The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Our battles with global warming, by herders

    Our battles with global warming, by herders

    Livestock farming, one of the oldest businesses in human history, is at the risk of extinction in the country as global warming gets worse. It has been a harrowing experience for many farmers in the northern part of the country as climate change has made water and vegetation very scarce, causing their animals to die in their numbers. Besides, many herders have been gruesomely killed as they migrate from one place to the other in search of water and vegetation for their herds, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    Garus Galolo, a livestock farmer based in Benue State recently saw his kinsmen leave the country to seek greener pastures for their herds.

    Their decision to leave the country followed the intensity of global warming on account of which the water and vegetation their animals needed were drying up, causing many of their herds to die.

    Galolo’s kinsmen  were full of hope as they marched out of the country with their herds, believing that life would be better elsewhere. Unfortunately, some of them never arrived at their destination as they were attacked and murdered.

    He said: “No fewer than six of them have died in the course of migrating to neighbouring countries.

    “I lost three of them between the borders of Nigeria and Cameroon.  They wanted to cross to Cameroon when some youths attacked and killed them.

    “The lucky survivors have since moved to Eritrea.

    “Three others were killed between Oyo State and Benin Republic, in a place called Shabe.

    “The first three were living in Okum in Benue State while the others were resident in Ogun State.

    “They left Nigeria because the problem was too much for them to bear.

    “They had nowhere to graze, nowhere for their cattle to get water among other challenges.

    “They lost some of their cows too.

    “When you are crossing to other places there is no way you can cross by leg. You have to pay N5,000 on each cow to youths who mount road blocks even when you have the cows inside a vehicle.

    “In some places, government officials would seize your cows and you have to pay N50,000 on each one to secure them. If 20 of your cows are seized, it means you would pay N1 million to get them. How many cows would a herder sell to get that?”

    Galolo lamented that he has lost nothing less than N350 million to the challenge of global warming. This, he said, was besides the losses recorded by his other kinsmen.

    “I have become poor as a result of these. Some herders who once had more than a million cows can hardly boast of 10 now.

    “The rivers around Katsina Ala up to Gue in Benue State have dried up. The water in Lake Chad area has almost dried up. Water is no more flowing there as it used to.

    “If you go to Katsina border, you will be shocked at the number of herders that are taking their cows to Niger Republic just to graze them and return to Nigeria the following morning.

    “If they stay here, the bandits would come, kill them and collect the cows.”

    Further explaining why his kinsmen are leaving Nigeria, he said: “Grasses have also dried up in many places. Formerly, In Kura area of Kano and parts of Bauchi State, you would see cattle drinking water. But now there is no more water there. Even the Eritrea they are going to suffers the same fate.”

    In Yobe and adjoining areas, the plight of herders and their animals could move one to tears. Many of the cows look pale, suggesting that they have not had had sufficient  water and grass to feed on.

    The water level was too low in few places where it was available. To access the water, donkeys or camels were used to get them. Unfortunately, what comes out as water is sand with little fluid hovering over it. “Our livestock drink sand in the name of water,” said the National President of Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria, (KACRAN), Yobe chapter, Hon. Khalil Mohammed Bello, said.

    “We use donkeys and horses to get water from the well. Ropes are tied on the camels for them to get the water. A human being cannot do it except you use camels or donkeys to get the water. From morning till night, the animals cannot get enough water to drink. They even risk being contaminated and dying drinking such water.

    “Livestock are living things; they cannot survive without water. Most of the northern states have no water and that is why most herders are moving to the south where there is much vegetation and water.

    “Before now, you would see livestock at the Lake Chad Basin in their thousands and even in millions, eating any type of pasture and drinking water at any time.

    “Now it has dried completely. There is nothing there except sand.

    “When you come to northern Yobe, you have to go very, very deep because the water has gone down.  All this is attributable to climate change.”

    The KACRAN boss lamented that global warming has brought drastic changes that have led to the death of their animals.

    “You would see a cow being sold for N700 or N1,000 and slaughtered when they are about to die.

    “After the dry season, before fresh grasses start coming out, the animals would be dying.

    “Many of them die before they are slaughtered.

    “If you take a slaughtered one to the market, they would just price it N500 or N700.  Sometimes you would not even be able to get the money that you spent transporting them.  We lose thousands of animals.”

    Corroborating Galolo’s claims of attacks on herders, Bello said: “Our people are often attacked while moving around. You may see a herder with 1,000 animals now and the next minute, he would not have any again. The cattle would have been rustled.

    “Our people have been leaving the country for places like Ghana and Benin Republic.

    “Initially, they were moving to Cameroon and Chad, but because of insecurity, they don’t go to those places again. That is why our people are now moving to the southern part of the country.

    “There in the south you will find that there is also a problem between herders and farmers.

    “You know that in the South they have limited land space. Because of the challenges of vegetation and water, they move to Benin Republic and Ghana or Central  Africa.”

    More lamentation over climate challenge

    The Director Media  and Publicity  Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (MACBAN) Kaduna State, Ibrahim Bayero Zango,  and his members have also suddenly grown grey hair over the setback that global warming has had on their only source of livelihood.

    He said: “We are the worst affected people when it comes to desertification or climate change problem.

    “With desertification, there is no place to graze our animals, and that is why our people are moving down south.

    “Those who are in Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states are fewer than those in Kogi State today because of climate change.

    “They have deserted the core north states because of climate change and moved to the south where there are greener pastures.”

    Going down memory lane, he said: “About 20 years ago, the climate problem was not as bad as it is now.  It was a little bit better as there were drinking points all over.  All the streams were having water all through the seasons.

    “But now, especially in the dry season like this, you hardly find water to give your animals in the core north areas.

    “These dams that were established in the early 70s and 80s have been eroded.  When animals have no water to drink, they die.

    “My uncle’s cows died recently because rain did not fall on time. He lost eight cows and sold five at giveaway prices to buy feeds for the rest.”

    Also decrying the attitude of butchers when they (herders) are in distress, he said: “When animals are about to die and they are slaughtered, butchers would carry them and give you whatever they like. Some would not even give you anything until you go to meet them in the market.

    “When you meet them, they could buy something worth N500 and give to you as compensation for the animal. They would tell you there was no profit from it and that they even assisted you by helping you to evacuate the animals.”

    Explaining that they cannot afford to stay in a place because of the havoc wreaked by climate change,  he said: “We keep moving to make sure that our animals have something to eat and drink. If it is getting worse here, you move elsewhere on foot with the animals. It has never been easy.

    “When it is dry season, you cannot get milk from the cows anymore and you would not want to sell at that time because cows would be too cheap.

    “At times, you have to spend more than five days in one place because the animals are tired and can no longer move because of hunger.”

    Chairman of MACBAN in Plateau State, Muhammad Nuru Abdulahi, is no less disturbed by the development.

    He said: “Climate change has affected many businesses here in the north. The dryness of the areas is of concern especially in the dry seasons.

    “We used to have streams from where we were getting water all-round the seasons,  but now they do dry up at the point when we really need the water.

    “Before now, when people burnt bushes, fresh grasses would germinate and animals would feed on those fresh grasses, but it is no longer so. If they are burnt, they would not germinate until rain falls. This affects our business.”

    When there are no fresh grasses, Abdulahi said, he resorts to buying feeds at cut-throat rates to feed the animals.

    “The feeds are very expensive,” he said, adding:  “I have lost a number of animals, both old ones and calves, to climate problems. When the old ones are not feeding well, the young ones they are breastfeeding will be affected.

    “I have lost about 10. In money terms, on a good day, I would sell each for between N250,000 and N300,000.”

    30 to 40 per cent of animals produced annually affected

    The Chairman of Miyetti Allah in Bauchi State, Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed, was full of regrets about how climate change has affected the fortunes of farmers in the region.

    He said: “If you look at the climate in the north, especially the North East and Bauchi in particular, if you look back to the past 15 years compared to now, you will definitely agree that climate change has seriously affected the economic potentials of the North East, especially Bauchi State.

    “Rainfall, which is a crucial factor in livestock farming, has reduced to a level you don’t expect. In the past two to three years, rainfall has started in late June and end around September.

    “All the watering points have dried up. If you look at all the animals in the North now,  they hardly get water to drink. And once there is no water, you don’t talk about grasses to feed the animals.

