The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • BOYLOAF : I’ve no regrets taking up arms in my people’s interest

    BOYLOAF : I’ve no regrets taking up arms in my people’s interest

    His name echoed fears in the creeks of the Niger Delta. He was a rebel with a course. General Boyloaf was his creek appellation. But he was born and named Victor-Ben Ebikabowei by his parents, Victor and Janet. His war name, General Boyloaf, however, became his household identity when he took up arms to fight against the alleged injustice meted out to the Niger Delta region by the Federal Government.

    As one of the dreaded commanders of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), a militant group that rattled the government, Ebikabowei was also one of the first commanders to embrace peace by accepting the Amnesty Programme offered by the administration of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

    Ebikabowei, who will turn 50 on March 28, has since dropping his arms transformed himself from a creek warrior to a peacemaker, a scholar, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

    Ebikabowei hails from Ezetu town in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. He was, however, born in Ubiaruku town, Ukwuani in Delta State. He attended Community Primary School, Amadiam and Stella Maris College in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He, therefore, spent all his early years in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states experiencing the living conditions in the Niger Delta.

    Recalling his childhood, he said: “My Childhood memories are very significant in my life. I can recall the best and bad times of my life and these memories have built my future and way of thinking. ”

    Growing up in the Niger Delta was not a tea party for him. The region’s environment was harsh and posed serious threats to children. “We grew up in an environment that is full of violence and children were being abused and forced to join bad gangs because there was lack of security and our parents could not provide us a safe environment, ” he recalled.

    As a child, Ebikabowei saw and felt the injustice that was prevalent in the Niger Delta and nursed the desire to wage a war against it. He singlehandedly began the agitation for equity and justice within his domain and in no time located other like minds.

    “It is not as if I have the natural tendency to fight. But the injustice I saw and felt in the environment launched me into it. I was the only one from the circle of boys I grew up with, who stood up for my people”, he said.

    Tracing the history of violent conflicts caused by crude oil, he said: “Conflict in the Niger Delta first arose in the early 1990s following tension between foreign oil corporations and a number of the Niger Delta minority ethnic groups.

    “The group felt  they were being exploited, particularly the Ogoni and the Ijaw. Ethnic and political unrest continued throughout the 1990s despite the return to democracy and the election of the Obasanjo government in 1999.

    “The struggle for oil wealth fueled violence among the ethnic groups and caused  the militarisation of nearly the entire region. The violence discouraged foreign and even local investments.”

    In fact, life in the creek was very difficult. Ebikabowei once feared he could die in the creek during the struggle. But he was ready even to pay the supreme prize.

    He said: “Yes, I had it at the back of my mind that the struggle might take my life especially as we took up arms against the government of the day. But I was prepared for anything, including death. I was ready to push the struggle until our people were liberated from the oppressive government.

    “The arms struggle could have been avoided if our leaders did the right thing by bringing infrastructural development and human empowerment to the people of Niger Delta where the oil comes from. But, you see, they would never do the right thing, and the only language they understood was the trigger play.”

    Ebikabowei said the arms struggle achieved its purpose and was never derailed. He, however, recalled that some criminal elements in the region infiltrated the struggle and carried out criminal operations for their selfish interests.

    He said: “The arms struggle was never derailed during the old days in the creek of the Niger Delta.

    “It was the right  thing to do at the time because the system was not favourable to the people of the region and it was what had given us a good facelift.

    “The aftermath of the struggle is affecting lives positively. One of my biggest achievements is to see many sons and daughters of the region benefiting educationally and still benefiting from our struggle.

    “The amnesty proclamation and subsequent acceptance by the agitators has brought peace to the Niger Delta region.

    “Definitely, there were bad persons during the Niger Delta struggle,  whose mission was to attack and steal from the people in the riverine area.

    “They went as far as attacking fishing trawlers and other sea-going vessels thereby giving those of us in the struggle that meant well for the region a bad name.

    “But we tried our best to tackle and bring them to book in our own way to keep the waters clear of sea pirates and other criminals.”

    Ebikabowei was one of the first commanders that embraced the proclamation of amnesty by the Federal Government. The former MEND commander said he never entertained any fear that his colleagues would reject the offer.

    “I had the feeling of setting the pace because I believed that others would follow,” he said.

    On how the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP ) had been managed so far, Ebikabowei said: “Though there were two past administrations that did not leave up to the expectations of the delegates, the present administration of Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd) has shown leadership and capacity by working to redirect the programme to its core mandate. The amnesty programme is a blessing to the Niger Delta people.”

    Ebikabowei says he  has no regrets taking up arms against the opression of his people.

    He said: “If I had a similar opportunity, I would do the same thing I did and push more for the Ijaw nation to speak in one voice, being the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria.

    “If we were united the way I anticipated while in the struggle, we would have been developed far beyond where we are now in terms of infrastructure, human capital development and political influence.

    “I also want to encourage my fellow ex-agitators in the struggle and the youths in the Niger Delta to always conduct themselves in a manner that will bring about peace and harmony among ourselves and to change the earlier narrative about us so as to change the negative perception people have about the youths of the Niger Delta region.

    “This will give confidence to would-be investors to invest in our oil rich region without doubt or fear.

    “Politicians in the Niger Delta region should keep to their part of the struggle.

    “They should ignore personal differences and political differences and focus on those things that unite us as a people.

    “They should use every opportunity at their disposal to develop the states in the region and avoid selfish tendencies in governance.

    “They should develop the states to change the wrong perception other Nigerians have about us”.

    Ebikabowei further identified persistent challenges in the Niger Delta and tried to proffer solutions.

    He said: “Instability and insecurity in the Niger Delta causes  lack of development and obstruct development from progressing.

    “For example, companies may be put off investments in the region if they are afraid of losing them.

    “Competition for resource and political control, particularly over the revenue and related benefits which can be derived from the oil and gas industry, contributes to conflict.

    “Government attempts to resolve conflict often include an overly militarised approach to policing that tends to provoke tension and do little to reduce the high levels of communal violence in the Niger Delta.

    “Leaders and representatives from the region must take governance as a serious business; I mean how decisions are made and implemented, and how those responsible can be held accountable.

    “Weak political and institutional governance in the Niger Delta has led to misuse of public resources, poor service delivery and poor enforcement of the law. This has led to a breakdown in trust between citizens and the government.

    “Political power is commonly gained through patronage and violence, largely funded by the embezzlement of revenues from the oil sector.

    “Leaders and representatives of the region should aim to build closer relationships between citizens, and improve the ability of civil society organisations to scrutinise and publicly hold leaders to account.

    “Information on government and the oil and gas industry should be available and accessible to the public, and to support the use of this to hold government and the oil industry to account.

    “The government should continue to promote free, fair and credible elections, and a government that listens to and works with the people living in the Niger Delta to meet their needs, especially the currently excluded social groups.

    “The government should reduce their dependence on short-term solutions and political settlements including militarised approaches and increase long-term social and development interventions to tackle security and development challenges in the Niger Delta.

    “It should also seeks to increase dialogue, and the potential for mediation, between groups involved in conflict.”

    Despite the noticeable problems in the region, Ebikabowei insists that violence should not be an option. He opposed any attempt by anybody or group to take up arms against the government in the interest of Niger Delta’s development.

    But he warned that if the government continued to neglect the region, the next generation of agitators would be more brutal than the former.

    He said: “I personally drove the process by bringing the Niger Delta struggle to the limelight through the negotiated peace accord with the federal government of Nigeria under the administration of the late Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, which brought about the Amnesty Programme.

    “I convinced the agitators then to voluntarily drop their arms to accept the Presidential Amnesty by giving the Federal Government the opportunity for dialogue to bring the needed development to the region.

