The Nation Newspaper

Tag: facilities

  • ‘New facilities ‘ll curb delays’

    The  three carousels and conveyor belts installed at the   D’ Arrival wing of the Lagos International Airport will fast-track departure and arrival formalities, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), has said

    At the inaugurattion of the facility, FAAN Managing Director, Saleh Dunoma said the measure was taken following passengers’ complaints that they spend much time to retrieve their luggage and to keep pace with growing traffic brought about by the remodelling of airports.

    He said: “The timing of this world class facility is in consonance with the authority’s readiness to thrill her esteemed airport users with fascinating travel experience especially with the approaching festive season usually associated with increased inbound passengers and luggage.

    “ The authority assures all airport users of improved quality services in line with global best practices as we are not unmindful of the need to provide world class facilities in spite of the economic challenges facing the country.”

    Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has concluded plans for global roll out of  an Airport Wildlife Trafficking Assessment Tool which will help defeat smugglers of endangered species next year, its Director General , Alexandre de Juniac has said

    The Assessment tool, according to Juniac was   developed in partnership with the World Customs Organization (WCO) with support from the USAID ROUTES Partnership, will be piloted with WCO at Maputo International Airport this

    The Tool will  helps airports assess their supply-chain security, intelligence and risk management, staff awareness, and reporting processes, alongside air cargo and passenger screening policy and procedures.

    He said : “ The illegal trafficking of wildlife products, including many iconic and endangered species, is an issue which the aviation industry takes very seriously. It will take a team effort to combat this deplorable trade. We are working in close partnership with USAID Routes, WCO, CITES and other organizations to make the world a much more difficult place for wildlife traffickers. Our common goal is to preserve our precious wildlife inheritance for future generations to enjoy,

    “Actors in the air transport sector can serve as the eyes and ears of enforcement agencies and can be valuable partners in the efforts to eliminate wildlife trafficking from supply chains.

    The Assessment Tool will enable them to identify weak points in procedures and practices, often exploited by traffickers, as well as ways of strengthening them,” said Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General.

  • Poor facilities spark bitter row at FGC, Ilorin

    Poor facilities spark bitter row at FGC, Ilorin

    The deplorable state of facilities at the Federal Government College (FGC) Ilorin has pitched the old students’ association against the school management and the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA). The alumni association is accusing the principal of being incompetent, and the PTA of mismanagement. ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and NNEKA NWANERI report.

    Forty-four-year-old Federal Government College (FGC), Ilorin in Kwara State, is one of the 104 Unity Schools that have produced many prominent Nigerians, including children of former President Shehu Shagari; and his number two man, Dr Alex Ekwueme.  However, many of them would not be proud of the present state of their alma mater

    The school gate, painted in national colours, may make a visitor think all is well. However, a few steps into the premises tell a different story. First, the stench that assails the visitor’s nose serves as a precursor for worse scenes to come.

    Just beyond the gate, the sports field is spotted on the left – overgrown with weed – and then building after building in various states of degeneration. Some no longer have roofs, others have gaping holes; while some are uncompleted. Window nets are in shreds and doors no longer in place, leaving the visitor alarmed about security, especially at night.

    Flooding has not helped matters, worsening the state of the already- dilapidated buildings. Some buildings have sunk to the extent of being abandoned and now serve as make-shift lavatories for students.  Iron rods for the decking of some buildings are now exposed. Weeds scramble for nearly all available space.

    Indoors, naked wires of electrical sockets hang out of walls, posing a danger to students. There are telltale signs of leaking pipes which have weakened the walls. The bathrooms are a sorry sight – with water-logged floors that breed spirogyra.

    This unpleasant scenario is pitching the FGCI Old Students Association against the PTA as well as the management of the school. The National President of the association, Jummai Ndalugi, is accusing the PTA of mismanagement, and the Principal, Mrs Rita Okpaleke, of sharp practices.

    Speaking with The Nation, Ndalugi, who was elected in February, lamented the sorry state of her alma mater and faulted the management for allowing the facilities to degenerate to such a shameful level.

