The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southwest

  • Erio-Ekiti: Living under fear of truck accidents

    Erio-Ekiti: Living under fear of truck accidents

    The trucks are a part of everyday life but their operations have continued to threaten normal life in Erio-Ekiti and other parts of Ekiti State, writes Sulaiman Salawudeen

    Erio-Ekiti, about 30 kilometres from Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, has become a place where the fear of moving trucks is the beginning of wisdom for many residents of the town, particularly those whose habitations and businesses verge the main road.

    The residents of the town, which lies between Efon/Itawure and Aramoko, have been having months, even years of sleepless nights and restless days because of their encounters with trucks which daily send them either scampering off the frontages of their houses or force them into involuntary support exercises in rescue operations for victims of fresh accidents aided or caused by the trucks.

    Reportedly, no week passes without fresh tales of a truck which has fallen off its path, spilling its explosive contents, or another which has entered the gorge on either sides of the hilly highway with its massive bulk of luggage. On such occasions, the traveller would notice the officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) or the State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA) struggling to rescue lives and ensure the free flow of traffic.

    The accidents have been attributed to two problems: one is the apparently uncontrollable recalcitrance of the truck drivers who drive with impunity and some sort of condemnable abandon which often lands them in avoidable accidents, either with other trucks or cars and buses.

    Another concerns Erio which has a particular hilly portion on the federal single lane highway, just about a tenth of a kilometre in length at a bend sharp enough to force any unwary or unsuspecting driver into a jolting skid off the road and into a gorge deep down the sideways which is deep enough to contain about a 100 of such trucks.

    Although other categories of vehicles are not spared around the portion, the major victims have remained the trucks which makes it mandatory for their drivers to exhibit utmost caution and patience on the road, virtues which most of them lack.

    At the time of filing this report, no less than 10 of such ill-fated trucks are lying in mangled states at various spots around the bend almost adjacent to Edu High School, hampering the free flow of traffic and potentially aiding other accidents. One is lying on its back with the 16 tyres looking heavenwards; another is showing the rear wheels while the fore had gone into the bush.

    The worry, however, is not only the recalcitrance of the truck drivers, but the apparent distance of concerned authorities, specifically the Federal Government Agency, from a road which, despite and amidst the odds, has remained the choice for motorists coming into the state either from the Ilesa/Osun State axis or the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) or going out of the state. The road’s main attraction, especially for the goods-laden trucks, is its offer of a shorter route to their destinations.

    Despite the situation painted, authorities seem to have kept a distance which makes the situation all the more painful, leaving the residents, travellers and other road users to lament a fate which has continued to claim lives and properties.

    Ade, a resident of the town, said: “The situation has become so bad that while trying to rescue one, another truck is falling. Factually, there cannot be less than three such encounters in a week. Come here any day, you must see a truck having some problems.”

    Recounting his experience, Adams, a driver whose truck met the unwanted fate, said the terrain was the main problem: “This road is not good. I was not speeding too much at all. I am always careful. But, today, the truck simply went the way it wanted to go. I applied the break, it did not stop.”

    While not opposing Adamu, another driver, Kole, who stopped by to make some adjustments, lamented: “The problem has always been the recklessness of our people (other drivers). We must be careful of the speed we maintain while on this road or even anywhere and anytime. Many times, the way our people drive is the cause of accidents.”

    A fruit/yam seller around the bend, Mrs. Odekunle Rhoda, who lamented the daily encounters with trucks, said some of the drivers (of the trucks) don’t speed too much when they are coming or going.

    For Mrs. Odekunle, who has a make-shift kiosk beside the road, the experience is an uneasy one as she has to be watchful to know if an oncoming truck is driving towards her or approaching the spot of her wares.

    She said: “I watch them (the trucks) every minute. Their sound is different from that of a smaller vehicle. Once it comes out like that from that bend, I keep watching the tyres to see if the thing is coming towards me. You cannot take your eyes off them at all. You must keep guard.

    “This is, however, not an easy task for me; but since I am not ready to leave this place, I have to endure and be watchful. Last year, a man called London, an Isobo person, who had stayed a long time in this town, and another man called Baba Seun died in a tanker inferno just after Edu High School here. The wife of the Isobo man is up there selling bean cakes,” she said.

    A resident, Alfaa Shuaib Sanusi, said it is impossible to stop the trucks from plying the road, as it belongs to every Nigerian. He added that it is only the Federal Government that must urgently finish the construction of another road — New Iyin Road — which is not far from the road in question.