    “This is  my stand and it is still the part I will continue to preach. But if the government refuses to do the right thing, I’m afraid that those that will come after us to fight the government will be more brutal.”

    Ebikabowei has been developing himself academically. He left guns and bullets to pick up books and pen. He recently bagged a first class in International Relations and Diplomacy at the Baze University, Abuja.

    As a scholar, he is currently studying for his master’s degree in Intelligence and Global Security at the same university.

    Unlike the abusive environment he grew up in, Ebikabowei said he had made a covenant with God to give his children and most kids in the Niger Delta good education.

    He said: “Today, I give my kids the best of life I didn’t enjoy and ensure they have the good education and behaviour so that they can influence the society positively.

    “Government must protect children from violence and abuse.”

    The former warlord then reechoed his stance when he dropped his arms at the Peace Park in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, saying: “If the government refuses to develop the region and continues the marginalisation and injustice, the youths that are coming after us will be more brutal than us.”

  • How Boko Haram shattered our life dreams, turned us into breadwinners from childhood

    How Boko Haram shattered our life dreams, turned us into breadwinners from childhood

    An ominous cloud hangs over the future of multitude of kid survivors of Boko Haram and other terrorist attacks in the northern parts of the country. Many years after they fled their various communities, a large percentage of the children have not returned to school while those who had not seen the four walls of the classroom are yet to start school. The high rate of mortality, hunger and starvation in their rank has forced many of them to become breadwinners who have to hustle to fend for their dependants, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Mariam Fulani, a 13-year-old girl, savoured the joy of family life from birth as she got all the attention and affection she needed from her parents and siblings. Life was so smooth that she developed a desire to become a medical doctor at an early age. In this, she had the backing of her parents, especially her father, who promised to train her to any level of education she desired.

    But while she was still basking in the euphoria of her parents’ assurances, members of the deadly Boko Haram sect struck and wreaked unimaginable havoc. “They killed my parents, brother and sister and I am now an orphan,” she said.

    Mariam, who said they were indigenes of Katsina State residing in Borno State before the attacks, added that she witnessed the gruesome murder of her parents and siblings and that has left an indelible scar in her memory.

    After the horrendous experience, she joined other survivors to flee to Bauchi State in search of refuge.

    More than five years of living as an internally displaced person in Bauchi, Mariam’s dream of going to school remains a mirage. It has been more of a survival battle for her and her peers as they engage in street trading daily to survive. In spite of this, the desire to go back to school still reverberates in Mariam’s heart.

    “I am out of school but I wish to go back,” she said through an interpreter. “I sell akara for a living. I want to be a medical doctor if I have the opportunity of going to school.”

    According to the statistics released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nigeria has a total of 10.5 million children out of school with more than 300,000 children killed in the North-East.  UNICEF and European Union (EU) said last year that no fewer than 2,295 teachers had lost their lives while 1,400 schools were destroyed in North-East Nigeria since 2009 as a result of insurgency. For more than a decade, there has been no respite for pupils and the educational institutions in the region.

    The predicament of Mariam and thousands of other IDPs is worsened by the fact that they are living in the host communities and not in a camp where government officials see to the needs of the inmates.

    Abdusalam, a 14-year-old boy, was in primary two when his parents fled Borno State to settle in Bauchi following the activities of the insurgents. He hasn’t seen the four walls of a classroom thereafter as his parents lack the wherewithal to send him to school.  He has since resorted to running errands and acquiring skills in a mechanic workshop where he makes a paltry N200 to support the family.

    He said: “I was in Primary 2 when Boko Haram attacked our area. I am working at a mechanic workshop at the garage. I use whatever money I get from the workshop to buy food items that I take home for my parents to cook for us.

    “My father does not do anything for a living. My mother makes hair for people. I make between N200 and N300 every day.”

    In spite of the money he is making on a daily basis at the mechanic workshop, Abdusalam still feels unfulfilled. “I want to go to school to have more knowledge of what I am learning at the workshop. I have the feeling that, that would make me very fulfilled in life,” he said.

    Adijat adamu, a 15-year-old survivor of Boko Haram attacks who sells potage to survive, said her burning desire to return to school remains the reason she has refused to get married like many of her peers.

    “Some of my friends are married but I want to go to school. I was in Primary 3 when the insurgents attacked our place. I am from Gwoza Local Government Area,” she said.

    From selling potage, she said, “I make between N150 and N200 every day. I take the money home for my parents to provide food for us.”

    Zainab Abubakar, 14, has also had to shun the temptation to get married to keep her hope of going back to school alive.

    “I want to go to school and not to marry. Some of my friends are married but I don’t want to,” she said.

    Zainab said she was in Primary 1 when Boko Haram attacked their area in Gwoza. “We ran into the bush when they attacked our school. My parents are not doing anything for a living now. We really don’t get sufficient food to eat, and when there is hunger, there is bound to be sickness. We are often feeling weak.”

    ‘We don’t know what school looks like’

    While the above respondents had the opportunity of having a taste of education, hordes of other children in the host communities in Bauchi have no idea what school looks like. Ten-year-old Mohammed Mohammed is one of them. He hasn’t gone to school all his life. He has only heard of it with his ears but does not know how it feels to be a student.

    “I came from Adamawa. I haven’t gone to school all my life, but I have a burning desire to go. My parents are here in Bauchi, doing menial jobs,” he said.

    Balkisu, an indigene of Borno State, has similar experience. “I am eight years old. I have never seen the four walls of a classroom, but I desire to go to school.

    “I sell masa (a local delicacy) for a living. I really feel unhappy seeing others going to school when I am busy hawking masa. I want to have a feel of what it takes to go to school.” Our children’s future is bleak – IDP leaders

    The leader of internally displaced persons in Bauchi, Buba Musa, and Gombe State Secretary of IDPs, Isa Maina, are worried about the future of their children.

    Musa said they have about 11,000 children displaced by the activities of insurgents in the state.

    He said: “Most of the children are not going to school. On the average, I can say that about 7,000 of the children are not going to school. They are engaged in petty trading.

    “Some of them sell groundnut or garri. The death rate is not so high here. The number of children that has died is not up to 100.

    “Hunger is a major challenge confronting us, especially the children. That is the most serious problem here. We don’t have food to eat. “Whatever the children get from their petty trading is what they sometimes use to eat. Where there is no sufficient food, malnutrition must be the order of the day. You really don’t need a soothsayer to tell you that.”

    Decrying the impact of climate change on IDPs who are farmers, the chairman said: “The farming season has also been very poor because we have acute drought here. Some of us have not got any harvest. We also have the challenge of accessing fertilizer, herbicide.

    “We have no problem with the host community. In fact, the Bauchi State Government has been magnanimous to us.

    But in spite of their assistance, life has not been easy for us. Getting water is a problem. To get food is a problem. We have nothing all these years.

    “We engage in menial jobs to survive. The future of our children would not be as smooth as we wished. It won’t be good.”

    Isa Maina, the Gombe IDPs State Secretary, said 85 per cent of the children in the state are not going to school.

    His words: “For some time now, nobody cares about us. There is hardly a week that we don’t go to court to sort out the problems of rent for some members because some of our members cannot pay their rent.

    “If somebody cannot afford to pay his rent, how can such a person be able to send his children to school? We also have widows and elderly people among us who have children.”

    Corroborating the Bauchi chairman, Maina said: “Some of the children who are not going to school are selling pure (sachet) water and groundnut among other things.

    “Some of the children are just idle at home. How can they speak English? They didn’t go to school.”

    Maina said they have about 2,500 children and only about 20 per cent of them are going to school. “The future of our children is more than being in darkness,” he said.

    “There is acute malnutrition among our people, the children in particular. As a parent, if you don’t have something to do and you cannot provide for your family, hunger and malnutrition will automatically set in.