    “If you had 1,000 or 500 herds in the last five years, you just have to dispose of them or you will not be able to rear them.”

    He also expressed concern that the temperature around the North is rising to a very high level and it is very dangerous for the animals.   “Crop production goes alongside with animal production. The byproducts of crop farming are what animals feed on.

    “In recent times, crop farmers have also been affected by climate change. Most of their crops dry up before the end of September.

    Before October or November, all the by-products would have dried up or the few that are available would have been eaten up by animals.

    “By January/February, all the rivers would have dried up. The implications are that they keep shrinking and  dying when they don’t have food  and water to consume.

    “This is very serious around the months of April and May before the rains come.  You would find that about 30 to 40 per cent of the animals produced annually are affected and it is recurring.

    “If something urgent is not done, in the next five years, you will hardly see animals to breed.”

    He added: “In the next two months now, when animals sleep, it is when people come near them and kick them that they will stand up. At times they would not even be able to stand up.

    “If you go around the market around April/May, there is always an abundance of meat because farmers are forced to sell off their animals.

    “Some of the animals die; some are sold at giveaway prices. A cow that could be sold for N200,000 would be sold for a paltry N50,000.”

    The challenge, he further said,  “is compelling our people to look for alternative means of livelihood, but I don’t know which alternative. It is an indication of poverty in the nation.

    “Food scarcity is the end of it because there would be no meat and food for farmers to sell. If something urgent is not done, definitely, we are likely to lose our major source of protein.”

    Bleak future for livestock business

    Following the intractable challenges posed by climate change, herders fear that their business risks extinction.

    Galolo said: “The business is not okay for us now not to talk of the future. Maybe people would begin to rear cats in the long run.

    “I can’t tell the government to do anything again. Let God do anything that pleases Him.

    “The government is not ready to do anything for us. We have taken ourselves as not being citizens of Nigeria. God will bring someone who will help us.”

    Bello, the KACRAN leader, is also worried about the future of the business.

    “The future is very bleak. If you want to rear livestock here in Nigeria without any problem, it is in the north. Now our people have to leave the north for the south or even leave the country completely.

    “That is why livestock is now too expensive. It is with extreme difficulty that herders can survive.

    “Even the livestock that survive being stolen or rustled, to feed them is a problem.

    “The future is bleak except northern governors and the federal government do the needful.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Ibrahim Bayero said there is no future for their business if the government continues to ignore forestation and establishment of green belt that it ought to have established in the far north since the Second Republic.  “They also need to establish dams in the grazing reserves. When this is done, our people will return there. Until the government does that, our people will always leave the northern part for the southern part.

    “Now there are more herders in the southern part than there are in the north. All the dams in Safana Grazing Reserve in Katsina State have dried up. The same thing applies to the one at Kotangora Grazing Reserve and the ones in Gombe.”

    Leader of the herders in Plateau State, Muhammad Abdulahi, feared that their business faces a daunting challenge with climate change and may collapse.

    “Our people face serious security challenge travelling to other African countries.  We have had some of them killed, especially those travelling to Cameroon.  Even this year, some of them were travelling from Kogi to Adamawa but were attacked here in Plateau State. Two persons were killed together with their cows.”

  • Spanish court declares Samuel Eto’o father of 22-year-old woman

    Spanish court declares Samuel Eto’o father of 22-year-old woman

    A court in Madrid, Spain has ruled that former FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea striker, Samuel Eto’o is the biological father of a 22-year-old woman.

    The woman in question, Erika Do Rosario Nieves, was born in Madrid in 1999, the period Eto’o was on loan at Espanyol, a club in the Spanish elite league, La Liga.

    The Cameroonian retired footballer and current President of the country’s football association, was said to have met Erika Do Rosario Nieves’s mother between 1997 and 1998 when he was on loan at Leganés, a Spanish La Liga club based near Madrid, Spain’s capital city. He was 24 years old at the time.

    While on loan at Leganés, the Cameroonian football legend decided to go to a nightclub in Madrid where he met Adileusa, the mother of Erika Do Rosario Nieves.

    They started dating briefly and the short relationship, which started and ended in 1998, led to the pregnancy of Adileusa.

    Reports claimed that Eto’o promised to act responsibly as far as the pregnancy was concerned. Other reports claimed that the Cameroonian football icon wanted to get rid of the baby.

    When the retired footballer could not convince the woman to abort the baby, he allegedly cut all means of communication between him and the woman.

    Adileusa tried different means to get in touch with Samuel Eto’o but was not able to do so. She only got to see him on television and newspaper pages.

    Adileusa gave birth to Erika in 1999 even without being able to contact the supposed father of the lady. Hence, she was the only one that took care of the lady to date.

    In 2018, she decided to drag Samuel Eto’o to court even though the footballer had never admitted that he has a child with her.

    Adileusa wanted the court to confirm that the 22-year-old woman is the daughter of the retired footballer.

    In the court proceedings that lasted for almost four years (2018 to 2022), Samuel Eto’o, who is currently the president of the Cameroon football association, did not deem it fit to attend the court hearing and never mentioned it by any means.

    After a series of back and forth, the court confirmed that the 22-year-old woman is the daughter of Eto’o. Hence, the court ordered the three times UEFA Champions League winner to pay his Spanish daughter the sum of €1,400 per month from the year (2018) that the lawsuit was filed.

    The judge, while delivering judgment, held that the woman provided biological evidence that supported her testimony that Erika was the daughter of the former striker.

    Eto’o was yet to make any official or public reaction to the court ruling at the time of publishing this report.

    Eto’o’s other children

    Apart from Erika Do Rosario Nieves, who a Madrid court ruled to be the daughter of Samuel Eto’o, the four times Africa player of the year and three times Spanish La Liga winner has four biological children – Maelle, Étienne, Siena and Lynn.

    In 2007, the retired Cameroonian footballer married his childhood sweetheart Georgette, the mother of Siena and Lynn, who both live with her in Paris.

    Eto’o scored his first goal at the Africa Cup of Nations for Cameroon 22 years ago.

    He went on to become the competition’s all-time leading goal scorer with 18 goals.

  • Maritime security: How sustained naval operations reduced piracy, others

    Maritime security: How sustained naval operations reduced piracy, others

    Nigerian and the West African maritime environment recently received global acknowledgement on the reduction in piracy and other maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea. The International Maritime Bureau (IBM) in its 2021 statistics on piracy noted that there were 22 reported incidents in Nigerian waters and 30 within the Gulf of Guinea (GOG), a departure from the 14 and 44 cases in 2020 respectively.

    This reduction which is no mean feat, to the Nigerian Navy (NN) is attributable to sustained operations and visibility at sea made possible by the acquisition of more patrol boats, crafts and other maritime security assets.

    A key player in the security of the 2,874nm coastline that stretches from Angola in Southern Africa to Senegal in West Africa, the NN ensured dedicated naval operations and initiatives to counter piracy/sea robbery attacks in its maritime environment, just as it extended hands of fellowship to its neighbouring sister navies, foreign allies whenever the need arose.

    Reviewing its activities for last year, the Navy noted that there were significant successes in bringing the rate of piracy to the barest minimum, adding that several attacks on vessels during the last three quarters were aborted with the help of its Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) infrastructure like the Falcon Eye and Regional Maritime Domain Awareness Capability (RMAC).

    According to the Director of Naval Information (DINFO), Commodore Suleman Dahun, the induction of new platforms by President Muhammadu Buhari enhanced the scope and depth of the service’s operations within Nigerian waters and the GoG region.

    “The surveillance capability of the Nigerian Navy was enhanced with the commissioning of the Falcon Eye state-of-the-art Maritime Domain Awareness Surveillance System by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), in July 2021 at the Naval Headquarters Abuja.

    “The system incorporates various sensors located along Nigeria’s enormous coastline. During the commissioning, the Vice-President pointed out that Nigeria loses around $26bn a year to criminal activities, particularly piracy and sea robbery and this fact underscores the need to enhance maritime security in Nigeria’s waters,” he said.

    Dahun, who recalled the words of the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo during the Falcon Eye equipment launch, said it translated to complete coverage of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) with data generated from sites strategically located in Abuja, Lagos, Yenagoa and Calabar being regularly monitored and analysed.