    Sanusi said: “The Federal Government must be more serious about the New Iyin Road. Finishing that road remains the only way to stop the carnage and unrest which typify daily life here. Those trucks must pass through Aramoko to Ijero on their way to Abuja or Obajana in Kogi State. The only solution is for government to ensure that that road is completed.

    Another male resident who declined to mention his name made further clarifications: “The new road actually comes from Ado Ekiti at a place commonly referred to as New Iyin Road, passing through Igede and Aramoko, Erio, and ending somewhere at a place called Ita Ido. The contractor handling that road then was Elsan Nigeria Ltd owned by a man from Imesi Ekiti.

    “I cannot say if the road is single carriage or double but I am sure they have done all the earthwork. That road which although has not been tarred has, however, been inaugurated which is why they call it New Iyin Road,” he said.

    He added that Erio does not have the monopoly of vehicle-unfriendly spots, noting that “between Ado-Ekiti and Efon Alaaye-Ekiti, there are about 15 dangerous spots so accidents must occur due to the nature of the road which is narrow, winding with sharp bends; it also hilly with deep portions on either sides.”

    “At Akannasan sharp bend alone, about 25 trucks can sink into that hollow. Even cars and motorcycles are not spared. There was a chicken seller who normally moves about selling day-old chicks. One day, about four/five years ago, he lost control and fell into the Akannasan ditch. Three or four months later when the chickens developed, they came out and people started tracing their source before they saw the man’s decomposing body.

    “There are other dangerous spots. From Akannasan, you come to a Bamboo spot before Aramoko; Ajaye Junction between Igede and Aramoko; then Orisumbare junction where a truck wasted eight people recently. After that is the Ilaho sharp bend. Again, in Aramoko, Sabo Area is very deadly as well; Isasa sharp bend; Rajud Hotel bend; Bovas bend; Reservoir bend which is between Aramoko and Erio. All these bends are sharp and dangerous.

    “Also, AK Filling Station bend; then Obarabara bend before you come to the father of them all, Eriwe bend in Erio here. This is where at least three trucks must encounter one problem or the other weekly. After Eriwe is Temidire Junction which is adjacent to Edu High School.

    “Can you believe that sometimes when accidents occur at Eriwe bend, our people in the community would gather and create a link to the abandoned New Iyin Road which would then free the stranded motorists. We have completed that many times. So, when that new road is done, especially if it is a dual carriageway, only those vehicles which need to do something in Erio here like the passenger buses and cars would pass through here,” he said.

    Although Erio does not have a monarch, the Regent, Princess Adejoke Ojo-Ajetomobi, who spoke with The Nation, said: “Here in this town, we do not believe in any strange powers apart from God. Some people may say that portions of our road need to be appeased. It is a lie. It is government we will continue to appeal to for the remedy which is the completion of a new road close to us. I have been to the new road. The place is now very bushy.”

    Are the traditional rulers looking into the situation collectively? The Chairman, Ekiti State Traditional Council of Obas who is the monarch of Itaji-Ekiti, Oba Idowu Adamo Babalola, said the Council was considering making representations to the state government.

    According to him, “the situation has been a source of worry to the entire state, adding that it is not only in Erio but even in Ido-Ekiti, Oye Ekiti and other towns on the major roads where trucks have been making life unsafe for our people. It is sure if they dualise the roads we will have less of such harrowing experiences as we have now.

    “We will continue to appeal to concerned agencies of government to assist us. There is nowhere else we can go. They must make vehicular operations safe on the roads for our people to be safe,” Oba Adamo said.

    Making further clarifications, the Special Adviser on Roads in Ekiti, Hon. Adunmo Sunday, said the state government had been in talks with the Federal Government over the new road, noting that “ it is embarrassing that out of 16 such roads which belong to the Federal Government, the only one they are attending to (Erio) which is just about 39 kilometres long is a colonial road, with bends and hilly.

    “That road is worse than dangerous. Characterised by one day two accidents, it has become for the state a major headache. We are seriously appealing to the Federal Government on that road. That is the only road in Ekiti that they are doing out of 16,” Adunmo said.

    He added: “Today, Ekiti attends to other federal roads, including Ado-Iworoko, Ifaki-Ido, Aramoko-Ijero, Ado-Ikere up to Ondo boundary. Even, Basiri-Iyin road and Ojumoshe-Old Garage up to Ijigbo dual carriage way were all done by the state government.

