NBS which is an independent source confirmed that the government has, in the last two, three years, has created an average of about 1.4 million jobs every year. There were sectoral analyses of where the jobs are coming from.

    “The objective of this board as directed by Mr. President is that the it must work with other agencies and the private sector to create a minimum of two million jobs. So, based on what has been created for the first two months of this year, we are moving in the right direction.” he said.

    Though some Nigerians believed that creating two million jobs yearly is like a drop in an ocean considering the high unemployment rate, others felt that it is a good point to start from.

     

    Jonathan as Val

    to fallen heroes’ widows

     

    Although the widows of Nigeria’s fallen heroes no longer have husbands to celebrate the yearly Valentine’s Day, President Goodluck Jonathan was available for them.

    He hosted them and their family members to a valentine dinner at the Banquet Hall of the State House to mark the 2015 Valentine’s Day.

    The President, who called for one minute silence for the repose of their husbands’ souls, also promised to boost the widows’ welfare in the hall richly decorated in the valentine’s colors.

    He said: “Let me sincerely commend the wives and children of those people who, in the course of their duty, paid the supreme sacrifice because it is not easy to be a widow, it is not easy to be an orphan, especially when the children are still very young.

    “Because you have shown commitment to this nation, they have shown patriotism. But you have taken it kindly. I want to assure you this evening that government will continue to support you.

    “That is one of the reasons that we called this meeting to use this platform to re-inforce our total commitment to you so that we will be held responsible if we are unable to do what we promised that we will do to see that we give assistance to the widows and children of those who paid the supreme sacrifice to keep our country together.”

    The women, who turned up for the dinner in their hundreds, were not only happy with the treatments they received at the seat of power, but also had their spirit lifted.

  • City of bulldozers

    City of bulldozers

    Its glitzy highrise buildings and paved streets are well-known, as is the fact that it hosts the high and mighty. But Abuja is also known for bulldozers tearing down buildings and leaving people in tears, reports OLUGBENGA ADANIKI 

    Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) know their environment well. They are aware that it is the seat of federal power, glitttering and awe-inspiring. But they are also conscious of the fact that bulldozers can roll in anytime to pull down structures ostensibly to keep the capital city neat and tidy.

    Many have watched their homes reduced to rubble. Shopkeepers have wailed as earth-moving vehicles demolished their bases of business. Several have cried, petitioned and sued, but the bulldozers have kept moving.

    • The dreaded bulldozer
    • The dreaded bulldozer

    For a whole week, traders at the  Main Market in the FCT agonised because the bulldozers rolled into their market and started pulling it down.

    At the scene were armed policemen, army and officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to carry out the exercise.

    According to investigations, the market was undergoing a major transformation and modernisation by private developers known as Green House Ventures Limited.

    Government said the market had to be pulled down for developers to build a better one under a build, operate and transfer contract scheme.

    On January 13, the chairman of Kuje Area Council, Mr. Shaban Tete signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the modernisation of the market.

    In the MoU, the developers would re-build the market and transform it to an international standard with modern facilities.

    The company is expected to rebuild the market, manage it for 25 years and hand over to Kuje Area Council Administration.

    The contract is an example of the Federal Government’s public-private partnership (PPP) initiative designed to promote development of infrastructure in the country.

    According to the developers, the market will have 532 lock-up shops, two warehouses, 500 open shops, banks and a security unit, 72 plaza stores, modern abattoir and a day-care centre.

    Mr. Sunday Yaro, the Secretary of the Committee on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project/ Quantity Surveyor of the Area Council, said series of meetings were held with the traders before the demolition began.

    “The area council has tried to evacuate the traders from the market to a temporary site to enable the developers start work but they refused to move.

    “Construction cannot begin without evacuating the traders from the market due to congestion and obstruction caused by shanties in the market and the road side.

    “When the project is completed, it will also help the council to properly check and balance the revenue generated from the market.

