The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • ‘Boko Haram attacks inspired us to go to school’

    ‘Boko Haram attacks inspired us to go to school’

    The terrorists did their worst, killing 42 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, but Abubakar Suleiman and hundreds of others were not deterred. He was among the over 300 students admitted into the college for the new academic year to pursue National and Higher National Diploma in various disciplines.

    They are anxious to acquire quality education  in order to be useful to temselves and their society.

    Suleiman told The Nation that he was inspired to go to school by the attack on the college and the Federal Government College, Buni Yadira by members of the Boko Haram group.

    He, who spoke to The Nation at the matriculation ceremony, captured the mind of his co-matriculants.

    He said, “after the attack on this school, some of us were really discouraged to go back to school but to me, the killing of those students is an encouragement for me, which is the reason why I am here today.”

    Suleiman may have spoken the mind of many of the students who appeared determined to succeed in life despite the challenge posed to their education by the current security challenges in the country, especially in the north eastern part of the country.

    However, the provost of the college, Mulima Mato appeared to be the happiest person.

    He said, “Despite the numerous challenges the educational system faces today in the state and at the college in particular after 42 of our students were killed in cold blood while sleeping in the dormitory on 28th September 2013, the college was able to stand up again in order to keep the hope of our students alive to continue their studies”.

    One lecturer and 42 students died in the attack on the college.

    There is no doubt however that the thought of going back to the school became such a nightmare for those who survived the ordeal. With this in mind, the management of the school temporary relocated it from Gujba to Damaturu where they are currently sharing a secondary school premises with two other secondary schools.

    Even though the Provost of the college is confident that activities at the institution are gradually picking up, he admitted that learning, for the students, has become very difficult without laboratories which cannot be relocated overnight. Practical sessions which form part of the training for the students are now impossible for the students to undergo.

    Even though it was not clear whether the practical equipment will be moved to the current site of the school, it was learnt that there are no immediate plans to move the school back to the permanent site since the area has remains volatile due to activities of Boko Haram. Nevertheless, the management of the institution is determined to keep hope alive and that explains the decision not to suspend academic activities despite the security challenges and the admission of 355 students to study both ND and HND programmes in Animal health and production, Agricultural technology, Forestry Technology among others.

    Addressing the students, the Provost, Mulima Mato asked them to concentrate on their studies and embrace the entrepreneurship studies aspect with all seriousness in order to learn a skill or trade in addition to their regular programme. He disclosed that out of the 355 new students,  158 student were admitted for the ND programme, while 197 were admitted for the HND programme. While saying that the institution was matriculating its 16th set of students, the Provost said that the National Board for Techincal Education gave approval to the institution to run HND programs after it was attacked by Boko Haram.  He was not unmindful of the fact that the attack on the institution is still hunting it. He said: “The college recent challenge was the downfall in its admissions due to the ugly incident that is hunting the college. The Yobe state government have been by our side in all these trying periods by supporting the college with all its requirements e.g. fencing the college perimeter, procurement of the HND accreditation equipments, providing utility and fire fighting vehicle.”

     

  • Deaths under pedestrian bridges

    Deaths under pedestrian bridges

    The route to safety is just overhead and does not take more than a few minutes, but the pedestrians prefer to dash across the expressway. They shun the overhead bridge. Many have died because of this negligence, if not foolhardiness.

    That is why residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) want more pedestrians built.

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has obliged and started building more pedestrian bridges to avoid the increasing deaths on the fast lane.

    Yielding to the cry of residents, the FCT Administration awarded contracts for the construction of pedestrian bridges at strategic locations across the city.

    With this development, the administration expected the residents and road users to make use of these bridges. Unfortunately, despite making these bridges available, residents, in total disregard for the foot bridges provided by government for the safety of lives of citizens, have continued to cross the ever-busy highways.

    After this, to instill the habit of using the bridges into residents, the administration decided to use barbed wire fencing to demarcate the lanes and to prevent people from crossing.

    Despite this move, our reporter observed that residents destroy some of the barbed wire fences just to enable them to cross the expressway, abandoning the footbridges provided for their safety.

    Moved by this unsavoury situation, some concerned residents have called for the creation of mobile courts in order to prosecute offenders, even as others suggested that Abuja city should adopt what is obtainable in Lagos to reduce the rate of casualty.

    Security agents have, in the past, disclosed that running across the road while trying to cross the barricade was a serious traffic offence but cases of such still persist.