    She said the association had been taking stock of the rot and sending pictures to many of their chapters within Nigeria and the Diaspora.

    “No water, no light, the students’ food is horrible, hostel is in a terrible state, in fact almost everything is in shambles,” Ndalugi lamented.

    Before she assumed duties, Ndalugi said some concerned old students had been sending money to the management to upgrade the facilities, but there was nothing to show for it.

    She accused the PTA of converting a classroom block to their office when pupils are crammed in classrooms.

    To ensure transparency and avoid project duplication, Ndalugi said the alumni has told Mrs. Okpaleke to stop collecting donations on her own or cajoling old students to pay.  She said the association would now be the only channel through which funds would be sourced.

    Ndalugi also accused Mrs Okpaleke of compromising standard by allowing burgeoning class population.

    She said: “When I visited this place in November last year, the students were 48 in a class. Now, they are about 60. I had to confront her and she said she took the action to assist parents who pleaded with her to assist their wards.

    “I then demanded from her the handbook or educational guide. Up till now, she has not given me. She runs the school on her own discretion.”

    She also accused the Principal of misguiding some religious organisations, which, she said, planted a church in the school in the face of many pressing infrastructural challenges.

    “A new building being erected is a Catholic church, and it is almost completed. The school already has a mosque and a church, and now another church is being planted. Soon, all denominations will build theirs here. If she (Okpaleke), as a Catholic member, had told the church that the students have no conducive place to lay their heads, I am sure families from Catholic Church are passionate about humanity, and would have fixed all the leaking roofs,” she said.

    She expressed sadness that an ICT facility built for the school by previous administration was yet to be put to use.

    “The computers have remained fallow for about three years now. When we asked her why she did not allow students use them, she said it is because the building was not inaugurated. Now that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced computer-based examinations, why aren’t the students being taught how to use computer instead of allowing them to lie fallow?”

    The alumni president also accused the principal of using the media to mislead the public on the true state of things.

    “One newspaper publication shows that road works are ongoing but there is nothing in reality. The boreholes donated are not well maintained. She (Okpaleke) claimed that they buy new pumping machines every six months, but I wonder if that is possible.  We (alumni) wanted to give some money and requested for the school account. Rather, a personal account was given. Management’s claim was that the money would take time to be released,” she said.

    Ndalugi said she was on a mission to restore the glorious past of the college – the past that she enjoyed as a student when schools offered quality education.

    “We want to start with the roofs, then windows and floors. Chairs and tables are not important for now because there are still heaps of unused furniture the principal kept aside for no tangible reason. There are no fittings. If we start with that, the students can live and be more attentive in class,” he said.

    The alumni is reaching out to members, donors, and NGOs, and keeping records of those who have promised to fund specific projects to forestall a situation where the school management makes similar requests from the government.

    Reacting to the issues raised by the alumni president, the PTA Chairman, Isiaka Tunde Adesina, said the infrastructural challenges of the school were huge and beyond what the PTA could  handle.  He urged the government and the old students to come to the school’s aid.

    Adesina denied the allegation of misappropriation of funds by the PTA, saying all dues collected over the last two years of his administration were judiciously used. He said the PTA had introduced some fees to augment the poor feeding and pay PTA workers and housemasters. With the reduction of PTA dues to N5,000 per child per term by the Federal Government, Adesina said the PTA was further handicapped and would find it difficult to start capital projects.

    Adesina said before the government pegged PTA fees at N5,000, parents used to support the school by paying meal subsidy.

    He said: “Last year, we released N3 million to subsidise feeding. That is N1 million per term.  The issue of hostel is beyond the power of PTA. It needs total overhauling by the government. At worst, the old students can come in.

    “Government warned us not to embark on any capital project. That is why the new circular states that no student should pay more than 5000 per term, which translates to 15,000 per annum.

    “Before now, students paid N7,500 per session which means N2,500 per term. New intakes in JSS1 and SS1 pay N15,000, while returning students pay N9,000, including meal subsidy of N3,000 per annum.