    “He added that the coverage of the satellite aspect of the Automatic Identification System of Falcon Eye extends beyond Nigerian waters to Cote D’Ivoire in the West, Cameroon in the East, and Angola at the South East.

    “Pertinently, the system, combined with the various sea and air platforms as well as well thought-out strategies and vigorous leadership have resulted in a steep decline in criminal activities within the nation’s maritime domain and the GoG in 2021.

    “The Nigerian Navy, working with foreign navies conducted three major exercises which include OBANGAME EXPRESS, GRAND AFRICAN NEMO and SAFE DOMAIN 1 in 2021. Records indicate that 44 vessels involved in illegal bunkering were arrested last year leading to the recovery of 1,664,628.61 barrels of crude oil and 45,752.91 Metric Tons of Automotive Gas Oil valued at N55.1 billion and N11.8billion respectively.

    “In October, the Nigerian Navy arrested a Singapore flagged bulk cargo ship, MV CHAYANEE NAREE with 32.9kg of smuggled cocaine. The 22 crew of the CHAYANEE NAREE, all reported to be Thai nationals, are being detained onboard the ship at the Lagos Port Complex while investigation continues.

    “The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Global Piracy Report of 14 July 21, indicates the lowest total of piracy and sea robbery against ships in 27 years. Notably, there has been a marked decline in piracy in the GoG in 2021 with 11 pirate incidents recorded compared to 44 in 2020. “Similarly, there was a decline in pirate attacks and sea robbery in Nigeria’s water where the country reported only 11 pirate incidents and three sea robberies in 2021, compared to 22 pirate incidents and 16 sea robberies in 2020.

    “These figures convey proof of the effectiveness of the Nigerian Navy’s maritime security engagements. The security and economic implications are quite enormous not only for Nigeria but the sub-region as efforts to neutralise activities of criminal elements and economic saboteurs will stimulate and accelerate maritime trade and commerce, reduce costs including insurance premium and hopefully put an end to the smuggling of crude oil which the country depends so heavily on,” he said.

  • Oluyomi Finnih: My lifetime achievement is ending military rule

    Oluyomi Finnih: My lifetime achievement is ending military rule

    Dr. Oluyomi Abayomi Finnih, the Lagos-born distinguished obstetrician, gynaecologist, humanist and politician joined the Octogenarian club last Wednesday.His friends and colleagues speak highly of him as a man of good breeding. With a career trajectory spanning about six decades both in the public service of Lagos State and the organised private sector, the Isale Eko boy joined politics in retirement as a major stakeholder where he is currently making his mark and contributing to the dialectics of nation building. In this interview with IBRAHIM APEKHADE YUSUF and FUNKE COLE, the Chairman and Chief Medical Director of Finnih Medical Centre, went nostalgic on his early years in Lagos, his foray into politics in retirement, regrets and fulfillment in the same breadth. Excerpts:

    How does it feel to be 80 years in a country where the life expectancy sadly is between 55 and 56 years?
    Life itself is so uncertain. It is full of ups and downs. You’re born one day and you die right the next day. Personally, I would say my life has been a rather interesting experience if I consider where I was coming from and where I found myself now. Right from primary school to secondary, to university it was a pleasure going to school, and having academic learning and exposure. What I can recall is that sense of nostalgia about going to the University of Ibadan from 1963 to 68. I can confidently say that in the first time of my learning life, we went through education and exposure with a lot of comfort. The personnel, lecturers from Nigeria and other parts of the world; the rapport between you and other students, and the lecturers was smooth. Everybody was working toward each other’s success. In my set, we had about 25 students in the Medicine Class. It was such an exciting thing; a thing of pride as well that as a Medical student of the University of Ibadan, you saw yourself as a special breed of human being. Things worked. University education was something everyone looked up to. Sadly, that is not anymore. I read in one of the newspapers this morning about how the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was gathering momentum for another strike. That was alien in our time. Such a thing is not right for the students. That is why someone who’s supposed to be on a course of four years ends up spending six, seven to 10 years. Besides, life was safe to live in. For instance, you could leave Ibadan at 7 pm.At that time it was one way, and get back to Lagos safe and sound

    with no fear of attack or molestation by anybody, anywhere. Security was good. Those of us that went through that period really enjoyed it. In the university, you had  what we called tea break. As a student in UI, each student had the best of everything. When they were building the new hall two students stayed in a big room. We had a dinning time during which we all wore a three piece suit to the dining hall. These days, youths wear something distasteful showing off their bodies and mutilating their clothes all in the name of fashion. I hope you guys don’t wear tattered clothes… (Laughs)

    In our days we had dignity. We had lots of fun, we had everything. As a young doctor, once you’re through with Medical School, you could easily get a car back then because the CFAO would come to you. All you needed  to do was just fill a form because they assumed  that as a doctor you could  afford to pay for a car loan.

    Back in the days in Lagos, if you left  your house open  in the morning  you would find everything perfect even on your return. But that’s not so anymore. We all live in fear. These days, you can’t even go out in the daytime much less  in the evening to attend a party because you’re not sure about your safety and return. If you want to go out now you’re afraid. Now, you have to monitor the situation of the road before stepping out of your home. This is not how to live and this is not right at all. Now, if you leave your car out there for too long, you can be sure that before you return some hoodlums would have made away with your four tyres if not the entire car itself. It’s not safe anymore out there. The situation has  deteriorated  badly.

    How did we get to this state? And we don’t seem to be making much progress either. We keep reflecting too much on money. There is loss of value everywhere. How do  you explain a situation where you want to promote an Assistant Manager to a Senior Manager at a bank and he refuses to leave his old post because he doesn’t want to lose the perks of his office for another post where he feels he won’t make a lot of money? The other day we heard a story of some teenage boys who beheaded a girl and had her head burnt in order to make concoction for money ritual. You mean the severed head already burnt to ashes would  disappear to the Central Bank and go and fetch them money? It’s sickening, the way morals have sunk in society today.

    At 80, I think I have lived a good life to the glory of God. That’s why sometimes, when we sit amongst our mates, we reflect and ask ourselves, “Kilo happen si wana? (What happened to us?) When you look at the way things have gone bad for the country you cannot but be worried.

    You were also involved in the struggle for the actualisation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election in which the winner Chief MKO Abiola was not allowed to claim his mandate. What informed your participation in the June 12 struggle?

    Yes, I did my own bit just like most of us who were very disturbed about the goings on at that time. Many of us felt it was very wrong for the  military to  take over government. Any sane person watching the way things were going would wonder why the military boys had to kill Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Okotie Eboh, the Sardauna of Sokoto, and so on. It is a long list. Why do you kill people? What for? Under the guise of quelling disturbances or what? I believe that was the genesis of the military incursion in our politics. Initially, our attitude was that let’s have an academic approach to this problem and we had a group called the Democratic Forum, which was being led by Sobo Sowemimo. We had quality, and very cerebral people including the likes of Prof. Jegede, Senator Wahab Dosunmu. There was also a gentleman who was a senator in Ogun state and quite a number of us whose only desire was how to make things better for this country. But of course, we were being seen as rebellious people. But we didn’t take up any arms against the government, even ordinary catapults we didn’t have. We were just concerned about the state of affairs in the  country. But they issued threats, harassed some people to the point that many had to exit the country when it became totally unsafe for them. Some of us opted to stay to live through it all despite all odds, even at the risk of our dear lives. Many of these people who left were part of the NADECO escapades. As a result of this nasty experience they fractured many homes, destroyed properties and assets of innocent Nigerians. I can recall vividly those who suffered untoward hardships. The likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, (the late) Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Dr. Akingba and so many others too numerous to mention here who fled to the diaspora. And the few people who had little resources were vested with the responsibility of feeding and catering for these displaced Nigerians in a foreign land. People suffered and lived like sub humans all for trying to say our country should be alright. That’s why today, I’m pained when I see some people who grope about what they have achieved in life when they try to quantify all that in monetary terms at the expense of the safety and security of the country. Till date, we have not been able to really adjust ourselves. Those people who work through the agony and the pains of restoring Nigeria we know what we went through. Sometimes, when we write to let people have ideas we get so badly criticised. So that’s why sometimes, I just wonder whether the struggle was worth the while. So many things changed and deteriora ted: power became epileptic, armed robbery, brigandage, and everything went bad. So, if you ask me, the military has a hand in how the country has turned out. In fact, I can boldly say that after 1966 following the war and military intervention in our polity, a lot of things went bad for Nigeria and we have not really been able to recover from this ever since.

