Hundreds of residents thronged the streets of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Wednesday to welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his one-day visit to the state.
Undeterred by the heavy morning rainfall, enthusiastic supporters, including youths, women, commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders), and All Progressives Congress (APC) faithful, lined the roads, waving and cheering as the presidential convoy made its way through the city.
Okada riders, waving APC flags and singing party songs in local dialects, followed the convoy closely as it headed to the Government House for a stakeholders’ meeting.
President Tinubu is in Benue to sympathise with the state government and the people over the recent Yelewata attacks, which claimed the lives of more than 154 individuals.
Shortly after completing airport protocols, the president visited Benue State University, Makurdi, where he met with and condoled survivors of the tragic incident who are receiving medical care.
The elections in Niger State recorded massive and outright buying of votes from the electorate by some party officials.
In most of the polling units visited in Chachanga, Paikoro, Gurura, Suleja and Tafa, it was observed that the vote buying was not hidden from people as most of the voters hung around for the highest bidder.
The Nation observed in one of the polling units in Maje, Suleja where the women were given N500 each to vote while some youths rejected N250 asking for N1000 instead.
“We will take our vote and leave. What is N250?, let us go”, one of the youths who seemed to be the gang leader told the others.
In Gawu Babangida in Gurara local government area, The Nation observed vote buying as various groups were gathered in different corners but efforts to get close to them made them disperse with some of them pocketing the money they had collected.
In what seemed to be a confirmation of the vote buying across the state, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Honourable Ahmed Marafa, raised an alarm over increased money politics and the need to discourage the menace if credible candidates must emerge at the polls.
He condemned the situation whereby voters would be at polling units hanging around for the highest bidder before casting their votes.
The malnutrition crisis facing Nasarawa State is yet another grim reminder of Nigeria’s failure to meet the needs of its most vulnerable citizens. About 30 children in the state have died and 2,000 hospitalised due to acute malnutrition over the past three months. In 2013, the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) put stunting rates in the state at 34.5 per cent, while underweight and wasting rates stood at 20.9 per cent and 9.8 per cent, respectively. In 2017, it was 37.2 per cent for stunting, 20.7 per cent for under-weight and 6.8 per cent for wasting.
Malnutrition is defined by the World Health Organization as “deficiencies, excesses or imbalances of a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.” Its main manifestations are stunting (low height relative to age), wasting (low weight relative to height) and being under-weight (low weight relative to age).
Nasarawa’s predicament is replicated across Nigeria. About 25 million children suffer from wasting in the country, and an additional 17 million children are stunted due to chronic malnutrition. At least 3.5 million children under five years of age suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition in the country’s insurgency-ravaged north-east.
The implications for the country are grave. Malnutrition is a condition whose effects are far more deleterious over the long term than most ailments. Those children who survive are likely to be smaller, weaker and less healthy than their peers. Many will suffer from learning and other disabilities, and will be more vulnerable to a host of infections and diseases later in life. Nigeria is thus likely to be deprived of the potential contributions of citizens whose capacity to contribute meaningfully to national development has been circumscribed due to no fault of their own.
If this lamentable situation is to be reversed, it will require a comprehensive effort to tackle the causative factors in a holistic manner. Perhaps the place to start is in policy formulation. Although Nigeria launched a National Food and Nutrition Policy and Plan of Action in 2002, current high child malnutrition rates clearly show that it has not been as successful as it should have been. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) claims that only 156 out of the country’s 774 local governments are implementing extensive nutrition programmes.
A more stringent execution of the 2002 action plan is critical to providing the framework for successful intervention in the child malnutrition epidemic. It provides states and local governments with clearly-outlined measures for tackling the problem, and makes arbitrary and uncoordinated responses less likely to occur.
