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Tag: Akwa Ibom

  • Akwa Ibom, World Bank train 800

    Akwa Ibom, World Bank train 800

    The Akwa Ibom State government, in collaboration with the World Bank, has trained over 800 persons to implement community-based projects in 40 communities.

    The partnership, at the end of a two-day training session at the weekend, disbursed over N50million as first tranche payment for the execution of three projects each by the trained stakeholders of the beneficiary communities.

    The project, which covers provision of rural water, electricity, construction of culverts, school buildings, civic centres, rural markets, viewing centres and health centres, will be implemented in phases within one year.

    Presenting the cheques to the beneficiary communities on behalf of the government/World Bank, at the E3 Event Centre, Uyo Village Road, Uyo Local Government, the  Accountant-General, Pastor Uwem Andrew-Essien, urged the beneficiaries to make use of the funds and provide basic facilities in their communities.

    He advised them to shun fighting, the attitude that it was government’s funds and should be embezzled, mismanaged or misappropriated.

    “This money is meant for projects and not for embezzlement.  You see, this is the first tranche; you use it meticulously and religiously and finish the project, the people come for inspection and where they are satisfied, they give you another money, more development.”

    Andrew-Essien enjoined them to use the money effectively, so that more money would come to their communities.

    He hailed the management and workers of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, (AKSCSD), for the strategy, arrangement and effective organisation of the programme, saying the gesture would herald development.

    “If rural water is provided  in 40 communities, or we give electricity, or we build a school block there, you can imagine the transformation it will bring to Akwa Ibom communities. That’s why I’m so elated,” the accountant-general said.

    He praised Governor  Udom Emmanuel for supporting the agency and providing  counterpart funding that had resulted in projects.

    Andrew-Essien said the  Emmanuel administration was committed to development through provision of counterpart funding to donor agencies for the execution of projects, stressing that the government was on the verge of providing counterpart funding for the implementation of the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project, (NEWMAP).

    “Under this scheme, NEWMAP will end erosion menace in our communities. There are a lot of projects the World Bank is providing in Akwa Ibom and our duty is to provide counterpart funding, which the governor is committed to. It’s for our development,” he said.

    The General Manager of  AKSCSD, Mr Ishmael Akpan, said the gesture was part of the five-point agenda of the Governor Emmanuel administration of wealth creation, economic and political inclusiveness, poverty alleviation, infrastructure consolidation and expansion, as well as job creation, hailing the governor for providing an enabling environment for the scheme to begin.

    He said the training was to prepare Community and Project Management Committee (CPMC) members to take on the role of implementing community-driven development, particularly, as it had to do with the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of micro-projects by communities.

  • Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    Monkeypox hit Abuja as FG confirms six fresh cases

    The Federal Government has confirmed six new cases of the MonekyPox virus in the country, with one case recorded in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of State for Health, made this known in a statement by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director of Media and Public Relations, Ministry of Heath.

    Akinola said apart from the one recorded in Abuja, two cases were confirmed each in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom while Enugu State had one case.

    Ehanire also said investigations were ongoing to see if any of the new cases has a link with the Bayelsa cluster, where the outbreak started.

    He further called for calm among members of the public, adding that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is working with all affected states to ensure case finding and adequate management.

    He added that as frightening as the manifestation of the ailment might seem, no fatality has been recorded to date. As of Oct. 25, a total of 94 suspected cases have been reported from 11 states, (Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Rivers and Abuja).

    He said patients of the newly confirmed cases were already being managed by public health authorities and have been receiving appropriate clinical care.

    He said Ministry, through NCDC, was in close contact with all State Epidemiology Teams, and the health facilities providing clinical care to both suspected and confirmed cases.

    He added that State Commissioners of Health have been advised to place all health care facilities and Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on alert, to ensure early case detection, reporting and effective treatment.

    Read also: Monkey Pox victim commits suicide in Bayelsa hospital

    The minister said a National-level Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the NCDC with support from our development partners, was coordinating outbreak investigation and response across affected states.

    He added the EOC included the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as experts from partner agencies.

     

  • A’Ibom and her burden of abandoned projects

    A’Ibom and her burden of abandoned projects

    Notwithstanding that Akwa Ibom is one of the highest oil revenue earning states in the country; it is overburdened with the inglorious weight of abandoned capital projects.

    Despite her giant infrastructural strides in its 30 years lifespan, the landscape of the state is presently dotted with some abandoned projects which, if had been completed, would have added value to the lives of the people.

    Some of the abandoned projects in the state are the Ibom Tropicana

    Complex, the Ibom Specialist Hospital, the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road, the

    Etinan-Eket road, the Science Park, and other sundry projects

    Ibom Tropicana Complex project was initiated by ex-Governor Godswill Akpabio as one of his star projects and had great prospects of changing the socio-economic fortunes of the state.