    “Recently, the chairman signed a memorandum of understanding and asked the traders three times if he can sign the MoU and the traders gave him the go-ahead to sign,’’ he said.

    The chairman of Kuje Traders’ Association, Alhaji Yunusa Isah, said the traders had series of meetings with the council over the project and were informed of the demolition exercise.

    Isa also said the traders would have been given a few days to properly evacuate their goods from the market before the demolition exercise.

    He therefore appealed to the traders to be calm and see the demolition as a blessing for the future development of the market.

    One of the traders whose shop was demolished, Mrs. Charity Onu, said the project is a good development and has evacuated all her goods before her shop was pulled down.

    She, however, pleaded with the developers to hasten up the project to enable the traders move in on time.

    All efforts to get the council chairman, Mr. Shaban Tete for comments on the demolition exercise were futile.

    Some traders hurriedly evacuated their belongings in trucks, personal cars and wheel-barrows.

    The demolition exercise caused traffic gridlock along Kuje-Gwagwalada Road.

    But the exercise did not go down well with many of the traders.

    Mariam Abudurasheed, a seller said: “They just came and started demolishing the market. They have been saying it since last year but they did not give us the particular date. They were here on Tuesday as early as 8am. People are not happy with the development.”

    Another trader, who was identified as Mary, said: “I am not happy with the manner they came to demolish the market. I lost almost N200,000 as a result of the demolition. And I do not know when I will recover the funds. I have been selling in this market for over six years. I am waiting to see how to organise myself for the next line of action.

    “What government did here is not good. Now that they have demolished the market, where do they want us to go? In this country, only God will help us. They have not built any shop anywhere. We need prayers; I do not know how I will move my belongings around now that there are no shops to pack things into. All my children need money for their schooling which comes from my sales. Is this Abuja meant for only the rich? We are suffering.”

    A buyer, Mrs. Romoke Rashadt lamented, saying “I buy things here every day. I am just speechless. It is not easy. Why will they take them unawares? They should just build shops for them because not all of them have money to rent shops.”

    Rose Oyenma who sells foodstuffs said: “I am tired. Government should help us. We are under the sun. See this umbrella, it is sold for N6, 000 and I do not have money to buy it. I am not feeling fine.”

    Happiness Njoku told Abuja Review of her pathetic story about how her husband was killed and he has no helper to run to.

    “I am the one that built my shop, and it cost me about N200, 000. If we were told on time, I will not buy goods again. Some of my goods were crushed in the shop. I do not have anyone to help me. I have no husband; hired killers killed him December last year. They broke our door; they slapped me and killed him. I have three children and I am two months pregnant. I lost almost N8, 000. I am tired. I do not know how I will move my goods back to my house. My house is far from here. They have disorganised me,” she said.

    John Onu was not happy with the development. He said: “Where do they want me to start from? Tomorrow they will say we should come and vote for them. How can I vote? I lost almost N200, 000. It is not fair. Some of us have been rendered useless now.”

    Godwin Adamu is the Secretary of Kuje Main Market Traders’ Association.  He said: “The issue of the new market has been ongoing for a long time. We never had any date in mind. The notice to vacate the market was given last December. Based on the mutual understanding we had with the Kuje Area Council, the way they came was not the way we expected. Nobody was informed. It took the intervention of some of us to plead for us to move our belongings out of our shops. We are expecting them to commence building so that the traders can have hope.

    “The discussion we had with government was to relocate the traders to somewhere. They agreed that they will relocate them first before demolition. We are still waiting to hear from them while they took this step. They came with Army, police, NSCDC, and we want to know why they came in that manner.

    “Some of us have been here for more than 30 years and many do not have another means of livelihood. My family has to eat. I am expecting them to commence work. Our traders are suspecting that we the leaders knew that they were coming. The development also took the chairman of the traders unaware. We are waiting for the way forward. We have lost millions of Naira. They should do something on time. The rainy season is fast approaching.”

    The question is: when will government commence the building of the new shops? What will become of the traders after the shops have been built?