In the immediate short-term, efforts must be made to ensure that all at-risk children are located and treated. Time is of the essence in treating malnutrition, and it is vitally important that patients can be brought in, properly evaluated and put on a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) regimen which helps to rapidly restore weight. The 15 nutrition centres set up in Nasarawa to fight the malnutrition scourge are clearly inadequate for a state with a population of 1.869 million.
Comprehensive public enlightenment campaigns are another vital element in the battle against child malnutrition, because it helps to overcome the ignorance that makes mothers feed their children with the wrong kinds of food. When the populace can easily obtain information about the vital necessity of breastfeeding, regulated diets, recommended foods and methods of cooking, it will be better able to make the right choices.
Enhanced access to cheap and nutritious food is another important strategy. Increases in agricultural output must be translated into greater availability and cheaper prices to enable all citizens to feed their families properly.
Ending the long-running insurgency in the country’s north-east is critical to winning the war against child malnutrition. If farms cannot be cultivated and populations are constantly on the move due to unrest, it is unlikely that malnutrition can be effectively ended.
The sooner a lasting peace arrives, the faster a final victory can be achieved against the despoiler of Nigeria’s precious children.
OSUN State All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged voters to come out on Saturday to vote in the council election.
The party advised residents, particularly its supporters, to vote for those they want to be in charge of their councils.
It said: “It is a responsibility they should not take lightly.”
A statement yesterday in Osogbo, the capital, by APC spokesperson Kunle Oyatomi, reads: “Participation in local government election is as important as any other election in the country, and for locals, it should perhaps be more important for residents of the locality because it is their closest interaction with governance through which they can be heard.
“Since it is official from the state electoral commission that the election is holding on Saturday, and since no other agency is authorised by law to do so, it is imperative that voters turn up for the election.
“Nobody should allow himself/herself to be deceived that there will be no voting on that day. Anyone who says so will be attempting to fool you. So, you have to come out and vote for the candidates of your choice.
“Any party that is not participating in the election may be doing so either out of ignorance or fear of possible disgraceful failure at the polls, or both. However, the APC already has 280 of its candidates returned unopposed out of the 389 wards. But that’s not a reason to take victory for granted in the remaining 109 wards for grabs. Go out on Saturday and register a decisive victory by voting for the APC from the rest of the contest.
“The local government election will give a vivid indication of what the governorship contest of September will be. The APC expects no less than a resounding victory.
“As you read this, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is the most vitriolic opposition party we have in Osun, is so disorganised that its centre cannot hold.
“Besides, efforts to patch the factions together have repeatedly failed; which is an indication that the party is incapable of governing. They are falling apart even before the people of Osun show them the red card for the fourth time. The first time the PDP got the red card was in 2003, (but it took the court’s intervention in 2010 to stop PDP from stealing victory).
“The second time was just under a year that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came to power in 2011. That was when Senator Iyiola Omisore and others were removed from the National Assembly. The third humiliation of Omisore and the PDP was in 2014, when, in spite of the massive deployment of Federal might in the Senator’s favour, he lost the governorship election woefully.
“The fourth time will be a double on Saturday and in September that crushing defeats in both the council and governorship elections will nail the coffins of the PDP once and for all. That will be the crowning glory for a brilliant patriot of Osun origin who has so robustly fought a monstrosity called the PDP from stopping progress in Osun. God bless Ogbeni.”
The Oyo State Alliance for Democracy (AD) has concluded arrangement for massive registration of old and new members.
A statement at the end of an inter-faith prayer meeting at the party’s Yemetu, Ibadan, state secretariat said the massive registration was aimed at officially bringing together like-minds under the AD platform to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.
Signed by Dr Akin Onigbinde (SAN) and a former AD Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Babatunde Oduyoye, the statement said the massive registration would allow true progressives and those genuinely interested in restoring Oyo State to have a solid platform to actualise the ambition.
It added that the tradition of fulfilling electoral promises and catering for the welfare of the citizenry remained a major credential of true progressives in the AD.
Residents of Daura, Katsina State, trooped out in their thousands yesterday to attend the Eid-el-Kabir prayers with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Eid prayer ground in the city.
