The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

  • ‘We patronise spiritual homes because our health centre is dysfunctional’

    Expectant mothers as well as others with little cash in Abia State resort to prayer houses and traditional healers, among others, in the face of comatose health centres, OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports that it is a national malaise  

    As labour sets in, the expectant mother seeks prayers from the local prophet. Sometimes she presents herself before a traditional healer, who promptly assembles his work tools and makes incantations, appealing to the spirits for hitch-free delivery. Other times, a traditional birth attendant takes charge.

    Sometimes, the woman is lucky and returns home with her bundle of joy. Other times, she returns empty-handed, or does not survive the ordeal of childbirth.

    Expectant mothers are not the only ones who turn to unorthodox means when they face health challenges. The poor across the country regularly call at the poorly regulated local patent medicine shopkeeper or the neighbourhood healer, or even help themselves to whatever they can prescribe or procure when they have anything from a headache to a swelling in some hidden parts.

    The reason for this scenario, as the reporter found out, is that some communities lack health centres while some which do, have them only in name.

    In Amaba, a community in Isuikwuato Local Government of Abia State, the only visible sign that a health centre exists is a signpost donated by an indigene of the town Mr John Akunna, an engineer. The centre has been dwarfed by a big tree concealing its existence. This same situation also applies to another centre in Otampa in the same local government.

    The Nation spoke to some of Amaba village leaders and residents of the area who said they resort to alternative means of healing as a result of the poor condition of the health centre.

    Those who are a bit well-off and those whose children can afford it resort to taking their parents from the village to the cities or to nearby towns such as Okigwe in Imo State or Umuahia, the Abia State capital, or Uzuakoli where reasonably good private hospitals exist.

    The President of Amaba Women Association, Hon Ngozi Ndubuisi lamented the state of the health centre and noted that the most basic things are lacking there. She confirmed that their women have resorted to alternative solutions such as the traditional birth attendants and churches to seek solution.

    According to her there is nothing to show that lives can be saved in this particular health centre apart from the signboard donated by a kind-hearted indigene.

    What can be done to turn the fortunes of the centre around?

    Ndubuisi said, “The building needs renovation as its ceilings are broken; roofs and floors are poorly ventilated as a result of poor construction. Currently there is no electricity as the health centre is billed N10,000 monthly and currently owes over N230, 000 to Enugu Disco because it is charged as a commercial entity. How on earth can a health centre in a village that is supposed to target the wellbeing of the poor be tagged a commercial outfit? Besides there is no water supply, we believe seriously that a borehole and a tank for constant water supply is one the critical needs of a health centre. We need Placenta Pit and related equipment to help in disposing health waste unlike what is obtainable here which can spell doom to the whole community in case of epidemic outbreak.

    “Furthermore, the government needs to provide alternative sources of power like inverters and generators. We need the centre to be fenced; it is so bare and poses a security risk both to the patients and medical hands when they are available. There have been cases of security breaches where some miscreants tried to force themselves into the clinic even in its poor state.”

    She regretted that as a result of the parlous state of the health centre a greater percentage of the people have deserted it, resorting to spiritual and other means to obtain healing. The women leader lamented that some basic and critical laboratory equipment to run simple test and others to check the blood pressure of the people are not available. She appealed to both the state and local government to come to their aid and put life in the centre.

    The politician insisted that these facts are verifiable if only the necessary government agency will take a visit to the centre and subsequently do the needful, noting that the centre can only be termed a white elephant project as it has refused to live to its billing.

    An officer in one of the PHC, who confided in our correspondent, said, “Ad hoc staff or auxiliary nurses are now in charge of many of our PHCs due to the acute shortage of trained personnel in the state.”

    Hon Ndubuisi further asked for the construction of staff quarters for a few of the medical hands and the posting of Youth Corps members who may be medical doctors, pharmacists and with other relevant qualifications so that patients will be adequately taken care off. According to her, this is what governance is about.

    Adding his voice, Chairman, Amaba Health Centre Committee, Mr. Samson Nnechi said, in fairness, the village health centre cannot be taken as one, as it looks more like a deserted colony. He regretted the poor construction of the building with poor ventilation, cheap roofing materials, broken walls and floors as against what the government promised.

    According to him, his people have deserted the place as a result of the poor facilities at the centre resorting to other means to achieve good health while those whose children can afford it take them away from the village.

    He lamented that his people do not feel the impact of government in the community, adding that the centre is not only porous, but also the absence of essential equipment and drugs that can handle the simplest ailment including the N10,000 monthly electricity charge by Enugu Disco as the centre is tagged as commercial with an outstanding of N230,000 as unpaid debt.

    On what he will prefer at the centre, he asked for the fencing of the centre, the remodeling of the building to show that it is a health centre, staff quarters so that emergency cases can be treated anything of the day, a functional generator, the posting of doctors, pharmacists and other health practitioners to the centre even if they are Youth Corps members.

    He said, “As a community we have tried within our little resource to provide security doors to discourage intrusion and ensure the security of the few hands providing skeletal services offered by the centre. We once again appeal to government to provide a borehole, water tank, fencing of the centre, provide delivery bed, placenta pit, incinerator, standing type BP apparatus”.

    On why the low patronage by the community he said nobody will want to visit for the sake of it when you won’t receive the needed treatment. Though he commended the few nurses who are working with almost nothing he advised the government to motivate her staff. He regretted a situation where a staff Nurse Midwife will be acting as medical doctor under very poor condition without pay for several months.

    Abia State is not an exception as we recall that many PHCs in the country are gradually winding down because government shows little or no interest in their operations.

    In Ogun State, many of the PHCs at Asa-Yobo, Ajanbata, Wasinmi, Arigbajo, Ajegunle, Itori, Egbado, Papalanto, Awowo, Obada-Oko, Igbin Ojo, Elere, Ibafo, Onigbedu and Olorunda, The Nation learnt, are in poor conditions.

    Recently, Governor Dapo Abiodun pledged to rehabilitate the centres. Commenting on the rot in the PHCs, the chairman of the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Ismail Lawal said Nigerians embrace traditional medicine because of failed health care centres and poverty.

    Lawal said, “Majority of citizens access traditional medicine not only because of the failed PHCs, but because they are poor. The way out is health insurance that is affordable and of global standard. I am worried, we are worried.”

    In Abia State all eyes are on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to do the talk and provide easy access to health for the citizens.

    Sometime ago it was reported that his administration selected 290 primary healthcare centres to benefit from the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, a Federal Government initiative.

    Ikpeazu made this known at a special party held in Umuahia for the elderly people of Abia.

    He was reported to have said that the state government was committed to evolving programmes aimed at improving healthcare services in the state.

    According to him, the programme is designed to provide access to healthcare services in various communities and would greatly boost the state government’s efforts in the health sector.

    He said: “By the time this policy gets off the ground, one could walk into the primary health centre and get good quality healthcare. Those above 70 years need special care and the state government intends to sustain the ongoing free House Healthcare Programme for the elderly”.

    Talk is cheap, it is said. The PHCs and communities in Abia State are waiting for the governor especially communities such as Amaba in Isuikwuato Local Government to walk the talk.