  • Infrastructure renewal at accountants’ host community

    Infrastructure renewal at accountants’ host community

    The relocation two years ago of the headquarters of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) to Kwall in Bassa Local Government of Plateau State is paying dividends. A police post has been built there, as has a motor-park. There is also pipe-borne water, even a market boasting 40 stalls, among others, all thanks to the association.

    Not only the headquarters moved; a college of accountants also run by ANAN was equally relocated to Kwall, although the college itself took off in the state since 1982.

    It had been operating on a temporary site in Dogon Dutse Jos. The relocation of the college to its permanent site in Kwall has afforded it more space and even roomier offices and accommodation for staff and students.

    •The market being inaugurated
    •The market being inaugurated

    Kwall residents could not conceal their joy at the inauguration of the market. They were not just happy with what ANAN has done for them; they even hoped that with the college in their community, there was more to come.

    While commissioning the project, the association’s president, Alhaji Sikirudeen Tunji Labode said the college was simply fulfilling its corporate social responsibility or CSR to their host communities.

    The market is located near the motor park, both next to the 382-acre college complex. Also nearby is the police station which ANAN built.

    The ANAN President said, “ANAN identified the projects to be key needs of our host communities. The association has also executed these projects as a mark of its commitment to fulfilling its corporate social responsibility.”

    Director-General of the Nigerian College of Accountancy, Dr Joseph Femi Adebisi, in his remarks, said, “The community modern market and motor park, among similar projects executed earlier, were meant to uplift the infrastructural development in the college’s immediate communities; the college will continue to be responsive to the needs of its stakeholders especially our immediate communities.

    The paramount ruler of Kwall and surrounding communities, the Brra Nggwe Rigwe, Rev Ronku Aka thanked ANAN for donating the market and motor park, a gesture which he said his people were not even dreaming of.

    He said, “This is a big day for us. In Irigwe land, nobody would have dreamt that this would happen. It is my promise that we will keep this place neat to the glory of God.”

    The college of accountancy does not limit its corporate social responsibility to its immediate community alone; they have taken their goodwill beyond Plateau State and as far as Nasarawa State. For instance, the college has built a post-graduate research centre in the University of Jos, Nasarawa State University and also in Kogi State.

    According to the Principal, Public Relations Officer of the college, Associate Professor Cyril Ummoh, “The college authority will soon unveil its proposed community projects for the year 2015 because the college carries out community service projects every year and this year will not be an exception.”

  • Help for disease-stricken community

    Help for disease-stricken community

    After a medical outreach team visited Kwaita in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the traditional ruler Abuhumudi Garba and his people have heaved a sigh of relief. TONY AKOWE reports how the Buhari Support Organisation tackled River Blindness and other ailments in the community

    They were simply at the mercy of diseases. Their main source of water is a well or a stream. The community borehole has since packed up. Any surprises that residents of Kwaita, a community in the Federal Capital Territory, are afflicted with River Blindness and other diseases?

    Help has come. A staff of the Buhari Support Organisation, Aisha Ojene Abu, who initiated the medical mission, said she and her colleagues saw a Channels TV documentary on the plight of Kwaita and decided to intervene.

    They visited on a market day and set up their stand at the palace of the community leader.

    She said, “We watched this documentary on Channels Television where they reported that Kwaita community is impoverished and they suffer from River Blindness. So, we thought of a way of lending a helping hand by giving them drugs. That is what brought up this idea. We are conducting various tests; the doctors do the diagnosis while the pharmacists dispense the drugs”.

    Speaking further, she said the mission was “different from the normal rallies that we are used to. We are impacting directly on the lives of the individuals and to achieve the sixth goal of the MDGs. We intend to reduce the prevalence of malaria and other diseases in this community. We realised that they have a stream which is the point of infection. The aim of this programme is to reduce these diseases and make them better people”.