    A security agent who didn’t want his name in print because he was not competent to comment on the issue said: “Where there are pedestrian bridges, we expect that people should make use of such facility and be safety conscious. Running across the road is a very serious traffic offence because it can lead to accidents and loss of lives.”

    Some of the places where these bridges are situated in Abuja are Mabushi/ Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway Junction, Area 1/Area Three Junctions and the Wuye/Wuse Junction and Kubwa Expressway, among others.

    Unfortunately, the huge amount of money invested in the construction of these pedestrian bridges appears to be a waste as many of them are hardly used by pedestrians, thereby defeating the purpose for which they were constructed.

    Today, people are only seen using the pedestrian bridges as location for brisk business where they sell hand-me-down clothes, belt, shoes, wallet, movies; rechargeable lamps, under wears, books, fruits, plantain chips, groundnuts and other items.

    Also, beggars have taken over some of the bridges as points to wait for kind-hearted passersby to give them money.

    Some residents who spoke to our reporter advanced some reasons for preferring to cross the road to using the pedestrian bridges.

    Sule Idris, a road side seller admitted that the rate of accidents on the highway was alarming, a situation which he blamed on the failure of security agencies to arrest defaulters.

    He said: “Failure of the residents to use the foot bridges should be blamed on security agencies that cannot enforce the law prohibiting people from crossing the expressway at locations where pedestrian bridges were provided. If the security agents will arrest defaulters, I think people will start using pedestrian bridges.

    “Apart from neglecting the foot bridges, there are few pedestrian bridges in the FCT. We need more foot bridges because of the size of the roads.

    “Crossing the expressway is shorter and faster than using the pedestrian bridge which happens to be too stressful,” Taiwo, another resident said.

    A resident of Kubwa, Mr. Soji Daniel said the absence of mobile courts along the highways, especially the ones close to the pedestrian bridges, would instill fears, even as it will make residents imbibe the culture of using the foot bridges.

    Mrs. Ijeoma Okoye, who our reporter met after she crossed to the other side of the road at NICON Junction said: “I know that it is dangerous to cross the expressway the way I just did but truth be told, I am scared of height. It makes me feel dizzy. So, instead of climbing the bridges, I prefer crossing the road, but I have to watch carefully before doing so.”

    Another respondent, Olaiya Thomas said: “The problem with some of these bridges is that they are too far from most junctions. And when one considers the stress associated with climbing the bridges which obviously has stairs, one will just take the risk and cross the expressway.

    On his part, Mohammed Bashir said: “People are not using the pedestrian bridges built at some locations in the city out of fear of being attacked by hoodlums.

    He added: “My sister came back home lamenting how her bag was snatched from her on the bridge. She tried to be law-abiding and used the bridge instead of doing what others did. And what did she get in return?

    “Even if she shouted for help, before help comes, the person who snatched her bag would have escaped. So, I advised her to join others crossing the expressway to avoid such situation repeating itself. I thank God it was only her bag. It could be worse.”

    At Gwarinpa Junction, Madam Beatrice said she avoids using the bridge because it will make people assume that she went to buy something on the bridge which hawkers and traders have turned into market.

    A trader on one of the bridges, Chidi explained that trading on the bridge provides him opportunity to escape arrest by task force operatives, adding that many petty traders could not afford the high fares charged for shops in the FCT markets.

    He said: “In Abuja, some of us cannot afford to pay for shops and at places like this which are used very well by residents, market moves better because people must pass here. Since our own products are cheaper than what they will get in the markets, customers will always patronise us.”

    Besides heavy human traffic situation generated by the activities of marketers on the bridges, there are several other reasons for residents not making use of the pedestrian bridges.

    Some mentioned the long distances of the bridges to the designated bus stops as their reasons for not using them.

    As reasonable as some of these excuses might sound, however, it cannot justify the non- use of the bridges, especially when compared with the dangers associated with crossing the ever-busy highways.

    In the face of this, some residents opined that security agencies should arrest and prosecute those who still cross the expressway, adding that it will serve as a lesson for others, even as it will go a long way to reducing the rate of accidents and deaths on our highways.

    Mr. Rasheed, who our reporter met in Area Three Junction Garki said: “The inability of security agents to arrest defaulters will continue to encourage people to cross the roads instead of making use of the pedestrian bridges for their safety. Many have died and some might still die as a result of their failure to use the pedestrian bridge.”

    He added that there is need for the FCT Administration to enlighten residents on the importance of pedestrian bridges and the hazards of crossing the expressways.

    A security agent who spoke to our reporter in confidence said: “The reasons advanced by pedestrians are not enough to risk their lives while crossing the road.

