The member representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency of Osun State in the House of Representatives, Bamidele Salam yesterday staged a one-man protest walk in Abuja to compel Nigerians to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately secure the release of those kidnapped on the Kaduna/Abuja train in March and still being held captive by the bandits.

The lawmaker, who staged a one-man protest walk for the release of victims of the Kaduna/Abuja Train attack from the Unity Fountain to the National Assembly barefooted, said it is unfortunate that the Nigerian government appeared helpless in tackling the issue of kidnapping and banditry in the country while the perpetrators walk freely.

He dismissed calls for the lawmakers to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President, saying it was not an option to address the security challenges in the country.

Clad in all-black and carrying a placard which reads “President Muhammadu Buhari, do more to secure freedom for the Kaduna train abductees and other citizens in captivity,” Salam said the government must also take concrete steps to fish out those sabotaging the effort of the security agents in curtailing the activities of the bandits.

He recalled that the abductors had given a seven-day ultimatum to the government to do the needful, failure which they will start killing the captives, pointing out that while the ultimatum has expired, the abductors have extended it.

He said: “As a lawmaker Nigerian elected to solve problems, I believe very strongly that it has not come to the stage of considering impeachment of the president. That’s my opinion. I have been in this country for the past 53 years of my life and I have a fair understanding of the political dynamics of the country.

“I don’t think we should create new problems to attempt to solve other problems. That’s my personal opinion. Like I said I don’t speak for the House and I don’t know if anybody is bringing any motion to that effect but that’s my own personal opinion.

“I must salute the courage of our security agents. I am privy to know the kind of sacrifice that some members of the intelligence community and the security agents make to ensure that this country is secure.

“But then, there are elements within the security agencies that are saboteurs and it is for the leadership of this country to identify such elements, expose them and make them face the consequences of that sabotage which is costing the lives, sweat and blood of their fellow security men. So, I believe very strongly that it all boils down to the need for the government to rise up.

“As an individual, I am worried by the turn of events in our dear nation. Our country is becoming a jungle of sorts where criminals carve out turfs and operate freely without let or hindrance. One of the key dimensions of this criminality is the unholy practice of kidnapping for ransom, which according to reports has spawned a billion naira industry in the last seven years or so.

“It is to our embarrassment as a nation that our wives, mothers, fathers, and husbands get routinely kidnapped at will by bandits with many of them losing their lives even after the payment of ransom by their families or communities.

Statistics of kidnapping in the country chills the bones. A report by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) shows that from 2018, there has been a steady increase in the number of kidnap victims. The figure rose from 987 victims in 2018 to 1,395 in 2019. In 2021 the figure rose to 2,865 in 2020 and 5,287 in 2021. Of the 2021 figure, more than 2000 were children and young people according to a UN study.

“This year alone, several hundred Nigerians have been kidnapped, the most harrowing being the attack on a train along the Abuja-Kaduna rail line in Kaduna State on March 28, this year where 168 people were reported kidnapped and eight persons killed including a young doctor due to travel out of the country the very week of the incident. The kidnapped victims of that attack remain in captivity to this moment.

“It is not clear how long they will be in captivity. We clearly cannot continue along this route. The kidnappings and deaths resulting therefrom are a stain on our national conscience. The Kaduna train kidnap incident itself is a blight not only on the efficiency of our security system but a slap on the face of the government whose responsibility it is to secure life and property.

“That such an attack could happen in broad daylight without our security operatives being capable of fending off the bandits, speaks to a defect in our security system.

“This defect reflects badly on the government. No government can aspire to legitimacy and relevance if it fails the basic test of ensuring the safety and well-being of the people who elected it into office.

“We are at that point today when the Federal under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari must rise to its full height and exercise leadership. It is trite to remark that the unfettered activities of bandits, terrorists and other criminals have created the impression in the minds of many Nigerians and even foreigners that the Nigerian state is tottering on the brink of collapse.

“This impression is reinforced by the ease with which these criminal elements even take on security operatives. We recall that in August 2021, bandits attacked Nigeria’s elite military institution, the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) killing two officers and abducting another senior officer.

“That attack and many others elsewhere have belittled our security agencies and have caused Nigerians to lose faith in the ability of their government to protect their inalienable rights to life and property.

“President Buhari must rekindle that confidence and a good place to start would be to work assiduously to secure the release of the kidnapped Kaduna train victims. Reports and video footages emanating from their abductors are not encouraging. The lives of the hostages hang in the balance as the Federal Government seemingly at its wit’s end prevaricates on such a sensitive matter of national importance.

“I know that Mr President is a very good Muslim and the Prophet Muhammed, Peace be Upon Him said leaders are shepherds and that the Almighty Allah will ask about each of the sheep in our care. Our Vice President is a good Christian and so he has a lot to learn from how David handled a similar situation in 1st Samuel chapter 30.