The President is in his native town for the first time since he returned from medical vacation in London.
He arrived Daura on Wednesday.
The crowd, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state, lined the President’s route from his residence, waving as his convoy snaked its way to the prayerground.
It was gathered that some of the people had already observed their owns prayers at different prayergrounds in the city.
They concluded their prayers before 9 am and immediately headed straight to the President’s route to catch a glimpse of him.
By the time Buhari arrived the prayerground, it was already filled to the brim.
He joined the congregation to observe the two rakaat prayers led by the Chief Imam of Daura Emirate, Mallam Muhammadu Salisu Rabe.
The crowd that greeted him on the road as he headed back home after the prayers seemed to have doubled with many of them struggling to record the President and his convoy on their mobile phones.
A similar large crowd of residents had trooped out on Wednesday to welcome him back home.
Many of them rushed to the helipad to receive him and his entourage.
So massive was the crowd that he opted to walk from the helipad to his residence with the people.
Speaking with journalists at his residence after the prayer, the President expressed happiness that many Nigerians came out to observe the prayer.
For the umpteenth time, he asked Nigerians to continue to live peacefully together for the sake of national unity.
He was particularly pleased to see the NYSC members, noting that the scheme has gone a long way in fostering national unity since its inception in 1973.
”I am always pleased to see corps members in Daura and other parts of the country. From the postings, we get to learn more about other cultures,” he said.
He also posited that that the large number of corps members in Daura, mostly from the southern part of the country, was an indication that the dream of a unified Nigeria remains a reality.
According to him, graduates from the North serving in the Southern states also learn a lot from the diversity that makes Nigeria a unique country.
He recalled his experiences working in different parts of the country as an army officer, saying that serving in southern parts of the country, including Lagos and Ibadan, gives him a lot of joy.
Through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President sent a cow, ten bags of rice and N250,000 cash to members of the NYSC who lined the road to greet him.
The Corpers Liaison Officer (CLO) Nnamdi John, on behalf of the group, thanked the President for the gift.
He expressed happiness with the President’s decision to do everything within his power to keep Nigeria united.
Corps members, he said, would be safer under a peaceful and united Nigeria.
Shehu later told reporters that the President’s kinsmen had the double joy of celebrating Eid-el-Kabir and seeing him after almost a year since his last visit home.
The security sector requires massive injection of funds to guarantee protection of lives and properties, the Chief Executive Officer of Solidpro, a professional security outfit, Mr. Francis IEA, has stated.
He said security operatives need a lot of technological installations to work with to boost their efficiency.
IEA spoke last week at the commissioning of the outfit in Lekki, Lagos.
Technologies, according to him, can improve intelligence gathering and help the nation’s fight against terrorism.
He said: “Security is more than physical structures but more of technologies and invisible gadgets. Nigerians need to embrace more of these to save costs.”
Chairman of the occasion, Dr Iruofagha James, called on Nigerians to show more than passing interest in security matters and stop leaving it alone to government.
He said Nigerians and government must be willing to invest in security to protect the nation.
According to him, “No amount of time and resources invested in security is wasted.
“I am optimistic with the state of the art of technology and security equipments displayed, adequate effort will be made to overcome any security threat and also fortify its intelligence gathering.”
Lagos Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Gideon Abafi, stated that with the advance of technology, Nigerians should increase their support for security agencies to tackle the waves of criminal challenges.
Several roads in Lagos, including those built by the Federal Government, have been in bad condition due to several factors. The state of the roads has resulted in undue hardship for road users and other commuters who spend hours in gridlocks. But bad roads may soon be a thing of the past as the state government has launched a massive road maintenance project following a directive by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports.