    A member of staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the skeletal staff which are only three in number are demoralised as a result of the poor condition of the centre, and the fact that their salaries are not regular. She said the last time they received salaries was in April and wondered how somebody in that frame of mind can put in her best, in addition to the fact that there are no tools to work with.

    She also confirmed that most of the women prefer to seek spiritual help rather than come to the centre. She appealed to the government to take assessment of the PHCs in the state and especially the Amaba PHCs to turn it around so that it can serve its purpose.

    A resident, Mrs Obioma Uche said that due to the poor position of the community health centre, pregnant women in the area resort to the use of traditional birth attendants for child delivery and other spiritual houses. She revealed that for the common ailments they resort to herbal alternatives. She regretted that the nearness of the health centre to the local government headquarters has not impacted on it positively and asked the government to see the whole state as one and work for the people that voted them into office.

  • Be self-confident, NGO advises students

    Concerned about lack of adequate education for the girl child in Nigeria, the Truss Empowerment Foundation (TEF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has reiterated its commitment to ensure that the girl child is imbued with the requisite knowledge that will build her self-confidence and make her contribute to the country’s socio-economic growth.

    The foundation aims at empowering women and girls and providing supports for them in the areas of education, emotion, social, economic and political issues. It also aims at creating opportunities for them while addressing core issues that hinder the development of the female gender.

    “Well, no one prays for deviation from his or her main duty to less recognised one. So, the deviation of the Truss Empowerment Foundation from its main motive which is ‘creation of empowerment for the female gender’, into children’s educational funfairs with the topic ‘re-imaging education’, is a welcome idea.

    “The actualisation of any lucrative or innovative idea of a child depends on his readiness to discover whom he or she is and what problems he or she wants to solve in the society. Every child has the innate ability to explore one gift or talent if he or she finds a mentor or pathfinder that can encourage and guide him or her to the right path besides the formal education which he or she needs to learn through schooling.

    “In any society, the government is responsible for the education of the children. It is through this formal process that a child can develop self-esteem which is the only element that can bring confidence in portraying the gift; talent or passion endowed inside him or her.

    So, as the government has only introduced how a career could be chosen in the schools’ curriculum without proper orientation programme, the Truss Empowerment Foundation has taken up this career discussion as one of its responsibilities by inviting some young Nigerians whose talents or special gifts have really reinforced their academic qualifications, despite the stress they went through during the struggle, to have discussion with some invited students from schools in Lagos State,” she said.

    The event which held at Black Bell Restaurant; Adeola Odeku on Victoria Island Lagos State was a gathering of children across various schools. The speakers that attended the occasion engaged the children in talks that are life changing. The event was aimed at making the children to discover whom they are and to be guided towards achieving their goals.

  • Re-awakening the dream of a greater Lagos

    After a three-day retreat for Commissioners, Special Advisers and Permanent Secretaries, which was wrapped up penultimate Saturday, the new team begins to translate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision to re-awaken the dream of a greater Lagos, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    ‘’In our pursuit of a greater Lagos, we speak not of an empty dream, but a deep commitment and profound assertion of our intention to devote ourselves to making a difference not only for ourselves but our children.’’

    With these words, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu set an ambitious tone for his aides at a three-day retreat which was rounded off penultimate Saturday.

    Sanwo-Olu’s strides since his inauguration on Wednesday, May 29, as the sixth democratically elected Governor and 15th Governor of Lagos State, have left none in doubt of his commitment to make the state greater and better than he met it.

    In his inaugural speech, he said: “I know where I am coming from. More importantly, I know where I am headed. I have been a part of this progressive journey since its inception. I know first-hand the concerted efforts that went into planning so many of the innovations we now see and enjoy.”

    Believing Lagos not only to be Nigeria’s major economy, but also Africa’s fifth largest, Sanwo-Olu unveiled “THEMES,” formulated along strategic thematic areas, namely, Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance.

    These six pillars, he said ‘’represents our response to the yearnings of the people. They constitute the foundation that must be restored for future generations. And should we fulfill our promise and deliver on the pillars, we are most confident that we would have succeeded in setting Lagos on a new trajectory of economic growth and development that would be unprecedented in our entire history’’.

    Sanwo-Olu promised that his administration would ensure transparency, the rule of law and fiscal discipline as well as create the right environment that guarantees security and safety of lives and property of Lagosians.

    Kitchen cabinet

    Sanwo-Olu’s early appointments of a retired Head of Service Mrs. Folashade Jaji as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) excited many Lagosians, especially gender enthusiasts who regarded the appointment of a seasoned administrator who is schooled in the culture of the civil service as a blessing to the administration.

    Other appointments that resonated with the people is the Chief of Staff (COS), Tayo Akinmade Ayinde and Deputy Chief Press Secretary (DCPS), Gboyega Akosile.

    Ayinde, born on August 24, 1964, at Alausa, Ikeja, is the governor’s strategic clearing house. He attended St Peters’ Anglican Primary School, Alausa, Ikeja, Ogudu Grammar School, Ojota, Lagos, and was admitted into Federal Polytechnic, Anambra for his Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Banking and later the Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy.

    He worked briefly with TELL Magazine as Account Officer in 1993. In the same year, he joined the State Security Service (SSS) and distinguished himself as a dedicated, loyal, courageous and trustworthy officer until his voluntary retirement in 2009.

    While in the SSS, Ayinde was Head of the Accounts Department, Shangisha Office, from 1993- 1999.

    He worked with the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Chief Security Detail.

    Ayinde holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Financial Management from Lagos State University. He also attended University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, for a course in Strategic Thinking Approach. He later attended the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School for a course on Study in Business Model Innovation.

    He was the Director-General for Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat’s Independent Campaign Group, and later Chairman of the Inauguration Committee after the March 9, 2019 victory at the gubernatorial election.

    A media executive in his own right, Akosile, an erstwhile Deputy Chief Press Secretary (DCPS), was later confirmed on Wednesday as the substantive Chief Press Secretary (CPS).

    Akosile holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Performing Art of the University of Ilorin between 1991 and 1996 and bagged a Master in Business Administration (MBA) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) between 2008 and 2010.

    Between 2010 and 2011, he was at Super Screen Television, where he directly supervised the daily news bulletins, supervised, coordinated and organised the members of the news staff and the news room, planned and produced the daily editorial schedules, among others.

    Unveiling of cabinet

    After much horse-trading among the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and power blocs, Sanwo-Olu transmitted the list of 38 aides, made up of Commissioners and Special Advisers to the Lagos State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa for ratification.

    On August 19, the state lawmakers confirmed 35 of the 38 nominees.

    The fate of the three who the Assembly refused to confirm: Obafemi George, Prince Olarewanju Sanusi and Adekemi Bembe were still hanging in the balance at press time, as the Assembly did not give any reason for the rebuff, but advised the governor to re-nominate them if he so desired.

    Despite the setback, Sanwo-Olu, last Tuesday, at an elaborate event, inaugurated the new State Executive Council, comprising old, new and youthful members, with a terse challenge to members to be diligent in their duties.

    He said: “We must accelerate the trajectory of growth and development of Lagos State as we can’t afford to disappoint Lagosians.”