    So are you actually saying that the military is to blame for the way things have sunk in terms of moral laxity and all?

    Yes, I can stand up to anyone out there that the military caused more than half of the intractable crisis we are battling currently today. There is nobody who can contest that with me. The military boys had no business disrupting the course of our national life. That is what we are still battling till date and it is very sad.

    Looking back now at 80, what would you consider your greatest lifetime achievement?

    For me, I would consider my greatest achievement to have been able to highlight the importance of our health sector through showing the painful deterioration, and by the modest contributions we have made in that space. We have, in a way, stood up to endorsing democratic tendencies. Because when the military came and they kept shifting the handing over date  ad infinitum that is from Babangida to Babangida to Babangida, it was obvious that they didn’t want to leave the government until they boxed themselves into a corner somewhere. Thankfully, some of us came out to fight all these evil machinations. Something led to the other and we had the June 12 crisis. At the end of the day, we feel that we have made a point. Because sometimes, you make a point to the point that it is dangerous to persist. Like the saying goes, ‘he who fights and runs away, leaves to fight another day.’ That’s what the Yorubas call, moja mosa laa nmo akinkanju logun. Quite a number of our doctors died in the process. Some of them left the shores of Nigeria for foreign countries. But some of us persisted and stayed back home. That is why when we talk about the way forward for Nigeria, I just feel that there is a need to involve  well-intentioned people who will care for the welfare of the people. But unfortunately, we are not there yet. Today, it’s just about money. How many Bentleys, Ferraris, or power bikes you have. How many houses you have and all that… There is a lot of show off here and there. I cannot say that I’m frustrated. But I can say that I have made an effort. That is what a lot of us haven’t been able to say. That is why up till now you find a lot of people, especially doctors residing abroad, frustrated. Many of them are in Saudi Arabia, UK, etc. Once they retire, they end up in an old peoples’ home because there is nobody to look after them once they return home to Nigeria. Thankfully, they receive their pensions and payoffs. But if they come here, I’m not sure they would receive their pensions adequately. What is not in this country? Once  they said a certain snake swallowed pension funds without any traces? (General laughter)…

    How did you earn the pet name Gandhi?

    Me? Not me. Who told you that? (Curious)…

    Your friend, Bashorun J.K. Randle…

    That one (J.K. Randle)… General laughter… Where did you meet him? (Laughs)…

    We actually belonged to the bourgeois Lagos family at that time like the Finnihs, the Randles, the McGregors, the Da Rochas, and all. As kids, you see, most of us had fantasies at that time. If you had read the history of India, you would have found that Mahatma Gandhi was really a great person in India and may be in Middle Asia. Growing up just like the Great Mahatma Gandhi, one had this ideology about ending human suffering and putting things right. Because we just feel that poverty shouldn’t be. A lot of people needn’t have to suffer and all.

    You were talking about J.K. Randle. He is a rascal o. (Laughs)…

    He said you were a little rascal too back then and you used to chase all the small girls around… (General laughter)…

    Where did you find him? (General laughter)…

    He said as a very handsome young man, you were a lady’s man. That your dad tried to shield you away from boys and even girls so that you would not  lose focus and all…

    Don’t mind him. He was a very exhaustive guy (J.K.Randle)…He was living at Tokunbo Street, while I lived at Patey Street. Lagos was not all that populated then so we could  go around and have fun and merry. Growing up was fun back then. I remember my father used to turn some of these guys back when they came to invite me to go and play football with them. He would say, “Medicine ni Yomi fe ka…(Yomi is studying for Medicine.). And that’s what he kept repeating all over the place when he saw boys milling around me.

  • Igboho: Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

    Igboho: Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea

    This week, many supporters of embattled Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, were utterly displeased and disappointed to hear about the ‘renewed’ incarceration of the agitator for another six months.

    The 49-year-old agitator has spent over 200 days in Benin Republic prison.

    When his counsel, Yomi Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) disclosed the information during the week, it came as a big blow to many supporters.

    But this prolongation of Igboho’s detention was a negation of the announcement by the Abuja-based lawyer, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, who predicted not too long ago that Igboho would be released soon.

    Many supporters especially in the Diaspora lamented the continuous detention of Igboho ‘without trial’.

    Aliyu noted that though there are no criminal charges or extradition requests against Igboho, the Beninese government has, however, taken steps to keep Igboho in detention.

    Read Also: Why Igboho’s detention was extended, by lawyer

    Since Igboho was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, on July 19 after he fled Nigeria when his Ibadan home was invaded by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS), his extradition has been hanging in balance.

    The legal battle to either extradite Igboho to Nigeria or hand him back his freedom has witnessed a series of dramatic twists and turns. The court on July 27 last year, ordered that he should be remanded in a facility in the country, pending the conclusion of the investigation.

    Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has also stated that the Federal Government will bring Igboho back to Nigeria after his prosecution in Benin Republic. Igboho who has been declared wanted by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly stockpiling arms to destabilise Nigeria, an allegation he denied, has been in the eye of the storm.

    Commenting on Igboho’s ordeal, Malami said the case is a matter being prosecuted in a foreign country on account of his breaching laws in Benin Republic.

  • Oxlade: Putting it all on display

    Oxlade: Putting it all on display

    Recently, public figures especially celebrities in the entertainment industry who are held in high esteem by teeming fans have been subjects of public ridicule and backlash.

    To many, especially celebrities, scandals and controversies are inevitable and the spice of the industry. The conspicuous display of moral challenge has become the primary spectacle of major entertainers over the years.

    This week, a lot has been said since the disturbing explicit video of songwriter and singer, Ikuforiji Olaitan Abdulrahman, popularly known as Oxlade, leaked online.

    He, is the third Nigerian celebrity whose sex tape would leak online in three months. The release of the explicit content sent social media into a frenzy and triggered divided opinions.

    Many wondered why two sane adults would record their secret amorous moment and let it come to public light in that manner? To achieve what exactly?

    But some others argued that copulating is something natural but recording and uploading intentionally or unintentionally is not, except maybe for porn stars.

    The 24-year-old singer became famous after his singles ”Ojuju” and ‘Away’ became monster hits.

    He rose to prominence with the song “Away,” which appeared on Rolling Stone’s 50 best songs of 2020. In addition, he was featured on the song “Overdue” from ”Coming 2 America” studio album Rhythms of Zamunda, released on 5 March 2021.

    Oxlade has now joined the league of celebrities with ‘leaked’ explicit content in the entertainment industry, taking over from Tiwa Savage who was caught in the web of the same scandal last year.

    Many users speculated that the musician was on drugs or was under the influence of alcohol with the crazy displays in the viral videos.

    While others believe it’s a marketing strategy, the explicit content just dropped a few days after releasing ‘Baddest Boy refix,’ which didn’t go viral on social media.

  • Our role as women will no longer belimited to ‘the other room’ – Funmi Ugbor

    Our role as women will no longer belimited to ‘the other room’ – Funmi Ugbor

    From corporate boardroom in Lagos to Abuja where she is serving as a legislative aide in the National Assembly, Funmi Kayode Ugbor, is moving steadily from career woman into politics. Now an almost flawless speaker of the language of politics, it would not come as a surprise to many if she decides to vie for a political office in the near future. She told PAUL UKPABIO why today’s woman needs to be relevant in the scheme of leadership.

    You were based in Lagos before moving to Abuja. How would you say the two cities different?                                               Lagos is my second home; a physical and emotional environment that contributed to what I have become as an all-round professional today. For me, Lagos has always been a centre of excellence; an aquatic splendour. Over the years, Lagos has maintained its status as the commercial hub of the nation. We will continue to see Lagos as a natural home to all, no matter where you come from. For this, it may be right to say that the strength of Lagos resides in the huge population. And in Lagos, no one is oppressed. Lagos maintains that distinctive and iconic presence not only in Nigeria but in Africa.

    I came to Abuja to work and I have fallen in love with Abuja. Abuja is less stressful for me. Although things are very expensive in Abuja and it is gradually becoming densely populated. Abuja is the capital of Nigeria and the seat of government, but it cannot be compared with Lagos.

