The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Driving immunisation in Yobe

    Driving immunisation in Yobe

    Life and property are not the only things lost to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North. Healthcare delivery is also terribly affected.

    Take immunisation, for instance. Before the insurgency, it was difficult getting families to release their children for the all-important inoculation to save them from such deadly diseases as polio. But with the onslaught of the insurgents, the immunisation outreach got worse.

    Thankfully, some organisations, many of which foreign are persistent in driving the medical safety programme through. Donor agencies like the Department of International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom and the Government of Norway through PRRINN-MNCH especially in Yobe State since 2007 is no doubt helping the state towards achieving Goals 4 and 5 of the Millennium Development Goals aimed at improving the lives of mothers and children.

    Recently, however, some of the donor agencies had to reappraise their commitment to the state vis-à-vis the safety of their staff.

    While the  state Social Mobilisation Committee on Polio was fighting  to overcome the campaign against  non-compliance in some communities of  Gujba, Damaturu, Tarmuwa, Bursari, Gaidam,  Potiskum, Yunusari, Karasuwa and  Fune local government areas of the state, the spate of the attacks has even made it more difficult for such campaigns to be carried out.

    Against this backdrop, the state government has devised other means of overcoming immunisation coverage in the state.

    The state Commissioner for Health Mohammed Bello Kawuwa while briefing reporters in Damaturu boasted that the state has achieved 96 per cent coverage in routine immunisation in the state, through the engagement of members of local communities in areas with daunting security challenges.

    He noted that the ministry of health now recruits and trains people living in those communities to deliver the needed services for the state.

    Dr. Bello Kawuwa said, “Knowing that polio is now localised, the ministry has organised a special mobilisation team, a health promotion team which embarks on free immunisation campaign and when the  immunisers come around, this special mobilisation team will now follow so that any case of non compliance are reported.

    ”Members of the team include Ulamas and community leaders who go from house to house to sensitize householders on the importance of the immunization and how safe the drugs are and though we get dots of non-compliance, people usually get satisfied with explanations they get from the special mobilizers Routine immunization is targeted at polio and other vaccine preventable diseases and Yobe state government is up and doing and when recently we reviewed the success so far, we were able to confirm that we have reached 96% of the target group which is a good coverage. So the security challenges have not much affected government’s effort towards ensuring that the routine immunization programme goes successfully”, he said.

    He added, “When we compared the trend now and what it used to be before some years past during the hot season we discovered that record of spinal meningitis infection has drastically reduced or even disappeared in our medical record,” he said.

    Dr. Bello Kawuwa said the state government is employing all measures to tackle the recurring cases of polio in some parts of the state which is due to security challenges

    He also noted that constant attempt to eradicate the disease is due largely to technical and operational problems as a result of the insecurity situation in the state with the result that some children in certain local governments are being missed either by the immunisation personnel or by the deliberate refusal of their parents to present them for immunisation.

    The commissioner emphasized that the emergency declaration on the health sector by Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam is has yielded tremendous result  with the  renovation  and equipping the 12 General Hospitals and eight Comprehensive Health Centres across the state, in addition to engaging specialized personnel in all hospitals in the state.

    “Government established a Primary Health Care Management Board to boost primary health care delivery, improve the 20 General Hospitals and Comprehensive Health Centres for the secondary health care sector.

    “We are in partnership with specialists from University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, in Yobe, among others, to provide specialised manpower to the hospitals, and to make health care delivery accessible and affordable in the state. The ministry has also developed a human resources document, with short and long term plans, to address the personnel needs of health institutions in the state,’’ he said.

    Dr. Bello Kawuwa said government had been procuring N20 million worth of drugs and consumables monthly, to sustain the ‘’Free Drugs and Medical Treatment for Pregnant Women and Children’’ program of the state government.

    “It is gratifying that the Health Insurance Program  in six Hospitals and other deliberate measures adopted by government, had grossly reduced maternal mortality and child morbidity in the state,’’ he  said.

    The Nation checks gather that communities in Gujba and Gulani are still inaccessible due to the high spate of Boko Haram attacks in the area. Only God knows how many children in those areas are suffering from the polio virus.

  • Don’t scuttle 2015 polls, NAS warns politicians

    The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) has cautioned political office holders against using state resources and the machinery of government to manipulate the 2015 general elections.