    “Some women go washing clothes for people or sweeping people’s compound and are paid N1,000 or N2,000 at the end of the month. What is that worth in this economy?  Malnutrition must certainly be happening in that circumstance.”

    Lamenting the mortality rate among the children, he said: “Last week, about two or three children died. They fell sick but their parents could not take them to the hospital and the next thing we heard was that ‘I lost my child yesterday or I lost my child the day before yesterday’.

    “Death among children here is almost a daily thing.  Some bereaved parents don’t want to inform us about the death of their children.

    “It is basically about malnutrition. If a child is suffering from malaria and proper care is not taken and a balanced diet is not taken, before you know it, the child will collapse and die.  All these are attached to mal-nutrition.

    “Years back, we had support from the medical centre and specialists. As an IDP, if you fell sick, you would go to the medical centre and they would treat you.

    ‘But in the last three to four years, there has been no such support. These are some of the challenges that we are facing.”

    Explaining the implications of insurgency and banditry on education in the north, Mallam Mustapha of FCCG, Kebbi, said: “The implication is that there would be more children that would be out of school. It means that the number of illiterates and people who have not had access to education will be on the increase.

    “Many parents would not want their children to go to school so that they would not become victims of banditry. Even the population of students in our higher institutions of learning is bound to drop.

    “We have universities and federal universities of technology. But if a situation like this persists, it is going to affect the population of those seeking admission into those higher institutions.

    “At the same time, you will see a lot of youth corps members redeploying because nobody wants to stay in an insecure environment.”

    Budgetary allocations rise as out of school children increase

    A run through the statistics of the country’s budget shows that allocations for security have continued to rise over the years even as the spate of insurgency and attendant problem of children dropping out of school increases.

    The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) earlier in the year said Nigeria had the highest rate of out of school children in the world. UNICEF and the European Union (EU) last year said no fewer than 2,295 teachers had lost their lives while 1,400 schools were destroyed in the North-East since 2009 as a result of insurgency.

    The UN body said Nigeria has a total of 10.5 million children out of school.

    The UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, disclosed this in a statement while commemorating the International Day of Education.

    “The Nigerian government has committed to increasing funding for education, which is a very important step – far too many Nigerian children today are not in the classroom – and for those who are, far too many are not getting solid education that can translate into good prospects for their futures.

    “10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world. The figure indicates that one-third of Nigerian children are not in school and one in five out-of-school children in the world is a Nigerian.

    “It is estimated that 35 per cent of Nigerian children who attend primary school do not go on to attend secondary school. Half of all Nigerian children did not attend secondary school in 2021.

    “As we celebrate the International Day of Education today amid concerns in much of the world about the impact of COVID-19 on education, we must take a close look at what is happening to our children in Nigeria, and the opportunities they are missing out on when they lack education.

    “We need to look towards communities – leaders, parents, teachers and caregivers – and together, find the best strategies to ensure that all children enroll into school, have access to continuous learning and ensure they emerge with quality skills that equip them for a prosperous future.”

    Hawkins stated that there was a need to ensure that girls have access to learning to enable them to receive an education that would begin to address issues of gender inequality.

    “All girls have much to offer to find solutions to Nigeria’s challenges – and we have to nurture their creativity and innovation,” he added.

    He continued: “We also need to ensure that children are safe when they are in school – no child should be afraid to enter a classroom – afraid their school might be attacked or that they will be kidnapped. And no parent should fear sending their children to school.

    “In 2021, there were 25 attacks on schools, 1,440 children were abducted, and 16 children killed. In March 2021, no fewer than 618 schools were closed in six northern states (Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger, and Yobe) over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff. The closure of schools in these states significantly contributed to learning losses for over two months.”

    A breakdown of budgetary allocations to combating insurgency in the country shows that more money is being committed annually.

    In 2016, allocation to security gulped N1.06 trillion and moved up to N1.14 trillion in 2017. In 2018, the allocation jumped to N1.35 trillion and rose in 2019 to N 1.76 trillion. In 2020, allocation to the sector was put at N1.78 trillion. Put together, the total allocation within the five years under consideration totaled N7.1 trillion.

    Between 2011 and 2015, budgetary allocations to the sector by the Goodluck Jonathan administration stood at N4.62 trillion.

    The allocation to security in 2011 was N920 billion and N924 billion in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, N923 billion each was allocated to security while the sum rose to N934 billion in 2015 to bring the total to N4.62 trillion.

    Out of school children may later become criminals

    A lecturer at the Umaru Musa Yaradua  Univeristy, Katsina, Dr Bla Abdullahi Husaini, is worried that the neglect of the kids by the society could spell doom in future.

    He said: “They are out of school now. Their parents have been killed,  and the community is not doing anything for their survival. They are left alone.  In years to come, these out of school children will have no sympathy on any growing economy that is coming because  they were not assisted when they  assisted when they were growing up. There was no sympathy, empathy  by the host community when they needed it. So, they will now turn  to be another class of criminals.

    “It is only when you grow up in a family setting that somebody will tell you that what you are doing is not good.  You will have somebody to knock your head when you are wrong and somebody to also guide you but these categories of out of school children don’t have anybody to do all that. Tell me in the near future how they will be sympathetic to the community that they find themselves.  There is no way. It is only education that is giving people focus, direction, orientation and organization.”

    Sharing his experience with some of the children, Dr Husaini, a specialist in International Relations, Defence and Security, said:  “I was able to interview some of these out of school children. When they saw a motorcycle, the brand called Boxer, they ran into the host community and started screaming ‘ they are coming, they are coming’.  They ran in and shut the door. That is the level of psycho-social trauma these people are going through.

    “There should be a provision for education in emergency. The aim of that is to cater for those that were chased away by calamites and other man made calamities.  They are running away from their original homes  to a host community that is relatively peaceful than their own.   It is now the responsibilities of the state authorities where they are or where they left to cater for their basic needs. “ Again we are in a situation where the host communities don’t have the shock absorber to absorb them and give them what they need. It now puts the host communities in a dilemma.”

    He noted that there is a direct relationship between the rising cases of out of school children and budgetary allocations for fighting insecurity in the country.  “The budgetary allocation we are having in fighting insurgency and other insecurity in the country is not being monitored.  It is not being fully given to those who deserve it.  It is not  being fully applied.   The federal government is spending N1billion on security every day.  Per month, the federal government is spending  N30billion on security.   There are other people that are invisible, those visible and actors that are benefitting from it  and that is why it is not going  to end.

    “Believe you me, what is happening in the country in the next 10 to 20 years, it will not end because it is a very lucrative venture.”

    Efforts to speak with the Federal Ministry of Education to know what  is being done about the predicament of the kids were not successful. The spokesman, Ben Goong  didn’t answer calls to his mobile line. He was also yet to respond to a text message sent to him as at the time of filing this report.

    Boko Haram started in Maiduguri in 2001 and that is about 21 years ago. Has insurgency ended? Those people that are  destroying  the   Northeast are here in the Northwest to destroy.  The government should apply the method they applied in the Northeast to the situation in the Northwest.

  • Aliko Dangote’s dream comes through

    Aliko Dangote’s dream comes through

    Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is famed for being a foremost industrialist. Apart from his intimidating profile as the country’s biggest employer of labour, he has successfully reinvented and redefined various productive ventures.

    He is the owner of several mega factories including sugar refineries, cement plants, mega fertiliser plant, petrochemical and petroleum refinery, with footprints across Africa.

    Unrelenting in his quest, Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which has an installed capacity of 3.0 million metric tonnes of Urea per annum, was unveiled during the week.

    President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the project in the presence of dignitaries including Dangote, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu, Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, Minister of Trade and Investment Niyi Adebayo, among others.