Residents of Ikotun/Ejigbo area of Lagos State will not forget in a hurry the hardship they had to endure for years passing through the Ikotun-Ejigbo-Isolo Road. Those who live in Okota area also have similar sad tales to tell. Protracted gridlocks caused by bad roads were common, but road users in those areas are beginning to heave a sigh of relief.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode paid an unscheduled visit to the area, describing the state of the roads as unacceptable. He assured residents of a face lift.
The result of his promise is that the deplorable portions from Egbe Bridge to Ikotun have disappeared, while work is ongoing on the remaining bad portions, most of which have been levelled to make movement easier.
On the Ago Palace Way in Okota, the General Manager, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Li Bing, said the rehabilitation will be completed in three months.
He spoke when the road was inspected by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr Ajibade Bade-Adebowale.
During the inspection, Governor Ambode said he received distress calls on the roads’ condition. He said he went “to see things for myself”.
“The road is too strategic as it serves as a major link road connecting several local government areas. Hence, it cannot be left at the state it is currently,” he said of the Ikotun-Ejigbo Road.
•LSPWC men at work
He said the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) had been mobilised to provide palliatives to ease gridlocks often experienced along the corridor.
Ambode added that the state government would provide some degree of respite and succour for the people, adding that his administration “will never take people and any part of the state for granted.”
In line with that directive, the LSPWC, on Wednesday last week, formally launched what it called “Operation Fix the Potholes” project.
It will involve repairing bad spots on major roads within the metropolis. The project, which is already ongoing in various parts of the state, was officially inaugurated at Berger with road repairs around the axis.
General Manager of LSPWC, Ayotunde Sodeinde said Governor Ambode directed that all roads in Lagos, including those belonging to the Federal Government, must be fixed.
•Sodeinde
According to Sodeinde, repairs will be done at night in areas with heavy traffic. Roads with light traffic will be fixed during the day to ease vehicular movement.
Sodeinde took journalists on a tour of some roads undergoing major reconstruction, such as Metalbox Road, which connects Wemco and Acme roads in Ikeja.
He said: “We’ve been waiting for a favourable weather, although we’ve done a lot of roads already. By the time we finish the operation, we would have touched 192 roads.
“A lot of our roads have pot holes but we’ll fix them. We’re going to do it across Lagos. Where we discover that we cannot use asphalt, such as water-logged areas that won’t allow asphalt to stay, we’ll use paving stones.
“We want to guarantee residents of Lagos that we won’t stop until all pot holes are covered. It’s what we’ll be doing everyday and you will be seeing the results soon. We’re working in areas with light traffic during the day. But where there is usually heavy traffic during the day, the work will be done at night.
“We’ve been doing federal roads. To our governor, all roads being plied by lagosians must be fixed. There is no distinction between federal, state or local government roads. He asked us to “attack” all the roads because he wants to ensure that he alleviates the suffering of lagosians,” Sodeinde said.
Asked to name some of the roads to be repaired, Sodeinde said virtually every road in Lagos with pot holes or bad spots that restrict free flow of traffic will be touched.
“Hardly will you see a road in Lagos without a pot hole. So, we’re going to visit everywhere and ensure that we erase all the pot holes,” he said.
The LSPWC boss called for the co-operation of all residents, saying: “we can’t see everything. Although we have people who inspect or monitor the roads, road users can also contact us.”
He said residents can contact LSPWC with information on roads in need of urgent repairs via its email: enquiries@lspwc-ng.com or his phone number: 08023131820. Road users can also submit complaints via its website: www.lspwc-ng.com.
Sodeinde urged residents to avoid pouring water, washing vehicles, servicing cars, or burning firewood or charcoal on tarred roads.
He said: “Water and petroleum products are not friendly to asphalt. People who sell roasted plantain, maize, akara (bean cake) should not do it on the road because fire is not good for asphalt.”
He said the agency has received several complaints regarding the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, and that work was already ongoing on the road.
“Even though it is a federal road, I can assure you that we have moved into that road,” he said.