    It also called on the Federal Government to imbibe the spirit of good governance and encourage popular participation of the citizens in the electoral process, even as it urged the government to strengthen democratic institutions and the practice of rule of law; equity and justice to enhance socio-economic and political development of the country.

    Speaking at a lecture organised by NAS in Abuja with the theme: “Unity in Diversity: Our Nation’s Strength for the Future,” a senior member of the group and a senior lecturer at the Plateau State Polytechnic, Emmanuel Nanle said all votes should be allowed to count in the 2015 elections.

    He said: “All over the world, the focus for Africa is actually mandate protection which is that when you vote, the votes should count. I think that is what happened in Ekiti State.

    “If the people are desirous to effect a change, they can effect a change. If they are desirous to protect those in government and protect the mandate given to those in the government, they will be able to do it.”

    Mr. Nanle said the election of a President for the country in 2015 should not be based on religion or ethnic extraction but based on competence.

    He urged politicians to subject themselves for approval by the publics, adding that past Presidents that ruled Nigeria evolved as a final solution to the country’s lingering problems.

    He added that there is nothing wrong in the South continuing in the Presidential Villa if they have good things to offer than the North.

    According to him, there should be give-and-take syndrome in the country to allow for integration and representation.

    “What is the justification for power shift to the north? If the north wants power shift, I hope we are not talking about having a president for the north because that unfortunately is the situation we are having.

    “When you bring a President from the South, it becomes a Southern President. When you bring a President from the North, it becomes a Northern President. I understand that in this project called Nigeria, there must be a give-and-take situation to allow for integration and representation.

    “I believe that the selection or the choice of a candidate should not be premised on religion, should not be premised on ethnic extraction but should be premised on competence.

    “If we find such person in the North why not, but I am an ardent believer of Nigeria as a project and I do not see anything wrong in anybody from the South continuing if he has anything to offer,” he said.

     

  • ‘Our representatives have failed us’

    The indigenous people of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the auspices of Greater Gbagyi Development Initiatives (GG-DIN) and the Original Inhabitant of Abuja have described the Senator representing the FCT in the National Assembly, Senator Phillip Aduda and the House Representative member, Hon. Isah Dobi as a disappointment to the people of the FCT. .

    On a peaceful protest march to the palace of the Chief of Garki, Dr, Usman Ngakupi, the houses of Senator Aduda, and Hon. Dobi, over 70 members of the community expressed their grievances against those representing them at the National Assembly who, they said have failed to protect their interests at the National Assembly, adding that their non-quality representation has caused them immense suffering, shame and humiliation in the hands of government.

    On getting to Senator Aduda’s residence, the protesters were informed that he was not in town. They had to proceed to the residence of Hon. Dobi who told them to meet him at Nigeria Turkish Nile University along Airport Road.

    However, when they got to the university, they realised that Hon. Dobi had deceived them out of his residence and switched off his phones.

    Prince Gimba Gbaiza, the Coordinator of GG-DIN who led the protest march, said the people are claiming responsibility for the gridlock at the popular Kubwa-Zuba Expressway, after the unannounced demolition of Alugu-Lungu Village inside Gwarinpa Estate, adding that they are tired of the humiliation and threats to lives from the government of the FCT as their representatives at the National Assembly have failed to represent the interest of the people that elected them.

    “What is the primary duty of Senator Philip Aduda? What is the primary duty of Zaphania Jisalo and Isah Dobi? What is the primary duty of the area council chairmen? Since the issue of what happened at Lungu Village came up and the protest at Kubwa Expressway, none of them has volunteered to visit there and find out what really happened and to see what to do.

    “They have disappointed us. That is why we have come to tell Phillip Aduda, Zaphania Jisalo and Isah Dobi that they have disappointed us. They should know that the primary duty of lawmakers is to make laws that would benefit their constituencies. We have written more than four letters to Senator Aduda seeking to have audience with him, but he refused to grant us audience.

    “What is the problem? Each time we have a problem, we write him he does not respond. We have told him to have an interface with his constituency for us to discuss how to develop the indigenous people of the FCT. He has failed us. We are not going to condone the problem of collecting our ancestral land with anybody any longer.  We are going to take our possession by force,” he said.

  • Jonathan and the new auto policy

    The new automobile policy introduced by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in October last year and programmed to fully take off in May and later shifted to July 1, this year has continued to raise dust among stakeholders in the industry.

    The battle is so fierce that it is being likened to the experience in the power sector where importers of electricity generating sets are alleged to be working against government’s reforms in the sector.