    “The New Iyin Road which should have reduced the burden on the state has been abandoned by the Federal Government for decades. In respect of that road and some others, we have written a letter to the Federal Government, attaching the Bill of Engineering Measurements and Evaluation (BEME) and other necessary documents.

    “While talks are going on in respect of a total of N10.5 billion owed the state by the Federal Government on all the roads mentioned, it has been decided that early next year, if the Federal Government still fails to make desirable moves regarding the Erio road, the state will still take it over again”, the SA, Roads said.

    He however has a better prescription for resting what he described as “the age long issues over abandonment of roads by the Federal Government”. According to Adunmo, theFederal Government should hands off roads which lie within states and let states themselves attend to such.

    He said: “We have been saying it is most unnecessary and sheer dissipation of needless attention for the Federal Government to be constructing roads for states. Why? Why not make the funds available for the states to construct their own roads themselves? It is all part of the debates about fiscal federalism. Why must the Federal Government in Abuja be the one to pave roads for citizens across the 36 states and the FCT. This is a fundamental error and unless the Federsl Government hands of such things, infrastructure, especially roads will remain as it is.”

  • Fayemi’ll break one-term jinx, says Awe

    The Acting Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Jide Awe, has said the state Governor Dr Kayode Fayemi will get a second term.

    Chief Awe, who spoke at the launch of the Ekiti West Social Security Scheme in Aramoko- Ekiti, said the Governor Fayemi has achieved “what naturally qualifies him for a second term as Ekiti governor”.

    Awe said: “ I see no reason a government whose approach to delivering democracy dividends to our people will not be allowed to continue; if it is a whammy that there is no governor that will rule Ekiti two times ‘we are ready to break it’.”

    Lauding the initiative of the Caretaker Chairman of the local government, Pastor Ropo Famibode, the APC chief explained that the initiative would complement the efforts of Governor Fayemi.

    In his welcome address, Pastor Famubode said, “The initiative is to complement the social security scheme of the state governor.”

    He said the 150 people who benefited from the scheme, were selected from the wards in the local government without recourse to their social, religious, or political affiliation, but on the basis that they are above 65, are indigents whose social welfare needed attention and have not benefitted from the state social security scheme.

    The caretaker chairman and former permanent secretary of ministry of labour, who reiterate Fayemi’s commitment to improving the lives of Ekiti people, pleaded for the continuous support of the people for his administration.

    An octogenarian, Mrs Esther Adetunji, a beneficiary of the scheme, described the gesture as one that would, to a long extent, alleviate their sufferings by enabling them to meet some of their basic needs.

    Other beneficiaries also pleaded their un alloyed loyalty and support to governor Fayemi’s administration.

    The social scheme, which was kicked off by Awe, was witnessed by many dignitaries, including the Alara of Aramoko; Oba Adegoke Olu Adeyemi.

  • She says she’s a graduate, speaks good English, but is mad

    She says she’s a graduate, speaks good English, but is mad

    Mental health problems remain a huge stigma in the country, with most people, even families of victims, choosing to ignore them, in the hope that the problems will simply go away.

    The problems, however, rarely vanish, and whether an individual’s problem is severe or mild, if not treated, can result in exclusion from society, loss of work, and breakdown in relationship.

    The Nation came across a middle-aged woman, who is a university graduate, but has gone mad in the ancient town of Oyo, in Oyo State.

    She was said to have been in that state of mental disorder for the past seven years unattended to.

    Popularly referred to as Mary, her real name is Bose Oyeleru. She hails from Fiditi in the Afijio Local Government Area of the state.

    Slim and dark complexioned, Bose is said to have attended Fiditi Grammar School, after which she proceeded to the university.After her higher education, she had the mandatory National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).

    She joined the Oyo State Police Command after her service year and she was transferred to Atiba Divisional Command, Akesan and later Akunlemu, all within the ancient town.

    Bose, according to source, was redeployed in the Signal section near the divisional command, before she contracted the mental illness.

    She is said to be happily married with children.

    It was learnt that the lunatic graduate was sleeping within the vicinity of the Signal office before she was chased away.

    She later moved to the Government Reservation Area (GRA), at Apitipiti.

    A mechanic at Boode-Ogbomoso, Mr. Michael Agboola, also confirmed that there is no day Bose would not get as far as the vicinity of the Signal section, after which she would come to the workshop.

    “Before coming to our workshop, she would first get to the Signal section and later come to meet us here.  She is not violent but used to play and stay with us.  Sometimes, when she is okay, she opens up when we asked questions, and that was how we know that she is a university graduate.