    The list of commissioners and portfolios as announced by the Governor are: Water Resources and Environment, Tunji Bello, Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, Finance, Mr. Rabiu Olowo Onaolapo; Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Bolaji Dada, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Lere Odusote, Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN), Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, Establishment, Training and Pension, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle, Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, Youth and Social Development, Segun Dawodu, Home Affairs, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, Local Government and Community Affairs, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Lola Akande, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Olufunke Adebolu, Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Dr. Wale Ahmed.

    Sanwo-Olu, at the event said: “Today, you are inducted into an administration unique in its diversity–both of heritage and of creed – made up of technical and politically skilled men and women who understand the challenges of our state, grasp the grand vision of this new administration, and are sensitive to the yearnings of our people, the citizens of Lagos State whom we must ultimately serve to realise its vision for a greater Lagos.”

    He reminded the members of the Executive of his inaugural address on May 29, when he declared that “our ultimate goal would be to ensure that Lagos State remains one of the top destinations on the African Continent to live, work and invest in.”

    As they prepared for the challenges ahead, he urged them to imbibe the culture of transparency, accountability, fairness and value for money.

    “I therefore, implore you to earnestly commit yourselves to the agenda and vision of this administration,” he said.

    He also urged them to show commitment, diligence and exemplary leadership as the necessary virtues needed to achieve the greatness  desired for the state and to deliver the prosperity the people deserved.

    Undoubtedly, there are giants in the new Executive Council who are seen as highly experienced and likely to influence government’s policies and agenda in realisation of its goals. These include Bello, immediate past SSG in the state. He worked previously with First Bank of Nigeria, Concord Press Nigeria Limited, St. Petersburg Times, Florida USA, and has various publications to his credit ranging from business to politics. Bello is also a lawyer, whose wife is a Professor of Medicine

    Also in the team is Gbenga Omotoso, an award-winning journalist and former Editor (Daily) of The Nation Newspaper who has nearly 35 years’ experience in the media industry.

    The media guru, who graduated from the University of Benin, was adjudged winner of the DAME Informed Commentary in 2010, Nigerian Media Merit Award Editor, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

    Ahmed, a medical doctor- turned politician, became prominent when he was elected as lawmaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, where he served as Chairman, House Committee on Health and sponsored the motion for free treatment of accident victims within 24 hours which the Tinubu’s administration adopted.

    Lawal, is the immediate past Commissioner for Housing and a former Commissioner of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Lagos State. A seasoned security and development practitioner and socio-entrepreneur, he has deep understanding for political economy of development, especially in low and medium-income economies.

    Fatai had served as Operation and Sales Manager at different companies and he got his first public office experience in 2003 when he was appointed as Special Assistant to the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, now National Leader of the All Progressives Congress; a position he held until the expiration of the administration.

    A graduate of Political Science from the prestigious University of Ibadan, Arobieke’s foray into politics made her to serve in different offices as the first executive secretary of Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area, LCDA in 2003.

    Her outstanding performance as lawmaker led to her appointment as Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, under the immediate past governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Benson-Awoyinka, a lawyer-turned politician, is currently the Assistant Legal Adviser, All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State.

    Fahm is a specialist in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and a former Commissioner for Science and Technology. He is also a Network Infrastructure expert.

    Segun Dawodu is the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development. He is a former Commissioner of Sports.

    Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a Pharmacist and politician is the immediate past Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment.

    New entrants that will add value to what is emerging as the Sanwo-Olu brand are: Salako, who has garnered over 20 years of experience in town planning, is the Managing Partner at Adesanya Salako and Associates, a town planning firm in Lagos.

    Salako, who was born in October 1968, is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) and President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, ATOPCON.

    Rabiu Olowo, who celebrated his 34th birthday in June, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, experienced Chief Audit Executive, Adjunct Professor and Authorised Trainer of The ACFE in West Africa, an anti-fraud organisation and premier provider of anti-fraud training and education.

    Before being appointed as Commissioner by the governor, Olowo, who had gained admission into Charisma University, British West Indies, TCI for his PhD in Forensic Accounting and Auditing, had served as an accountant in GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria Plc and others.

    Folashade is an educationist with more than 20 years’ experience in the sector. She is a Principal Consultant/CEO at Leading Learning Limited, a company she founded in 2014.

    Tasks Ahead

    Sanwo-Olu stressed, “Let me emphasise that this is not just our goal, it is what the people expect from us and we cannot afford to disappoint them.”

    Among the daunting tasks ahead are unlocking the perennial Lagos traffic, deplorable road network, such as Lagos-Badagry Expressway and Oshodi-Apapa gridlock, waste disposal and management, rocketing cost of health care, dwindling educational standard, wealth creation through employment opportunities, particularly for the teeming youths, rising cases of cultism, crimes and general insecurity that pervades the length and breadth of the state.

  • ‘How to explore investment opportunities in health sector’

    Because of its huge business opportunities, the Nigerian health care sector has been described as a largely untapped goldmine that should interest any good entrepreneur. That was the thrust of the message by Dr. Ademolu Owoyele, Managing Consultant with Harley and Wall Consulting, a health care and business consulting firm during this year’s investment and entrepreneurial retreat of the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN).

    In the two papers he presented at the retreat, which held in Lagos recently, the medical doctor-turned management and business expert said it is possible to make great returns on investment in Nigeria’s health sector, which he described as Africa’s largest health care market. Delivering a paper on how to understand and tap from the huge investment potential in Nigeria’s health sector, Dr. Owoyele told his doctor colleagues and others in the profession that the first thing to do is to draw a line between medicine and health care, stressing that medicine is a profession while health care is pure business.

    He stressed that health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, with almost 75 per cent of Nigeria’s health care transaction being private-driven (mostly for profit). The medical doctor-turned management guru also cited the example of United States where over $200 billion revenue was generated last year from health care industry alone.

    While imploring his colleagues in the health care industry to expand their worldview and be innovative in order to succeed, he added that it is a sad reality that many medics still suffer from having a myopic view of health care marketplace from the core medical perspective, despite a variety of career paths and investment opportunities available to them in clinical business.

    He urged medics and other potential investors to open their eyes to limitless business opportunities that abound in pharmaceutical medicine, health care consulting, managed care, laboratory and imaging diagnostics, stressing that the world of medical practice is now so wide and dynamic that investors can focus and specialise in any area and make a business success of it.

    With Nigeria as the largest market in Africa and by extension Africa Continent’s largest health care market, he said investment opportunities abound in the sector, especially now that the country is desirous of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) for its over 180 million population.

    This, he projected, will further open up the space for investors as the federal and many state governments would be embarking on a Private-Public Partnership (PPP strategy) to revitalise primary health care centres and build new ones, since about 80 per cent of health care needs will have to be taken care of at the primary level by the time UHC becomes a reality in Nigeria.

    While explaining the benefits accruable from diversified investment portfolios in the health care sector, he said medical tourism can be reversed through group practice, as chains of well managed primary level clinics may evolve to explore untapped opportunities to the benefit of investors and the people who need quality health care service. He, however, lamented that “many of us actually play within the red ocean than the blue ocean,” stressing that the latter is better for investors that really want to make a difference.