    Government believes that the new automobile policy will not only transform the sector by ensuring mass production of cars in Nigeria, but will also boost foreign exchange earnings through export of such made-in-Nigeria cars.

    It also expected the policy to greatly tackle the rising unemployment rate in the country.

    But some Nigerians who kick against the implementation of the policy believe that government was putting the cart before the horse by raising duty paid on imported vehicles without first putting the necessary structures on ground.

    This, they said, will impose more hardship on the citizenry, who mostly rely on used or second-hand imported cars, popularly called tokunbo cars.

    According to them, the 70 per cent, made up of 35 per cent duty and 35 per cent levy on imported vehicles being introduced under the new policy should be  imposed on imported cars when new vehicles start rolling out in large quantity from factories in Nigeria and at affordable prices.

    By the time the affordable made-in-Nigeria cars flood the Nigerian market, they argue, the importation of used vehicles will naturally go down as Nigerians will then decide whether to patronise locally-produced cars at affordable prices or pay exorbitant duty for imported cars.

    They currently believe that government is more interested in raising the import duty on imported vehicles than manufacturing new cars in the country, pointing out that the environment is not conducive to the automobile policy as it is characterised by poor infrastructure, poor power supply, high overhead costs and lack of technical manpower. They also maintain that the policy cannot be realised by executive fiat.

    Stressing that they are not really against the new policy but its implementation, they pushed for the right sequences to be followed in the public interest as they claimed that the present implementation is anti-people.

    Unless the government gets the policy implementation sequences right, they warned, Nigerian importers may likely shift to Benin Republic or other neighbouring ports which will result in loss of revenue to the Federal Government.

    The controversy surrounding the new policy was among the issues that dominated discussions at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided by President Jonathan last week. It subsequently, mandated the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga to enlighten the public more on the new policy.

    Aganga said: “The article had claimed that the duty on the used cars is now 70 per cent from yesterday. That is incorrect. It is 35 per cent. It also claimed all used cars now coming into the country would pay duty of 70 per cent, which again is incorrect.

    “For all those in the auto policy programme, all those car assembly plants in the programme, the policy is that they would be able to import cars to meet the gap when you look at production and the demands in the country. They would be able to import those cars at 35 per cent. So, it is not 70 per cent.

    “It is only for those who are putting strain on our foreign reserves who have no intention to create jobs, who want to continue to remain traders that the 70 per cent applies to and this is to discourage trading. It is to encourage local assembly and job creation and unnecessary pressure on our foreign reserves.

    “Why would you import cars at 70 per cent while others are importing at 35 per cent? So, we do not expect to see anyone importing cars at 70 per cent. It was just a measure to encourage people to go within the policy group.

    “On used cars, in every country when you have auto policy, used cars are banned. Even when there was a meeting of the auto manufacturers last week, they pushed for banning of used cars. This government under this President, bearing in mind the socio-political environment we operate today, where most people import used cars, this government decided not to ban importation of used cars.

    “The second thing which we have emphasised is to make it easier for those who buy used cars to make sure that we work with the financial institutions to have car purchase scheme in the country, where they can borrow money to buy cars as long as you are working at very reduced interest rate not up to 20 per cent. We are looking at very low interest; we are at advanced stage of negotiating that.

    “We should be proud of the progress we have made since that policy was introduced in October. If we don’t implement this policy, the pressure on the economy of this country will be unbearable because we rely heavily on the importation of cars and this is not what we want to use your foreign exchange for.

    “Today, we spend more than $3 billion every year on importing cars. We spend another $3.2 billion and $3.4 billion importing used cars and spare parts. With every importation, we are creating new jobs in other countries.”

    With the latest news of shifting the imposition of 35 per cent duty on imported cars to January next year, it is hoped that government will really get it right this time round and Nigerians, at the end of the day, are not further impoverished than they are currently.

  • Council chief seeks increased allocation

    The Chairman of Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hon. Yahaya Garba, has reiterated the need for the Federal Government to increase the revenue allocations to the area council to enable it improve the lives of the residents of the council.

    Garba, who made the appeal during his administration’s one-year anniversary in Abaji, said despite the financial challenges that the council has been experiencing, it had impact positively on the lives of the people.

    According to the council chief, they have been able to meet some of the people’s expectations that have direct bearing to their lives through the provision of access roads, potable water supply in communities and scholarship to indigent people in rural areas.