    What is however amazing about Bose is that besides the fact that she speaks good English and responds intelligently to questions put before her, she also appears neat all the time, as she goes to beauty saloon to make up her hair.

    Investigation further revealed that Bose would leave her “GRA residence” everyday around five in the evening for a stream where she would bathe.

    After having her bath, Bose would put on new clothes, often times jeans with T-shirt and some make–up to match, before leaving for Owode, the Central Business District of the ancient town. She returns to her abode late in the night.

    Bose was cornered by our correspondent near the Tennis Club, along the GRA residence, where she washes her dirty clothes.

    Below is the interview with the lunatic graduate:

    Good day, Madam.  How are you?

    Good day gentleman, what can I do for you because I am on duty here?  Please talk.

    What are you doing here and where are you from?

    I told you I am a guard here and a native of this area, I mean Oyo metropolis.  It’s a long story my brother, don’t disturb me, I am very much on duty.

    How do you mean?

    I am well-read, but don’t know how I find myself in this circumstance.  But thank God, am working here.

    You mean … (Cuts in)

    Sorry, do I not smell because I have not taken my bath.

    Do you love my environment? I know it is dirty and bushy, but I am at work, you may not like it, leave me with my plight, I don’t want to be disturbed here.

    Are you married?

    Of course, but cannot locate either the children or their father now. I am fine. Any problem and why are you bothered? After all, they are my children. What again?

    Where do you stay?

    I am sleeping at a building (GRA) over there. But wait and listen, these people do not allow me to sleep. They come late at night to trouble me and force me into doing it. They come with cars.

    Force you to do what?

    Don’t you know what a man and a woman do together when they meet? It is not their fault because they treat me because of my condition. Hmmmmn. Me, a whole graduate of university.

    Which university did you attend?

    Wetin again. Please leave me alone. You are disturbing me on duty here.

    Several efforts by our correspondent to locate her family at Fiditi, a distance of about thirty minutes from Oyo town were to no avail.

    However, residents have expressed concern over increasing large number of young people with mental disorders in the ancient town.

    About 300 lunatics were said to be residing in the ancient town alone.

    Investigation showed that most of these mentally deranged people, who were non-indigenes, were brought and dumped from outside the ancient town, by some individuals after allegedly using them for money rituals.

    Some residents were said to be exploiting the situation by having sexual intercourse at night with the female ones among the lunatics.

    Consequently, these female lunatics were abandoned without any care whatsoever after being impregnated.

    Few good-spirited individuals usually come to the assistance of the pregnant lunatics, by taking them to the health centres, in some cases, as well as provide for their needs to ensure safe delivery.

    Meanwhile, statistics from the Department of Community Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, the state capital indicated that approximately, one in five of the world’s youth, 15 years and younger suffer from mild to severe mental disorders.

    A large number of these children remain undetected and untreated.  It noted that mental health is one of the more recently added components of Primary Health Care (PHC), and means more than merely the presence or absence of obvious mental illness.

    “In Nigeria, 28.5 per cent of those attending primary healthcare setting in an urban area were found to have psychiatric morbidity. The disintegration of the traditional, extended family due to factors such as economic migration, inevitably creates mental health of the individuals in the society.  Concerns for job security and the economic survival of the household can also create enormous pressure on individuals, which may in turn affect their mental health.”

    The study also revealed that the adolescent age group was found to have higher psychiatric morbidity when compared to the adults in Oyo State.

    It underlines the effect of family structure on the mental health of the population, adding that marriage was found to be associated with mental stability in the state.

    Those separated from their spouses, divorcees and widows, the study indicated had a higher mental morbidity.

    “Sticking to acceptable family structures may create mental tension in the communities.  Aspiration to meet up to the community standards is usually a common source of mental illness, large family size and unemployment was also found to be associated with increase in psychiatric morbidity,” it said.

    The adolescent period is a turbulent period in life when there is a transition into adulthood and self autonomy.

    While stating that the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity is high in the state, the study stressed the need for mental health promotional services for the rural population.

    It further said, “Basic needs provided by the government in both rural and urban areas, especially made available to the younger generation and promotion of family planning to reduce family size, would help to reduce psychiatric morbidity, and improve quality of life in the Africa population.

  • ‘Lack of taxis could hamper Osun urban renewal programme’

    ‘Lack of taxis could hamper Osun urban renewal programme’

    Osogbo, Osun State capital, is one of the nine cities the Rauf Aregbesola-led administration’s urban renewal programme would change its face. The others are Ikirun, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Iwo, Ejigbo, Ede, Ikire and Ila-Orangun.