    The plant situated at the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State – 500 hectares of land in Lekki Free Trade Zone, is the largest in Africa and the second-largest urea plant globally.

    Understanding the critical role fertilizer plays in the food supply chain, many observers opined that Nigeria could be on its way to attaining self-sufficiency in its production and supply.

    Read Also: Otedola’s take on Dangote

    According to Dangote Industries Limited, the project was built at the cost of $2.5 billion.

    The plant’s capacity would also be expanded to produce multi-grades of fertiliser to meet soil, crop, and climate-specific requirements for the African continent.

    Buhari at the commissioning said the plant will further advance Nigeria’s drive towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production, create jobs, increase the inflow of foreign exchange and accelerate economic growth.

    Commenting on the successful inaugural launch of the plant, Dangote said: “It is an ambitious project that will reduce unemployment in Nigeria.”

    “The plant will boost productivity and enhance output across the nation as products from plants have reached the African market, and across Brazil, India, and Mexico.

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu stole the show at the commissioning with his powerful speech. He described the plant as a major milestone, saying that: “The audacity of the project is amazing.”

    Undoubtedly, the plant would create more opportunities in the areas of job creation, and further address the issue of unemployment in the country.

  • Simi’s record-breaking feat

    Simi’s record-breaking feat

    Female musician, songwriter and one of Nigeria’s most prominent musical exponents, Simisola Bolatito Kosoko, popularly known as Simi, has been honoured as the first African female artist to hit over 100 million streams on Audiomack – a popular music streaming platform.

    This remarkable feat is a testament to Simi’s unique blend of R&B and Afro-pop fusion, which has steadily helped her in strategically gaining recognition even internationally.

    In 2021, Wizkid became the first African artiste (Male) to reach 300 million streams for one album ‘Made in Lagos.’

    Simi and some other top Nigerian female hip hop acts have, in recent years, been in the vanguard of female artistes that are reshaping the content of Nigerian music.

    Known for her decency, the 33-year-old singer started her career as a gospel singer, releasing her debut studio album in 2008, titled ‘Ogaju’, and since then she has been setting the pace.

    Simi was born in Ojuelegba, a suburb of Surulere, Lagos State. She is an alumnus of Covenant University, where she studied Mass Communication.

    In 2019, she married her colleague Adekunle Kosoko, popularly known as Adekunle Gold, and gave birth to her daughter Adejare in 2020.

    Read Also: So many things don’t come naturally to me – Simi

    Her songs Tiff, Jamb Question, Love Don’t Care, and features on hit tracks: Soldier with Falz, No Forget with Adekunle Gold and So Rire with Legendury Beatz – plus hit albums Ogaju and Simisola – helped her gain stardom.

    Notably, during the COVID-19 lockdown, her track ‘Duduke’ went viral, boosted by a baby bump dance challenge. The song which enjoyed widespread appeal spent seven weeks on the newly-launched Official Afrobeats Chart Top 20.

    Sharing the news on social media, Audiomack wrote on their Instagram page, “@symplysimi was our guest of honour following her accomplishment of surpassing 100 million streams on audiomack. Big congrats to her!.”

    Simi also took to Instagram to celebrate her win, encouraging other women to continue to work hard while also thanking her fans for their continuous support.

    “@audiomackafrica, thank you so much for the honour. The first female to get 100 million plays on Audiomack. I like it very much; thank God for growth and thank my amazing fans for always supporting me.”

    “I had an incredible time with my amazing women at the Audiomack Women in Music Brunch yesterday,” she wrote.

    In celebration of Women’s History Month, Audiomack had hosted an exclusive brunch for women in the Nigerian music and entertainment industry.

    Simi and a host of other attendees were honoured at the event in Lagos.

  • Bamire: A Vice Chancellor’s ‘unfriendly’ welcome

    Bamire: A Vice Chancellor’s ‘unfriendly’ welcome

    The peaceful atmosphere of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife was troubled this week when the crisis surrounding the selection of the institution’s new Vice-Chancellor assumed a “traditional dimension”.

    The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Owelle Oscar Udoji had announced Professor Simeon Adebayo Bamire – a professor from the Faculty of Agriculture and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of academics, as the institution’s new head.

    The Council confirmed Bamire as the 12th substantive VC of OAU with effect from June 7, 2022.

    The new helmsman, ranked first ahead of a professor of Art and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Prof. Razaq Kalilu; and a professor of Public Health and Community Medicine and former Provost of the OAU’s college of health sciences Prof. Kayode Ijadunola, who ranked second and third respectively.

    The selection processes started in December last year, with twenty applicants. At the end of the exercise, sixteen were shortlisted.

    Udoji said the entire exercise of the Joint Selection Board was witnessed by representatives of the Federal Character Commission who confirmed that it was fair, transparent and carried out in full compliance with the provisions of the Federal Character Commission Act.

    But Ife Indigenes vehemently kicked against the pronouncement of Bamire on the argument that one of their ‘qualified’ kinsmen working in the university was not considered for the position.

    They lamented that it was unfair that none of their sons had been a substantive head of the institution for over 60 years of its establishment.

    Pushing their argument further, they noted that some universities like those in Ilorin, Jos and of recent, Ibadan, have been administered at different times by indigenes of host communities.

    Interestingly, one of the applicants, Prof. Rufus Adedoyin, who is a professor of Physiotherapy and former acting Dean of the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, is being backed by a group of elders and youth of Ife community.

    They appealed to the Council and government to appoint Adedoyin as the first indigene of the ancient town to become a substantive Vice-Chancellor on the campus since its establishment in 1961.

    During the week, in a dramatic style, Ife indigenes staged protests, barricading roads while entrances of the university campus such as Sabo, Lagere, Enuwa, Sabo and Mayfair, were blocked, disrupting vehicular movements.

    The protest threw the university into disarray and also paralysed academic activities.

    The protesters went around with placards carrying inscriptions like “No Ife, No VC in OAU”, “Ife candidate merits it”, “Give us OAU VC”,  among others.

    In one of the viral videos shared online, some traditional worshippers in their white regalia, with white beads on their wrists, armed with horsetails (Irukere) and were seen declaring “Ore Yeeye o,” a chant synonymous with Osun worshippers.

    In another video, the traditional worshippers were seen dancing and displaying their own magical powers to scare those around the vicinity away. They sang different traditional songs to invoke the spirits of Yoruba deities whom they called to take over the situation.

    But the umbrella body for all adherents of traditional religion – Traditional Religion Worshippers Association (TRAWSO) in the state, dissociated itself from those that dressed like traditionalists and invaded the campus, describing it as ‘show of shame’.

    While Ife indigenes have threatened to continue the demonstration until one of their’s is announced as VC, the protests elicited a flurry of reactions.

    Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, who is an alumnus of the institution, lamented that the protest was evidence of the rot in academia, adding that those responsible should be ashamed of themselves.

    Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, in their separate remarks, appealed to indigenes and residents of the town who are aggrieved to give peace a chance.

    Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, described the protests as “crazy” and a “disappointment”

    It would be recalled that in 2016, the selection process for the successor of the university’s 10th substantive VC, Bamitale Omole, recorded the same crisis.

    The crisis led to hostility between members of the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the subsequent formation of the Congress of Nigerian Universities’ Academics (CONUA).

  • Mystery midnight fire wipes out family of seven

    Mystery midnight fire wipes out family of seven

    The Umbuguala family in Eggon, Nasrawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State is in distress over the sudden death of seven of their members in a mystery midnight fire. Among the deceased was the head of the family, Mr Sunday Joseph Umbuguala, a 40-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), who until his death was an employee of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) attached to the Kaduna Refinery.