    “The people should expect more infrastructural development as the financial situation in the council improves because it is our desire to see how we are going to improve on infrastructural development and provision of basic amenities for our people.

    “What we have done in the past one year is not good enough. We need to do more. That is why we are appealing to the Federal Government to increase the area council’s allocation in order for us to provide more dividends of democracy for our people,” he said.

    The immediate past chairman of the council, Hon. Yahaya Mohammed, who expressed satisfaction over the performance of the present chairman, urged him to pursue all projects with vigour so that the people would benefit more.

  • ‘Blame insecurity on politicians’

    Academics and lawmakers who attended a conference in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, have traced the cause of insecurity in the country to politicians, who they also accuse of using religion to divide Nigerians.

    The conferees cautioned government at all levels to treat religion with care “otherwise we shall be having a big religious insecurity in our hands.”

    The event was the third joint national conference of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin organised by the Institutes of General Studies and Finance Management Studies.

    The four-day conference was entitled “Nigeria Security Challenges: Issues on National Concerns.”

    In his paper dubbed “Essentials of Managing National Security,” Prof of Biblical Studies, United Missionary Theological College of Africa (UMTCA), Ilorin, Michael Akangbe blamed the country’s current travails of cultural, linguistic, religious and historical heterogeneity.

    Prof Akangbe said the activities of the Islamist Boko Haram sect stemmed from the ‘do or die’ politics of the elites.

    Said he: “Politics has become more complex in our hands from local to national and global levels; it is now more than simple acquisition of power for the administration of men and materials. It has become a big time politics where all sorts of vices are employed to play. Politics is made up of series of promises not fulfilled, denials of previous statements made by leaders and blame games.

    “Religion has become a stormy petrel, a harbinger of evil and a source of insecurity in our hands. It has not become volatile alone, but also dicey and difficult to define and handle well. There can be as many streams as possible of a single religion without a clear understanding within their theological differences and ideologies.

    “When religion steps out of the domain of providing explanation to the mystery of the divine entering into human and co-exist peacefully the end result is always chaos, catastrophe, maiming of people and outright killings in some cases or even war. In this regard, governments at all levels are to walk softly where angels are careful to walk at all otherwise we shall be having a big religious insecurity in our hands.”

    Another factor that breeds insecurity and other vices according to academic is corruption

    “Corruption is the major bane of our activities in this country. While there may be pocket of honest individuals here and there, corruption surely pervades almost every area of our economic and political spheres. In as much as it may be argued that corruption is a worldwide phenomenon, its high level in Nigeria has affected our development grossly,” he said.

    On unemployment, he said “like politics and religion, employment can become explosive and constitute a heavy security threats and Gordian knot on our hands. We need to handle with not an array of modern and sophisticated weapons but with great tact and wisdom of God before the bubble blows open and turns into another wild and untamed ‘haram’ in our hands.”

    In a remark, the Education Committee chair, Kwara state House of Assembly, Hajia Nimota Ibraheem said: “Our country has been polarized on religious lines by the Nigerian politicians. Even as small as I am we didn’t experience this when we were growing up. I went to a school established by an Islamic organization. In my class we had two Christians, a boy and girl and we did everything together as brothers and sisters.

  • Attacks: Any reprieve for Southern Kaduna?

    Attacks: Any reprieve for Southern Kaduna?

    The people are becoming disenchanted. Where will help come from, and when? Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen raid and kill residents of southern Kaduna State with impunity. The residents are tense and growing increasingly hopeless. Many cannot sleep with two eyes closed.

    Many believe that the state government is not doing enough to protect them and their communities.

    Even though the state government has continued to assure them of their safety, the recent attack in Sanga Local Government Area which lasted for about one week despite a curfew imposed on the area probably indicates that there is more to the attacks than meets the eye.

    Tension is growing in the area, culminating in the youths of the area staging a peaceful protest to the palace of the Chief of Kagoro, Ufuwai Bonat, who is also the chairman of the Southern Kaduna Traditional Rulers Council,  to express their disappointment and worries.

    Even though the first class traditional ruler refused to see them or take their letter, they presented their grievances to the media, accusing the Kaduna State government of doing practically nothing to protect them. According to them, the state governor, Mukthar Ramalan Yero showed no modest regard for victims of several attacks in the area, pointing out that at the moment, they have lost confidence in the  state government “which is seemingly unperturbed by the continued decimation of our people and the destruction of their means of livelihood.”