    The foundation of the project was laid by late President Umaru Musa

    Yar’Adua and was originally valued at N33billion but was later reviewed upwards to an undisclosed amount.

    The upward review of the contract sum was shrouded in secrecy thereby generating intense criticisms, as people asked the ex-Governor Akpabio’s government to come out plain on the new cost of the project.

    Designed after Disney Land, the complex had a five-star hotel, a cinemaplex, entertainment centre, children Fun Park, shopping complex and other ancillary facilities.

    Contract for the construction of the project was awarded to Starwood

    Company, an outfit owned by Senator Ben Murray Bruce.

    Besides the cinemaplex, managed by Silverbird Television, other

    components of the Tropicana Complex have been abandoned. For instance, the five-star hotel is nowhere near completion. The Children Fun Park is overgrown with grasses. The whole place looks forlorn and

    forgotten.

    The current administration of Governor Udom Emmanuel claims there is no sufficient funds to plough into the project, citing drop in oil revenue accruing to the state.

    Another eyesore in the state is Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road awarded to Julius

    Berger by the immediate past administration. The stretch of the road was supposed to link the state with Abia State.

    But the road, strategic as it is, is not receiving the attention and funding it deserves as the government is still struggling with payment of compensation to natives and complaining of lack of funds.

    The state Commissioner of Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyang-eyen, recently debunked the insinuation that the road has been abandoned, explaining that government had issues with money due to the delay by the federal government to release monies spent by the state in the construction of federal roads within the state.

    He, however, disclosed that government has some money for the payment of compensation and to take the road up to the Four-Point Sheraton Hotel in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area.

    Worrisome also is the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium constructed by Julius Berger. The terms of the contract between the state government and the construction giant was that the company would do maintenance work on the stadium for a period of 10 years. It seems that is no longer the case as the stadium has not been maintained for some time now.

    The same scenario is playing out at the Government House Uyo, also built by Julius Berger with an arrangement for it to maintain the edifice for 10 years.

    Our correspondent gathered that the company has not been maintaining the structure on the excuse that Governor Udom Emmanuel has refused to continue with the contractual agreement entered into by his predecessor, citing lack of funds and also complaining that the contract sum was over bloated.

    Another worrisome project is the Ibom Specialist Hospital. Built to serve as a class medical referral centre in the country, the hospital was shut last month.

    The hospital said to have been built for N41 billion is without some key equipment and facilities. The facility is also listed as one of the abandoned projects of the state government.

  • 2019: Politics of containment in Akwa Ibom

    2019: Politics of containment in Akwa Ibom

    The recent offensive against the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Nsima Ekere, which was followed up with the chasing away of one of the commission’s contractors from site by officials of the Akwa Ibom State Government, suggests that the preparations for the 2019 governorship election is gradually building up. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who has been following the development, reports.

    The Akwa Ibom State Government and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) appear to be engaged in a battle of supremacy over their mandates to develop the state. The disagreement came to the fore during the October 2017 edition of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Security Summit in Uyo, the state capital, when Governor Udom Emmanuel warned the Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr. Nsima Ekere, not to undertake any projects in the region without taking permission from the governors.

    Governor Emmanuel’s words: “Let me use this opportunity that the MD of NDDC is here to state clearly that NDDC does not own even a piece of land, it is the Governors that are in-charge of land. NDDC should not enter any of the nine States to do any project without permission from the Governors.”

    Two days later, Commissioner for Works, Mr. Ephraim Inyang Eyen, led armed policemen and thugs to disrupt the activities of an NDDC contractor who was repairing Youth Street in Uyo. Eyen’s justification was that the contractor’s job was substandard.

    Never in the history of the commission had its relationship with the Akwa Ibom State Government reached such low ebb. In the last six months, there has been one controversy or the other between the two sides, over projects execution and delivery and this is said to have stalled ongoing developmental projects. For instance, in June 2017, the governor had accused the commission of poor project execution, project abandonment and distortion of the state development plan.

    But the recent broadside against the commission, which was followed up with the chasing of an NDDC contractor away from site, suggests that the disagreement is deep-seated. Observers believe that it may not be unconnected with the 2019 governorship election in the state. There are speculations that Ekere, a former Deputy Governor of the state, may run for the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He participated in the 2014 governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where Emmanuel emerged as the candidate of the party.

    Indeed, it was the disagreement over the conduct of the primary that led the NDDC helmsman to dump the PDP for the APC. Ekere and other aspirants accused the former Governor Godswill Akpabio of manipulating the process in favour of the incumbent governor. The thinking in the camp of Governor Emmanuel is that Ekere may use the NDDC to launch himself into the good books of the people ahead of the election and that may not auger well for the plans of Emmanuel who has indicated his interest to run for a second term.