    Other casualties of the fire outbreak include Umbuguala’s 38-year-old wife Emiria, their three children (Elmond 8, Eliana 5 and Elma 3) as well as two relations Justina and Patience. They were all burnt to ashes in the fire outbreak said to have occurred around 2 am on February 22, at a time there was no electricity supply either from the public source, the generator or even power inverter.

    Strangely too, the fire outbreak was said limited to the flat occupied by the Umbuguala family while other adjoining flats were not affected. Like everyone else in the neighbourhood, the entire family was apparently deeply asleep when the fire outbreak occurred and burnt them beyond recognition.

    Sadly, the deceased engineer was said to be the only child of his parents as his father died when he was only seven years old while his mother who could not do much to support him financially also died in 2010, leaving to struggle all alone to acquire university education.

    The late Umbuguala was said to have met Emiria in the same Nasarawa Eggon where the two families lived close to each other. They started a relationship that lasted till May 10 when they decided to get married.

    Emiria’s elder sisters and their family members were still in pensive mood when our correspondent visited the family house on Thursday. It took the reporter some time to get them to speak about the death of their loved ones.

    An elder sister of the late Emiria, who identified herself simply as Mrs Abdullahi Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of other family members, sat dejected on a dining chair in the sitting room with tears rolling down her cheeks before she could utter a word. But after gaining some composure, she sat back, cleared her throat and narrated the misfortune that befell the family.

    According to her, the entire family was living happily before the tragedy that struck on February 22. She recalled speaking with her deceased younger sister on the phone several times from morning till about 9pm on the fateful day.

    Mrs Mohammed said: “I spoke with my younger sister on the phone at about 9pm and she told me that she was plaiting her daughter’s hair as they were preparing to resume from the mid-term break.

    “I also spoke with the children and they were happy and lively, saying that they would be in school again after the mid-term break. I had no inkling that it was the last time I would hear their voice.

    “They all went to bed with the hope of making it to school the next day. But at about 2am, fire broke out from the house, consuming the bedroom where the family members slept and the other bedroom where the two other relations were also sleeping.

    “What surprised us the most was that the fire did not affect the kitchen where there was cooking gas. It did not also touch the generator which was also not on. There was a small fish pond and poultry farm attached to the house and they were also not affected.

    “So we are actually shocked about the source of the fire outbreak since there was no light for one to say that it could have come from a spark.

    “That was how the entire family left this world. They were all young. They came to the world briefly and went back. It was such a sad incident.”

    She said her loss was compounded by the trauma of having to host her deceased younger sister, her husband, the three kids as well as the two other grown up girls who are also members of the family in dreams almost on a daily basis.

    She said: “I keep seeing them in my dreams. The children keep talking to me on the phone in my dreams. The three kids just came into the world, saw the world briefly and went back.

    “Sadly, death sneaked in in a cruel manner, killing not only her and her husband, but all their three kids and the other two grown up girls who were staying with them.”

    Mrs Mohanmmed however said the family had taken the incident in good faith and would not blame anybody for it because it was the will of God.

    “It is God alone that can console us for we don’t have much to do to console ourselves. I will miss them so much. No one on earth can fill the space they have left in my life.

    “My younger sister and her husband were easy going people, good and dutiful, always committed to achieving whatever they wanted to achieve and leaving no stone unturned,” she lamented.

    With this dirge amidst sobbing uncontrollably, Mrs Ibrahim Mohammed took her long silence and mourned her younger sister, husband and the three kids.

    Our correspondent gathered that before her departure, the late Emiria had completed her master’s degree programme and was waiting to defend her thesis.

    The elder sister, who had earlier vowed not blame God for what happened, later made a U-turn, saying that it is not fair that God would allow such an amazing family to be burnt death in one fell swoop.

    Hear her: “Allah is not fair to the entire family. Allah has inflicted a permanent wound in my entire life. There is absolutely no point taking my younger sister, her husband and their three kids away in their prime. What is their offence?

    “Oh, my joy has been stolen. I’m only managing. My late sister had good plans for us but Allah suddenly took them away in an unexpected manner.

    “We are badly touched about this whole loss. Their untimely exit from this sinful world has left us all distraught.

    “God had given the late Umbuguala an amazing wife who was doing more than she should. We all looked forward to their future dreams.

    “She had promised to make us proud but Allah denied her and us that opportunity. May their souls find peace.”

  • Korra Obidi’s tumultuous marital chapter

    Korra Obidi’s tumultuous marital chapter

    All appears not to be well between popular U.S-based Nigerian dancer, Korra Odidi’s and her husband – a medical practitioner, Justin Dean.

    The couple, based in Los Angeles, got married in 2017 and recently celebrated six years of being together.

    They welcomed their first child in July 2019, and second in 2022.

    Korra and Justin met in China on a popular dating app — Tinder. She taught language through dance in Shanghai, China, while Justin worked as a sports therapist for the Chinese National Olympics Team.

    The artiste then became famous in 2019 when she auditioned for the popular American reality dance show “So You Think You Can Dance” while she was six-month pregnant.

    She made history as the first pregnant woman to ever audition for the show.

    Despite the criticisms and backlash for some of her daring photos, the belly-dancer also ventured into the music industry. She started music professionally in 2015, and dancing in 2007.

    The lovebirds — Korra and Justin, were known for their public display of affection, especially on social media.

    But this week, a shocking break-up announcement took many by surprise because they had always painted a picture of being “happily married”.

    Many fans had thought the divorce story was a sort of publicity stunt to promote Korra’s new books: “Korra and the Last Seed of Odinani” and “My Active Pregnancy: A memoir of my trimesters”.

    But Justin, who has been vocal about the divorce on social media especially Instagram, stated that divorcing his wife would be the hardest decision of his life.

    His remarks came barely a week after they welcomed their second child.

    Justin further narrated his plight in the marriage which he said he has been trying to salvage.

    Among other reasons, the 34-year-old doctor also said he was leaving the marriage for his mental health.

    In the now-deleted post Dean wrote: “I am tired of narcissism, cheating and lack of accountability. I have been trying since 2018 to save our marriage, and if I don’t do exactly what she says, she divorces me (sic). I have been a prisoner that has his family used against him if she does not get exactly what she wants.”

    “Korra Obidi and I are getting a divorce. It’s over! I won’t be treated this way longer. I did my absolute best to make it work.”

    “I didn’t want this. I did my best. I’m heartbroken. I supported her. I loved her. I don’t deserve the way I was treated,” Justin wrote on social media.

    When many fans saw this terse post, social media was agog, many felt for Korra because she just gave birth to her second child. They wondered if the dancer’s attitude to her husband might have been related to postpartum depression (PPD). Fans took to the couple Instagram pages, urging them to stay and resolve their differences.

    While Korra is yet to fully address this issue and claims, the mother of two broke her silence, revealing she was fully committed to taking care of her newborn baby and herself.

    Thanking fans for their support during this time, she said: “I’m 100% committed to taking care of my newborn and myself.”

    Also, in another live video, she said that being a mother of two had been a different ball game for her.

    In her words: “I’ll tell you something, being a mother of two is a different ball game, this is a full-time job.”

    “I’m doing it by myself. Respect mothers, respect women,” she said, kissing her newborn baby.

     

  • Soludo: When newly-minted governor became sideshow

    Soludo: When newly-minted governor became sideshow

    On Thursday in Awka, Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo and Onyeka Ibezim, took their oaths of office in a low-key ceremony, as they assumed office as Governor and Deputy Governor. It was supposed to be the new governor’s special day, but some unscripted developments ensured he became the sideshow and not the most reported news of the day.

    On that auspicious occasion, the wife of his predecessor,  Mrs. Ebele Obiano and wife of the late Biafran leader, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca, decided to spice up proceedings with some fisticuffs.

    Their antics put into the shade Soludo smaller government ideas which he planned to begin unveiling at the inaugural.