    They want the federal government to declare a state of emergency in the area, believing that it will help address the insecurity in the area. Many people in the area, including the umbrella body of the southern Kaduna people, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union also want the federal government to establish a military base in the area. According to them, the declaration of a state of emergency in Southern Kaduna is imperative to stem the tide of invasion by armed fulani herds men who have killed many people and destroyed homes and crops.

    In the letter which they had intended to present to their traditional rulers, the youth argued that there was no difference between the massive killings and destruction going on in the southern part of Kaduna and the situations in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states which are currently under a state of emergency as a result of the deadly activities of the Boko Haram sect.

    Vincent Bodam, spokesman of the youths said they were facing serious threats of total elimination by the Fulani herdsmen, adding that the latest  invasion of  rural communities in Sanga Local Government Area of the state,  where several people were killed and their homes and farms destroyed by Fulani militias was unacceptable and called on the government to take urgent steps to put an end to the killings.

    “We do not see any difference between the mass killings in our area and those carried out in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states where a state emergency was declared,” they said. “Your Royal Highness, we implore you to pass on this plea on to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan to immediately declare a state of emergency in Kaduna state until normalcy is restored, considering that our people at this point in time, have lost confidence in the government in the state which is seemingly unperturbed by the continued decimation of our people and the destruction of their means of livelihood,” the group stated in the letter.

    They advocated for the formation of Southern Kaduna Vigilante Service (SKAVIS) to boost the lean effort of the military in tackling the security challenges facing the southern Kaduna people, saying “Borno state has a civilian JTF, and South Western States have the OPC, to enforce security and provide useful intelligence to rightful authorities, it would be very unfair for government to deny, or frustrate southern Kaduna peoples from forming such a body,” Bodam said.

    The youth also gave an indication that political leaders in the area may be in for a tough time, accusing them of not bringing their plight before the world, casting a vote of no confidence on them. They also believe that the government should be asked to “take responsibility for their failure to curb the ongoing pogrom in Southern Kaduna being the Chief Security Officer of the state. For his snub to visit and have first-hand evidences of the violence against our people or show concern to our people, we feel late down and disenchanted. How can 147 sons and daughters of a state be killed in one fell swoop in Kaura villages, and a sitting governor would not go to see and speak to the aggrieved since February, and again about 200 have killed in mass invasions of Sanga villages, and the Governor does not have the moral courage to visit any of the affected places or persons? Our Royal father, to ameliorate the situation of the affected people, we appeal to you to set up a Southern Kaduna Relief Fund for Displaced Persons. This will go a long way to reduce the level of starvation, disease and mental trauma from the surviving victims. More so that this is happening during the farming season it signifies the untold hardship that is eminent in these affected villages the following year. His Royal Highness, we are watching with consternation the spirited, if not desperate attempt by poorly informed government officials to create new exclusive grazing vast lands for Fulani nomads and to resuscitate dormant ones in our area. Nigeria should not reward mindless murderers of innocent people and plunderers of our hard earned resources with the lands of the victims”.

  • For the love of Kwara

    For the love of Kwara

    Before a capacity audience in Ikeja, within earshot of the Lagos State Secretariat, Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed made his case. Seated to hear him in the large hall were indigenous Kwara State people living and working in Lagos. His task was to explain to them how he had managed the affairs of the state these three years, and also hear from them. He called it a consultative forum.

    The governor approached the job with calm and confidence. First, he noted that Kwarans form what he called “a critical mass” driving the economy of their host state and, by extension, that of the entire country.

    Then, he told them that his vision for the state since 2011 when he became governor was to inspire a better Kwara with improved infrastructure, healthier and happier people, having more youths going to school and upon graduation getting jobs or even becoming entrepreneurs. He seemed to speak passionately, mostly off-the-cuff, hinting of a love for the state and a bond with the people.

    At the inauguration of his administration, there were 30 unfinished road projects from previous governments, as Ahmed told the people. Eighteen of those projects have now been completed, costing the state over N7 billion. The rest are ongoing. The Ahmed plan, it has become clear, is to follow up inherited projects from past administrations provided they are for the good of the people, for, as the governor put it, they were also funded by the people.

    As he spoke, the people responded with intermittent applause.

    He proceeded with more information, announcing that his administration initiated 44 asphalted state road projects of its own covering over 128km, 23 of which have been completed while 21 were still being worked on. The state roads cost over N5 billion, he said.