    The NDDC was established 17 years ago as an interventionist agency of the Federal Government with the sole mandate of developing the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The law setting up the agency aligns appointments, projects and programmes with oil production quota of the states in the region. This means that with Akwa Ibom as number one oil producing state, it should be allocated the highest number of NDDC projects.

    But, according to reports, that was not the situation Ekere met on ground. In terms of project volume, Akwa Ibom trails Rivers and Delta. Against this background, when he assumed office in November 2016, he sought to allocate more projects to the state and to address critical development issues across the Niger Delta generally.

    While other states in the region have been applauding the commission and lobbying for more projects, the reverse is the case for Akwa Ibom. In this regard, the governors of Imo, Cross River, Abia, Rivers, Ondo, Bayelsa and Edo is said to have met with the management of the NDDC and signed strategic memorandum of understandings (MOU), to provide infrastructure for the long-term development of their states. Rather than hail the development as a good one for the people of Akwa Ibom State, the NDDC move was resented by the government.

    Since the new board led by Ekere was inaugurated less than a year ago, the relationship between the NDDC and the governor has never really been cordial. The quest by the Akwa Ibom State Government to rubbish the NDDC began in December 2016, barely two months after Ekere assumed offices, when the commission rolled out an advertisement for tender on contract jobs. About 60 of the contracts were for Akwa Ibom State only and covered the areas of the commission’s mandate: water, health, education, power and roads. Nearly all local government areas had one or two projects listed. This, in addition to about 37 emergency roads repair jobs that were also awarded by the commission, was enough to send signals to discerning citizens that the NDDC was going to be pro-active in its posture towards the state.

    From the outset, when the NDDC began the implementation of its plan to invest in the infrastructural development of the state, the ruling party has been waiting for an opportunity to confront the commission. The ruling PDP government saw a perfect opportunity, when the state government, which had worked on one of the roads abandoned by the commission in Ikono Local Government Area, inaugurated the road. At the occasion, the Commissioner for Works, Eyen, urged the Federal Government to probe the NDDC, saying the commission has turnied Akwa Ibom State into an abandoned project site.

    The government’s bid was backed by a group, the Akwa Ibom Integrity Group, which ran a seven-page advertorial in national and local newspapers, calling for the probe of the Ekere-led management of the NDDC. Their petition listed 377 projects purportedly abandoned.

    After the NDDC responded, the hunter became the hunted. It said what the petitioners did not state in its advertorial was that the contracts listed in the petition were mostly the ones awarded between 2007 and 2015 when the PDP held sway at the commission.

    Besides, the NDDC said contrary to the claims by the group, the commission has committed itself to 890 projects and 62 emergency repair works across the state. Its spokesman, Mr. Abitoye Abosade, said of the 890 projects, the agency has completed and commissioned 160, while 281 others have already been completed and are waiting commissioning.

    The projects, he added, cut across various areas of development, including buildings, roads, electricity, healthcare, education, water, bridges and that the projects have positively impacted on the lives of the people as well as given them a sense of belonging.

    He said: “Some of the major projects of the commission in the state include the 12.5km Okoita-Itu-Mbak Atai-Ikot Ntuen-Mkpeti-Oku Iboku road in Itu; the 10.125km Ididep-Ekpenyong-Ikot Etim Afaha Itiat road in Ibiono Ibom; the 30km Nsasak junction-Akon road in Essien Udim; and the 6.7km Iwuochang-Okorutip road project with 600m bridge span bridge.

    “Others include the 4.9km Oku Iboku internal roads in Itu; construction of a community centre at Ibiaku Ishiet along Airport road; renovation of hostels, dining and kitchen at Methodist Boys High School, Oron; maintenance/dredging of creek at Esit Eket and Okoroitak in Ibeno; ongoing construction of a specialist hospital at the main campus of the Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area.”

    He said the NDDC has also intervened in the area of erosion and flood control as evident in the flood control work executed at Ekpene/Obuk Afaha community in Eket and shore protection works at Eastern Obolo, Ibeno and Ikot Abasi and the building of embankment at the Naval Base in Mbo Local Government Area.

    In the area of education, Abosade said the agency is building model schools in the nine states of the Niger Delta, including Akwa Ibom. “This is in addition to the provision of scholarships to students of secondary and tertiary institutions from its catchment areas,” he added.

    A number of stakeholders have pointed out that Emmanuel and Ekere should sheathe their swords, because when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. For instance, former Akwa Ibom State PDP Chairman, OtuIta Toyo, believes it is wrong to politicise the NDDC intervention. He said: “Now, if Akwa Ibom State Government draws attention to abandoned NDDC projects in the state in good faith, they are in order. Starting from abandoned local and state projects, the state government has a duty to ensure the completion of project within her jurisdiction, even when the project was instituted by United Nations. There is nothing amidst there.