    Head of the medical mission, Dr. Maina Elijah, a general surgeon, told The Nation that they came to “to support the people who have been having the problem of River Blindness and other ailments. Because of the changes General Buhari wants to bring when he comes to power, he has encouraged his support organisation to come and provide free medical aid to the people of this community. This is a small step in a bigger project regarding the changes General Buhari wants to bring when he comes into power. The people here are very appreciative of this gesture. They have been receiving consultations and been given drugs completely free and I think this is something laudable. I think this will continue on a larger scale when General Buhari comes to power.”

    •Patients wait for their turn
    •Patients wait for their turn

    Dr Elijah said further that they are “expecting between 100 and 200 people to benefit from this. Today is a market day here and we have already had quite a number of people coming for consultation. In addition to the diseases I have mentioned, we have been able to get some drugs like anti-malarial and others drugs which we will leave behind for them to use. This is just to prove a little point about what the health sector will be like when General Buhari comes into power.”

    He said further that the team has identified two cases of River Blindness among those attended to and “we have been able to give them the relevant drugs for it. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to see everybody. Like we said, this is just a pilot project. At the end of the day, when we have the resources and Buhari gets into government, we will do even bigger projects. There is going to be a lot of improvement in the health sector. A lot of money has been spent on medical tourism abroad and we have to stop that”.

    Why did the team decide to use the palace instead of the health centre in the community?

    He said, “The health centre is a small place and we chose to use the palace for logistical reasons. First, it is near the palace and today is a market day and with the permission of the traditional ruler, we have been able to use his palace here”.

    Head of Media of the Buhari Support Organisation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe also told The Nation that they embarked on the medical mission to create some sensitisation and awareness on the need for people to seek western Medicare as a platform to redress maladjustment in their health status.

    “This is just a pilot project which is starting today in one of the 774 local government areas in the country,” Dr, Maduekwe said. “We are starting it with the hope that when the General assumes power, the leadership of this country will do a national launch of this programme of reaching the unreachable on the platform of the Buhari Support Organisation. Today is a day that marks that one step of the journey of a thousand miles”.

    Where is the money for the project coming from?

    “We are running a volunteer-based organisation,” he said. “From the money we realised from those who have volunteered to support Buhari candidacy, we have decided to put a part of it into this aspect of health care.  That is the source of the money and it is devolving the same benefit back to the people in the area of health care. I am aware that not too long ago, the President of the Nigeria Medical Association said that none of the presidential candidates has said anything about health. I want to say that we have been saying something about health.

    “We realised that most illnesses could be prevented. So, when government is investing money on curative approach to healthcare, something is wrong with that health care system. So, we are going to concentrate of preventive health care which will involve provision of potable water because health and water work hand in hand. Most of the diseases are water-borne. So, if you don’t have potable water for the people, you end up creating more diseases.”

    Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the medical team for the assistance. Abubakar A. Abubakar, who claimed to have come to Kwaita from Bosso in Niger State, was full of praises for the team for coming to their aid and giving the drugs free and called on the government to emulate them.

    For Mary Alayi, medical team was a godsend. Even though she was yet to be attended to when she spoke, Mary who said she was suffering from diabetes said, “We thank them for what they have brought to us. It is of great help to us. Many people heard about it and they came here and we are very grateful”.

    An elderly woman said, “I have seen drugs and I am going home happy. They have given me drugs for ulcer. I pray that God will grant them their heart’s desires. I want to appeal to others to come forward to receive this same treatment.”

    The Village head of Kwaita Hausa whose palace was used for the exercise, said “I am very happy for the drugs they brought to us. I have never seen this kind of thing before. I pray to God to let the person that will help Nigerians win the forthcoming elections. The person that has done this, may God help that person. You have seen the crowd of people here. Nobody has gone out to call them. They are just coming on their own”.

    Hajia Zainab Akilu who heads the mobilisation team of the Buhari Support Organisation said, “This wind of change that is going on is amazing. These young medical personnel have volunteered on their own and this is inspired by the integrity of the person of General Buhari and they are doing this out of inspiration and the value they attached to his person”.