    “We pay PTA staff salary not less than N450,000 per month, including the housemasters so they can cater for our children well. There are 26 of them on our list – teaching and non- teaching.  Since the beginning of my tenure, I increased their salaries by 15 per cent.”

    However, Adesina credited his administration for completing the school clinic, which the old students equipped with beds and mattresses.

    A parent, Mrs Toyin Abdulahi, said two of her children in the school complained of clumsy and over-crowded hostels with inadequate water supply. In her view, the living condition is terrible.

    “Each time my children come back on holidays, they complain of the way the food is prepared: their beans is on one side of the plate and water on the other.

    “I am particularly concerned about the amount charged for text books this year. We are asked to pay N12,000, which is too much, yet to me, does not cover up to half of the books,” she said.

    Another parent simply called Mrs  Jimoh recounted how she spent a fortune treating her daughter of skin infection. According to her, her daughter contracted the infection while cleaning stagnant water in the bathroom.

    “Each time she comes home, she is either taking an injection or using one expensive skin cream or the other. Her legs are full of spots now and I am afraid she might end up hating herself in the future because of those spots,” she said.

    Mrs Okpaleke, on her part, declined to speak on the matter, claiming she is a civil servant.  Calls and SMS put through to her were not answered.

    She claimed she was in church the first time our reporter reached out to her on phone. The next day, she said she was in a meeting. However, the third time, she just ended the call.

    A week after, her phone was answered by a male who introduced himself as her Personal Assistant (PA) though he declined to give his name.

    His response to the allegations was: “I have no comments.”

    Ndalugi urged the Federal Government to take a cue from FGCI experience, adding that, henceforth, the government should send principals with passion for children to Unity Schools, “rather than those who see such appointments simply as an opportunity to make money.”

  • GenCos may shut down facilities over N156b debt

    GenCos may shut down facilities over N156b debt

    The electricity generation companies (GenCos) have threatened to shut down over N156 billion debts owed them by consumers, especially government agencies.

    Investors that bought the six power generating companies unbundled from the state firm, Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) said they would shut down their power plants if the N156 billion debts about $485 million owed by government agencies were not paid. They also said banks were recalling loans advanced to them.

    In a joint statement yesterday, the GenCos said they will shut down power supplies unless the government pays longstanding bills it owes them and improves gas supplies.

    The GenCos, which include Transcorp’s power and Forte Oil’s power, said they struggled to repair their networks because imports of spare parts had become too expensive due to naira devaluation. “In 2013, when we bought the power plants, exchange rate was N150 per dollar. Today it is N310  per dollar. How can we repair, equip, acquire new turbines at this rate of N310 per dollar and yet still operate with an old tariff?A shutdown is, indeed, imminent,” they said.

    If the companies make good their threat, most industries and residential homes will be in darkness except for those that rely on expensive diesel generators.

    The government has paid arrears of N186.7 billion. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has stepped in with a N213 billion loan to keep the system afloat and allow the power firms to access credit, but more is needed as the oil price slump puts pressure on Nigeria’s currency.

    The naira has lost 40 percent of its value since Nigeria ditched its 16-month-old peg of 197 naira to the dollar in June in a bid to lure back foreign investors who fled both the equities and bond markets after the plunge in crude prices.

    After the privatisation of the PHCN assets, the government pledged to review tariffs as more power is generated and upgrade the transmission network to give more people access to the grid. But tariff reviews have not kept pace with rising cost, worsened now by the naira devaluation.

    In February, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) increased tariffs by 45 percent, triggering protest from consumers, already under pressure from rising inflation, which hit a 10-year high in June. But the tariff increase was not enough to cover their cost, the generating companies said.

    As of last month, the generating firms have received only 28.6 percent of their April invoices, they said.

    Chronic power shortages are one of the biggest constraints on investment and growth in Africa’s largest economy. Producing less than 4,000 megawatts (Mw), Nigeria’s requires ten times the amount it currently produces to guarantee power to its 170 million people.

    However, the generating firms are holding off on expansion. Generating companies have around 5,000Mw of spare capacity which has no access to gas, they said.