    They are expected to use it because it is safer than to risk their lives.

    Also commenting on the issue, an officer with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said: “The commission has been carrying out regular intensive public enlightenment campaign on the need for pedestrians to make use of the foot bridges. A patrol team is stationed at some bridges to ensure compliance, but even with the presence of our officials, some pedestrians still play smart to cross the road.”

  • Group donates to the less-privileged

    Group donates to the less-privileged

    The joy of inmates of the City of Refuge Orphanage, Durumi Abuja knew no bounds as a pro-democracy group presented to them gifts when they paid them a visit.

    The group said the choice of celebrating the day with the orphans was to bring the attention of affluent Nigerians to the plight of the less-privileged in the society.

    The orphanage has 15 children whose ages ranged between one day and 15 years.

    According to the National Coordinator of Grassroots Campaign for Goodluck, Mohammed Lawal Rabana, visiting the orphanage was to achieve a dual purpose of bringing succour to the home as well as send message of peace to the Nigerian youths as 2015 general elections approach.

    He said: “People might wonder what the connection between a pro-democracy group and the orphanage is. Well, the fact is that whatever we are, we should not forget that we have hundreds of less-privileged children around us that we can lend helping hands to.

    “Being a political group, we believed that our presence here would bring some sort of attention to this home in particular and such institutions around the country. Any form of assistance cannot be too little for these children that need all the love they can get.

    “We want to use this visit to also lend a voice to the campaign for all Nigerian children to be in school. Having our children in school is the only means of assuring the future of this country. If efforts are not made to put most of them in school, we will end up having huge number of uneducated and uninformed youths in the future.”

    The group that was mobilising support for the return of President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term also emphasised the need for peace as the 2015 general elections draw closer.

    Rabana said the Nigerian youths must be informed of the consequences of being used as tool for violence and destruction during the electioneering period.

    “We also want to use this platform to preach peace and tell our teeming youths across the country to be as careful as possible as 2015 approaches.

    “They should not allow themselves to be used as tools for violence and destruction because the youth are the target of unscrupulous politicians.

    “Our youths must be told that the future of the country should be paramount in their minds at all times and should revisit being used to scuttle that future. What we want every Nigerian to know is that it is only God that gives power to whom He pleases.

    “With that in mind, election should not be a do-or-die affair,” he added.

    In appreciation of the several packets and bags of household items that were presented to the children, the representative of the home, Mrs. Edwin Abraham said the gesture would go a long way in enhancing the well-beings of the children.

    “The happiness and excitement exhibited by the children showed how appreciative we are of this kind gesture of yours,” she said.

    While promising to put the materials to judicious use, Abraham urged other well-meaning Nigerians to render assistance to the home in whatever form.

  • Paying last respects to Lukman

    Besides a press statement  last week Monday in which President Goodluck Jonathan expressed sadness over the death of Dr. Rilwanu Lukman, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting two days later also devoted some time to pay tributes to the former oil minister and secretray-general of the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    The tributes started with a one-minute silence in his honour, after which members of the executive council spoke glowingly of the oil expert, recalling good memories of their encounters with him.

    Some of them were in complete dark clothes, while others wore pseudo-dark clothes like black hat or black female headgear over other colours.

    Even as Lukman, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources was noted by members of the cabinet not to be controversial in his time, the first shot during the session was taken by the current Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke who dressed in complete black attire.

    Diezani said: “We lost a venerable son who served as President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) twice. He also served as Secretary-General of OPEC.

    “In each of these assignments, he represented our country meritoriously. He was, indeed, renowned and respected throughout in the oil and gas world. But on a personal note, I recall him fondly as I sat next to him for the period of 2008 to 2009 in this very Federal Executive Council Chambers and we shared many anecdotes among ourselves.

    “He was a living compendium of the history of the Nigerian extractive industry sector. Last Month, in Vienna, after the OPEC conference, I spoke with him for about 30 minutes and he spoke vigorously and with his usual articulate safe. He gave me rewarding pieces of advice and had many words of wisdom on the issues surrounding the oil sector.

    “I am very privileged to have him as a mentor. I think it will be safe to say that for us all, Dr. Lukman will be sadly missed.”

    Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke said: “I wish to recall that as a Divisional General Manager in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Lukman was the last minister that I served. He was such a wonderful repertoire of information and influence.

    “In the comity of ministers of petroleum globally, Dr. Lukman was a diplomat with very firm character; a Nigerian who was very proud to flaunt his Nigerianness, especially in his outlook.