    The business management consultant said the red ocean strategy denotes all the industries in existence today or the known market space, with industry boundaries defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the game known to all players.

    According to him, this leaves companies trying to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of existing demand, with market space getting crowded and profits and growth increasingly reduced, leaving products become mere commodities, which often leads to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.

    In contrast, blue ocean school of thought envisages all the industries not in existence today or the unknown market space. Because it is untainted by competition, demand is created rather than fought over, leaving an ample opportunity for growth that is both profitable and rapid.

    “In the red oceans, as the market space gets crowded, profits and growth are reduced. Products become commodities, leading to cutthroat or ‘bloody’ competition.  The blue ocean strategy is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand. It is about creating and capturing uncontested market space, thereby making the competition irrelevant.

    “It is based on the view that market boundaries and industry structure are not given and can be reconstructed by the actions and beliefs of industry players. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant because the rules of the game are waiting to be set. A blue ocean is an analogy to describe the wider, deeper potential to be found in unexplored market space. A blue ocean is vast, deep, and powerful in terms of profitable growth,” he said.

    “Because competition is deemed irrelevant in an unexplored market space, which leaves vast potential for profitable growth, he advised investors to be creative.

    “There is a need to be innovative. Don’t just join the competition; study and analyse the environment, learn and make investment decisions. The investment world is made up of theories, not laws, and that is because human investors can, from time to time, make emotionally based decisions instead of fact-based ones that will alter market behaviours. However, using sound investment strategies and research, investment opportunities abound in the health care sector,” he said.

    In another paper he presented on how to run a hospital business profitably in an unstable political economy, Dr. Owoyele admonished professionals in the health care industry to expose themselves to business and management tips that work.

    First, would-be investors need to understand how Nigeria’s macro-environmental factors can impact on organisational performance, using pestle analysis, which allows new entrants into a market to identify, understand and monitor threats and weaknesses.

    He also urged hospitals to always strive for profitability, not just profits. According to him, profit is an absolute figure because it is what is left after expenses are subtracted from total revenue; while profitability is the metric used to determine a hospital’s profit in relation to its size. “Profitability is the ability to make profit from all the business activities of a hospital. Profitability is an index of efficiency. It shows how efficiently the management can make profit by using all resources available in the market,”

    To improve profitability, he said doctors should develop skills in pestle analysis, SWOT analysis, and five force models, which may require hospital managers to engage health care business experts in the aforementioned areas or seek expert skills in the management of hospital businesses.

    Dr. Owoyele listed causes of inefficiency in hospital business and what it means for the growth outlook or viability of the hospital as a business. According to him, inefficiency can result if there are leakages such as fraud and corruption, overuse or oversupply in materials management, technical inefficiency, unmotivated or unproductive workers in manpower planning, inappropriate hospital size or poor supervision as a result of poor governance or management as well as inappropriate admissions, length of stay, medical errors, substandard or counterfeit drugs.

    Many of these challenges can be addressed if the hospital eliminates waste and corruption through standard operating procedures and use of technology; improves governance and management structures and does away with unproductive strategies; institutes quality improvement protocols; designs an appropriate use of medicines and technology; improves communication, motivation and performance among management and members of staff; reduces medical errors through training, coaching and instituting clinical and non-clinical guidelines.

    He also warned hospital managers about the consequences or chain reactions of failure to develop a quality structure that can allow the hospital to thrive optimally, stressing that all hospital structures must support the ambience of a quality hospital for the facility to achieve its mission.

    “Quality is not just the building and ambience, but everything you do in total to meet and surpass patients’ expectations. Doctors need to develop the strategic thinking to continue to optimise every resource towards ensuring profitability.

    There are two ways to make profits–you either increase your revenue or reduce your cost. If you can’t reliably increase your revenue in a tough time, then you should be able to control your cost. If you can’t do it yourself, then seek expert advice or bring in a management who can,” he advised.

  • Oyetola and the policy of all-inclusive governance

    A somewhat melodramatic pose played out at a recent press briefing by the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, held in Iragbiji, the Governor’s country home.

    A question, reminding the governor of his promise to run an all-inclusive, all participatory government and seeking to know if that would literally translate to possible appointment of members of the opposition parties into his cabinet had put to test the brilliance and intelligence of a man with few words but mighty action.

    The questioner had, perhaps, misconstrued the notion of all-inclusive leadership to mean a direct involvement of the opposition or he merely intended to generate such as controversial news feast for his medium.

    On the faces of some came an expression of disapproval and you could hear them susurrating like the wind fingering the pines. Then, there was sudden silence and, of course, suspense, as all waited with bated breath to hear from the horse’s mouth. It was the first time the governor would speak on what the composition of his cabinet would be.

    Before then, there had been concerns over a fake list of commissioner nominees circulating on social media. In his remarkably calm, unruffled nature, the governor had decided to keep mum over the fake list and keep people guessing.

    But this time, Mr. Governor must clear the air. His terse response would later douse the tension. No member of the opposition parties would make the list of his cabinet already being prepared through the instrumentality and thorough scrutiny of party nominations from across the federal constituencies.

    What is curious is that this iconic image of purposeful and responsible leadership that characterises Oyetola’s diplomatic approach to governance in Osun State would easily give him away as a true party patriot who has the excellent mastery of bringing standard and finesse to the age long global democratic practices of appointing people to positions of leadership on the basis of partisan loyalty.

    His approach is simple: the party should nominate the best from their respective constituencies, since the ruling party itself, with a wide spread across the state, parades a membership of brilliant progressives who share the same manifesto with ability and compulsion to drive the good programmes of government for the people and take the land of virtue to greater heights.

    It would have been a disservice to the good people of Osun State for Oyetola to allow an incursion of strange fellows from the opposition parties with ulterior vision and selfish agenda to loot and further put their future and destiny on a repeating loop.

    To draw a thin line between the patronage system and his all-inclusive policy, Oyetola said his government would remain open to good ideas from the opposition on how to better drive his government’s developmental programmes. That is just an aspect of his pledge to make its government an all participatory one.

    Oyetola’s policies and programmes are driven by citizens’ needs, which were harvested during the “thank you tour/town hall meetings, where the people presented their yearnings and aspirations to the government. This responsible and all-inclusive approach has been validated in a report of the United Kingdom Department for International Development’s (DFID) funded Citizens’ Needs Assessment exercise in Osun recently submitted to the governor.

    The report recommends that the government should integrate citizens’ demands into the state’s planning and policy development and implementation frameworks. The report also recommends the need for the government to establish and strengthen the platform for feedbacks from citizens on project implementation. The last recommendation in the report centres on the need for government to build trust with citizens through fiscal implementation and accountability.

    Also contained in the report presented to the governor was a plethora of demands by the citizens of the state, including farmers, youths, women and children from Oyetola administration. Part of the short and medium-term demands of the citizens, according to the report, included sensitisation of adult citizens to parental responsibilities, creation of an enabling environment for business and setting up of monitoring team on waste disposal.

    Other needs include a direct dealing by the government, provision of infrastructure, irrigation facilities for farmers in the rural areas, improved security, improved water and power supply, among others.

    While receiving the report, the governor thanked the foreign agencies that conducted the exercise for further assisting the government in reaching out to the residents and citizens to know their needs.