    Lately, the government has faced serious criticisms, particularly from members of the opposition because of the demolition of some buildings and other illegal structures, including wooden kiosks and iron fabricated containers on the set back of many major roads in the state capital.

    Declaring that there is no going back in his administration’s urban renewal programme, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the exercise was designed to ensure a prosperous future for the state.

    He said: “We will not be distracted in our determination to give our cities a befitting outlook no matter whose ox is gored. We will not leave any stone unturned to accomplish what we think is the best for the people of this state. We should know that there is no gain without pain. Our preoccupation is to ensure that the people live comfortably and in a befitting environment. And we should also know that with improved and enhanced infrastructure the State of Osun will soon become a conducive and ideal investment destination for both domestic and international investors.”

    For the state government to achieve the objectives of its urban renewal programme many believe there is a role for cabs in the new cities to be established. It has become worrisome that there are very few taxis plying the roads in some of the cities targeted in the urban renewal programme.

    In Osogbo, the state capital, for instance, taxis plying the roads could not be more than five and they are ramshackled.  The situation is the same in Ile-Ife, where the Obafemi Awolowo University is located, and Ilesa, a town believed to be the economic capital of the state.

    A Lagos-based property developer, Mr. Muyiwa Adedapo, is a frequent visitor to Osogbo, where some of the projects he is supervising are. Like some other corporate visitors, he complained about the difficulty of moving around the town whenever he sent his official driver out of town and there are a few things to accomplish before his return.

    No doubt, the ubiquitous presence of commercial mini buses otherwise known as Korope could not serve many the investors and corporate workers that the urban renewal programme of the state government is attracting into the state.

    The Chairman, Osogbo/Olorunda Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Raji Olasheu, said his members and the other transport associations, the National Union of Road Transport Workers and the Road Transport Cooperative, had met the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, on how to make the taxis return into town. He spoke about their challenges.

    He said that no member of his association could afford the ten percent deposit of the total cost of the brand new cars which the Argbesola administration proposed to them. “If the cost of a brand new Nissan saloon car, for example, is N3.5 million, we have to pay a deposit of N350,000. This to my members is a huge amount of money that we cannot readily afford. So we can only appeal to the government not to ask for any deposit if they want us to come forward and benefit from the proposal.

    “The immediate past government of Olagunsoye Oyinlola offered us cars in hire purchase arrangement but none of my members could make the repayment schedule because of the way the programme was packaged. It failed absymally. We only agreed to accept the offer despite the fact that we knew that it was going to fail because we wanted a record of such programme with the government.

    We were never consulted or allowed to have an input into the type of cars we needed. They just gave us 150 refurbished Mazda cars that are not strong enough for the job and which are not fuel efficient at the rate of N500,000.

    “Though we never made any initial part payment but no member was able to complete his repayment plan. Many of these cars with the inscription of Oyin ni o printed on them are lying in most mechanics’garages across the state. No sooner they were supplied when they stopped working. Our members could not pay at all or very few paid between N50,000 and N150,000 before the cars broke down. In all, we are owing the government N57 million over this ill-fated programme,” the RTEAN chief explained.

    Olasheu’s counterpart, who is the vice chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Okejetu, Ilesa Motor pack in Osogbo, Mr. Rafiu Adebayo, said the government rather than ask for deposit before vehicles could be offered commercial drivers must first identify those who need such services.

    He said: “As much as the government plans are laudable, those factors that would militate against the plans must be avoided. I disagree with the arrangement that gives vehicles to those who do not need them and would not pay back the loan. I can say categorically that offering of vehicles to drivers on hire purchase failed because of misplaced distribution.”

    Some people are saying that for the urban renewal programme of the Aregbesola to work, making taxis available in the cities must be factored into it. A human rights activist, Comrade Wole Folaranmi, said the transportation system in the state must be designed in a way to bring comfort and as well as drive the economy like hotels and many resorts springing up in all corners of the state. While some residents are saying many jobs have been lost with no provision for allowing taxis to operate in the state, the transport unions said that some of their members only migrated from driving taxis to driving mini buses.

    Some people are saying that the reasons for taxis becoming non-existent in cities of the state must be known, understood and addressed. Their belief was that the crops of cab drivers are old and mostly illiterate. They also said the taxis were not properly run the way it is in most world cities. According to the people, taxis are not meant to stop at every bus stop but should run drops.