    As part of his plan to run an austere government, he had announced, through the Head, Soludo Media Office, Joe C. Anatune, that the ceremony would be devoid of unbridled celebrations that are usually associated with occasions of such nature.

    Read Also: Obiano’s botched exit plan

    And so it was. There was no crowd; no fanfare. About 50 people only were invited for the event, amongst them were the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Victor Oye and wife; Speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Uchenna Okafor and wife and a few other dignitaries.

    The drama that was to overshadow the actual reason for the ceremony occurred just as Soludo was to take his oath of office. Dignitaries, including Obiano, Oye and others, were already seated when Mrs. Obiano, who came unusually very late to the ceremony, left her seat, proceeding to where Ojukwu’s widow, an ex-beauty queen, was seated.

    An altercation ensued between the duo and before anybody could come in between them, Bianca landed what she was later to describe as a ‘dirty slap’ on the beautifully made-up face of the outgoing First Lady. All hell was let loose as the two women went for the kill. Peacemakers and security details at the event were quick to intervene, preventing further physical display of strength by the women, but not before Obiano’s wife had her wig removed from her head. She was, however, quick to retrieve the prized item in the melee that ensued.

    She was later taken away from the scene while some dignitaries stayed back to pacify Bianca. So disturbed by the incident was the outgoing governor that he left the event shortly afterwards. It was not until them was Soludo, the real celebrant of the day, was able to continue with other activities of the day.

    The new governor, in his inaugural speech, vowed to change the economic fortunes of the state, promising citizens that his government would make them proud, as he was assuming office to serve them. He vowed to work hard every day to make the state a better place.

    The arrest of Obiano later in the night of same day at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) completed the queer overshadowing of the much-awaited swearing in ceremony of the ‘Double Governor’ as Soludo is now known.

  • ‘Our miserable lives as refugees in highbrow Lagos community’

    ‘Our miserable lives as refugees in highbrow Lagos community’

    The living conditions of former occupants of Otodogbame, a riverine community in the heart of Lagos Island is heart-rending. The people were reportedly evicted after a dispute with a royal family over the ownership of the land. Before then, the Lagos State Government under the administration of former Governor Akinwumi Ambode had expressed concern over the security of the place, saying that its demolition was carried out “as a security measure in the overall interest of all Lagosians” because intelligence report had revealed that militants were using the “illegal settlement” as a base.” Five years after exiting the area, the people are battling with hunger and diseases in their new settlement in a remote part of Ajah, another highbrow Lagos community, resulting in avoidable deaths, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Sunday, a nine-year-old boy, was bubbling with life when his parents departed Otodogbame, a community in highbrow Lagos Island, along with their other kinsmen about five years ago to settle in a remote part of Ajah, another highbrow Lagos settlement. At their new location, his vivacity became more noticeable because the migrants were closely knit and everybody could see what everyone was doing.

    A couple of years later, Sunday started losing his vibrancy as a strange disease ravaged his hands and other parts of his body. “My son had rashes all over his hands and some other parts of his body. The rashes were so severe that he was not able to sleep at night,” his father, Bene, said.

    With time, the hitherto energetic boy grew weaker and weaker until he was incapable of moving around.

    “My boy, who was so strong to the delight of everybody in the neighbourhood became very weak and could no longer walk. He felt pains when his hand touched anything. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the means to take him to the hospital for treatment,” the distraught father said in an emotion laden tone.

    One day, Bene left home but had to cut short his mission when the wife called to inform him that their son’s condition was getting out of hand.

    He said: “The mother called to say that my son was crying and would not stop in spite of all the efforts she had made to pacify him. I rushed back home to see him.

    “On getting home, I saw my son in pains. He was crying and calling me repeatedly. I stood and watched helplessly. Tears rolled down my cheeks and his mother’s as we could not do anything to help him.

    “He continued to call my name until he stretched his body and breathed his last.”

    Bene’s eyes glistened as he recalled the death of his son. His head dropped as his eyes gazed at the empty ground.  “The memory hurts,” he said. The day suddenly turned into night. It was as if I was dreaming, but I wasn’t.

    “A wall of anguish built up in me. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. I had looked forward to raising a great child because he had all the attributes of becoming one. Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control didn’t allow me to achieve that dream.”

    Bene’s late son, like the horde of other children in the area, lacked access to potable water. They rely solely on untreated well water for drinking and other domestic uses.

    Aside from rashes, it was learnt that the children often stool and complain of stomach ache.

    A study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had earlier revealed that more than 100,000 children under five years of age die each year in Nigeria due to water-borne diseases like diarrhoea.

    According to the world body, 90 per cent of the deaths were directly attributable to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

    UNICEF noted: “Access to clean drinking water is a human right — just like the right to food and the right to live without torture and racial discrimination.

    “And ending open defecation and making water, sanitation and hygiene services available to all Nigerians is one of the biggest challenges, as construction and management of facilities require sustained investments and more partnerships, especially with the private sector.”

    “The Nigeria government should invest three times more in the water sector, making sure that every Nigerian has access to clean water and a toilet as the lack of access to water is impacting the well-being, specially of the most vulnerable.”

    Before losing his son, Sunday, Bene said he had earlier lost a child shortly after delivery.

    He said: “I have lost two kids all together.

    “When my wife was pregnant, I had no money to register her in the hospital for antenatal care. We started giving her attention at home.

    “In the long run, we decided to take her to the hospital but it appeared too late.

    “The hospital officials were querying us, asking why we didn’t come to register her earlier.

    “Like I told you earlier, I couldn’t register her for antenatal care because I didn’t have money and still don’t have money as I speak with you now.

    “Eventually, the baby died after she was born.”

    Daniel Kunso and Emelien, male and female members of the community respectively, have also lost a child each.

    Explaining how she lost her child, Emelien said: “I lost my son after he fell ill. He had malaria and was always complaining of headache. I was giving him paracetamol but he died in the end.”

    Kunso on his part said: “I had six children but lost one of them. We are suffering from water borne diseases because the water we drink is not clean. But because we have no alternative, we keep drinking it like that. We can’t afford to buy sachet water because we don’t have the means. That is why we rely solely on the unclean water.

    “Whenever health challenges arise, we use herbs to treat ourselves or the kids. We occasionally patronise pharmacies if we have the means.”

    Checks around the community revealed that it is not only children who have been dying as a result of the multiple complications in the area.

    “We have also lost two adults.  The deceased were Oja and Timothy,” a resident who identified himself simply as Bale said.

    “What else could have facilitated their death if not hunger and the nature of the water we are drinking here? he asked rhetorically.

    “Added to that is the challenge of thinking too much. People who had means of livelihood and roofs over their heads suddenly became homeless and incapable of feeding themselves.

    “It is disheartening and only those who feel it know it. It is by the grace of God that we are still here.

    “This clothe I am wearing now was made and sent to me.”

     

    Community battles epidemics

    Besides avoidable loss of lives, members of the community, particularly the children, are constantly battling with stooling and acute stomach ache.

    A female resident, Talabi Adams, said: “The kids stool a great deal. When they stool, they become weak and run temperature.

    “In most cases, they can stool continuously for almost one week and drugs would not be able to stop the stooling.

    “When I give them two tablets of the drug we use to stop the stooling, it hardens the stool a bit. Thereafter, the stool would gush out siririririri like that and we would continue giving them the medication till the stooling stops. It is a common and regular thing here.”

    Bale spoke about their challenge with stomach ache, saying: “Stomach ache is a very common sickness here. Personally, I can’t lie down on my stomach because I feel severe ache each time I do. I feel it is the result of not eating well. Whenever I feel the ache, I take medication to alleviate the pains.”