    Would you say your early background has influenced the person that you are today?

    Absolutely! I am a daughter of a lecturer and a priest in the Anglican Communion. My Mother was a teacher. My paternal grandfather was a catechist. My maternal grandfather was a headmaster. I am very proud of my roots, my humble background, and eternally grateful for the good name my grandparents left for us. In those days, whenever we are leaving home you would be reminded “ranti omo eni ti iwo n se” remember whose child you are”! That phrase is loaded. Today, how many parents can boldly say this phrase to their children For any action or step I take, this phrase rings a bell in my memory and reminds me that I should not indulge in any unwholesome practice that would drag the image of my reputable family in the mud.

    What does your work at the National Assembly entail?

    It has been an embraceable challenge, balancing the office and involving in wide research on issues of national and international interest. The work of a legislative aide is enormous. We work behind the scene. Legislative aides work as the administrative head, coordinate and attend meetings, assist with the drafting of speeches and press releases and conduct and summarise research and constituent surveys.

    It also entails relating and interfacing with constituents and solving their problems, compiling their requests and directing or treating them accordingly, producing responses to issues of urgent national importance  transmitting yearnings of constituents and mounting briefs for onward presentation as motions or bills. With every challenge comes an added experience. It’s been fun learning new things.

    We are gradually moving into another political dispensation. Having worked at the National Assembly, do you feel the need to go into politics?

    Well, with over 10 years working experience I have garnered at the National Assembly as a legislative aide, I know that I have what it takes to perform excellently well in any position. No doubt, I have acquired tremendous experience and I am very confident that I have what it takes to go into politics.

    But as a woman, do you think you will have the time to accommodate political programmes and meetings?

    I am blessed to have a very understanding and supportive family. With this, I will definitely have the time to accommodate political programmes and meetings should the need arise. Women are willing to contest for every contestable position from president down to councillor. Women want not just to be seen but heard. We will be very vocal. We will ensure that our role is no longer just in the other room but in the room where political decisions are taken.

    How do you intend to handle the home front when political meetings will likely take a chunk of your time?

    As I mentioned earlier, what is required is support and understanding, which I have from my family. This is one of the reasons why we don’t have more women participating actively in politics today.  The time for meetings, which may start very late at night till dawn, is one of the factors discouraging women in politics. Although women are gradually indicating more interest, we are yet to get there.

    I thank God that I have grown-up children. My greatest inspiration and encouragement emanates from my loving husband who is always engrossed in his practice as a medical practitioner and a father. Handling home front should not constitute any impediment to my ambition. The major constraint is economic consideration which makes it difficult for women to contest to earn their position in politics. Women are not as financially buoyant as men. The political environment and conditions are often unfriendly and hostile to women, as it is always believed that women are created to be home makers.

    Women should be encouraged and we need more women to represent us at all levels. A woman caters for the home, the children and even takes good care of the husband. All these experiences will come handy and be utilised if given the position of authority. I believe that women are better leaders. Women are naturally organised, have motherly feeling and care. We have more sympathy for the children as mothers than their fathers!

    Which political office will you be vying for and can you share with us some of your intended programmes?

    I don’t have any political office I’m contemplating for now. But if the opportunity arises and my people feel that I am qualified for any political office, why not? However, I feel that there is need to do more on women and youth empowerment. These days our youth believe that money is everything, hence this has pushed them into many unprintable vices and this has contributed negatively to what we have in the society today.

    We need a total reorientation. We are morally bankrupt! There is moral decadence. No value, no respect, we have lost it and this is so disheartening. It is obvious that we cannot fold our arms and allow things to continue this way. We all need to rise up, contribute in our little way to ensure that there is a paradigm shift and new orientation. The fate of the youth is my nightmare and in any position I find myself, I would concentrate on the plight of the youth.

    What is your educational background?

    I obtained Diploma in Law from the University of Lagos, Diploma in Computer Studies, Higher Diploma in Secretarial Administration. I also studied Public Administration for my first and second degrees. My academic voyage and enormous work experience combined to widen my horizon to function in any capacity.

    What would you say determined your eventual life career?

    Naturally, growing up, I loved to organise, arrange, supervise and plan things. I believe in effectiveness and efficiency in whatever I do. What is worth doing at all is worth doing well!  This has enabled me to be a good administrator. I enjoy what I do and I feel fulfilled doing them.

    As a child, some people who are today leaders in the society were once challenged going to school. Ex-President Jonathan, for instance, said he went to school without shoes. What was your own condition like when you went to school?

    My parents were comfortable, hence I enjoyed my childhood. Although as a daughter of a lecturer, my father had a car, I walked to and fro school, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Morally, I learnt so much from my parents growing up, and I have tried to inculcate same in my children.

    Who among your parents influenced you the most?

    My maternal grandparents both had great influence on me. My maternal grandmother was a disciplinarian while my grandfather, the late Samuel Olaoye Agbeyo, was very detailed and meticulous. They both shaped me and contributed to the person I am today. I loved them both.

    What was the turning point in your life?

    Although I have been in the political scene for a while, coming to Abuja and working at the National Assembly definitely became a turning point for me.

    What were the challenges you faced raising children as a career woman and what advice would you give to young ladies in the same situation?

    I thank God that I have a loving, supportive, caring and understanding husband who has been my number one supporter and cheerleader.  I’m also blessed and surrounded by great In-laws who lived with us when the children were growing up. Mine is an inter-tribal marriage. I am a Yoruba married to an Igbo man. It is over 20 years now and it has been a good experience.

    When the children were toddlers,  it was not easy living in the Mainland and working on the Island in Lagos as a career woman. I would leave home for the Island at 5 am on a daily basis and get back home around 10 or 11 pm. Despite this, I was able to practice adequate and comprehensive baby care and I was close to all my children. I used to wake up at 4 am, used breast pump to extract my breast milk, and refrigerated the breast milk to feed my babies with. This was my daily ritual before going to work. I was determined to give my children the best, no matter what. To me, my family is everything.

    Today, things have changed, no doubt. With the economic situation in the country, there is need for women to work in order to make ends meet and support the family. At the same time, the children are exposed to many risks as a result of this. Honestly, I commend the mothers of today. I appreciate and celebrate them all.

    Parenting these days is not an easy task for career women. Some House helps are wicked, heartless. They are just devil incarnate. Some schools also are not safe either. How would mothers concentrate at work with all the risks out there that we expose these children to? My advice to young career ladies is that despite all these, priority should be given to the wellbeing of our children. Women should not compromise on this. Lately, we have seen a lot trending on the social media, and each time I see this, I am pained. It is scary! We have a lot to do as women and mothers. We need to spend quality time with our children and ensure that we are our children’s best friends. Let them be free to talk to us. Listen to them. Teach them sex education at an early age. Things are not the way they used to be, and this is so sad. Enough of child molestation!

    Have you enjoyed working at the National Assembly?

    So far, so good. It has been a very good experience working with different politicians from different backgrounds, states and also seeing them inspire others to contribute to their various committees and constituents. I have learnt so much working with my colleagues who are legislative aides working behind the scene to promote the lofty agenda of our principals.

    Is there anything about your past you would have loved to do differently?

    No regrets so far. God has been so good and faithful to me, and I am eternally grateful for all He has blessed me with.

    So what keeps you going?

    I love challenges and adding value to the society. I derive greater joy when I help, touch lives, make positive impacts, put smiles on people’s faces and make them a better version of themselves.

    What is your take on beauty, style, fashion and glamour?

    I believe in simplicity, looking good but not flashy. As long as I wear something trendy and decent, I am good to go!

    Do you dress to please yourself or do you dress to please people?

    I dress to please myself. I love to be very comfortable, modest, smart and decent in whatever I wear. I don’t compromise on my comfort.

    What fashion accessories will you not be found without?

    My reading glasses.

    If you have to describe yourself at this present time, what would you say?

    I am an easy going, amiable, friendly, accommodating and lovable lady. I love meeting people; a lover of children who is always willing to help. As a mother, I love seeing people happy. I also genuinely love and respect people around me.

    What do you value the most?

    I value integrity and honesty.