    “To our fortune, the NDDC is here doing what the agency could not begin to contemplate in the days we controlled the Presidency. Would it not be a source of joy to then complement the state government for a change now that we have the good fortune of a son who remembers the situation back home? The unhealthy rivalry is senseless, rather there should be cooperation.”

    A former Attorney-General in the state, Victor Iyanam, said a Federal Government agency has the right and mandate to embark on projects in any part of the state. He said: “The NDDC can intervene when roads are bad, they have done this in several other states; there are federal roads in Akwa Ibom State, there are also state roads. When the NDDC intervenes in roads rehabilitation in the state, it doesn’t mean that it is only the NDDC or Federal Government officials that will be using the road.

    “What I expect the governor to do is that is if the NDDC comes to the state and identifies a bad road and start construction work on it, they should sing halleluiah. Even if the state governor have plans for that road, it will be relieved in that the government will now be able to use that money for some other projects still within. The governor’s statement was in bad faith; it is only a governor who does not have the interest of the people at heart that will be confronting the Federal Government not to enter the state to do project.”

    A former member of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Kufre Etuk, also expressed dismay at the altercations between the state government and the NDDC. He said during the 16 years that the PDP held sway in the federal and state level, there were no such altercation between the NDDC and state government, because they were operating like a family.

    Etuk said since the creation of NDDC in 2001 that Akwa Ibom State has never had it so good, in terms of attracting development projects to the state, adding that for the first time there is a kind of healthy competition between the state government and the NDDC, in terms of project delivery.

    He said: “The state needs development, especially internals roads; it is wrong for Governor Udom Emmanuel to say that the NDDC is distorting his development plan. He has already done two years of his first tenure, how many road projects does he have to showcase so far? Besides, there is so much to be done; let him break new grounds, as the NDDC is helping out in some of the remedial works.”

    The former lawmaker argues that both the governor and the NDDC MD should take advantage of the opportunity and bring development to the state.

    He added: “Even if the NDDC wants to come and asphalt the entire road in Akwa Ibom, they should allow the agency to do it; the state government has a lot more things to do.”

    A former governorship on the platform of the Accord Party, Mr Okon Iyanam, said what is playing out between Emmanuel and Ekere is nothing but elevating personal interests above that of the state. He said whatever development is coming to the state should not be blocked by such considerations. He said: “The NDDC has been in existence for this long and across all the nine beneficiary states, this sort of local challenge has not been reported. You must note that NDDC states are busy lobbying for projects to be taken to their states. It is abnormal to chase development away from your state, for such simplistic reasons.

    “Some of the projects being completed by the NDDC are projects conceived by previous NDDC regimes. They should be finished for the benefit of our people. How on earth can you chase somebody away from tarring a road? How would you explain such an action to the people who live on such roads?”

    The Accord Party chieftain said the state governor is a member of the NDDC’s advisory council and therefore he can channel his misgivings through the council. He said: “You cannot forget the childishness involved in a commissioner embarking on civil disruptions. What if the NDDC, which has even more access to the police and other security agencies, being a federal agency, had decided to use force too? No father would allow his children to go hungry, simply because he has issues with his wife. Akwa Ibom must triumph. This is beyond Emmanuel or Ekere.”

    Akwa Ibom State is not new to this sort of politics. In the 1980s, in the old Cross River State,  the government of former Governor Clement Isong was perpetually embroiled in a fight for supremacy with prominent indigenes of the state at the centre, led by Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas. The fight was so intense that although the state was governed by the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), the then ruling party at the centre, it could not attract federal projects throughout the four years. Isong was eventually squeezed out of the party and he lost the re-election bid. Isong’s group was branded the home front, while the Wayas group, which includes Senator Victor Akan and his supporters, was dubbed the Lagos Group.

    Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, Akwa Ibom State produced the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Obong Ufot Ekaete. But, the stormy relationship Ekaete had with the then Governor Victor Attah meant not much came to the state from the centre. Ekaete, as the most prominent indigene of Akwa Ibom State at the centre, became the arrowhead of the Abuja group that hardly agreed with Attah on any matter, even though the state was governed on the platform the former ruling party, the PDP. The implication was that Akwa Ibom State could not attract any significant project from the Federal Government in the eight years of the Obasanjo administration.

    To avoid a repeat of the above scenario, former Governor Akpabio recommended for federal appointments during his tenure people that would be extremely loyal to him, above other considerations. But things did not quite work out as Akpabio expected. For instance, Ambassador Sam Edem, the second Chairman of the NDDC was disgraced out of office when his political influence grew larger than Akpabio could stomach. Edem’s successor, Bassey Dan Abia, who later became the Managing Director, towed the line of the then governor. At the end of the day, Akpabio’s closeness and influence on the Jonathan administration did not count for Akwa Ibom State in the allocation of federal projects.