    Also sharing her experience, Madam Julian said:  “Sometimes, I would not be able to touch my stomach after drinking garri (cassava flakes) because it would be aching.

    “My children also complain of stomach ache. Each time they do, I would soak kafura inside water and give it to them to drink.

    “I mix salt with sachet water and drink it to reduce the pains each time my stomach aches.”

    Speaking in the same vein, her neigbour, Idowu Salako, said: “I have an acute stomach ache and cough. I am always hot at night. I take paracetamol at times to reduce the pain.

    “At times, the paracetamol would not reduce the pain but I will keep struggling on in the face of the challenges.”

     

    Hunger is another nightmare

    The people said they are also tormented by hunger since virtually all the men lost their means of livelihood after they left Otodogbame and consequently could not cater for their families. Garri has since become the main staple for the people.

    “To feed is a big problem for us all. We give the children garri to drink in the morning and afternoon.

    “At times I go begging for fish. If I succeed in getting one, I will use it to make small soup at night. I can blend pepper and onions to make soup. I will then make eba for them to eat with the soup. That happens if I get somebody to gift me fish,” Talabi said.

    Bene said: “My children don’t eat well. At times they eat once a day. The fish they were eating as much as they wanted when we were at Otodogbame is no longer available.

    “As a fisherman, I was making a huge catch to feed my family and also sell to make money.

    “All that is no longer possible because we have no means to fish again. Our kids who would eat and dash fish to people no longer have fish to eat.”

    Julian, another member of the community who washes clothes for people to survive, said: “At times, the people I wash clothes for would give me N300 or N200. Some even pay N100 and I collect it. I use the money to buy garri or agidi (solid pap). But garri is what the children and I drink most of the time.”

    For her, beef is a luxury.

    “I look at people who eat meat with envy. I feel like eating it too but I don’t have the means. If I have meat today, I will call my children and we will eat and dance kirishosho (displays the dance step).

     

    It was heartrending hearing Emelien talk about how she and her children had gone hungry all day. She said at the time of her encounter with the reporter she had not even garri, the cheapest delicacy, to feed her children with.

    Speaking in a smattering voice, she said: “As I am talking to you now, we have not eaten since morning, and  this is almost 4pm.

    “I sell crabs for a living but I don’t always get it to sell. When I have crabs to sell, I do return around 10pm.

    “While leaving the house, I would ask my children to get food from a vendor on credit and I would pay the following day.

    “I drink and also give dirty water to my children. I don’t have the resources to buy sachet water.

    “I am supposed to buy drugs right now but I don’t even have the money to do so.”

    Like Julian, she said the last time she and her children ate meat was two years ago.

    “It is not that we don’t feel like eating it but because I don’t have the resources to do so. When we don’t have money to buy food that is crucial to our survival, is it meat we would be talking about?” she asked.

    It was also not a cheering chat with Idowu Salako who recounted how her children always go to school without food.

    “I sell fish but it is not every time I get fish to sell. When I don’t get fish to sell, I would go and work as a dishwasher in a canteen in order to get money to give my children.

    “They usually pay me N1,000 at the end of the day. I spend N200 transporting myself to the place and to go back home.

    “From the remaining N800, I would give two of my children between N300 and N400 to go to school the next day. They carry each other in the bus to reduce the cost and often leave home before 5am to beat the traffic.

    “The N300 or N400 does not include the money they would feed with. I give them N100 to feed anytime I have additional money.

    “If I don’t have money, I would beg them to endure, promising to keep garri at home for them to drink when they return in the afternoon.

    “Invariably, they often go to school with empty stomachs and stay like that till they return in the evening.

    “If I don’t have the opportunity of working in a canteen, I would not get money to give them, and that means they would not go to school.

    “They go to school about two to three times a week.

    “I always give the remaining N200 to  my other children to eat.  When I have no money to give to them, I will go begging to get something for my children to eat.

    “On many occasions, my youngest child would wake up around 2am and start crying for food. What I do is give him water to drink, because that is all I can afford.

    “The water is really not clean and that also makes them purge. They also frequently complain of stomach ache, and there is nothing I can do because I have no money to buy medication.”

    Echoing the previous respondents, she said: “The last time I ate chicken was last year, and it was given to me at the canteen where I wash dishes. I don’t have money to buy chicken or meat.

    “To eat fish in my house, I have to beg people coming from the river to give it to me. When I get fish and don’t have money, I will beg for pepper and red oil to cook the fish.”

     

    ‘We are our own doctors’

    Members of the community said that after some unpleasant encounters with health officials in the course of seeking treatment, they have resorted to treating themselves using local initiatives.

    Reliving her experience, Talabi said: “There was a time three of my children were sick. I took them to a hospital for treatment.

    “When we got there, they said we would carry out laboratory tests on all of them and that it would cost N9,000 to do that.  That was excluding the cost of treatment. I didn’t have that kind of money.

    “I called my husband and we raised N5,000 and went back to the hospital to plead with them to have mercy on us but they refused.

    “We subsequently returned home to use herbs. We bought herbs for N2,500. At times, we would be given the herbs on credit and we would pay when we have the money. This is not possible with the hospital.

    “We don’t have doctors here. We are our own doctors.  You will get to Badore or Ajah before you can see a doctor.

    “If we have to attend to a pregnant woman in labour at night, we would look for a canoe and paddle her to where our people who are native doctors are.

    “To the glory of God, they have always had safe delivery.”

    She added: “We don’t have access to potable water. The well water we drink compounds our health challenges.

    “Mosquito bites also subject us to constant bouts with malaria. We use herbs to treat health challenges since we don’t have money to go to the hospital. We have no money at all. We only spread mat on sand to sleep at night.”

     

    1.42 billion people living in areas of high/extremely high water vulnerability

    UNICEF last year, during the World Water Day celebration, said globally, more than 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – are living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability.

    UNICEF said: “This means that 1 in 5 children worldwide do not have enough water to meet their everyday needs.”

    The figures in Nigeria are particularly worrying, with 26.5 million Nigerian children experiencing high or extremely high water vulnerability – or 29 per cent of Nigerian children.

    The analysis, part of the Water Security for All initiative, identifies areas where physical water scarcity risks overlap with poor water service levels. Communities living in these areas depend on surface water, unimproved sources of water, or water that can take more than 30 minutes to collect.

    “The world’s water crisis is not coming – it is here, and children are its biggest victims,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

    “When wells dry up, children are the ones missing school to fetch water. When droughts diminish food supplies, children suffer from malnutrition and stunting. When floods hit, children fall ill from waterborne illnesses. And when water is not available in Nigerian communities, children cannot wash their hands to fight off diseases,” said Peter Hawkins

    The UNICEF data show that children in more than 80 countries live in areas with high or extremely high water vulnerability. Eastern and Southern Africa has the highest proportion of children living in such areas, with more than half of children – 58 per cent – facing difficulty accessing sufficient water every day. It is followed by West and Central Africa (31 per cent), South Asia (25 per cent), and the Middle East (23 per cent). South Asia is home to the largest number of children living in areas of high or extremely high water vulnerability – more than 155 million children.

    According to the UNICEF, Children in 37 ‘hotspot’ countries face especially dire circumstances, in terms of absolute numbers, the proportions of children affected, and where global resources, support and urgent action must be mobilized. This list includes Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Tanzania and Yemen.

    At the current rate, UNICEF said Nigeria   will miss the SDG targets on people’s access to water, unless there is a strong commitment and appropriate action taken by all stakeholders.

    “We have to act now both to address the water crisis in Nigeria to prevent it from getting worse and if we want to meet the SDGs,” said Peter Hawkins.

    “We can only achieve water security for every Nigerian – including the Nigerian child – through innovation, investment and collaboration, and by ensuring services are sustainable and well-managed. We must act – for the sake of our children and our planet.”