    “One will recall the fact that in that great organisation, often times, the tension in the deliberations are such that you needed a man of great character and discipline and firmness.

    “Dr. Lukman would literally flout like a butterfly and when it was time to position Nigeria appropriately and extract the gains due to this country, he would sting like a bee.

    “Mr. President, Dr. Lukman, in one instance and minute, would be very stern in character and in another minute, he would be one of the boys.

    “And domestically, he wielded such great influence. He was, indeed, a friend across divides. He had friends all over the country and in the true spirit of a Nigerian; he brought under his fold professionals from all over the country that worked under him in one great family.

    “I think the contributions that he had made in the sector have formed some of the building blocks of what we see today as a sector that is sustaining the economy of this great country.

    “A true Nigerian, a citizen of the world, Dr. Lukman, I think, has left indelible marks not only for my colleague ministers but also for other African ministers in that great organisation. I am sure that his spirit will rest in peace now that the rigorous task is over.”

    President Jonathan, in dark agbada and hat to match, noted that Lukman at various times served as Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Power and Foreign Affairs.

    He said: “In his early days, he schooled in the Federal College and made a first-class in Mining Engineering; of course, the first Nigerian to achieve that level of excellence. We appreciated his achievements by including him in the list of our Centenary honours. He was among Nigerians that had impacted in the first 100 years in our journey as a nation.

    “My first interaction with Dr. Lukman was when I was a Deputy Governor in Bayelsa State. I had a robust relationship with him. Though he was a highly placed person, he operated at a very low level of respect and related with all Nigerians. He was gentle with amiable character. This is the kind of person we need in Nigeria.

    “I also worked with him when I was the Vice-President to the late President Yar’Adua. Lukman was brought in as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and Ajimogobia was his Minister of State. Even then, Lukman showed exemplary character.

    “He was very calm, focused and showed that he was someone who knew his onions. He was a father figure to members of cabinet. He was much older than most of us. Lukman was advanced in age, but the country still needed his services. We know death must come to us all because we are mere mortals. But when it comes, even at very relatively advanced age, there are some people you will not want to lose. Dr. Lukman was one of such.”

    After few other ministers made their remarks, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku who wore black hat, moved the motion of condolence, while the Minister of Mines and Solid Minerals Development, Mohammed Sada seconded the motion.

  • Who wants Buhari dead?

    Who wants Buhari dead?

    Since the bomb blast in Kaduna State which apparently targeted former Head of State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen Muhammadu Buhari, there has been a constant stream of comments, perspectives and questions. Some said the attack was just another act of terrorism, a familiar occurrence, especially in the North, and that it was neither politically motivated nor an attempt to muzzle the opposition, of which the retired infantry officer is a key figure.

    Still, the question won’t go away. Who wants Gen. Buhari dead and why?

    The General was unhurt. His aides were injured, treated and discharged, although many innocent passersby died.

    Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, another prominent figure and uncompromising critic of terrorists, also escaped death in the other Kaduna blast and has since gone to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj.

    It was not the first time that Islamic religious leaders were targeted by members of the Boko Haram group during the period of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, in 2012, was rounding off his Tafsir at the Sultan Bello Mosque when the terrorists went for him. Luckily, it was those carrying the explosive meant for him and probably his congregation who rather died when the bomb exploded near his house. He had taken a different route to the mosque.

    While Sheikh Bauchi came away unhurt, those who attended his Tafsir lecture at the Murtala Square in Kaduna were not that lucky. The bomb targeting him exploded when the worshippers were returning from the event, killing over 25 of them instantly. Many others were seriously wounded, some maimed for life.

    The suicide who went after Buhari in the Kawo area of the metropolis, chose a busy spot to detonate the explosive and may have followed the retired General from his house.

    The APC leader reportedly said his his assailants made several attempts to overtake him and maybe gain access his car.

    The explosion, which Buhari said was an attempt to assasinate him, was coming barely two days after he issued a statement accusing the government of launching an offensive against the opposition parties in the country.

    Following the explosion, some angry youths started hurling stones at security agents  while others wielding sticks started marching towards the Government House, believing that the government was responsible for the attack on General Buhari.

    Kaduna State Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero said in a statement that the two explosions were clear manifestation of the resolve by ‘agents of darkness’ to soak the land with the blood of innocent people for no just cause.

    He said “enemies of peace have visited us with their ungodly venom of wanton destruction of human lives. This blast, coming in the Holy month is a clear indication that those behind the act have no iota of fear of God as they have none for the sanctity of human life.”