  •  Military not involved in vaccination – FG

     Military not involved in vaccination – FG

    Federal Government on Wednesday said  the military is not involved in any monkey pox vaccination as presently rumoured.

    The rumors had spread like wildfire that the military was injecting monkey pox virus to people in their medical outreach across the country.

    The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole said this when he briefed State House correspondences at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina.

    According to him, the eleven states are Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers.

    While stressing that outbreak was confirmed in Bayelsa, he said that out of the 19 samples tested, 3 tested positive from Bayelsa 12 tested negative from Bayelsa, and 4 tested negative from Lagos.

    He explained that the military  medical outreach has never harm anyone and in some cases involved in road construction and other services.

    He said “Council also received an update of the public health of the nation.  We informed Council about the latest development with respect to the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far, as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country. We have confirmed three in Bayelsa state, We are still expecting the results of other ones.

    “We are also doing advance test in NEDE,  that is the African Centre of Excellence for Genomes and Infections Disease to really understand the genomes of this virus.  Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendance should be able to tell us what exactly they are. We will also be able to locate and identify the origin so that we can take adequate precaution.” he said

    On the military vaccination rumors, he said  “It is also important to use this opportunity to dispel the rumour circulating in the country that the military is vaccinating people and trying to spread monkey pox across the country. The military is not involved in any vaccination exercise and I must also really educate the Nigeria people about how vaccination campaigns are done.

    “Federal will take the lead but we do not conduct campaign without involving states.  So, there is no way we will do campaign for vaccination without working with the states and it is the state that will be in front and we provide support.

    “The rumour that federal is involved in monkey pox vaccination campaign is not true. And as of today, we are only doing vaccination campaign in three states against other diseases.

    “We are doing vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Kwara and Kogi because of yellow fever outbreak in some parts of the country. We are also doing cholera vaccination in Borno state and so anybody carrying the rumour,  please help us educate Nigerians that it is not true. We are not vaccinating anybody, we plan to do missiles campaign very soon and we will also do yellow fever before the end of the year and we will let you know.

    “You will never find Federal staff conducting vaccination campaign without the support and active participation of the state ministry of health, this is just to correct the misconception.” he stated

    Asked whether he was disowning the  military over the issue, he said “With respect to what the military is doing, I spoke about vaccination and not about military campaign. The military as part of a campaign of winning over the heart and soul of the people havel got engaged in several things. In the past,  the military was noted of even constructed roads, the military will do outreaches, measure blood pressure, talk to people. These are normal things,  I referred only to vaccination.

    “We had to request for the assistance of the military in Borno state to reach inaccessible area with respect to the polio campaign so we have worked with the military in the past and we will continue to work with them.

    “There are doctors in the military, there are nurses and when you go abroad, some of the best institutions abroad are those ones managed by the military. So we cannot disown the military. But what I want to put across is that the military is not involved in any vaccination.” he said

    On the report of illegal traffickers of kidney,  he said “With respect to the harvest of organs we received advice periodically from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, from National Security Adviser about goings on around the world. One of which is the harvest of organ illegally and it is our duty to alert Nigerians that this is ongoing, they should be careful, they should seek advice, they should patronize only accredited institution.

    “And as we rebuild our health infrastructure there will be less need for anybody to travel out and so we spare Nigerians the agony of falling victims of some of these illegal practices.”

    Speaking on the growing drug abuse among the youth,  he said “We are quite aware of this.  Abuse will take several forms.  Abuse of substances that are smuggled into the country in higher doses than normal. For example we have metadol and tramadol and even Viagra being smuggled into the country. Look at the dosage, the Viagra dosage is three times normal and when you look at the tramadol it is three to four times normal and once NAFDAC officials come in contact, they are impounded and destroyed.

    “We are also working with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria to educate people about the abuses.  We are aware of the abuse of cough mixture because of the content and we are working hard in respect to this.”

    Stressing that Nigeria is part of the campaign against tobacco, he said that the country is implementing the framework convention in tobacco control.

    “As of Monday we were part of the  ECOWAS meeting to look at how do we raise taxes on tobacco. That meeting we really worked to prevent smuggling on tobacco products, we looked at how we can raise taxes on tobacco products. It is known that Nigeria has one of cheapest tobacco prices in the world and that will contribute to the abuse.  That convention and recommendations coming from there will really contribute to raising taxes on tobacco and also generating resources that will go into health.

    The Minister of Water Resources disclosed that the Council also approved the sum of N236 million for the completion of Sabke dam in Katsina state.

    He said “One Memo from my ministry was considered today as part of our efforts to improve the hethrege for irrigation, we have been committing ourselves to completing many of the irrigation projects we inherited in the past two years. One of such is the Sabke irrigation project. This is a project that started as far back as 1997 during the PTF days but was abandoned and then reawarded in 2009, completed 95 percent by 2012 and again abandoned.