  • AUTONOMY BLUES

    AUTONOMY BLUES

    Most of the 15 local government areas in Niger State were confident that they would survive with allocations from the federal purse when the agitation for the abolishment of the joint account system in state began inSeptember2020. Today, it is a different story as none of them appears to have anticipated the hardship they have experienced four months after the state government agreed on local government autonomy. The different local government councils have since resorted to payment of salaries on percentage basis with some workers, especially teachers, going home with as little as 22 per cent of their monthly pay. JUSTINA ASISHANA reports that no local government worker in the state can boast to have received up to 65 per cent of their salaries in the last three months.

    Ibrahim Isah, an employee of a local government in Niger State, has not received a salary above 32 per cent in the past five months; a sum he said is a far cry from what he needs to carter for his family needs.

    “What will a monthly take home is between N20,000 and N25,000 do for my family,” he asked as he lamented his plight and that of other local government workers in the state. “It has not been easy at all. The government is not trying for us in any way.”

    His claims were echoed by Ishaku Shaba, another member of the staff of a local government in the state, who said that life has not been easy for him since he was being paid a percentage of his monthly salary. In the past four months, he said, he had been collecting only  25 per cent of his salary. He therefore called on the government to intervene before the matter gets out of hand.

    Maryam Abadallah on her part noted that the days were gone when local government workers received their salaries with smiles.

    “These days, workers are afraid to open their phones when they get salary alerts, because they are scared to see what they have been paid,” she said.

    “Before, whenever we received our salaries, we were very happy. But now, we have to pray before we open the message, hoping that the percentage cut off will be reasonable.

    “The government has to do something about this because we are no longer finding it funny. We have people to cater for. We have children to send to school.

    “This is not good at all. They have turned local government workers into beggars.”

    Hajara Musa has had to sell some of her gold and wrappers to enable her to pay the second term school fees of her children because she has only been receiving a paltry N15,000 as salary in the last five months.

    She told our correspondent that she was already contemplating dropping her children from the private school they attend since she does not know when her salary would become normal.

    She said: “I am not sure I can continue like this. Who knows how many of my clothes and gold that I would sell?

    “I pray the government will address this issue before it gets worse.

    “We have never had it this bad as staff of the local government area. We need help.”

    Teachers down tools over percentage salaries

    Since schools resumed nationwide about five weeks ago, pupils in public schools across the state have not gone to school as teachers who receive their salaries from local government councils embarked on indefinite strike on account of percentage salary payments.

    The Niger State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) had warned when schools closed in 2020 that the primary school teachers in the state would not resume the following January if December Salaries were paid on percentage basis.

    The Niger State Chairman of NUT, Comrade Akayago Adamu Mohammed, had stressed that primary school teachers would no longer accept percentage pays.

    Payment of salaries on percentage basis, he said, was against the labour law, noting that there is nọ clause in the labour law that says salaries should be paid on percentage by government at any level.

    On the January 10 when schools resumed across the state, public school teachers were directed by the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to sit at home indefinitely until the state government addressed the issue of percentage payment of salaries.

    A letter jointly signed by the Chachanga NUT branch Chairman, Muhammad Ibrahim Khaliel and the Branch Secretary, Comrade Jimada Abubakar Yusuf titled ‘Sit at Home’ stated that the Union would not allow the government to continue to take teachers for granted by continuously paying them a percentage of their salaries.

    The letter reads: “Consequent upon the continuous payment of teachers’ salaries in percentage, you are hereby directed to shun the resumption date and remain at home indefinitely.

    “The Union shall remain resolute in the fight to better the welfare of its members.

    “We encourage you to go about your lawful activities and await further directives from the Union.”

    The trend was followed by other branches of NUT across the state with teachers expressing their frustration at being unable to meet the needs of their families because their salaries were being paid in percentage.

    One of the teachers, Umar Kutigi, said the NUT was right in asking all teachers to stay at home as the teachers did not sign any agreement for salaries to be paid in percentages. He said there was also no meeting called to inform the teachers that their salaries would be paid in percentages.

    “No resumption until we see the January salaries. If we see them in percentage, the sit at home shall continue,” he said.

    Another teacher, Ummi Amira, said it was better for her to stay at home and do some business than go to work only to be paid virtually nothing at the end of the month. She said she was among the first set of workers who welcomed the strike action.

    Controversy over payment of salaries by purported positive LGAs

    Some local government chairmen who who had boasted of their ability to pay the full salaries of their employees after the abolition of joint accounts have started paying their staff on percentage basis after making good their pledge initially.

    For instance, Suleja Local Government Council joined the bandwagon after paying full salaries once. A political office holder, who pleaded anonymity, said the council chairman had informed them that the supervising ministry, Niger State Ministry for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Internal Security, had deducted N15 million each from the federal allocations of all local governments for the supply of rice in December 2021 which was the reason for the payment of 70 per cent salary to Suleja Local Government workers.

    In December 2021, some workers in the local government area had told our correspondent that the Chairman informed them that the Ministry of Local Govern ment had deducted N15 million each from the federal allocations to all local government areas in the state for the supply of rice to the council.

    However, this was denied by some local government chairmen as they said that it was only 200 bags of rice that were supplied at N23,000 each, and since it was optional, many local government areas did not collect it.

    The Chairman of Tafa Local Government, Ibrahim Mami, however said there had been nothing like percentage payment of salaries in the local government, adding that he has been paying his staff 100 per cent since the abolition of joint accounts.

    He said: “There is nothing like that. From the month the money was sent to us to pay salaries by ourselves, I have always paid 100 per cent salaries to my staff.

    “No deduction anywhere except the statutory deduction which is backed by law.” Suleja Local Government Area, Abbas Hamza, disclosed that the wage bill of workers in the local government area was about N400 million.

    Avoiding the issue of deduction of money for rice or other expenditure, Hamza said that the council had come to realise that even with the autonomy, most of the local governments that thought they could pay salaries without hitch were now affected, adding that the sum that comes in from the federal allocation account fluctuates.

    He said: “The hardship is faced by everyone. Even we as councillors are affected.

    “We thought we would not be affected but now we are because there are other issues.

    “But we are bearing the consequences because we are the ones who fought for autonomy. “For about 15 months, some of us have not been paid some of our allowances. Even our salary is paid in percentage.”

    In Lapai Local Government Area, the workers are questioning the Chairman, Mu’azu Hamidu Jantabo, on why he should buy 17 new cars for his council members while he had not paid the salaries of the council staff and pensioners for 16 months.

    Many of the staff who spoke to with our correspondent lamented that they could not pay their children’s school fees while others said they had withdrawn their children from private schools to public schools because they could no longer afford the school fees.

    Some of the workers alleged that the Chairman had procured loans worth millions of naira but did not use any of it to pay outstanding salaries while others wondered how the loans would be repaid after he must have left office.

    The Niger State Commissioner of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Internal Security, Hon. Emmanuel Umar, denied the allegations regarding the removal of money from the sums given to local government areas, saying that the ministry does not control the federal allocation account or the money given to the local government councils.

    January 2022 salaries still paid on percentage

    The salaries of local government employees started trickling in last week and many of them were shocked that the percentage payment of salaries continued into the new year.

    While local governments like Mokwa, Rafi, Tafa and Gurara paid 100 per cent salaries, Chachanga paid 32 per cent, Shiroro 65 per cent while seven local government areas paid N10,900 flat as staff salaries.

    The Speaker of Suleja Legislative Council said the solution to the problem may be government intervening by augmenting the funds whenever there is a shortfall.

    “Despite this difficulty, I don’t support joint accounts. This is because each month, the Ministry will borrow money with interest and we will be doing more harm than good if we go back to the joint account system,” he said.

    Primary school teachers’ continued stay at home has been of concern to the legislators at the Niger State House of Assembly, who are saying that if local government autonomy cannot be maintained, the state government should revert to the era of joint account.

    The Member representing Bosso Constituency, Abdulmalik Madaki Bosso, said percentage payments by local government is not constitutional, noting that the strike is affecting the future of the children in the state who have been at home for about two months without any hope of their schools reopening.

    He noted that the percentage payments had also affected other administrative staff of local government councils and had grounded activities at local government levels.

    After all deliberations, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Barrister Abdullahi Bawa, who read the resolutions, said that the government should revert to joint budget or risk the house not approving the 2023 local government budget if it fails to comply with the directives of the Assembly.