  • BAYO OSIYEMI: Leaving journalism to work as Jakande’s Chief Press Secretary was difficult

    BAYO OSIYEMI: Leaving journalism to work as Jakande’s Chief Press Secretary was difficult

    Otunba Bayo Osiyemi was the Chief Press Secretary to the former governor of Lagos State, the late Chief Lateef Jakande. He had also at various times functioned as the Editor, Lagos News; Chief Executive, Penby Communications; and Chairman of Mushin Local Government, Lagos.

    At the moment, he is the Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Matters to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. He spoke with GBENGA ADERANTI about his time as Jakande’s CPS, his foray into politics and his relationship with APC national leader,  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State among other issues.

    You functioned as the Chief Press Secretary to the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande during his reign as the governor of Lagos State between 1979 and 1983. How did the two of you meet?

    We met in Lagos in the early 1970s following my appointment as a correspondent for Tribune Newspaper. He, being the managing director and editor in chief, had his primary office at Broad Street, Lagos, which also quartered the Lagos office of the newspaper. That was when we first met.

    What were the ups and downs you experienced while working with the late governor?

    Ups and downs are common in any establishment. But the “ups” I experienced working as chief press secretary to Governor Lateef Jakande outweighed the downside. The experience I gained working as a reporter in the earlier years in a newspaper set-up toughened me to surmount difficulties on the road to breakthrough in any given assignment, that by the time I became his CPS, I had been through the “furnace” like the raw gold that eventually came out as a very fine ornament.

    Was there a time you felt like quitting the job? If yes, what really happened?

    At no time did I feel like quitting my job as press secretary. First, I had a good working relationship with my professional senior, Prince Jide Akinbiyi, now of blessed memory, who as the director of publicity, collaborated with me to manage the information machinery of the government under a professional veteran like LKJ as the state chief executive.

    I had the latitude to exercise freedom in managing the image of the governor while Akinbiyi coordinated the information apparatus of the government. Of course in our time under the first civilian governor of Lagos State, Jakande did not have a commissioner for information. It was Prince Jide Akinbiyi that performed that function, and I must say he discharged himself creditably.

    Would you say that working with Jakande influenced your foray into politics?

    There’s no gainsaying that Alhaji Jakande influenced my going into politics. Before his invitation to me to join his gubernatorial team, I was already working in Daily Times at Kakawa and doing well in the editorial department where I had cut a niche for myself at different times, having traversed the crime beat, the courts, social beat, diplomatic/airport and sports.

    Deciding to leave the certain and fascinating world of journalism for the uncertain terrain of politics, which LKJ was luring me to, was not easy for me, especially given that I was a mere 28 years old frail, young man at the time. I was hesitant while Jakande was eager to have me on board as his press officer to handle his media campaign that he had to issue two months’ salary cheque in lieu of notice to Daily Times for me to join him urgently.

    Although LKJ had earned a reputation as a first rate newspaper man and international figure in world press, he was still to me untested in partisan politics at the time, that the advice I sought from political practitioners like Alhaji Ganiyu Dawodu, Hon Ojekunle Perreira and Senator Abraham Adesanya, all now deceased, really encouraged me to take the gamble. More so that an uncle, Biyi Durojaiye, then a well-connected top official of the Central Bank, had also assured me that if my gamble into the political foray failed, he would use his connections to get me a new job. He later became a Senator of the Federal Republic before he passed on last year.

    You were the chairman of Mushin Local Government Council at a time it was bigger than its present size. What was the experience like?

    Yes, I was chairman of Mushin Local Government before it was split into two – Mushin-Ajina and Odiolowo/Ojuwoye.

    It was quite an experience because of what I learnt under Jakande, the governor, that a good journalist, as a critic, can also be a doer and an achiever in government. We successfully proved that in the four years and three months of Jakande administration; and I used the template to administer Mushin LG from 1994 to 19996.

    Describing my tenure as LG chairman is best summed up by a political titan in Mushin, Chief J.O. Solomon who told me at a meeting before he passed on: “Bayo, you know I have been practising politics in Mushin for a very long time and I was myself once an LG chairman here; I can say emphatically that no one had done better and had a good grip in the governance of Mushin than you.”

    People say politics is a dirty game. How did you cope considering the fact that you had a journalism background?

    Many people say politics is a dirty game but I disagree with that school of thought. What is important is individual’s attitude to politics. Given my background as a journalist, I went into politics with an attitude of forthrightness, to play the game as decently as I could, refusing to follow the multitude to do evil that some see in politics and which scare them off politics.

    I also bear in my mind the wise words of Edmund Burke that what good people suffer by abstaining from politics is to allow fools and charlatans to rule them. I have been active in politics since the mid-70s so I do not see the dirt in it to frighten me off it. But more importantly, I involve God in my own politics, and I’m in good stead with Him. Remember, once one truly fears and reveres God in all one’s doings, you will live a fearless life.

    One would have thought that after serving in the local government you would go to the state or national assembly. Why didn’t you further your career in politics?

    My steps in life have always had divine guidance; and where I am, I have no regrets.

    What is that thing you are not likely to forget in a hurry about politics?

    The things I will not forget in a hurry about politics are the positive dynamics and opportunities to make a difference and add value to society, once given the opportunity.

    You came across as a staunch supporter of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu even before your appointment as his Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs. What really was the attraction?

    My attraction to Governor Sanwo-Olu is personal. He exudes good breeding. He is respectful, calm, knowledgeable, focused and proactive.

    How have you been coping considering your experience and age difference? Coping with the governor and in government has nothing to do with age. It is more a function of attitude and the ultimate human mind can reach with focus and determination. Of course, I’m adaptable, tolerant and self-respecting and don’t find anything inhibitable when it comes to human interaction.

    Did you ever get into trouble as a practising journalist?

    Asking if I got into trouble while practising as a journalist is to ask if one gets dirty wrestling with a pig. A good and resourceful journalist will always get in harm’s way once you are industrious, faithful to your professional ethics and truthful to your calling.

    I cut my professional teeth when military rule was the vogue in our country. And because it was a season of anomie, truth and falsehood grappled incessantly during that period between the military government and the press. On one or two occasions, the military authorities felt piqued by some of my reports which were expositional, got detained and brutalised in the course of performing one’s functions.

    Were you discouraged from journalism after the incident?

    Rather than be discouraged by that experience, it toughened me to sustain the quest for truth and good governance.

    What is your greatest fear about life?

    My greatest fear about life is fear itself. Once you conquer fear, you look at anything in life from the point of fearlessness.

    At 70 plus, you still write and do rigorous academic exercises. How do you do this?

    It is the grace of God which I know I specially enjoy that makes me cope well with the rigours of academic and mental exercise. It amazes me that rather than diminish, my retentive memory seems to be increasing at 72.

    What is your relationship with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu?

    It is as good as that of an appreciative person and the object of his admiration. Asiwaju, since I first got to know him in the 80s, strikes me as a phenomenal person who God deliberately set apart for exploits. He had an innate ability which he has strenuously developed over the years to become the much talked about prodigy on the way to becoming a legend. I admire him intensely and I want to believe he respects me for my unqualified good wishes for him.

    People often say politics is expensive.  What is your take on this?

    On politics being expensive, I agree it is; and the earlier we all resolve to make it less expensive, the better for this country.

    What was your childhood like?

    Growing up was fun. One had the privilege of having parents who committed their entire lives to one’s upbringing; the opportunity of the quality of education one had in the early years; the comradeship of people from various backgrounds one met from our formative years to the present time; and the early realisation of the place of God in shaping one’s life.

    A lot of people describe you as the charming prince of politics and journalism. How are you coping with advances from women?

    Admirably well, but not below the bounds of normalcy and decency.