    So, if the Aregbesola administration would bring back taxis, it should be looking at bringing back those who are literate like polytechnic and university graduates and with a minimum operational standard. A secondary school vice principal, Mr. Tunde Oyebiyi, said the government must be prepared to marry its urban renewal programmes in cities with availability of taxis and also integrate the cab drivers’ operations into the tourism development of the state.

  • Cleric canvasses ‘mental revolution’

    A cleric and motivational speaker, Pastor Sola Jibodu, has advocated a mental revolution as panacea for the country’s problems.

    Speaking at a public lecture in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital as part of its motivational/couselling programme for youths in the state, Pastor Jibodu said a mental revolution is needed to get Nigeria out of the woods.

    The event, organised by Portofino Eateries, coincided with activities marking Nigeria’s 53rd Independence anniversary. It drew participants from youth groups across the state.

    In the lecture titled: ‘Era of the change agents’, Jibodu said the Independence Day was significant as it marked the day Nigeria regained its practical freedom from the colonialists.

    He urged Nigerians not to underestimate the impact of colonisation “as it dealt a devastating blow not just on the physical progress of the country but also on the mind”.

    He said: “When people are put through slavery, it destroys their self esteem, gives birth to victim mentality and breeds an attitude of irresponsibility. This is what the late sage Fela Anikulapo called colo-(nial) mentality. Slavery and colonisation have another by product called poverty mentality.”

    According to him, the poverty mentality generates an attitude of blaming someone else for one’s own lack and failures, adding that the prevalence of thievery in public offices in Nigeria actually arose out of a consciousness that “Nigeria is a property which belongs to someone else as you steal what does not belong to you”.

    Querying the urge for pilfering public resources, Jibodu said: “Corruption is a product of the mentality of slaves. We steal because, though we are physically out of slavery, slavery remains still deeply embedded in us. Slaves steal because it is not their property and they own nothing.

    “Today, we can afford to steal cables, street lights, stripe the road railings, government vehicles, electricity generating sets, stapler, pins, chairs, and, of course, money. We can afford to let our infrastructure go entirely bad because they do not belong to us, they belong to government”, the lecturer said.

    Jibodu spoke further: “When a slave is caught and punished for stealing, the other slaves sympathise with him/her. They do not see what he has done as stealing so his punishment becomes victimisation.

    “The person in government, who still steals, has a slavery mentality and cannot lead our country to freedom and prosperity. It does not matter if we call him president, governor, minister, lawmaker. Slavery thinking people cannot lead people to freedom. The blind cannot lead the blind. Only a free thinking people can lead slaves into freedom.

    “When somebody that is free behaves like someone who is in bondage, that individual is under a spell. Our country and Africa in general are under a spell. A free man is free first from inside then proceeds outside. The colonialist left 53 years ago. He is no longer the reason for our problem.”

    As a solution, Pastor Jibodu prescribed a revolution, noting that the “earlier revolutionaries who fought for and won Nigeria’s independence never won her freedom.

    He added: ”The journey into true freedom will call for another kind of revolution where no physical weapon will be used. It is going to be a fight of knowledge, wisdom and revelation. We need not a bloody revolution but a mental revolution. Change the youths, change the nation. When those who should be free are enslaved they are under a spell.”

  • Three years after, parents still mourn 42 pupils killed in crash

    Three years after, parents still mourn 42 pupils killed in crash

    School remains closed

    Their mission was to further enrich their knowledge by going on excursion to different places in Ondo State, including the hilly town of Idanre to catch a glimpse of the natural endowment, which has put the town among the top tourists’ destinations in Nigeria.

    But the 42 pupils of Aricent Nursery and Primary School in Olupitan area of Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo, who were part of the group that set out for the excursion on March 11, 2011 never returned home to their parents.

    They, together with some of their teachers and the school proprietor, were crushed to death on their journey back home when their vehicle collided with a trailer. It was a terrible accident. That fateful day will, undoubtedly, remain a day of anguish, mourning and distress, in the history of the state.

    The shock of the tragedy was compounded the day after when it was discovered that the private school was not even registered by the state Ministry of Education. It was an illegal school, the parents later learnt.

    Like every other person, the pupils were excited that the excursion was a life time opportunity to visit the ancient town of Idanre.

    Originally, the management of the school was planning for an inter-house sports, but the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) kicked against the move and opted for an excursion to a tourist centre.