    In 2013, the government privatised the power sector to attract private sector investment into it and boost supply but the improvement is yet to be seen as militants and vandals continue to destroy the gas pipelines.

  • ‘Cargo airports without facilities won’t work’

    ‘Cargo airports without facilities won’t work’

    Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) Managing Director Mr. Rizwan Kadri believes it is good that some states are considering having cargo airports.But he advises that the airports must have amenities to facilitate exports. Kelvin Osa-Okunbor met him.

    Some states are building cargo airports to promote agro-allied exports. What should be done to ensure they succeed?

    The cargo sub-sector is one of the most prominent, viable and promising of all the sectors in the aviation industry; most of the airlines earn a lot of revenue from this sector. Yes, it is a good idea, but then, merely announcing cargo airports without adequate facilities will not work. So, whatever they are doing has to be planned. Building cargo airports where you have the farmers but without infrastructure, such as good road network around them, cold room, as well as other storage facilities, will be tantamount to mere jamboree.

    The government has announced plans to privatise some of the major airports. How should this be done to avoid the inefficiencies in previously privatised entities?

    It’s a good plan, but it has to be done well because private models have worked everywhere. One thing to avoid is selling these infrastructure to friends or people without the requisite capacity to operate them efficiently. Airports are not just for commercial interest, they are very sensitive facilities for the country; the airports must not only be good, they must be user-friendly as well. So, everything you do here must be well planned.

    When you privatise, the government relaxes and the private operators take the ownership, put in their money and manage them to make profit; they will not like to have any undue interference because his money is involved. Private airports will really work if they are planned well.

    What are the effects of the foreign exchange regime on the cargo handling sector?

    Forex has huge effects on the cargo business. Since Nigeria depends largely on imports, the exchange rate problem also affects imports because what an importer spends on commodities before has now doubled. As a result of this, every item that comes into the country has become expensive since our international trade depends on the dollar.

    The airline business is further compounded by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new forex policy, which makes it very difficult, or almost impossible for foreigners operating in the airline industry to repatriate their earnings. The exchange rate has led to a significant drop in the volume of imports into the country. Imports is paid for mainly in dollars; so if somebody bought a product last year and the same product is costing almost double this year, what will he do? And because the cost of importation has gone so high, the market is low, even some of the traders have stopped importing.

    Why is it that over the years the cargo sub-sector of aviation has not been active in contributing meaningfully to the economy?

    You see, during the oil boom, people tended to neglect this sub-sector. However, due to the dwindling oil prices, coupled with the downturn in the country’s economy, exports have become one of the major factors and cargoes always play major economic role for any country. The link between getting the stuffs in and out of any country is cargo related, whether air freight or sea freight, you need the cargo operation to succeed. So, basically, cargo plays a very important role in aviation. My vision for cargo is to have a fantastic cargo operation that will play its expected role in the light of the current financial challenges Nigeria is facing.

    Last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) ranked Africa, particularly Nigeria, low. Why? How do we improve on it?

    A lot of factors are responsible for it. First, the government never promoted the cargo business. During the oil boom era, people made so much money from there but neglected other areas including the cargo sub-sector. Export has not really played its expected role before now because no serious and conscious efforts have been made in the past to promote it. What should have constituted the bulk of Nigeria’s export are agricultural produce, but like I said, conscious effort was not made in the past to promote it because of over dependence on petrol export.

    How can this imbalance be corrected?

    To correct the imbalance, basically, the government should look out for more exports. It should motivate its people, who I see to be very hardworking. When a country has that, the country has an asset in that it has an industrious and rich population that could readily provide the needed labour. When this is done there would be more than enough to engage the cargo operation.

    Secondly, for exports to thrive there should be a lot of incentives given to the farmers so that they can produce more for export. The roads, transportation and connectivity are not so good to bring in goods to Lagos or the nearest airport; the storage facilities are not there; all these have to be put in place. Besides, a lot of backing from the government is required. We need a lot of government support for the aviation industry to grow; we have to do something about the customs duties that are very high; help the farmers out, have production within the country for export, identify key countries we want to export to. Above all, government has a role to play in encouraging the cargo sub-sector to grow.