    “When we came into office, I commissioned a technical audit of all the ongoing project and n the ministry and because of the status of that project having attained 95 percent completion,  it became a priority project because it was a low hanging fruit for us to complete.

    “Unfortunately, when the contractor was mobilised to site,  we found out that a lot of component of the irrigation project had been vandalized and for us to be able to put that project into effective use,  we now have to do a lot of rehabilitation works and we therefore brought a memo seeking Council to give us an augmentation of about N280m for us to be able to complete the work 100 percent and make it fit for the purpose and Council considered and approved this memo.”

     

     

  • Monkey Pox cases increase to 74 in 11 states – FG

    Monkey Pox cases increase to 74 in 11 states – FG

    The Monkey pox virus outbreak has spread to 11 states with 74 suspected cases recorded, Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole has said.

    Adewole made the disclosure in Abuja on Wednesday when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    President Muhammadu Buhari chaired the meeting held at the State House Council Chamber, Abuja.

    The Federal Government, on Oct. 11 confirmed that 33 suspected cases of the virus were recorded in seven states.

    Monkeypox is a rare viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms in humans similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although less severe.

    Smallpox was eradicated in 1980. However, monkeypox still occurs sporadically in some parts of Africa.

    The minister, who updated the Council on developments in respect of the outbreak, listed the affected States as Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers as well as the FCT.

    “The Council also received an update on the state of the public health of the nation. We informed the council about the latest development in respect of the Monkey Pox virus outbreak. So far as of today, there are 74 suspected cases in 11 states of the country.

    “We have confirmed three from Bayelsa and 12 of the suspected cases from Bayelsa tested negative; four suspected cases from Lagos tested negative. We are still expecting the results of the other ones.

    “We are also doing test at the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID), Edeh, to really understand the genomics of this virus.

    “Even when they are negative, the laboratory attendant should be able to tell us what exactly they are,’’ he said.

    The minister dismissed the assertion that the military was spreading Monkey Pox virus through vaccination.

    He said that the military was never involved in any vaccination in the country, adding that any vaccination must involve state governments and the Federal Ministry of Health.

    “It is also important to dispel the rumour circulating in the country that the military is vaccinating people and trying to spread Monkey Pox across the country.

    “The military is not involved in any vaccination exercise.

    “And I must educate Nigerians about how vaccination campaigns are done. The Federal Government will take the lead but we do not conduct campaign without working with states.

    “So, there is no way we will do campaign without working with the states,’’ he said.

    The minister announced that his ministry was conducting vaccination in only three states of the federation, namely Borno, Kwara and Kogi.

    He stated that the cholera vaccination was being conducted in Borno while that of Yellow Fever vaccination was being carried out in Kwara and Kogi.

    He stated that the ministry would soon start vaccination against measles while a nationwide vaccination against Yellow Fever would commence before the end of the year.

    Also addressing the correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, revealed that the Council approved N236 million for the completion of Sabke Irrigation Dam in Katsina State.

    He said the contract for the dam was initially awarded in 1997, re-awarded in 2009 after it was abandoned, but would now be completed by the current administration.

    NAN

  • AITEO Cup win- ‘Our resilience to play continental football’

    AITEO Cup win- ‘Our resilience to play continental football’

    Akwa United goalkeeper, Olorunleke Ojo, on Tuesday said that the team’s drive to win AITEO Cup on Sunday was a result of their resilience to play continental football next season.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akwa United won the maiden edition of the AITEO Cup on Sunday at the Agege Township Stadium on Sunday 3-2 against Niger Tornadoes.

    The team played under the watchful eyes of their number one supporter, Gov. Emmanuel Udom, who led other members of Akwa Ibom cabinet and his Lagos State counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Other VIPs that graced the epic final were the CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad, with some CAF top hierarchy, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), President, Amaju Pinnick and the Vice-President, Seyi Akinwunmi.

    Ojo was, however, hero of the match at his last gap penalty save earned his team a 3-2 win over hard fighting Niger Tornadoes.

    The lanky goalkeeper adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament, told NAN on the sidelines of the match that the failure to clinch the last ticket in the just-concluded league propelled their victory.

    “Our last experience in the Nigeria Professional League (NPFL) where we lost the chance to secure the last spot of the continental ticket is a drive. We wanted to play in the continent.

    “We are a team with immense confidence and experience, so we are motivated to play in the continent with the backing of the state government.

    Read: 1st AITEO/CAF Award Holds January 4 In Accra

    “It is a collective effort, everybody is on the same page; we work for it, or let me say that we earn it through hard work on the part of the coach and players.