  • Libya returnees desert camps, head back to Sahara Desert

    Libya returnees desert camps, head back to Sahara Desert

    Allegations of fraud, extortion and other underhand practices are rocking the execution of an agricultural project facilitated by Edo State Government to reintegrate Libya returnees and consequently discourage irregular migration in the state. The returnees alleged that they were stopped from using the bank accounts they opened for that purpose and denied shares of what was sold from the farm. As a result, some of the returnees have had to abandon the project and return to the Sahara Desert in fresh attempt to go to Europe, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    ESSY, a Libya returnee bubbled with joy when she was named among the ex-migrants the Edo State Government shortlisted for training in catfish farming and loan opportunity to start the business in 2019.

    The announcement raised her hope as she repeatedly thought to herself that the greener pasture she had unsuccessfully gone to seek elsewhere might actually be here in Nigeria.

    “The news of my consideration for the project excited me. I looked forward to becoming a successful farmer who would help in spreading the campaign against irregular migration by telling prospective irregular migrants that they could make it here at home instead of risking their lives in the desert and the turbulent sea,” she said.

    Shortly before the training commenced, Tessy received a credit alert of N1million from Sterling Bank approved by the state government for the project. “Wow! Are you kidding me? This is unbelievable,” Tessy said to herself as her hope of becoming a celebrated catfish farmer received a big boost.

    But few months after the project commenced, Tessy’s expectations started fading away. Along the line, she looked back and began to regret the day she was listed for the project.

    “Before you ask me if I will go back, I am even looking for money, and any opportunity that comes my way now, I will leave,” she said angrily as she relived her frustration with the project.

    “In this country, they will say they are helping you.  But in the real sense, they are killing you.

    “They should stop all this in the name of stopping people from embarking on irregular migration. They have a hidden agenda. They are encouraging nuisance.” Narrating how the project that renewed her hope of a better life in the country left an indelible sore in her heart, Tessy said: “We were trained in 2018 but started farming in 2019.  At the initial stage, they told us that we would individually be empowered with N1 million, and that got everybody interested.

    “Thereafter, they said it would be a loan and that it would be managed by the government. From the loan, they paid our trainers, paid for our feeding and other things for three months.

    “The expenses were deducted from the N1 million loan they gave to us.

    “They later established the fish farm. The first sales we made, it was the government officials that sold the fish and collected the money.

    “All the while I did the business I didn’t get any profit. The government officials were the ones selling the fish for us.

    “Each time they sold the fish, they would pay the money into our account but we couldn’t access it.

    “That Sterling Bank account used to be my salary account when I was working in Lagos. The government officials are now the ones operating the account. I can’t pay in money or withdraw from it.

    “One of the officials treated me like an outcast because I refused his love advances.”

    Tessy noted that when the project was not going as planned, many of the participants lost interest and started giving up.

    “Because I don’t like giving up on time, I sold all that I had to expand the business when they told us that those who wanted to expand could do so.

    “I invested the money I got from selling my off my soft drink investment on the farm. I realised more than N500,000 from selling my valuables and invested it all in the farm.

    “At a point, people started stealing my fish, feeds and other things on the farm. When I reported to the authorities, they said I should use whatever I had to fight those that were doing that.

    “At a point, they said they would disqualify me from the farm because after they stole from my fish, I was no longer up to the cut off mark.”

    Following the heartache and untold setback the project allegedly caused for her, Tessy called it quits.

    She said: “I have left the farm. I am not doing anything. If I had known that this is what would happen to me, I wouldn’t have taken the risk, because right now, I am back to square one.

    “All the time and money I invested in the farm was a total loss. I have three children. It’s by God’s grace we are surviving.

    “I have a statement of my account showing how they withdrew over N700,000 from my account. How can you say you empowered someone and at the end of six months when you harvest, the person cannot boast of N5,000?

    “You are not even entitled to take more than two or three fish. I am ready to work or travel out if I see an opportunity.”

    Discussions about the project is one thing that Dogo, another returnee, hates investing his time on.

    “I don’t want to remember that issue, because each time I remember the issue, it pisses me off and throws me off balance,” he said trying to dismiss our correspondent.

    Prodded further, he said: “What happened on the farm was an eye sore. They did not allow us to access the funds.

    “If I borrow money and you want to use my money to buy XYZ for me, you should allow me to know what you want to buy, the amount and we would probably go for a cheaper one that would give us the same result.

    “Government officials were just spending our money anyhow. They would dig a borehole of N180,000 and tell you it is N500,000 and you would have no choice but to accept it.

    “They dug the first set of five boreholes for N500,000 each. When I raised the alarm, heavy alarm, they now dug the next set of boreholes for N250,000 each.

    “They claimed N75,000 for tarpaulin that cost N40,000. All these were from our monies. They didn’t even consult us before doing all those things. They wasted the money.”

    The visibly angry returnee noted that the government officials took the whole money realised from the first set of fish he harvested.

    He said: “The same thing happened when the second set was sold. On many occasions there would be no power supply to pump water. Many of us resorted to buying fuel to pump water whenever there was no power supply.

    “From 50 people, they reduced our number to 18 along the line, saying that we were the only ones who qualified. They gave us 500 fish and some feeds instead of the 1,000 they gave us when we started.

    “It sounded so stupid to me because I travel all the way from Upper to GRA. How can I be covering that distance to go and take care of 500 fish? I have just abandoned everything.”

     

    More participants lament involvement in project

    Dogo’s allegations were amplified by Mary, who equally regretted taking part in the project.

    “I have never seen this kind of thing before in my life. You said you want to empower me and it is you who would go and buy everything that I need.

    “Would anybody who has N1 million not know that he would use it well?  Even if you want to buy things for me, at least you should allow me to follow you.

    “At times, they treat us as if we are senseless. You can get a borehole sunk for N250,000 or N300,000 but there in the farm, they sank a borehole for over N700,000. My brother, they finished our money.”

    Like other respondents before her, Mary said she had also left the farm. “How can I remain there when I have to use my money to clear grasses, pump water, and when your tarpaulin spoils, you would be the one to fix it. I was spending about N800 a day on transportation.

    “I got an alert of N1 million while some others got over N900,000, but we couldn’t access the money. They used the money to empower themselves.

    “At the end of six months, they said we were entitled to two fish without any money attached to it.

    “They didn’t give us a dime after they sold what was harvested.

    “I know one of us who has successfully gone back.”

    The chairman of the returnee farmers body, Okosun, was equally unhappy with the manner the project turned out.

    He said: “We started the farm in 2019. We cannot come from Libya and stay idle. The farm is about 10 acres.

    “We only got bank alert but we didn’t see the money. The state government gave us a loan of over N900,000 each for the fish pond but we couldn’t access it.

    “We went to the bank to collect ordinary ATM card but they didn’t give us. They said we have no access to the account.

    “The government officials brought buyers of the harvest, but failed to give us anything from the money realised.”

    The development, Okosun said, is discouraging them from farming. “We have registered our grievances. They said they would look into them but nothing has been done since then.”

    Another participant, Lucky, has a slightly different story to tell. Unlike others who said they didn’t get any payment for their efforts, he said he got paid on two occasions.

    Lucky said: “I joined the farm in 2019/2020. After we completed the training, I got N950,000 as loan, but I couldn’t access it. It was managed by government officials.

    “They directed us to open the account. We couldn’t access the account after the loan was paid into it.

    “They said it was so because some people may go and withdraw it.  They restricted us from using the account.

    “The government officials sold the first set of fish I harvested but I was there taking records. I made a profit of about N90,000 from the first harvest.

    “After they took their interest and other monies that we needed to pay, I was given over N50,000. I was also given about N25,000 after the second batch was sold.

    “There was no profit thereafter. We started recording losses. Even if there was profit, the interest and other monies would take it.  The money they paid me was through the bank. They gave Sterling Bank directive to send it to my GTB account.”

    Lucky said he was still in the business. But he regretted that participants were not allowed to make their choices.  fish. The number of people remaining in the business are not more than 15 because some people could not make it. They didn’t give them free hand,” he said.

     

    Project incapable of addressing irregular migration menace —Returnees  

    The returnees described the project as a gross failure and incapable of discouraging people from embarking on irregular migration.