    He assured that the government would implement all the recommendations in the report which he described as constructive and being in tandem with the plan of his administration for the state and the people.

    Since he received the baton of leadership in November last year, Oyetola had hit the ground running; offering the best at an appreciable pace, in spite of paucity of funds. Cabinet or no cabinet, commissioners or no commissioners, his achievements in the last nine months have been a quantum leap.

    From stemming the tide of insecurity, revamping the health sector, boosting the educational profile of the state to continuous infrastructure development, the race to greater heights has continued unabated.

    As the Chief Security Officer of the State, the governor’s efforts at securing the lives and property of residents and people of Osun State have been very rewarding, so much so that the Osun State has continued to retain, sustain and maintain its age long status of being the most secure and peaceful state in the Southwest if not in the country.

    An elder statesman and former Nigerian Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) attested to this during his visit to the state early this month with his Nigeria Prays Movement team. Another testimony of this feat is the just-concluded Osun Osogbo Festival, which pooled over one million participants, including tourists from different parts of the world. They all came, had a great time and left in peace.

    The success story continues in the area of education. With the newly established Ileri Oluwa Fulfilling Promises Educational Programme, educational sector now awaits a new phase of transformation. The programme, according to Oyetola, comes with a consolidated approach whose key elements are rebuilding, remodeling and total rehabilitation of existing school buildings and construction of new blocks of classrooms in a redesigned and repackaged approach to school infrastructure renewal, intended to reach every nook and cranny of the state within available human and material resources.

    As part of its educational support programme, the government of Oyetola also founded Osun Edu Marshals with core responsibility of enforcing discipline and regular attendance by pupils. It is believed that this intervention will substantially improve the profile of education and nudge it to the frontline among educationally performing states in the nation.

    Already, the government has commenced action on implementation of this laudable programme with recent inauguration of school projects at both Telemu Comprehensive Middle High School and Morinu Community Elementary School in Ola-Oluwa local government and Iwo local government areas respectively.

    What is more interesting in this government’s developmental programmes is its aggressive drive toward improving the health sector through the deployment of technology-based approach, to ensure quality and affordable health care delivery to the people. This administration had, on assumption of office, commenced work on the revitalisation of nine general hospitals and 332 primary health centres – one in each ward – across the state. About 100 PHs have already been completed, waiting inauguration.

    The government’s revitalisation programme is holistic. It comes with the use of technology to boost health care delivery, provision of modern equipment, training and re-training of members of staff for efficient health care services. The essence of this aggressive focus on health, which experts say is wealth, appears to be borne out of a resolve to power all the sectors of the state to deliver prosperity and good life to the people.

    In order to give prompt vent to this resolve, Oyetola executed the flag-off of the facilities in Ejigbo (Osun West) and Ifetedo (Osun East) Senatorial Districts, barely three months into his administration. Work has reached advanced stages on the two projects. They will be delivered very soon.

    A few days ago, the governor moved to complete the one-per-senatorial district revitalisation of hospitals with an expansion project at the State Specialist Hospital, Asubiaro, Osogbo as he turned the sod of 120-bed ward and 30 doctors’ quarters within the hospital, being the flagship of the facilities under the Hospitals Management Board.

    It is instructive to note that this administration had earlier carried out major works on the theatre complex, blood bank building, medical laboratory, trauma centre, hope clinic and the external wall of the hospital.

    This year, the government of Oyetola has executed six major campaigns and capacity efforts to boost impact and efficiency. These are maternal, neonatal and child week; immunisation plus days; exclusive breast feeding campaign; polio eradication campaign; net hanging campaign and facility level training for the activation of basic health care provision fund in Osun.

    And to cap it up, Osun State Agency for the Control of HIV/AIDS (O’SACA) will soon start a project that will involve the introduction of incentives for expectant mothers who attend ante-natal clinic and have HIV test results.

    The story of Governor Oyetola’s all-inclusive approach to governance cannot be narrated in a hurry. The impacts of his administration are being felt by the people, both in the rural and urban settlements. Everybody is being carried along. His commitment to the welfare of workers (both active and passive) remains unshakable. Workers have been getting their full salaries as and when due while huge amounts of money are being released from the available resources, time to time, to pay the pension benefits of retirees.

    More than 500 kilometers of mechanically maintained roads are being constructed in rural communities across the state, with 228 kilometers already inaugurated while the remaining 306 are at various completion stages.

    These roads would aid easy transportation of farm produce from rural to urban areas. Eleven fully equipped fire service stations have been reconstructed across the state, with 14 fire fighting vehicles. Two of the fire stations were recently inaugurated by the governor in Ede and Ejigbo. All these, to mention a few, are in addition to the ongoing rehabilitation and maintenance of all existing roads within the state and the state’s huge contribution to the ongoing collaborative efforts of the states in the Southwest in building a formidable security network to fight crimes in the region.

    What is most amazing is how Oyetola has managed the available meager resources to achieve so much within the short time frame. And for him, the work has just begun. It is no surprise that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu described him as an encyclopedia of finance.

    Personally, I see him as a gift to humanity and a deserving blessing for the people of Osun State. It may appear too early to begin showcasing his score card, but those who can fathom the depth of the numerous achievements of his administration in the last nine months would quite agree that Oyetola deserves applause.

    • Oyekunle is Senior Special Assistant (Media) to Governor Oyetola

  • EEDC boosts electricity in Ebonyi

    The Enugu Electricity Distribution PLC (EEDC) has commissioned a new 11KV feeder in Abakaliki, the capital city of Ebonyi State. The newly constructed feeder, which is known as Azuiyiokwu II, has a route length of 1.3kilometers, and costs EEDC a whooping sum of N8.7 Million to execute.

    The Head of Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, made this known to newsmen in Enugu today.

    According to him, the project is in line with EEDC’s continuous effort in strengthening its network for improved service delivery and better customer experience.

    Ezeh said that the project was necessitated to address issues of fluctuations on voltage levels in the supply of electricity and other faults resulting to frequent downtime in some parts of the capital city.

    It was gathered that in Abakaliki metropolis, EEDC has four 11KV feeders serving the area which were overloaded and overstretched. These feeders are: Azuiyiokwu (main) 11KV, Township 11KV, Udemezue 11KV and Industrial 11KV.

    With the construction of Azuiyiokwu II, the four feeders serving the urban centres have been deloaded, thereby balancing the load on the feeders and further translating into improved and reliable power supply to customers within the area.

    Other network improvement projects undertaken in Ebonyi state include rehabilitation of EEDC’s portion of the Itigidi 33KV feeder up to Abaomege for improvement of supply to customers at some parts of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Onueke and environs and some parts of Ikwo Local Government Area that feeds from the Itigidi feeder.

    While appreciating the support of the government of Dave Umahi for its continued support in its operations in the state, EEDC appealed to the people of the state to reciprocate these ventures by ensuring they pay electricity bills as and when due.

    Customers are also encouraged to safeguard all EEDC power facilities serving them, as well as avoid meter bypass, energy theft and all forms of illegalities, which impact negatively on the company’s operations.