    “We have the facility, our stadium is one of the best in Africa, so we are super confident of a good representation in the CAF Confederation Cup,’’ he said.

    The Coach, Abdul Makaiba, said that he had a target of qualifying the team for the continental football.

    “First, the mandate is to try and win the NPFL, then, that failed; we thought another mission to qualify for the continental competition through the available spot which did not also materialise.

    “I almost see it as a failure, and then another opportunity came through this championship which I know will be a good opportunity to clinch the last ticket.

    “We played this tournament with all passion and determination because we know what we wanted to make something out of it.

    “I am grateful to the Akwa Ibom FA for believing in this project and also the state governor who is our number one supporter, it is great to have this kind of support from him,’’ he said.

  • Lagosians join Akwa United supporters in celebration

    Lagosians join Akwa United supporters in celebration

    Jubilant supporters of Akwa United FC on Sunday in Lagos took to the streets of Agege and its environs to celebrate their team’s victory over Niger Tornadoes in the AITEO finals.

    The supporters had immediately after the match, took over the streets gleefully dancing, singing and blowing their trumpets to savour the epic win over the Northern opposition, who gave them a run for their money.

    Akwa United emerged winners of the maiden AITEO Cup in the finals played at Agege Township Stadium.

    The Abdul Makaiba-tutored team laboured to a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Niger Tornadoes in the Nigeria’s oldest cup after the regulation time ended in a deadlock.

    Gov. Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom had led an unprecedented crowd to cheer their darling team to victory at the 2017 AITEO Cup, formerly Federation Cup.

    The recent win by Akwa United marked the second time the club will clinch the cup having won it in 2015.

    Akwa United went home with N25 million prize and will be representing Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup.

    Niger Tornadoes runners-up, who defeated defending champions, FC Ifeanyi Ubah are also N10 million richer.

    Speaking with NAN, a supporter, Ifem Eden, described the team’s victory over Niger Tornadoes as a well deserved one.

    “This is a tough game for us which we need to celebrate. We are happy with the kind of support we get from our governor.

    “We are very pleased with the win and the support we got from the Lagos fans,” he said.

    Another supporter, Godson Emmanuel, said with the victory the team had made a statement in Nigeria’s football.

    “This is our second win in the space of two years and we are happy; the support from Lagos fans is tremendous, maybe our people here must have prepared the ground for us.”

    NAN

  • Police arrest 16 kidnap suspects in Akwa Ibom

    Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested 16 suspected members of a kidnap syndicate said to be responsible for killings and kidnapping in Ukanafun Local Government, Commissioner Zubairu Muazu has said.

    Speaking at the weekend, he said the arrest of the criminals was made possible through a “well planned and coordinated operation.”

    Muazu said: “To build a peace process where crisis had occurred in the past, you need to pass through a lot of stages. Fears were already in the minds of the people and they felt unsafe. To erase this fear, we have to launch an undercover operation.

    “It went as far as people dropping threat messages to individuals in Ukanafun; ‘bring a certain amount of money or else we will kill you’. We got quite a number of such letters and threat messages. We analysed them and identified the syndicate and then launched an attack.”

    The commissioner, who spoke through Bala Elkaner, spokesman, said weapons and other items were recovered from the suspects, who were helping the command with information.

    Elkaner, who reviewed security situation in the restive local governments, said the reactive approach adopted by the command in the past helped the situation.

    This, he said, necessitated not only the introduction of “Operation Purge” by the commissioner, but also going in there to talk to the people.

    “There has been this reactive approach where police move in there, investigate and make arrests. This has not actually helped, so the police commissioner took this proactive measures, not just deploying troops but also meeting the people.

    “He was with the two communities where he held two meetings, discussed, identified and agreed on the solution with the people.”

    The spokesman said part of such solution was to identify buffers zones where the operation could be carried out, to reassure the people of police presence.

    He said the only approach that would bring solution was community policing, where the people would be involved in identifying their problems and proffering solution.

  • This dream must not die

    This dream must not die

    He had a dream that one day all the billions of dollars we lose every year to medical trips abroad will become a thing of the past.  And he sunk a fortune of Akwa Ibom’s fortunes into it. He felt we needed a hospital that can run at international standard. Not a teaching hospital, but a quaternary hospital, which is higher than a teaching hospital.

    Ibom Specialist Hospital was what Godswill Akpabio, ex-Akwa Ibom State governor and now a senator, called it. He equipped it, I am made to understand, in such a way that cardiologists from around the world can hook up to the theatre and see real time what is going on and make their contributions. He felt government cannot run such a facility. So, to private hands he handed it over. But government was still to offer financial assistance at the teething stage.