    The IATA has raised concerns over high airport taxes and charges in some African countries, including Nigeria. How is this affecting cargo and ground handling business?

    Interestingly, this observation has been on for a long time. It has been a huge area of concern for investors in the aviation sector. I think IATA has passed the message across, the way the message should be couched that African countries need to  do something about prohibitive chages and taxes. If government does not do something urgent about this, the negative impact on the industry is dire. I am convinced that the relevant agencies, have noted the concern and are doing something to address the situation .

    In Nigeria, I am reliably informed that a committee set up by the government on airport charges and charges as it affects all operators is being looked into and I am sure the matter will be resolved to make the operating environment friendly. When charges are too high, it does not encourage cost recovery for any investor.

    In Nigeria, ground handling companies are already feeling the impact of high charges and taxes. The way to go for me, is that the relevant agencies of government should engage operations in line with global standards to fix charges  and taxes that would achieve a win win situation. That for me is the way to go. If the industry is feeling the impact of high taxes and charges, this has a huge effect on costs of running the business.

  • ‘Poor storage facilities hamper local horticulture’

    ‘Poor storage facilities hamper local horticulture’

    Efforts at increasing horticulture production are being undermined by lack of adequate infrastructure, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Mufutau Animashaun, has said.

    Animashaun underscored the importance of developing modern agriculture to support the growth of fresh produce industry.

    He  stressed  that  farmers  need to  apply new storage concepts to achieve prosperity in rural areas, calling for improved post-harvest capacity to ensure horticultural crops, fruits and vegetables are in supply, and at the same time narrowing income gap.

    According to him, the situation is  an impediment to the government’s quest to motivate farmers to boost local production to ensure food security, aside robbing farmers of their primary source of livelihood.

    He said: “The missing thing in crop harvest in this country is post-harvest technology, management and packaging; these are very essential and important in any nation’s agricultural growth. This is what gives the developed economy edge over us, they believe in technology a lot and they spend money on research. You can’t import a technology that was made for a country with different climate to a country that has a very strong climate.Iam an ardent preacher of environmental reality. Any problem in this country has its own solution here and not a borrowed solution.It might solve the problem temporarily.”

    To reverse this, Animashaun said his organisation is working with a sister institution in the UK to provide solutions.

    He said: “We have a post-harvest unit that  is very involved in researches and test for most fruits and vegetables for supermarkets in the UK  such as Tessco, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Marks and Spencer and other major big supermarkets. We carry out the palatability test, aroma, flavour and acceptability by consumers of all these products that come to UK and we send our analyses and results to them.

    “However, I am back to establish a similar thing in Nigeria where we have post-harvest unit in some of our institutions especially in Lagos state where we have land constraint, we have areas where we can locate containerised cold rooms and offer post-harvest management and packaging of these crops.

    “This will help them to retain their original freshness and increase their shelf lives and that is why we have the value chain from the farm to the table you have it fresh.

    “Farmers can form a co-operative society and have a common cold room where companies can buy from there and do all the marketing and other necessary things like post-harvest treatment on their own.’’

  • Fed Govt loses N1.3b daily to Avengers’ attacks on oil facilities

    Fed Govt loses N1.3b daily to Avengers’ attacks on oil facilities

    Sustained attacks on pipelines by Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have led to the daily loss of 140,000 barrels of crude from oil fields operated in Bayelsa State by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and Aiteo Oil, it was learnt yesterday.

    Using $48 per barrel price benchmark, the two oil firms are losing an estimated $6.72m (about N1.3 billion).

    Eni, an Italian energy firm and parent company of Agip, said the oil firm’s production had been cut by 65,000 barrels per day following last Friday’s attack on its pipeline in Bayelsa.

    Previous attacks in Agip oilfield on May 18 and May 24 were said to have resulted in a shutdown of some 5,200 barrels of the company’s equity share of oil output.