“What needs to be done to secure the release of the Kaduna train victims must be done. Too many precious Nigerian lives have been lost to kidnappers and other malevolent individuals to permit these hapless victims of the train hijack to become the latest statistics of a nefarious enterprise that has sullied the national image.

“I call on my colleagues in the National Assembly and Nigerians at large to join me in urging President Buhari to do all that is within his power as the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces to free these victims and many others languishing in captivity.”

Milk production in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has steadily increased from 150 to 1,500 litres daily within the last two years.

The FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola stated this yesterday on the occasion of the commemoration of this year’s World Milk Day, in collaboration with our partners, CBI Nestle Foods Plc and other stakeholders in the livestock development value chain, at the FCT Grazing Reserve, Paikon-Kore, Gwagwalada Abuja.

Adesola, who was represented by the Director of Operations, Planning and Strategy in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mr Samuel Atang said the administration, through its relevant SDAs such as the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS), has been working towards promoting environmentally friendly practices in all aspects of the agricultural production system.

According to him, the theme of this year’s event “Sustainability in the Dairy Sector as Well as Environmental, National and Socio-economic Empowerment” was aimed at lowering greenhouse emissions and improving waste management in the next 30 years.

He said in furtherance of World Milk Day’s objective, the FCT Administration is providing the much-needed support for the development of the livestock sub-sector.

“Part of that support is what has culminated in the partnership with Nestle Foods Plc on milk production. It is glad to note that within the past two years of this partnership, milk production has steadily increased from 150 to 1,500 litres daily.

“The products from this centre, I understand, are being sold in markets within and outside the FCT.

“I appreciate the people of Paikon-Kore who have been cooperating with the administration in its efforts to use the community as the centre for livestock development in the FCT,” he stated.

The Secretary of ARDS, Mallam Abubakar Ibrahim noted that the FCTA intends to use the occasion to raise awareness on ways to lower greenhouse emissions and improve waste management.

Abubakar attributed the increase in daily milk production to the reactivation of the Milk Collation and Chilling Centre last year in Paikon-Kore, which has become the base of livestock production activities in the Territory.

“This is a result of continuous training and improvement initiatives by the partners as well as support by the Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development. If plans by EDI/Nestle Foods to introduce new cattle breeds as well as demonstration farms are anything to go by, milk production in the FCT will receive a boost.

“Aside from partnering with Nestle Foods, the FCT Administration is also working with reputable development partners such as African Development Bank (AfDB) in the implementation of the special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) with emphasis on livestock development and its value chain.

“Let me commend the FCT Administration under the leadership of the FCT Minister, Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello and the Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu for their passion for the agricultural sector.

“I will also like to appeal to the FCT residents to continue to key into the programme of the Secretariat while also harnessing the numerous opportunities available in the Milk and Dairy sector,” he said.

Highlights of the event were the distribution of milk and presentation of gifts and certificates from Nestle to the best female and male milk producers, best milk aggregator, best aggregator with the lowest milk reject, best milk-producing cooperative, and best milk-producing community respectively.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will, today, begin the immunisation of about a million children in Adamawa State against malaria.

The organisation revealed yesterday that it had procured 4.4 million doses of anti-malaria vaccine to protect 977,843 Adamawa children below five years of age against malaria parasites.

The Malaria Programme Officer of WHO, Dr IniAbasi Nglass said during a media sensitisation workshop in Yola yesterday that more than 9,000 volunteers had been trained to implement the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) programme across the 21 local government areas of Adamawa State.

She said the SMC programme implementation in the state starts today.

The State Programme Manager, Adamawa State Malaria Elimination Programme, Benjamin Gubi, explained that the trained personnel would be deployed in teams for the house-to-house SMC vaccination campaign.

He said it is a four-course campaign in which every child is to be immunised within the first week of every month for the next four months.

Explaining the projections of the programme, he said: “You may observe that the 4.4 million doses of vaccine will go more than four doses to the targeted 977,843 children; this is because of certain expectations, including the likelihood of repeat doses for children who, for example, vomit a dose administered on them.”

Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) is described as an effective intervention to prevent malaria in those most vulnerable to the disease’s effects, involving administering monthly doses of anti-malarial drugs to children below five years during peak malaria transmission season.

The Chairman of the Governing Council and Pro-Chancellor of the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi Sebastine Hon (SAN) has said the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has spent about N7 billion on various intervention projects in the university from 1999 to date.

He stated this yesterday in Abuja when he led the management of the institution on a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono.

Hon, who congratulated Echono on his appointment as TETFund boss, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his choice, even as he described the Executive Secretary as “one of our illustrious alumni, having graduated with a degree in MBA in  Management from our university.”