    So sure of the hospital was Akpabio that he declared: “The days of flying outside Nigeria to Europe, America, India and other places of the world for medical attention are over. Those days are behind us now. Why would anyone think of flying abroad for medical treatment when the best is at your doorstep? I have confidence in this hospital that is why I have come to do my routine checkup here, and with the quality of medical personnel here, our people and visitors are surly saved. Let others talk about it, not me. I am just here like many others, for medical checkup. What I know is that this is the best Hospital in Africa.”

    Akpabio’s medical visit to the hospital was after he had demonstrated what many considered as lack of trust in the hospital for flying abroad after a car crash. At the time of the crash, the hospital had been inaugurated. I am not sure all the required hands were on hand though.

    With about 380 suites, so many operating wards, one of a kind MRI system, fantastic CT scanner  and 150 expatriates on hand, it was like Nigeria was about to start taking its share of medical tourism.

    But less than two years after it was inaugurated, the Ibom Specialist Hospital, Uyo is closed.  The multi-million dollar hospital was shut down last month after its foreign managers, Cardiocare Medical Services Ltd, terminated their contract with the state government. Only security officials now occupy its massive enclave.

    This was a facility that held a lot of promise.  Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, after a visit to the hospital, said: “With facilities at Ibom Specialist Hospital, medical tourism abroad can be reversed”.

    He went on: “Visiting the hospital complex today is an eye opener and as far as I know, there is no such complex like this anywhere in Nigeria.”

    Interestingly, Adewole’s enthusiasm is not shared by Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, who in June said the hospital was not capable of delivering the much-expected cutting-edge medical services.

    His Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dominic Ukpong, in a recent media interview, gave an insight into his boss’s thinking: “The whole thing wasn’t totally completed. The dialysis section didn’t come through. Three modular theatres were not yet completed. Some of the areas were not completed because the contractors did not have all their money”.

    These shortcomings notwithstanding, before it closed shop, a first timer to the hospital was bound to feel he was about entering a five star hotel.  It unfortunately had to run its expensive equipment, such as the 640- slice CT scan, Magnetic  Resonance Imaging, (MRI), x-ray with digital radiology, mammogram machine  and BC5380 Mindray machine, on generator because it was not connected to national grid.

    I understand that in its short lifespan, it did brain surgery for a six days old child. It removed tumour from a young child skull   and treated successfully patients who broke their spine or neck, hip and back in an accident. It also removed tumour in the brain of a patient referred from the National Hospital Abuja.

    It carried out operation without opening patients up. This is called laparoscopy surgery.  It carried out no less than six of such surgeries. Its gynaecology unit also carried out several surgeries through endoscopic procedures, such as laparascopic myomectomy and hysteroscopic.

    From its confines, fibroids were removed without patients being opened up. The doctors simply made a hole and through that, they got out the tumour.

    I also gathered that no less than 30 plastic surgeries were carried out  every month before the deal with the Akwa Ibom State government broke down.

    For me, this hospital is a dream that must not die. The Federal Government must come in and partner with the state government to ensure the hospital is re-opened for it to fulfil its objectives. It is a shame that at the slightest excuse we still run abroad for medical attention. For Adewole, who was Chief Medical Director at the University College Hospital (UCH) to describe the facilities at the hospital in glowing terms, he obviously was not playing to the gallery.

    Unlike the Aso Clinic, which has no syringe and other consumables as confirmed by First Lady Aisha Buhari, the N30 billion Ibom Specialist Hospital, according to Adewole, is second to none and has all it takes to stop the shameful practice of Very Important Persons (VIPs) running abroad for ailments that could be managed in Uyo.

    If what the VIPs are looking for is class, this hospital has it. The wards, the private rooms, operating theatres and so on are irresistible. Whatever remains unfinished there can be done to meet their standard. And if what they want is experienced doctors, the ones who left as a result of the termination of the management deal can be brought back.

    I believe part of the challenges the hospital faced was the cost of powering it.  A report said   N10 million was expended monthly on generator maintenance and diesel. The Federal Government can help with this. A small power plant may not be a bad idea for it.

    The dialysis section, the three modular theatres and other things the state government said are missing can also be added so that it can meet its expectation.

    My final take: If I were President Muhammadu Buhari, I would visit this hospital, inspect its facilities and enter a partnership with the Akwa Ibom State government. I will not be bothered by the fact that Governor Emmanuel  is of a different political party. In matters like this, politics should not have any role. I will ensure that the expatriates who dumped the hospital return. Another option may be to encourage some fantastic Nigerian doctors who have had the opportunity of the best medical facilities abroad to come run the equipment at this medical wonder.

    The president should also demonstrate faith in the hospital by going there for his medical check-ups. If he does this, his ministers and other top government functionaries will be bound to use the facility and not jump on the next available flight to see their doctors overseas.

    Until we demonstrate faith in our own things, we will not go anywhere. We will remain stagnant and eventually die. A river that refuses to flow is bound to dry up.