    “It is not a fruitful project to check irregular migration. A business that you do for six months or more and you cannot go home with ordinary N30,000, is that a good business? It was a complete waste of time.

    The bank and the government officials just used us to enrich themselves,” Dogo said.

    Some of their members who abandoned the project, according to him, have already embarked on fresh irregular migration.

    “People are going everyday and more would still go. The campaign against irregular migration in the state is not working because the government is even making things worse for everybody.

    “They are pushing everybody to the wall. The best thing is to go and risk your life. The chance of surviving is 10 per cent while the risk of dying is 90 per cent.  Why not go there. If God is on your side, you will survive. People prefer to go and die there than to stay here. It is as bad as that. People want to go there and die. You hear them saying it.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Okosun said: “People are still going back (to Libya through Sahara Desert).

    If I have the opportunity, I will leave the country again. I spent two years in Libya and I knew how I suffered on the road. I would ordinarily not want to go back, but what they are doing to us now is discouraging.

    “I have been encouraging my people not to go. But how can I continue to encourage people to come into farming when we are not seeing anything from what we are doing?

    “Government should give us loan and allow us to manage it by ourselves.”

    •Another set of returnees working on their farm

    The aim of using the project to empower returnees and discourage irregular migration, according to Lucky, is not yielding results.

    He said: “The money was supposed to be a grant and not a loan. The participants were supposed to use the money to do what they understand; not making everybody to venture into the same thing.

    “Another problem was that most people were far from the farm.  Some of the facilities are inadequate.”

    Lack of a stable market, he added, was another challenge that affected the project.

    “At the end of the day, you will just discover that you are labouring for nothing. That is the most discouraging part of it. It didn’t serve the purpose.

    “We were about 50 that started the project, but about 35 people have left. The authorities are not saying anything about it.

    “They are not seeing it the way the people who have left are seeing it. They are seeing it as if those people are not serious.

    “For me, the system is not encouraging because the cost of things, especially the feeds, is so high.

    “They didn’t manage our choices for us very well. They should have given us freedom and time. The loan was given at about nine per cent interest.”

     

    Bank, govt have no right to deny individual access to own account —Unegbu

    A former boss of Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, has condemned allegations by the returnees that they were denied access to their bank accounts.

    In a telephone chat with ourcorrespondent, Unegbu said: “It is very improper for the bank to allow other people to run somebody else’s account. It is very very wrong.

    “And that is the problem with our government. They will start something good and later, they will start doing something else.

    “Both the bank and the government are wrong. The bank would not allow somebody else to run an account that belongs to me. I will sue them.”

     

    Sterling Bank, Edo govt react

    The account officer who registered the returnees in a telephone interview with our correspondent confirmed there was restriction on the bank accounts opened by the returnees.

    His words: “I don’t know what they came for. They just said they had a programme and that they needed an account. I am a marketer. I am a sales officer.  My job is to open accounts for people.  I did that and whatever happened between them is with the bank.  The account restriction was an order from the government. That was what I heard.

    Also speaking, Edo State Permanent Secretary, Agric, Aikhuomobhogbe Peter, who was the project manager at the time the project started, dismissed the returnees’ allegations. According to him: “Every programme has an operational modality. Under the Edo Agricultural Programme, beneficiaries are identified and once they are identified they open an account with the participating bank.   Those accounts that are opened with the participating bank are supposed to receive funding for the enterprise.  In this case, what was done was catfish.   We normally hold a town hall meeting where the participants and the banks and the government will meet to discuss economics of production.  This says that if you are going to buy a thousand fish, if it will cost N30 per fish. You multiply 30 by 1000 that will be N30, 000. If you are buying feeds, tarpaulin, borehole etc, all the costs will be stated.”

    That, he said, is what they call `economics of production. “If at the end of the day you now have N500, 000 as the entire project cost, that is what will now be agreed as the entire project cost.  We will now say these items will be procured from a vendor.  In this case we prefer to procure from the manufacturers.  If we are buying feeds for example we buy from Ollams.  It is cheaper to buy from the manufacturers.”

    Once the funds are released to the account of the beneficiary, he further said: “There is what we call a LIEN. It  is placed on the account such that the beneficiary does not have access to withdraw the money without authorization.   When we want to buy feed, if it is N10 per person, the money is pulled together and sent to Ollams for supply. Ollams supplies the feed based on the deductions that have been made in those accounts that subscribed to the project.

    “Once it is supplied, everybody sees that it is supplied. The same thing is done to the next item. When they produce the enterprise that is assigned to them, an off taker comes in to buy and pays to the account of the beneficiary. If the beneficiary spends X to produce and he spends Y, at that level, X-Y gives you Z.  Z is now given to the person as the profit.  It is a simple process.”

    He said the returnees that didn’t get any profit didn’t make profit. “Those who made profit got their money.”

    On allegations of inflating the cost of sinking boreholes and procurement of other materials, he said: “The issue of boreholes has been settled a long time ago.  There was nothing like that. That is a lie. That issue was settled a long time ago.”

  • I yielded to pressure from friends to form robbery gang – Suspect

    I yielded to pressure from friends to form robbery gang – Suspect

    A 29-year-old man identified as Chigozie Anene has confessed that he went into armed robbery, particularly the snatching of tricycles to boost his second-hand clothes business and give his late father a befitting burial.

    Anene also revealed that he and his gang members were buying stolen goods from burglars and armed robbers.

    He said he used to steal expensive cars and tricycles and sell them at give away price. For instance, he said, they could sell a car worth N10 million for half a million naira.

    Police sources said he had a tricycle mechanic who was helping him to change some parts of a tricycle he had stolen so that whoever would buy it would not suspect that it was stolen. Anene was said to have gone into hiding after his gang was bursted by the Inspector General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    Revealing how the he was arrested by IRT operatives, the source said the operatives tactically asked Anene whether he had a tricycle he wanted to sell, with one of the IRT operatives posing as a buyer. But he was arrested as soon as he surfaced in a meeting with the ‘buyer’.

    Narrating how he began the venture into armed robbery, Anene, a father of two, said: “I live in a one-room apartment at No. 4 Mosalasi Street, Igando, Lagos.

    “I used to operate as one-man gang, singlehandedly stealing tricycles in my neighbourhood.

    “My problem started when one Tunbu and one Prince became my friends and lured me into forming a three-man robbery gang to make bigger money.

    “They convinced me that there is less risk in snatching cars than tricycles and that stolen cars have more standby buyers.”

    Asked why he preferred to operate as a one-man gang, he said he operated without a gun or the risk of being exposed by any arrested gang member.

    He added: “The urge to give my father a befitting burial contributed most to my forming a robbery gang as well as getting enough money to boost my second-hand clothes business and live big like some of my mates.

    “When I decided to stop armed robbery, my members nearly assassinated me because they felt that they were no longer safe and they would not be able to rest after any robbery operation, because I could become a police informant.”

    On what other thing that pushed him into armed robbery, he said: “When I wanted to start second-hand clothes business, there was no capital and no collateral to borrow money with.

    “To make matters worse, my father had no savings and did not leave anything of value that I could sell to get some money to start business with.

    “She was not happy about it, but there was nothing she could have done to stop me because I was desperate to get money to boost my business and give my late father a befitting burial.

    “It was last year that my father died. I went to bury him and came back. Unfortunately, one boy carried my market, sold it and ran to Cotonou.

    “When I went to their house and could not find him, I carried his elder brother’s generator and sold it for N6,000.

    “My problem worsened when one of my friends named Kaka said we should do business together, not knowing that what he meant was for us to form a car snatching gang.

    “He told me that we should start lifting and selling Big Daddy (Toyota) cars and fairly used tricycles to make more money.

    “The first Big Daddy car and so called fairly used tricycles we got, I could not account for any of them because my members refused to tell me whether they sold them or not.

    “Rather, they kept telling me that the police were pursuing them and they had to abandon the stolen vehicles, which sounded to me like a cock and bull story. They have not given me a dime from the stolen vehicles.

    “When I tried to locate Kaka, they told me that he had relocated to his village while Tunbu’s whereabouts are still not known to till now.”

    Asked his advice for people who are still into crime, he said: “Crime is a curse; run away from it while your legs can still carry you.

    “Stealing and armed robbery have only two bus stops: prison and graveyard.”