    A company source, who pleaded for anonymity,  confirmed the development yesterday.

    The source said: “The total deferred production due to the attack is 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent daily. There is no further impact on production, since all production from the swamp area has already been stopped days ago.”

    Spokesman of Aiteo – operator of the Nembe Creek trunkline –  which was attacked on May 28,  Mr. Shola Omole, said the line which conveys crude to Bonny export terminal had been shut.

    Omole said some 75,000 barrels daily production had been deferred as the line remained out of service following the attack on the facility.

    Figures from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) could not be obtained, but the Dutch oil firm has placed its oil exports from Bonny export terminal under force majeure.

    Force Majeure is a legal clause that frees a company from liabilities arising from its inability to meet contractual obligations due to reasons beyond its control.

    SPDC in 2014, sold the 100-kilometre Nembe Creek trunkline to Aiteo, but still relies on the line to lift crude produced from onshore oilfields in Bayelsa to the Bonny terminal in Rivers State.

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, was quoted as saying that Nigeria was producing 1.6 million barrels per day, excluding further production outages due to attack on Agip, Chevron and Shell at the weekend.

    The development will likely affect the implementation of the N6.07 trillion 2016 budget premised on a daily crude oil production of 2.2 million barrels.

    The Niger Delta Avengers, the group which has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, has rejected dialogue with the Federal Government, demanding instead a Niger Delta Republic.

    But the Federal Government, which has delpoyed troops in the creeks has vowed to deal with the militants. It has deployed attack aircraft, and naval war boats in the region.

  • Dalung, delegation inspect RIO facilities

    Dalung, delegation inspect RIO facilities

    The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung has described his delegation’s visit to Rio, venue of the forthcoming Olympic Games as indispensable .

    Dalung made the remark after a three day visit of facilities in Rio to be used by Nigerian athletes during the games.

    A five-man delegation comprising the minister, President and Secretary General of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel and Tunde Popoola, as well as the Director General of the National Sports Commission Alhassan Yakmut and the Director Federations and Elite Athletes Department, Mrs Hauwa-Kulu Akinyemi had visited facilities and the games village where Nigerian athletes will be residing throughout the games.

    According to the Minister, the visit was necessary to enable the ministry to plan ahead for the games.

    “Nigeria will be taking part in just a few sports and the venues are scattered across Rio. Our visit to the various venues, some of which are 90 per cent ready, was very essential to enable us to plan for our athletes. What we saw gave us a first hand information on what to expect in terms of movement, arrivals, accreditation and distance between games venues and athletes village as well as mode of transportation”.

    The delegation, which was also scheduled for inspection of facilities with the Malaysian delegation visited the  Riocentro Convention Centre which will host Badminton, table tennis and weightlifting events as well as the Carioca Arena 1&2 which will host basketball, judo and wrestling.

    The delegation also visited the Maraca Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies and football matches and the Olympic Stadium for track and field events.

    On the last day, there were presentations on NOC relations and services, sports entries, arrival and departure of athletes and officials, accommodation, ticketing, accreditation, hospitality House, medical services and dignitaries.

    The Rio Olympic Games start from August 5  to 21. More than 10,500 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees, including Kosovo and South Sudan for the first time, will take part in the 31st Olympiad.

    Nigeria will compete in athletics, canoeing, table tennis, men’s football, wrestling, power lifting and men’s basketball.

  • Company to commence $11m catering facilities

    Catering facilities worth $11m is to be constructed by an in flight catering out fit in the country to take care of foreign airlines coming into the country.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Things Remembered Mrs Adeola Omikunle, who disclosed this at the launch of Hennessey bar at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, said 60 to 70 percent of foreign airlines operating into the country will be adequately taken care of when it begin operations.

    Mrs. Omikunle noted that Things Remembered partnering Hennessey by opening the Hennessey bar at the MMIA was as a result of the high consumption of the product by Nigerians.

    According to her, it was part of Things Remembered’s contribution in adding value to the facilities at the airport.

    Mrs. Omikunle who has eateries at the General Aviation Terminal, MMA2, Abuja terminals and MMIA also supply domestic airlines with in flight catering services.