  • ‘Enugu safest state in Nigeria’

    Despite the recent media hype of a rise in crime in Enugu, a critical assessment of the state since 2015 till date still places it as the safest in Nigeria.

    The state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is ever ready to rise to the occasion whenever security challenges arise. With the support of the governor, the security agencies, particularly the police have also risen to the challenges.

    Despite the rising crime trend in the state, there had been hardly any crime that was not detected and the culprits not arrested.

    A case in point was the prompt arrest of the killers of the orderly to the deputy governor. All the suspects were arrested within one week and brought to book.

    Also  of recent, the killers of two Catholic priests were promptly arrested and are facing the wrath of the law.

    The police have actually  lived up to expectations by providing the answer to the most important thing that happens after a crime is committed.

    Arguably it is in Enugu that all crimes committed are followed till all the suspects are arrested.

    The performance of the police in Enugu cannot without tonic provided by the  Enugu state governor.

    Ugwuanyi recently gave to the police not fewer than 70 Hilux  vehicles, Sienna SUVs and other brands  for decoy operations. He as well pays monthly allowances to the operatives, provides fuel  and other logistics  requirements for the agencies to perform.

    Worthy of note is that the governor himself sometimes leads patrol raids on criminal hideouts and dark spots at Obiagu Road, Ogui and Asata, notable  homes for drug dealers and users as well as other criminals.

    The governor had also to packaged an anti-kidnapping bill, which he sent to the State House of Assembly for legislation. He followed it up by giving directive for the recruitment of 1,700 forest guards to begin to patrol the bushes and thick forests of the state, to fish out these criminals from their hideouts.

    He had equally given directive, and had personally supervised, the clearing of bushes, particularly along the Awgu axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Express Way, identified as rendezvous for the criminals, and where killings and kidnappings had taken place in recent weeks.

    With the evolvement of  intelligence gathering, sharing and collaboration by all the security agencies including the Army, DSS etc, it is expected they would pool  hands together and up the game of crime fighting.

    Enugu being the capital of former Eastern Region is vital to all Easterners and if there is any ant that flies over it, it will be blown out of proportion, hence the recent media hype in crime occurrence in the state. In all Enugu remains a peaceful state as it maintained its resilient nature .

    One aspect of noteworthy in the recent media hype is the presence of detractors  who are at work to ensure that the governor’s efforts in securing the state would be seen as hoax.

    For example recently, a popular politician in the state raised a false alarm of the kidnap of his daughter. It is being wondered if his aim and interest  was just to sabotage the peace  being propagated by  pessimists in a resilient  city like Enugu which is an envy of others as it is among the 100 resilient cities in the world and the only one in Nigeria.

  • Delta community protests ‘abandoned’ road project

    Those indigenous to Asaba-Ase community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have staged a peaceful protest over the alleged abandonment of the 7km Asaba-Ase/Abari Road linking Ndokwa East, Isoko South and Patani local government areas.

    Ase is a coastal community on the shores of the Ase River, off River Niger in Ndokwa North.

    Ase River derives its name from Ase Town.

    Ase is an idyllic countryside with a spectacular and breathtaking natural beach, evergreen rain-forest vegetation rich in flora and fauna which overhangs the Ase Creek.

    It shares common boundaries with Ibedeni, Onyah, Aviara, Uzere, Patani (all in Delta State) and Trofani (in Bayelsa State).

    During the colonial era, Ase served as the commercial and administrative headquarters for the colonial administrators. Relics of colonial presence still dot the landscape. John Holt and the United African Company (UAC) are some of the companies that had trade offices and warehouses in Ase.

    The town is made up of descendants from Ndokwa speakers who have inter-married with the Isoko and Ijaw over the years.

    The protesters alleged that the road project (a major artery) had been abandoned for over one year ago.

    The scene was charged as women, youths and the elderly, singing solidarity songs trooped out to demand a return of the contractor to site.

    Many placards-carrying protesters decried the neglect and disruption of social life occasioned by the bad road.

    Placards with inscriptions such as “Asaba-Ase is suffering for lack of road”, ‘The Road Master come to our aid” “Our road have been abandoned” and “Senator Nwaboshi, Ossai, Osanebi, Okowa, Buhari, please come and help us Asaba -Ase people’’, dotted huge crowd of protesting residents.

    The residents lamented that farm produce could not get to the cities due to the deplorable nature of the road.

    Speaking during the protest, President-General of the community, Anabogu Nosike Godfrey said: “My people in Asaba-Ase community have been suffering because of the bad road. We have had this problem before 2012 and subsequent government has been coming to say they have been doing this road but thank God Ekuweme (Governor Okowa) you came to office. You awarded contract for this road three times to people but the unfortunate part of it is, the contract was awarded to people without names, signpost or whatever and when they came, the drainage we were managing before, they crushed it and the internal roads were destroyed.”

    Continuing, he said: “Since the award of contract for the 7km Asaba-Ase/Abari Road by you over a year ago, nothing has been done. We are begging you Ekuweme to come to our aid. We dropped our written letter with the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Works in Asaba about this road and nobody has come to verify our complaint.

    “The road from Uzere in Isoko South Local Government Area to Asaba-Ase was destroyed by the 2012 floods. When the community cried out, by the special grace of God, intervention came through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) which worked on it.

    But last year’s flood disaster destroyed the road and nothing has been done since despite our cries and series of written letters to the concerned authorities.”

    He further added: “Governor Okowa, we know what you can do. Kindly help us and call FERMA on the Uzere /Asaba-Ase Road and prevail on the contractor handling the Asaba-Ase/ Abari Road back to site to resume construction on the abandoned road in the area to give us a sense of belonging.

    “We are also experiencing ecological problem here; erosion is affecting us seriously and if urgent measures are not taken, Asaba-Ase will be wiped out from the face of the earth. We need help or else Asaba-Ase which is the gateway to other coastal communities in Bayelsa, Rivers, Anambra and other states, will be cut off from the state.”

    Mr. Anagbogu said the road constructed in the late 1980s during General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, was annually washed off by flood.

    Anagbogu expressed sadness that residents’ commitment to President Buhari’s call to agriculture had been defeated by their inability to move their produce out for higher economic gain, thereby rendering the local farmers hopeless and helpless.

    According to him, the President advised Nigerians to go back to farming which we complied with. But the state of the road has rendered us helpless.

    His words: “The condition we are experiencing is terrible because the place is extremely bad and any moment from now, as the flood is coming, we will not know the state we belong to; Delta, Bayelsa or Rivers.

    “Our only occupation is farming and if there are no roads to market our goods, then we are in danger. We are part of Delta State and we also want to feel the presence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, Ossai Ossai and Friday Osanebi and government in Asaba-Ase. We are peace-loving people hence this peaceful protest. We are begging government to come to our aid,” he said.

    Mrs. Queen Obodoagu lamented the poor patronage of their farm produce because of the bad nature of the roads.

    She said: “Customers are no longer coming to buy our goods because of the bad nature of Asaba-Ase Road and for that reason our goods from the farm are getting bad on daily basis because nobody is coming to buy or trade market with us.”

    But, in a swift reaction, Delta State Commissioner of Works, James Augoye debunked the insinuation that the road project has been abandoned. He said this while briefing reporters in Asaba, the state capital.