    On that memorable day, the pupils accompanied by their teachers and school proprietor visited so many places of interest in the state. Their first port of call was the local airport in Akure before they proceeded to Idanre.

    They were on their way home when the unexpected happened. Most of them died on the spot while the others died later at the hospital due to poor medical attention.

    Three-and-half years after the unfortunate incident, residents of Olupitan are still mourning the death of the pupils, teachers and their proprietor. The school has since remained closed.

    Some of the parents, who lost their wards in the accident, are still in shock and disbelief. One of them is the Chairman of the PTA of the school, Mudasiru Abdulsalam.

    Abdulsalam, a native of Obaagun in Boripe Local Government of Osun State, lost his seven-year-old son, Yusuf. He had planned to go with the pupils on the excursion to Idanre for sight-seeing of the hills, but was saved by a nine-day -prayers, which he had embarked upon.

    He had been having nightmares where he was always seeing himself in the pool of blood. This made him to engage in the marathon prayer session to avert the  tragedy God has revealed to him through the dream.

    According to him, “I was supposed to be part of the team that was to escort the pupils to Idanre. As the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association, I was to be the leader of the team.

    “We had to shift the day earlier fixed for the excursion because it fell on the day the pupils were writing  their examination. But a few days to the day, we were supposed to go for the excursion, I started having bad dreams which forced me to change my plan.”

    Six days after Abdulsalam had started his prayers, the unfortunate incident happened. The bus hired by the school collided with a trailer and some of the pupils died instantly while others, who sustained serious injuries, were moved to Ore General Hospital.

    His words: ”I received a call around 7.pm from the proprietor of the school that they were in Ondo Town that they had a stopover to offer prayers to Almighty Allah. He also called me after they left Ondo to tell me that they are on their way to Ore.

    “I was, however, shocked that several hours after the last call I received from the proprietor, the pupils had not yet returned. It was at this point I discovered something was wrong.

    “I could no longer do anything when they did not return on time. I had to pick my prayer mat and rosary and started another round of prayer to Almighty Allah to bring them back home safely.

    “I was afraid and worried because the school proprietor could not be reached on phone, I had to continue with my prayer when  there was no response from his phone.’’

    However, when he finally got the wind of what happened, some pupils had already died. His son, Yusuf who was his fourth child, was among those who died instantly.

    He said: “I cried when I saw my son in the pool of blood. Yusuf was a brilliant boy, who was loved by many people in the area, because of his attitude to people. The poor boy was just too friendly.”

    He described the death of his son who was also known as “Yaro’, as a very big loss to the family, stressing that his fond memories still lingered on in the family over three years after his death.

    One strange thing is that Abdulsalam has continued to see his son in his dreams. He said there is no month that the poor boy would not appear in his dream.

    He said: “There is no month that I don’t see Yaro my boy in my dream since March 17, 2010. He always appeared to me. I have done many prayers, but the dream wouldn’t stop.

    “They told me that the boy was appearing to me because of the love he had for me. No other member of the family sees him except me.”

    He said it was painful that some of the pupils who survived in the accident died later because of absence of good treatment at the Ore General Hospital.

    According to him, the kind of treatment those injured in the accident received was nothing to write home about, adding: “They were not given quick medical attention at all. This was responsible for the increase in the death toll.”

    On why the school has remained under lock and key, Abdulsalam said since the proprietor of the school died in the accident, there was nobody to take over.”

  • Residents groan over collapsed bridge

    Gov Ajimobi orders immediate re-construction

    For six months, it was giving signs of imminent collapse, but nobody heeded its warnings. A couple of weeks ago, the popular Ariyo Bridge around Olunloyo on Akanran Road in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State caved in leaving motorists, pedestrians and other users of the bridge crying for help.

    Since the collapse of the bridge, which linked many communities with the city of Ibadan, the state capital, hundreds of residents who lived in the other side of the divide have difficulties in going to their offices, markets, shops, schools and other place for their daily activities .

    Commercial activities were seriously affected by the collapsed bridge, forcing many residents to walk long distances before getting alternative, but expensive transport, to the main city where most of the residents have their offices and shops.

    Motorists had been managing either side of the bridge since it was discovered to have developed a hole in the middle, as well as a crack across the section of the road.

    According to an eye witness to the collapse of the bridge, who identified himself as Alabi, the lingering anxiety of the people was confirmed recently when an articulated vehicle passed through the bridge around 1p.m. and soon it caved in.