    The Ahmed administration paid more attention to rural and feeder roads and also spent more money on them. Fifty-nine of such roads were initiated, 38 completed and 21 yet to be finished, the governor said. Over N16 billion was spent on them, the highest of the three categories. The reason for this was to spread development to other parts of the state, and also open up the rural areas so that farmers, for instance, can easily move their products to markets of their choice.

    The governor spoke about boreholes sunk in so many communities, electricity provided for several towns and communities, schools built or rehabilitated and equipped with modern learning tools. Under his administration, new methods of agriculture have been introduced, greatly altering the picture of drudgery and subsistence usually associated with tilling the land. More people are now raising animals and producing fresh milk, for instance. Some supply poultry products to fast food outlets. One even exports cassava chips, the governor told his audience. But his efforts in job creation and health may well top his scorecard. Under Quick-Win, the administration’s jobs scheme, over 10,000 youths have been employed either directly by the government or trained to become entrepreneurs. Some of them help in curbing road traffic infractions; some keep the roads and streets tidy. Some others have become employers after the state helped them with small interest-free loans. Before the year’s end, some 3,000 more will be added to the number, Ahmed assured.

    In health, Kwara may well have become a reference point. Five General Hospitals spread across the state have been rehabilitated. Ilorin General Hospital is a model. Once acquired by the University of Ilorin as part of its medical unit, the hospital was a virtual wreck on the departure of Unilorin to its permanent site. Ahmed and his team revisited the hospital, retooled it and brought it back to life again. Today, the General Hospital is seen as a model facility, not only in the state.

    Under the administration and in partnership with private investors, Kwara Advanced Diagnostic Centre (KADC) is touted to be among the best of its kind in the country, its staff and facilities resolving sometimes intractable medical conditions. Close attention is also said to be paid to people at the grassroots, necessitating the rehabilitation and upgrade of health centres across the state. Ahmed told his audience in Ikeja that his administration’s vision is to bring health care so close to the people that no one in the state will have to travel more than 500 metres to find a primary health centre.

    That morning, Ahmed also told his people how his technical education plan will help mop up idle youths from the streets and also boost the state’s skills profile.

    How did the people receive their governor’s scorecard? Well, from the intermittent applause and the chat as he ended his briefing, it was easy to see that Ahmed’s three years in office was worth their while.

  • Subsidised grains for FCT farmers

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sold grains to residents at a subsidised rate.

    The idea of the FCT buffer stock programme the administration says is geared towards reducing wastage and ultimately ensuring food security in the territory.

    To ensure that several residents benefit from the sale, 16,507 bags of maize, 1,880 bags of guinea corn, and 2,393 bags of millet all in 50kg packs were sold at 50 per cent subsidised rate as a bag of maize and guinea corn were sold for N2,200 while millet was sold for N3,000.

    Minister of State for the FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide said the event is a showcase for the giant strides the administration is making towards transforming agriculture from being a development intervention into a business enterprise.

    She said that the programme was designed to use agriculture as an engine for business and entrepreneurship rather than development intervention.

    She said: “By this intervention, government aims to increase the productivity of farmers as well as empower the youth and women through various forms of agric business. Consequently, the FCT Administration is championing value addition, sourcing for markets, enlightenment, sensitisation and education of farmers on the availability of new technologies and new ways of agriculture.

    “The FCTA therefore, is tearing its barns and expanding its walls to make room for the anticipated growth in harvest from the current buffer stock capacity of 1,250 metric tons to 3,250MT as a result of the boost.

    “For that reason, we are opening the floodgates of our storehouses to FCT farmers and residents in order to bridge the gap created by the intervening period, when all the crops would have gone into the ground. This is with a view to stabilising the prices of produce as we await yet another bumper harvest.”

  • Relief for women, youths

    Relief for women, youths

    •Nenadi Usman distributes jobs tools

    A NEW world has opened for women and youths in the southern part of Kaduna State. Many of them can now set up  businesses and no longer have to gnash their teeth in misery or beg to eat.

    They came from different parts of the eight local government areas that make up Kaduna south Senatorial district to taste of the dividends of democracy promised them by their senator, Esther Nenadi Usman, during her campaign. For some of them, it was a dream come true. For some others, it was an opportunity to earn a living without having to rely on anybody.