    His words: “We appeal to the community, especially the demonstrators, to bear with us as the contractor will mobilise fully to site as soon as the rains subside.”

  • IPOB finds new battlefront

    Proscribed since 2017, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group, now fancies attacking Nigerian leaders on foreign soil. But this new strategy is hardly winning the group any applause, writes OGOCHUKWU IKEJE, with reports from CHRIS OJI (Enugu), OKODILI NDIDI (Imo) and ELEKWA EMMA (Onitsha)

    After suffering some reverses in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, in 2017 at the hands of the military during Operation Python Dance, including the hurried escape of its leader Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is doing everything possible to remain relevant and cause as much trouble as possible. The separatist group was disowned by governors of the Southeast states, a region Kanu and much of IPOB’s membership hails from. It was also proscribed.

    But on August 17, members of the group roughened up Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, in Nuremberg, Germany. Unremorseful, IPOB promised more rough time for Nigerian leaders once they set foot on foreign soil. Kanu himself rallied his members to attack President Muhammadu Buhari who travelled to Japan early last week. All of this triggered much concern among Nigeria leaders. Some prospective travellers shelved their plans. President Buhari has not come under any attack

    Back home Kanu and his group came under attack, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, President-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation clearly condemned the attack on Ekweremadu.

    The Movement of the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) warned the IPOB to stop making jest of the struggle for a Biafran independent state.

    The separatist group noted that the recent  directive of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, to his members in the Diaspora to attack Nigerian political leaders who travel abroad, has brought the struggle to ridicule, especially before the international community.

    They pointed out that the directive runs against the ideals of the Biafran struggle which is hinged on non-violent struggle and peaceful advocacy.

    A statement signed by the MASSOB leader, Uchenna Madu, read, “The leadership of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) as a foremost mother of all known and unknown groups agitating for Biafra actualisation and restoration advise IPOB to stop making caricature of Biafran struggle for emancipation.

    “Every step that jeopardises the people’s struggle will take us backwards. Every backwardness in the struggle will grossly affect the actualisation and restoration of Biafra. The nature of Biafra struggle and international view and diplomatic approach towards Biafra restoration is overbearing of numerous internal and external interest that borders on economical, political, religious, social and diplomatic interest”.

    Continuing, he said, “Having seen that Biafra and her people are strategically positioned to influence the affairs of future worldwide polity, the agitators of Biafra actualisation and restoration must be extremely careful about our approach towards Biafra actualisation and restoration.

    “MASSOB as a leading figure of current Biafra agitation advice other pro Biafra groups including IPOB that Igbo political leaders are not the major obstacle of our chances of achieving independence from Nigeria state, the major hurdles militating against the freedom of Biafra people from Nigeria is non cohesion and brotherhood among the leaders of leading pro Biafra groups. The tendency of superiority complex on ideology and the spirit of lordship over others are the detrimental tendencies grossly affecting the freedom of Biafrans.

    Read Also: IPOB Threat: ‘Nnamdi Kanu is a coward’- PDP

    “Ike Ekweremadu and other perceived and alleged enemies of Biafra are not our major obstacle against Biafra. IPOB can never actualise Biafra alone, neither MASSOB, LNC, BNC, BIM, EPC, BILLIE Human Rights Initiatives and others operating individually can achieve Biafra alone. Biafra will be more achievable when a strong coalition of  MASSOB, IPOB, Lower Niger Congress, BNC, BIM and others from Niger Delta regions are established under a collegiate leadership.

    “The tendency of grooming authoritarian leadership under any guise in Igbo land and Biafra in general will never be tolerated because the republican nature of Igbo man does not allow such authoritative and empirical rulership.

    “MASSOB also condemns the directives to attack the governors of Southeast. Consciously attacking a governor will never give us Biafra but will continue sending our youths to untimely deaths because every attack on a governor will attract the trigger happy Hausa Fulani security agents in Igbo land to open fire on our defenceless youths. Tomorrow, they will say governors ordered the killings of IPOB members.

    “MASSOB calls and extend a hand of fellowship to IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, BIM led by Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, BNC led Alhaji Dokubo Asari and other pro Biafra groups to rally together in the true spirit of Biafra and defend Biafra land from the Fulani invaders and marauders. The era of propagandas and talking on radio / newspaper have gone, people’s opinions on social media will never give us Biafra. Let’s unite and confront our common enemy. Though our governors and other leaders are not assisting the Biafra struggle, we can engage them traditionally, not insulting them”.

    In Anambra State President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Damian Okeke-Ogene, said they stood behind the President General of the organisation who had already issued a statement on the matter.

    Speaking to our correspondent on phone, Okeke-Ogene said, “I can’t say any other thing outside what our President General, Chief Dr. Nnia Nwodo had said.

    “It’s a national issue and whatever the President General says is our position.”

    Civil Liberties Organisation, Anambra State chapter has asked the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to tender unreserved apology to former deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu over Saturday’s attack in Germany.

    It noted that the ugly incident was a practical demonstration of the assertion that “Igbos do not have kings.”

    Chairman of the body, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, in a statement on Wednesday in Onitsha, described the attack as disgraceful to the Igbo race.

    He said, “The attitude of the perpetrators is most despicable, condemnable, barbaric, inhuman and horrendous.

    “Ekweremadu is supposed to be applauded, commended and reciprocated considering his sacrifices towards protecting and projecting Igbo interest.”

    He insisted that the Igbos in diaspora must learn how to be civil, dynamic, diplomatic and tactful.

    According to him, any disagreement with their leaders should be amicably resolved with respect rather than toying the part of violence.

    “If they have any disagreement with their political leaders, it must be resolved amicably with respect, corrections, not condemnation or violence.

    “Like Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu would say, “Violence is the worst form of irresponsibility,” he added.

    Ezekwueme enjoined the lawmaker to borrow a leaf from what Sen. Robert Thadt did in America by extending love and forgiveness to his attackers.

    In Enugu State, a former chairman Ohanaeze Youth wing, Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji lashed out at the IPOB leader.

    “Why have we allowed Nnamdi Kanu to con us all?” he asked. “The motive of the Nuremberg show of shame was not about fighting corruption or bad governance. No, Nnamdi Kanu leveraged on that to do a hatchet job on Ekweremadu. In fact, as a master of the game, he guessed right. Nigerians, not just Ndigbo’s gullibility and resentment of their political class, will make his action popular and stop most people from reading between the lines.

    Oji had stern questions for Kanu:

    “Why accuse Ekweremadu of inviting Python Dance when all available evidence shows he openly opposed same?

    “Why accuse him of taking ICC President Chilo Osuji to Aso Rock for Buhari to bribe him?

    “Why accuse innocent people of joining to invite Python Dance? All the people mentioned are known to me and they bitterly denied it. Imagine accusing 84-year-old Arthur Nwankwo, one of those Nnamdi Kanu himself paid visited after his release from Kuje [prison], a man who has not been attending meetings for long based on health challenges. What of Archbishop Chukwuma and Dr Joe Nwaorgu, men who are arch-Buhari/APC enemies? Yet, IPOB said they also supported Python Dance.