    “Our motivation is to add a value the airport, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. We are trying to rebrand Nigeria and this is the way that I’m contributing my own quota in rebranding Nigeria.

    “We are in Abuja airport, GAT, MMA2, and then the MMIA. And for your information, we are also doing air flight schedules.

  • Care, jobs, facilities in Abia

    Care, jobs, facilities in Abia

    The weak have been strengthened, some deficiencies addressed in Arochukwu-Ohafia area of Abia State, reports UGOCHUKWU UGOJI-EKE 

    For people in need, the gesture was unforgetable. Basic necessities are few. The only primary school in one of the communities is almost a write-off. The youths need jobs while their parents pine away at unprofittable farms or menial jobs. Worse, many of the residents do not enjoy good health. That was why Hon Uko Nkole’s gesture will remain with residents of Arochukwu/Ohafia in Abia State for a long time.

    Nkole, who represents the area at the House of Representatives, provided health care for over 1000 patients from the locality. He paid for their treatment and gave them money for drugs. Nkole also took up the responsibility to re-roof Ndi Aku Ohafia Primary School, the one and only such institution in that community. In the language of the state, the lawmaker has ‘adopted’ the school.

    Most of the beneficiaries were residents of Ohafia, though some others came in from neighbouring communities. The great thing, though, is that the gesture will go round the district, Nkole said.

    The free medical treatment which was conducted at the premises of the Ebem Ohafia Primary School in Ohafia Local Government Area was in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Challenge Aids & Malaria in Africa (CHAMA).

    Speaking during a visit to some of the patients who are recovering after surgery at Uzondu hospital and Polyclinic Amaekpu Ohafia Nkole  said that he would offset their medical bills as well as provide money to buy more drugs to meet the growing need of patients that kept coming for treatment.

    Nkole said that he will also pay the bill for the roofing of the Ndi Aku Ohafia primary school, the first and only primary school in the area since its existence which is in a dilapidated condition.

    He said, “In line with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s policy of adopting a school, I am adopting the Ndi Aku Ohafia primary school to reroof the classroom block which has been in a very bad shape for years.”

    The federal lawmaker said he will help single mothers at Amangwu Ohafia get a job by providing 25 of them with sewing machines and  promised to pay for their shops.

    Nkole also promised that in next phase of the free medical scheme those with hearing impairment would be included even as he assured that he would draw the attention of the state government to the scheme for sustainability.

    Speaking at the event the Executive Director, CHAMA Mission, Dr Olugu Ukpai, said that for about 10 years the NGO has borne the burden of funding the free medical scheme alone and lauded Nkole’s response to their distress call.

    Dr Ukpai explained that the material and financial commitment of the Rep member has helped the organization to reach more people in need and urged individuals, governments and organization to emulate him.

    He lamented the level of poverty and ignorance in the area which he said were responsible for most of the health challenges, stressing that he was drawn into the vision by the death of his 16month twin daughter, Goodness, who died as a result of malaria.

    Reacting Rev Alfred Ogbonna Olugu a beneficiary, who was treated of malaria and eye problem, thanked God for raising people with the vision to assist the less privileged in society.

     

  • Troops storm militants’ den, foil attack on more facilities

    Troops storm militants’ den, foil attack on more facilities

    A combined military task force on Sunday launched a manhunt for Chief Government Ekpemupolo (also known as Tompolo), his associates and other believed to be masterminds of attacks on crude production and export from the Warri area of Delta State.

    It was gathered that at least one suspect was arrested in connection with the attacks.

    The gang had hit major gas and crude oil trunk lines, including the major Escravos-Warri-Lagos-Abuja gas trunk line of the Nigerian Gas Company and several platforms of oil multinationals operating in the region.

    Plans to hit more oil facilities, including the Opumami location of Con Oil Limited, on Sunday morning were foiled by the security operatives.

    The latest violence in the region began after a Federal High Court issued an arrest order on Tompolo who failed to appear in court for trial on a N34bn fraud.