    The ceremony was the presentation of jobs tools to some women and youths at the Kafanchan Township stadium by Usman who represents Kaduna South at the Senate.

    She told the gathering that the distribution of the items was in fulfillment of her campaign promise.

    “The Southern Kaduna people may wish to recall that in the year 2010 during my electioneering campaigns, I promised you that if elected, I was going to give the Kaduna South Senatorial District qualitative, effective and consultative representation at the Senate,” she said. “I also promised to empower as many women and youths as possible within the zone”.

    At an elaborate ceremony which took place at the Kafanchan Township Stadium and attended by the state governor, Mukthar Ramalan Yero and a host of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) top brass from Southern Kaduna and beyond, Senator Usman gave out 19 cars, 106 tricycles and 368 motorcycles in addition to welding and vulcanising machines, automobile diagnostic  machines, among others, to her constituents.

    She said the items cost N81.3 million, disclosing that 86 women and youths who benefitted from the scheme were trained by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    Sixteen beneficiaries received starter packs in interior decoration; 18 in fashion design; 18 in hair dressing; 18 in welding machines; 12 GSM repair kits; 16 electrical installation starter packs; 12 plumbing and fittings tools and 12 computer sets. In addition, about 45 cooperative societies were given N100,000 each as soft loan.

    Senator Usman who has come under serious attack from her people in recent time used the event to dismiss claims of abandonment leveled against her by a few vocal people in the area as she went down memory lane in what appeared to be a period of stock taking.

    She told them: “In the course of my campaigns, I noticed the difficulty faced by our people as a result of the inadequate and non-availability of potable drinking water, unemployment and medical challenges amongst others. Shortly after being elected, I embarked on a project and sunk a borehole in each of our 87 wards at a total cost N47.8 million. To complement my effort, the MDGs Office in 2013 sunk six additional boreholes within the zone. In December 2011, with N10 million, I commissioned a medical team that went round the zone and successfully carried out free surgery on 688 patients and purchased and installed a scanning machine at the General Hospital in Zango town of Zangon Kataf local Government Area at the cost of N1.3 Million. Students from the zone were not left out as 426 of them received scholarships of N10,000 each totaling N4.26 million.”

    She also disclosed that since assuming office, she has ensured that about 61 persons from her zone were gainfully employed both at the federal and Kaduna state civil service, while influencing various projects to the zone as constituency projects. Such projects include the N150 million library complex at the Kafanchan campus of the State University; construction of town halls at Kyeyya, Damkasuwa and Kubacha; construction of a clinic at Iddah in Kagarko Local Government ; supply and installation of three transformers at Garaje, Police Headquarters’ Barracks, Kafanchan and Kwoi towns; construction of two primary schools at Garaje-Kagoro of Kaura LGA and Jere of Kagarko LGA and supply of chairs to 4 primary Schools at Zangon Kataf Local Government, Kachia Local Government, Jema’a Local Government and Kagarko Local Government.

    A group called Concerned Realists of Southern Kaduna described the empowerment items as Greek gift. Convener of the group, John Danfulani said at a news conference days after the items were given to the beneficiaries that why the Senator represents the entire people of southern Kaduna irrespective of political affiliation, only PDP members were selected and given the items as strategies for the 2015 elections. Danfulani alleged that the Senator has not given quality leadership to the people of southern Kaduna as required.  But a southern Kaduna social critic, Bitrus Yakubu Bitiyong believes that those criticising the senator are not being fair to her at all. Bitiyong argued that since assuming office, Senator Nenadi Usman has given the people quality and proper representation and has done so much for the people. He noted that the recent empowerment programme was not the only empowerment that she has done in the last three years. He disclosed that the senator has given out scholarship to several southern Kaduna youths, provide boreholes and health facilities to her constituents. Responding to allegations that the empowerment was meant for her to return to the senate, he said “let me tell you that it will be difficult for anybody to beat Senator Usman at the moment. Anyone who wants to unseat her must come with a better manifesto than she has and I can assure you that if there is anyone with better credentials and manifesto, some of us will tell her and she will not feel bad about it”. He alleged that those criticising her are those who felt that they are not getting patronage from her. Some of the beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme dismissed the claims that they were PDP delegates. One of them who refused to disclose her name said “I am not a member of the PDP. I do not belong to any political party, but I am a southern Kaduna woman. What the senator has done is to put food on our table and we will remain grateful to her. I am short of words, but all I can say is that God will continue to bless her”.