    Gen. Buhari’s immediate reaction to the incident was that the explosion was targeted at him and he had cause to believe so.

    He said “I am personally involved in a clearly targeted bomb attack today at about 2:30pm on my way to Daura. The unfortunate event, clearly an assassination attempt, came from a fast-moving vehicle that made many attempts to overtake my security car, but was blocked by the escort vehicle. We reached the market area of Kawo where he took advantage of our slowing down and attempted to ram into my car. He instantly detonated the bomb which destroyed all the three cars in our convoy. Unfortunately, when I came out of my vehicle, I saw bodies littered around. They were innocent people going about their daily business, who became victims of mass murder. Thank God for His mercy, I came out unhurt, but with three of my security staff sustaining minor injuries. They have since been treated in hospital and discharged.”

    He said while receiving Governor Yero at his residence a day later that the nation can actually deal with the insecurity posed by activities of the Boko Haram group. The General has been very critical of activities of the insurgents, especially after the Nyanya bombing. In a widely published article, he condemned their activities.

    He said: “My heart breaks every time I take to this platform to offer condolences in this tormenting season of seemingly endless violence. I understand that it is difficult for the government to prevent every terrorist attack, but we can always do more to protect our defenceless citizens by boosting our intelligence and counterterrorism capabilities. Our security and stability cannot be conditioned on any ideology or partisan agenda. Every Nigerian reserves the right to his own security, to his own freedom and dignity, and no amount of terrorist blackmail can make us surrender these. May God unite our hearts as we confront this evil.”

    During Governor Yero’s visit, Gen. Buhari reportedly recalled the first statement he made on Boko Haram. “I’m  sure that the first statement I made about 18 months ago is on record. I said no religion advocates what is happening. So, basically, it is no case of religion; it is neither ethnic, when they kill children in schools in the Northeast, they kill teachers, they burn churches, they burn mosques, they burn motor parks, they burn markets. Where is religion there? Where is ethnicity there? This is terrorism and I hope the government will come to grips with it. Nigeria is capable of dealing with this; we dealt with the civil war, for 30 months, we fought and we kept Nigeria one and, God willing, we are going to keep Nigeria one. I commiserate with the families of those that died, because this thing was ignited at exactly where my car was almost side-by-side with this thing. I came out, there was blood on my dress. I did not know how it came about because I did not have a scratch myself, but dead bodies all over the place. The security tried to move me to the other side and we just got one of the vehicles passing and they brought me home. I hope the law enforcement agencies and the chief executives of the states will succeed in securing the country”.

    Before the twin explosions in the metropolis, two people were killed in cold blood in their homes by unknown gunmen. The first was the General Manager of a Kaduna-based newspaper, the New Democrat, while the other was a lecturer with the state School of Health Technology.

    The Nation was informed that this was a clear indication that the Boko Haram members were around in ten states and preparing to attack.

    Many believe the explosion was the ruling government’s attempt to silence the opposition. But civil rights crusader and stalwart of the APC in Kaduna State, Mallam Shehu Sani warned against attributing the act to the government or even President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He said that “the multiple bombings in Kaduna and Kano which targeted Muhammadu Buhari and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi stands unreservedly condemned. The assassination attempt once again demonstrated the annihilating danger faced by the Nigerian state. The attack, if successful, could have triggered a serious civil unrest which the architect must have intended to achieve.

    “The ongoing insurgency and the overall security situation in the country should be a matter of concern to all. With the attack on these two prominent Nigerians, it’s evidently clear now that we are in a situation where everyone is vulnerable.”

    He argued that there is an urgent  need for national unity and solidarity in tackling the menace, adding that “violence will continue as long as there is no exigent national cohesion to combat it; political bickering and blame game between the Government and the opposition and warmongering between the North and the South helps in sustaining the violence. It’s utterly wrong for the ruling party to ascribe the ongoing insurgency to the opposition without any iota of proof to that and it’s utterly false for anyone to concoct conspiracy theory that  links President Jonathan or the Federal Government to attacks that clearly and evidently have the hallmark of the insurgents. We have a crisis at hand and a historic challenge to address it. These are special moments in the history of our nation which appeals to our conscience and concern and needs our convergence. The ill wind of violence is threatening to uproot the standing pillar that upholds our national flag; we must all lend our hands and defy these digusting forces. In the crisis we find ourselves, what will matter most to posterity is not the individual opinion we hold about it but the collective position we took about it. When a nation’s faith is tested by crisis, it must be found strong if that nation is to survive. Each bomb explosion should generate a wave of patriotism to extinguish its motive and detonate its essence.”