    Many of the residents of the area were heard discussing in groups the type of anticipated agony they would experience in the coming weeks or months before the bridge would be repaired.

    Those used to the Ajumose Shuttle provided by the government, which charges N50 per passenger as against about N150 being collected by commercial operators,  complained the loudest as the luxury buses would no longer take them beyond the bridge again, at least for the time being.

    Some buses and taxi cabs were seen maneuvering their way through an access road which leads to Jegede along Ogbere Tioya, when our correspondent went there but lorries and articulated vehicles could not.

    Many commuters were walking their way as traffic became light towards Amuloko because many commercial vehicles had been confined to the other side of the bridge.

    There was traffic gridlock for about an hour after as vehicles coming from Olorunsogo area made a detour close to the bridge, while those coming from Amuloko/Akanran area also disembarked their passengers and returned to Amuloko.

    Two policemen met at the scene had a tough time with some commercial motorcyclists popularly called okada as they prevented them from riding across the bridge at a section they considered passable.

    The uniformed men insisted there was no thorough fare across the bridge, while only allowing pedestrians to pass.

    Commercial bus and cab operators were making brisk business by hiking their fares, as passengers were rushing to get out of the area.

    The Caretaker Chairman of the Ona Ara Local Government Area, Hon. Ismail Akanni, told The Nation that Governor Abiola Ajimobi had been informed of the development and that action towards fixing the bridge would be taken immediately.

    His words: “My brother, that is what we see o. It is going to give those of us residing around that area some hectic time these few coming days. We have alerted our governor to it and urgent step is going to be taken on it.”

    The council boss revealed that the bridge belonged to the state government, but the local government regularly undertakes minor repairs on it.”

    To show its concern for the welfare of the people, the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has ordered the state road maintenance agency to commence immediate rehabilitation of the bridge to bring an end to the suffering of the people living in the area.

    The council boss said men of the state road maintenance agency have mobilised to the site, immediately after the governor ordered that the bridge should be fixed to ease transport problems in the area.

    He said: ”As am talking to you, a palliative bridge has been constructed for people and light vehicles as alternative route pending the completion of the main bridge. And residents are already making use of the palliative bridge. This is the first stage, the second state is the construction of the main bridge and we hope that in no distant time the rehabilitation work will be completed .”

  • Lamentation of chewing sticks seller

    Lamentation of chewing sticks seller

    A middle-aged man, Peter Ngwu, is a popular face on many streets in Akure, the Ondo State capital. He lives practically on the streets, hawking chewing sticks to those who preffer it to tooth brush.

    In demonstration of his dedication to duty, the 47-year-old wakes up daily at 5.30 am to sell  to his customers. This he does with a zeal, carrying a heavy load of chewing sticks on his head.

    From his residence at Oshinle, he walks about three kilometres to Adegbola newspapers’ distribution centre in Akure metropolis to arrange the sticks before he finally goes into the interior parts of the city to sell his ware at various motor parks

    Ngwu, a native of Ebonyi State, came to Ondo State in 1983 after he was duped by some fraudsters of N10,000.

    The trader, who sold cooking utensils such as pots, fry pans and kettles had to leave  Ebonyi in distress when he could not cope with the realities of life.

    Ngwu said he was lured into the hands of the fraudsters by a close friend.

    ”I was set up by a friend who connived with some people to dupe me. That my friend told me that he knew some people who can supply me cooking utensils in bulk at a reduced price.

    “Based on the trust I had in my friend, I gave the people N10,000. They promised to deliver the goods three days later ,but I have not set my eyes on them since then. They went away with my money and I was left with nothing. N10,000 was good money in 1983,” Ngwu said.

    He said after the incident, he could not cope with life as he was living from hand to mouth.

    The ugly development forced Ngwu to move from Ebonyi to Akure where he found solace in selling chewing sticks. He did not allow the incident to stop him from forging ahead as he struggles to ensure that he gets something to feed his family of three girls and two boys.

    Ngwu complains of low sales daily.

    His words: “I make between N200 and N400 daily. This is not enough to take care of my family. My children had to drop out of school because there is no money to send them to school. It is as bad as that.’’

    Ngwu is also finding it extremely difficult to pay his house rent. At present, he owes his landlord three months’ rent.

    He said: “To pay my monthly house rent is a great task because the money I make from selling chewing sticks daily is spent on feeding my children.”

    “All I am looking for is money to boost this business. I am begging well-meaning Nigerians to come to my aid, if I can get more financial assistance, I will be selling chewing sticks at wholesale level.”