    “Imagine his sustained attack on Chief  Nnia Nwodo, a charismatic leader who paid his dues in the Igbo struggle, long ago. A born activist who never pulls his punches. Rather, like Dr Jo Nwaorgu, another elder Nnamdi Kanu accused of “begging Abba Kyari to bring on Python Dance”, Nwodo tells you to your Face if he hates. When Nnamdi Kanu visited Nwodo after his release from Kuje, the author of this epistle facilitated it through Uche Okwukwu and Law Mefor. Why smear such a man? Ndigbo, have we ever drawn back from our present “mob mode” to ask ourselves a simple question: How many years does it take to build a leader who the world contends with? How many years does it take to build an Nnia Nwodo or an Ekweremadu?

    “Why has IPOB not gone after the Fulani terror herdsmen with their BSS (Biafran Security Services)?

    “What social service is IPOB rendering to Ndigbo? In its heyday, MASSOB organized her members to keep Aba clean by clearing blocked drainages

    “An uncoordinated revolution can be worse than no revolution. If IPOB wants a revolution, why did they not organise  #revolutionnow protests in the East?”

    “No doubt, Nnamdi Kanu is a hero, he did the undoable. However, he needs to retrace his steps so as to stop destroying the much needed Igbo unity of purpose. For Biafra to work, he needs to consult Brother Asari Dokubo who is doing much work with less noise by getting the various peoples of the then Biafra to sign unto a United States of Biafra. Just as Prof Phillip Effiong, Jnr said earlier this month in Enugu, “Biafra is not an Igbo Project, we are all part of Biafra and we all suffered for it”

    A a tricycle operator in Enugu, Sinclair Igwenagu Justified the order by the IPOB leader to his followers to attack Igbo leaders visiting foreign countries.

    He said, “The Igbo leaders especially those in political offices have sold out Ndigbo to the Fulani. They are the ones making it impossible for Biafra to be achieved. Just because of political office, they will not support a project that will benefit them and their children’s children.

    Nnamdi Kanu is doing the right thing. He is going the right direction. And we are following him. I will like the order to attack Igbo leaders visiting foreign countries to be extended to those who have investments in Nigeria outside Igboland.  Those are the real obstacles to achievement of Biafra because of their huge investments in other parts of Nigeria. They are not willing to lose their investment and return to Biafra. As long as these people continue to exist the Biafra dream will never come true.”

    A teacher who simply gave his name as Ugwu sees the order with mixed feelings.

    “I will support whatever nonviolent action that will lead to the realisation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Biafra. I am against attacking our leaders visiting abroad. Let the IPOB chaps consider adopting diplomatic approach to the issue. Becoming violent will not do any good to the image of the Igbo people. And it will give credence to the tag of terrorist group given to IPOB by the Nigerian government.

    Again Nnamdi Kanu should know that many Igbo leaders actually have the interest of Ndigbo. He should try and identify the particular ones who are saboteurs. He should not just see every Igbo leader or those that do not support his approach as detractors. For example what they did to Senator Ekweremadu was wrong. Ekweremadu is the best performing senator from the South east. He has done a lot for his people and he is still doing. Let Nnamdi Kanu and his members be cautious otherwise their approach will spell a doom on the Biafra agitation’’.

  • Cattle ranches spring up in Anambra

    There’s no gainsaying the fact that cattle grazing by Fulani herdsmen has led to clashes between herdsmen and farmers in some parts of Nigeria.

    Regrettably, some confrontations have led to deaths and destruction of farmlands and property with the herdsmen being fingered as the aggressors.

    Many Nigerians, however, have canvassed for cattle ranching as one major solution to the lingering feud.

    But as unattainable as ranching seemed to be in some states of the federation, Anambra has distinguished itself with series of ranching springing up in some parts of the state.

    A classic example is the Nkeonyemetalu Farms and Agro Ventures, situated at Amaetiti in Orumba North local government area.

    The mechanised farm, sitting on close to 200 plots of land, engages in cattle ranching, fishery, poultry, piggery as well as plantations of different crops.

    It also has local, efi Igbo and cross breed cows, poultry section with over 30,000 birds and the fish ponds with over 156,000 cat fish.

    Other segments of the farm include, piggery department, the plantain, pineapple, paw paw and sugar cane plantations, as well as facilities for frozen foods among others.

    Chairman of the Farms, Chief Walter Chigbo, described ranching as a more profitable way of rearing cattle.

    He said Fulani herdsmen who engage in nomadic method of rearing cows were doing so out of ignorance.

    He said, “Cattle are like humans, you take them about looking for food, and as you walk about to feed, they expend the same energy they gather from the food they take in, walking about, at the end, it tells on the health of the cows.

    “The Fulani herdsmen either do not know that it is more profitable to rear your cattle in a secluded place, or they have become used to be nomads and cannot adjust.

    “I will take you to my cattle farm after now, and we have a good number of cows there, including the native cows which we call ‘efi Igbo’, and you will compare them with the ones you see the Fulani people walking about with.

    “Study has shown that it is better to rear your cattle in a secluded place. Feed them well, and they rest well too, and before long, you will see how fat they will grow.

    “In United Arab Emirates where I did a study, I saw a cow that is so big that this house cannot contain it. Such cows, you can get two drums of milk on a daily basis from it, but if they were to be taking the cow about on foot to feed it, you would see how tired it would look, and that will affect its size too.”

    While calling on the federal government to encourage ranching rather than open grazing, Chigbo stressed that herders should go for land for construction of ranches, insisting that every sector of agriculture was profitable.

    “This farm you see is sitting on 162 plots of land, and I bought the land from indigenes of this community. The cheapest land I bought was N500,000. It is my personal business, and I tell you, the easiest way to become rich is to go into farming.

    “Most of the richest people across the world are farmers, so herdsmen should also be encouraged to get land and ranch their cows as this will put an end to the constant clashes between farmers and herdsmen,” Chigbo said.

    Another ranch in the state is the Eagle Food Processing Industries, located at Umuchu in Aguata Local Government Area of the State, with Prince Ugochukwu Okpalaeke, as the founder and Managing Director.

    Commissioner for Agriculture, Mechanisation Processing and Export in Anambra State Hon. Nnamdi Onukwuba, had during a visit to the farm, pledged government readiness to provide aids for farmers willing to go into full scale cattle breeding with emphasis on breeding Igbo specie cow popularly known as Efi Igbo.

    He said the Obiano-led administration was ready to make livestock grazing a serious business most especially rearing of the Igbo cow.

    He added that government was already making plans to expand cattle grazing across the local government areas in the State.

    Also speaking, chairman, Nigeria Union of journalists (NUJ) in the state, Comrade Emmanuel Ifesinachi, appealed for government continued support to farmer’s to ensure food security in the state.

    Ifesinachi, while leading a team of reporters to Nkeonyemetalu Farms and Agro Ventures, noted that agriculture remained the only remedy to the lingering economic instability in the country.

    He stressed the need to boost agricultural development by encouraging small, medium and large scale farmers in the country, through provision of financial support, access roads, electricity and pipe born water.

    On his part, Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Cyril Nwobu reassured that the Willie Obiano-led government was doing its best in making agriculture the major source of revenue generation which would in turn improve the living standard of the citizens of the state.