     

     

  • Traders seek security

    SECURITY challenges have necessitated a call for more safety measures at  Gwagwalada market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The  Gwagwalada Main Market Traders’ Association called on the firm handling the development of the market to fence it and mount gates at strategic places to secure it.

    In a chat with reporters, the chairman of the association, Nura Rimi said the continued threat to life and property in market places in the country has prompted the association to make the call for the security of traders.

    “The market is not fenced. With the security situation in the country, we need gates at strategic positions. The situation in the market is not secured enough because everywhere is open. We are calling on the company developing the market to put in place facilities that will ensure protection of lives and properties,” he said.

    He also pleaded with the company to begin proper electrification of the market to avoid fire outbreak in the market.

    Rimi argued that since the first batch of the market has been completed, it was time the company brought in transformers that can supply electricity to the market.

    “The present executive of the market was elected 40 days ago. We have encountered so many challenges. There are two batches in the level of construction of the market.

    “As the company has completed the first batch, we are pleading with the contractor handling the project to install transformers to supply electricity to the market. The traders are just connecting the light illegally and we are scared of what might happen,” he said.

  • Liberian with Ebola-like symptoms dies in Lagos

    Liberian with Ebola-like symptoms dies in Lagos

    The  Liberian who was  hospitalised in Lagos for suspected  Ebola virus has  died, the Lagos State government announced  yesterday.

    The  Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris,his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr. Aderemi Ibirogba, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina and the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Mr. Raji Lateef  confirmed to reporters that  the Lberian, Patrick Sawyer, 40, tested positive to Ebola virus disease in the test conducted in the country.

    He was a consultant to his country’s ministry of finace.

    He arrived in Nigeria  on Sunday and was admitted to hospital after suffering from severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

    He was subsequently quarantined   because his symptoms were associated with the virus which has killed more than 650 people across West Africa in recent months, the worst-ever outbreak since Ebola first emerged in 1976.

    Dr.Idris  said the immediate task before government now is now to dispose of the body ‘properly’  and identify  and treat everyone  who had  contact with the deceased.

    He said: ”There is  protocol.The people involved, we are talking with the hospital involved, the staff  over there.After dealing with the body we have to deal with the hospital, to sanitize the hospital, more importantly too there is the need for us to do contact tracing. We are doing that with the World Health Organization people .We are going to trace all the contacts that the man came in with on the air plane ,where they went to.

    “ Since we have got the manifest , we are going to trace all of them .Ech one of them is going to be questioned.There is protocol for questioning  and they are going to be followed in the next 21 days to see if any one of them develops  any symptom.This is what we are in the process of doing. “

    He said appropriate personnel have been deployed at the borders, seaports and  airports in Lagos with a view to ensuring that infected people are not allowed to spread the virus.

    Idris urged Lagos residents not to panic over the situation, saying treatment centers will be set up to deal with possible spread of the disease.

    Liberia has recorded 172 cases of the disease, including 105 deaths, since the outbreak began.

    Experts say that limiting the spread of the virus in a chaotic mega-city like Lagos  poses added complications compared to infections in more rural areas.

    Ebola is believed to be carried by animals hunted for meat, notably bats.

    It spreads among humans via bodily fluids including sweat, meaning you can get sick from simply touching an infected person.

    With no vaccine, patients believed to have caught the virus must be isolated to prevent further contagion.

    In Sierra Leone, officials yesterday appealed for help to trace the first known resident in the capital with Ebola whose family forcibly removed her from a Freetown hospital after testing positive for the deadly disease.

    Radio stations in Freetown, a city of around 1 million inhabitants, broadcast the appeal to locate a woman who tested positive for the disease that has killed 660 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since an outbreak was first identified in February.

    “Saudatu Koroma of 25 Old Railway Line, Brima Lane, Wellington,” the announcement said. “She is a positive case and her being out there is a risk to all. We need the public to help us locate her.”

    Koroma, 32, a resident of the densely populated Wellington neighbourhood, had been admitted to an isolation ward while blood samples were tested for the virus, Health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis. The results came back on Thursday.

    “The family of the patient stormed the hospital and forcefully removed her and took her away,” Tunis said. “We are searching for her.”

    Fighting one of the world’s deadliest diseases is straining the region’s weak health systems, while a lack of information and suspicion of medical staff has led many to shun treatment.

    Earlier this year, a man in Freetown tested positive for Ebola although he is believed to have caught it elsewhere.