While expressing delight over the various TETFund projects that now dotted the university’s campus, the Pro-Chancellor appealed for the speedy completion of other ongoing projects.

He said: “We are here to also acknowledge and express the profound appreciation of the Visitor, the Council, Management, members of staff and students for the support in terms of content-based interventions and infrastructure BSU has benefitted from TETFund from 1999 till now.

“Our campus is dominated by TETFund-sponsored legacy structures, including the central library, laboratories, lecture theatres, faculty buildings, student social centre, and entrepreneurship development centre, not excluding research (IBR, NRF, ARJ, AMB), academic training and conferences (foreign and local), post-doctoral, bench work and developments in ICT.

“In all, the university has received about N7 billion in intervention from TETFund between 1999 and now.

“For want of time, we would have provided the statistics to enable the Executive Secretary to understand our excitement and appreciation to TETFund in this regard.

“We have some TETFund-supported projects that are ongoing now. Whereas some of the contractors have shown commitment, some have been poor.

“It is important to mention that the COVID-19 lockdown affected the speed and cost as it were. The projects include the construction and furnishing of the Faculty of Education building -85 per cent; construction and furnishing of the Research Development and Innovation Centre – 90 per cent; construction and furnishing of the Academic Office building-80 per cent; construction and furnishing of a block of offices for the College of Health Sciences-90 per cent; construction and furnishing of Faculty of Science building-45 per cent.”

The Pro-Chancellor called for a waiver to access the 2021/2022 TETFund’s allocations to enable the university to address its challenges as well as a special intervention on the institution’s library that was recently touched by a heavy storm.

“We have a very small campus, and we desire to expand in terms of content-base and infrastructure. Our university has commenced appreciable steps with the National Universities Commission (NUC) to commence the following programmes: Architecture, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Building Engineering.

“Therefore, and further to the level of completion of the above-listed projects, we hereby appeal to you to grant us a waiver to allow the university to access the 2021 and 2022 annual allocations to enable us to proceed with the projects tied to those allocations.

“We wish to also report that our central library suffered severe damage caused by a recent storm. This has left the building and property therein exposed to the elements. We desire to submit a request for disaster intervention.”

The TETFund boss, who commended BSU for its massive contribution toward the production of relevant manpower in the country, said the university is one first to be established in the entire Northern part of Nigeria by the state government.

On the appeal for completion of all ongoing projects in the university, Echono said: “I have earlier given the directive that as a matter of policy, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of all of our outstanding projects with a view to bringing those that are close to completion, speedy completion through the various strategies we have identified.

“I am also pleased to inform you that we have secured the concurrence of the Minister of Education that, from next year, we will have a special provision in our allocations for the completion of all ongoing projects…..”

Echono said the special provision, which was hitherto captured in the Fund’s allocation to beneficiary institutions, will address the issue of delay in projects’ completion, even as he blamed the slow pace of work in some projects on the variable cost of materials and time.

“We have projects that commenced but because of fluctuations in prices of important building materials, because of the delay associated with the COVID-19 lockdown and other disruptions to other economic activities, we now have time and cost overhead and the earlier we address this, the better for our country as we will not have abandoned projects littering around our campuses,” Echono said.

The Executive Secretary, who said TETFund has a very high rate of completion of projects, promised that the agency would also look into the request for special intervention on the BSU library that was affected by the storm through its stability fund.

States that are yet to pass the Child Rights Act into law have been urged to do so in order to reduce the chances of child abuse in the country.

Head of School, Softnet Technology Academy, Bulus Luther, made the appeal at the weekend during a cultural day activity organised by the school in commemoration of the International Children’s Day.

Luther said the domestication of the Act would increase child protection and ensure that Nigeria is not ranked low on the protection of children on the global stage.

About 11 states in the country are yet to domesticate the CRA that was adopted by the Federal Government in 2003 to guarantee the rights of children.

“I will advise that states should take the Child Rights Act seriously and learn from states that have already adopted it. Every child has the right to education and no one should be deprived of that right,” Luther said.

Read Also: Children’s Day: Every child’s right must be protected – Bagudu

According to him, parents, educators and the government at all levels should ensure that children are introduced to sex education in the early stage of their lives.

He insisted that parents must moderate and regulate what their children are exposed to on social media platforms and talk to the children regularly.

According to him, the government should also improve teachers’ welfare and review the existing curriculum for schools in the country to produce graduates that are employable.

He said: “Charity, they say, begins at home. There is a need for parents to wake up to their responsibilities because many of them have delegated their duties to teachers. So, they must ensure that they teach their children sex education so that society can be a better place.

“Western education brought advancement but in recent times, we have seen a decline in the country’s education system and that is not good for the country.

“The government should make the welfare of teachers a priority as well as ensure that the education sector is well-organised and curriculum worked upon. The current strike embarked upon by university teachers does not augur well for the sector.”