    According to health ministry data and officials, dozens of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have Ebola are now unaccounted for in Sierra Leone, where the majority of cases have been recorded in the country’s east.

    While international medical organisations have deployed experts to the field in an attempt to contain the outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said poor health infrastructure and a lack of manpower were hindering their efforts.

    “We’re seeing many of these facilities simply don’t have enough people to provide the constant level of care needed,” WHO spokesman Paul Garwood told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.

    There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, which causes diarrhoea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding. It can kill up to 90 percent of those infected, although the mortality rate of the current outbreak is around 60 percent.

    The West African outbreak is the first time that Ebola, which was first discovered in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, has appeared in heavily populated urban areas and international travel hubs.

    Cases have already been confirmed in Conakry and Monrovia, the capital cities of Guinea and Liberia.

    The Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA) Lagos Chapter, yesterday offered to partner the Lagos State government on the suspected case of Ebola Virus Disease to prevent an outbreak.

    Its chairman, Dr Tayo Ojo ,speaking  at the inaugural briefing of the newly elected executives of the association in Lagos said the association owes it a duty ensure that the state is free of the virus.

    But he advised the public  to imbibe environmental and personal hygiene culture.

  • Home of child labourers

    Home of child labourers

    There is enough to engage your interest in the nation’s capital. You will find the rich and powerful but so will not miss the segment that is always threatened by prohibitive rent. Now, add to that the army of child labourers, especially those who, instead of being in school, hawk all manner of wares on the streets and highways of the glitzy capital city.

    While some children are seen going to school, reading hard and having lesson teachers come home to teach them after school hours or during holidays, others can’t wait to leave classes and go out to sell one or two things in order to sustain their families.

    With the influx of people into the capital city and the high standard of living experienced by residents, it is very common to see children as young as six or seven carrying wares on their heads and walking about trying to sell their products, in either traffic or street corners.

    Just like you will find in any Northern part of the country where young Hausa girls carry little wares like vegetables, pepper, tomatoes, okra, etc and selling on behalf of mothers who are not allowed outside the house, it is now slowly becoming a trend in satellite towns of Abuja like Kubwa, Zuba and Nyanya, among others.

    Unfortunately, most of these children barely go to school and begin their trade very early and can be seen sometimes dosing or lounging under trees when the sun becomes unbearable.

    Some banana sellers at the satellite towns do not come out to sell alone, you find most of them and all of their children especially at night selling banana and groundnut especially at the phase 3 traffic in Kubwa, even on school days, young children are seen in traffic as late as 10pm trying to sell their bananas to motorists and passerbys, these children that have so mastered the trade that they can be seen convincing people to buy even under the rain or when the weather is extremely cold.

    With the coming of groundnuts and fresh corn season, most of the peddlers of these food items are mostly children. Visit the Kubwa market and you will see a lot of children selling corn, groundnut, vegetable, yam, cooked cassava flour or fufu, among others, all trying hard to sell and supplement their family earnings.

    Another popular trend is common on Fridays before prayers Children lead disabled relatives to places close to popular mosques to beg for alms and sometimes even fight over people trying to give them money, even though it seems like the almajiris are not in Abuja, a visit to most of the satellite towns will prove to a visitor that they are gradually taking up a stand in these parts of the city. Here young children with their famous plastic bowls go about singing to residents for money. Some of them hang around parks and overhead bridges. The overhead bridge at the famous Second Gate in Kubwa is popular for accommodating these children; they lounge around the steps and yell greetings at passersby. Most times, when a passerby ignores and refuse to give them money after their rendition of praises, some of them will begin insulting the innocent person in Hausa.

    With the level of hardship on the increase and the almajiris making less and less money, some of these children have found alternatives to begging, some hand around the Kubwa market, following people around and asking to carry heavy loads, some that sit around the overhead bridge carry heavy loads across the bridge for stipends while of almajiris in town have now taken up another trade, they hang around traffic in town, they can even be seen at the Central Area, here they wait patiently for the light to turn red and as soon as it does, you will find little boys, some as young as six or seven struggling to wash the windscreen of cars with their readymade detergent water and stick. They do not bother to ask permission from motorists but simply dive

    on the windscreen and begin washing, most angry motorist drive them away while some allow them to finish and hand them stipends.

    Mr Benard, a taxi driver who takes Nicon junction to Secretariat route insisted that the children are a great nausea and need to be flushed out of the city centre. “ they are so annoying honestly, they won’t even take permission but use that their dirty water to stain the windscreen that you

    have already washed, i don’t give them anything oh, i just yell at them anytime they come close to my car. What they do is very dangerous and they could easily be hit by a car but they never listen and security operatives simply watch them without chasing them away.”

    A resident of Kubwa, Mercy Kalu called parents that allow their children sell things in the traffic late at night careless. Her words, “how much is it that the children are going to make for their families that they are being kept out late selling bananas that people don’t even want, some

    parents can be very careless and you see them crying when something happens to the children. These children rush through traffic most times not even checking properly to be sure that the road is clear. The government of the Federal Capital Territory needs to do something about taking these children off the streets because it is child abuse.”

     

  • A digital revolution in Kaduna

    A digital revolution in Kaduna

    Education is believed to be the bedrock of development in any nation but in Nigeria it is facing serious challenges. Not much attention is paid to the development of skills and capacities through information and communication technology (ICT).

    It is in the face of these challenges that the digital revolution of Hon. Usman S. Bawa, popularly referred to as Shehu ABG, in Kaduna is worthy of emulation by all stakeholders in the education sector. Shehu ABG, the member representing Kaduna North in the House of Representatives, is the son of Alhaji Bawa Garba, a Kaduna-based business tycoon and telecommunications magnate who founded the first Cable Satellite TV in West Africa. As a businessman, his father digitalised TV network with the state-of-the-art technologies in Nigeria, at a time when cable network was out of the reach of many Nigerians.

    Although, he is a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he has brushed aside partisan politics and political sentiments to develop the education sector in Kaduna State, not minding that the state is governed by the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is indisputably responsible for the development deficit in the state. Shehu ABG sees his mission as a partial fulfilment of his covenant with the people of Kaduna North, his primary constituency and the state at large.

    In the first phase of his digital revolution, eight schools in Kaduna were selected for the laudable ICT Programme. The schools include Kaduna State University; Kaduna Capital School and Sardauna Memorial College; Government Secondary School, Doka; Government Secondary school, Ungwan Sarki and Government Girls’ Secondary School, Independence Way Kaduna.

    Others include Nuruddinil Islamic Society school, Malali and Government Junior Secondary School, Badarawa. Importantly, letters have been sent to these schools, notifying the appropriate authorities about the timely commencement and implementation of the ICT projects in their respective schools few weeks from now.

    From available statistics, over 100 computer sets have been donated and distributed to each of the selected schools by Hon. Shehu ABG. In addition, Kaduna Capital School and Kaduna State University each boasts a new ICT complex constructed by Hon. Shehu ABG to house the ICT centres with brand new power plants. The other schools have not been left out, as they have equally benefited from renovation of blocks of classrooms that have mostly been converted to ICT centres, in addition to the solar panels provided to power the centres. Considering the importance ICT to effective learning, the computer sets provided to the selected schools have been accompanied with unlimited internet access.

    Personally, I happen to be part of as an external observer when the lawmaker paid a courtesy call to some of the schools. It was, for me, an eye opener to the noble cause of the honourable member and his faithfulness to his covenant with the people. I, therefore, wish to commend the lawmaker for his impressive contribution to education in my state, especially Kaduna North.

     

    •Muhammad writes from mukycent@gmail.com

  • Hotels to submit guests’ list to security agencies

    In his determination to ensure that life and property are better secured in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed has directed all hotels in the Capital City to forward the list of their guests to the FCT Directorate of State Security Services (SSS) and the FCT Police Command on a daily basis.

    The hotels are equally required to install their individual security cameras within their vicinity and ensure thorough check of all vehicles entering the hotels and within their surroundings.

    According to a statement issued by Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of FCT, Nosike Ogbuenyi, the minister also directed all residents and associations in various parts of the territory to embark on “operation-know-your-neighbour” campaign. The measure is to ensure that all criminally-minded elements are detected easily within the FCT.

    The security department of the FCTA is to liaise with the various security agencies in the FCT on modalities for implementing the ministerial directive.

    The minister directed all traditional rulers in the FCT to, as a matter of necessity, start conducting periodic meetings with various communities within their domains to take stock of strange faces living with them, as well as report all new comers within 48 hours to the local Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and State Security Service (SSS) office. This is in furtherance of “operation-know-your-neighbour” campaign.

    He enjoined all residents to be vigilant and cautious of strange objects or movements of persons and vehicles around them, as well as stationary vehicles. They should report same to the nearest security agencies.

    The minister further directed that all trailers/lorry operators bringing goods to the city shall no longer be allowed to offload their contents at night.