Already, people are beginning to appreciate the governor’s intervention. Residents of Ejigbo and Ikotun areas of Lagos have commended Ambode on the commencement of repair works of Ikotun-Ejigbo-Isolo and Okota roads, which had been a nightmare for motorists.
The Ekerin of Isolo, Chief Samina Lawal, praised the governor for the action and appealed for speedy execution of the project.
An Igbo leader in Lagos, Kanayo Osondu urged the government to consider a total rehabilitation of the road, while admitting that the palliative work has reduced travel time from Ago Roundabout to Cele-Express.
Osondu said: “Before this palliative work, we usually spend about one hour to move from ago roundabout to Cele bus stop, but since the road was repaired, it takes just about five minutes to get to Cele Express. It is a good measure for traffic to flow.
“You know that people going to Ikotun-Egbe, Jakande Estate and Ijegun all ply through Cele and the traffic is always heavy. We thank the governor for this quick intervention.
“But then, if nothing concrete is done, by the time rain comes again, it would wash away the palliative measure taken. It is better the contract is awarded so that a permanent solution can be put in place,” he said.
The immediate past chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said people of the area are excited that within months of Ambode’s administration, he could promptly come to their aid.
He pointed out that the road could not cater for the high population living in the area, which makes its repair and maintenance imperative.
LSPWC has vowed to ensure that the governor’s vision is realised. Sodeinde said: “The LSPWC is an agency charged with the primary responsibility of maintaining and rehabilitating state roads.
“Having creditably done this for almost 30 years, evidence of the corporation’s work is all over various communities in the city and suburbs of the state.
“Lagos State’s peculiar topography, population and general environmental characteristics make the task of making all roads motorable a daunting one. However, members of staff of the corporation are ready, willing and able to give all it takes to succeed against all odds,” he said.
Everyone likes a discount. That is why stores sell more products through promotions. This makes the shopper to spend more and come back more often. Discounts are good but no matter how big the discount is, stores almost never sell at a loss, TONIA ‘DIYAN writes.
Knowing that stores keep reeling out discounts and promos daily to attract buyers, a shopper, Augustine buys items he doesn’t really need simply because they are discounted, he is an impulse buyer just like many others.
He has failed to realize that retailers sell the same product to the customer, but raise the price and even put a discount on it, so the shopper is happy with the discount, while he is actually paying more.
It is funny what luxury retailers do to get the attention of shoppers some times. Augustine knows an Italian shoes store that is has the ‘buy two get one free’ promo ongoing. Excited he ran off to go get the awoof, only to discover that the price of the two items could fetch him four of the same quality stuff from another shop in the same neighbourhood. He left the place having realised that he would have played the mugu if he had not known the other store.
But one thing was certain. The offer made people rush to that store and they did make great profit for the retailer.
The scenario is similar to when global system for mobile communication (GSM) technology was first introduced into the country. The telecommunication companies, in collaboration with handset companies ran similar promos. The level of sales today explains how huge the profit they made at the time.
Retail experts have said it is important for stores to offer good services, thereby endearing customers to always come back. Former Broll Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Erejuwa Gbadebo once said: “When it comes to sales and discounts, shoppers want to see all products offered and prices available on daily basis, most importantly, they like to see excellent customer service that they will receive which of course, they are entitled to. It is almost a sure bet that everyone will be coming back over and over whether there is a sale or not.”
She added that friendliness and good service is better. “I have been to many shops where all they are concerned about is for you to buy something. All they want to do is make sales. If a shopper finds himself in such shop and is not sure of what to buy, he would either be thrown into confusion or end up buying the wrong item.
That’s why it is always advisable to go to a reputable shop where one can ask questions and receive good answers concerning purchases. Such shops would care about maintaining their name and reputation, so they would most likely give a good service.”
Have you ever bought an item you do not really need simply because it is discounted? Many people do. Many stores keep reeling out discounts and promos to attract buyers.
I have observed a few things shops do to make more sales.
They sell the same product to the customer, but raise the price and even put a discount on it, so you are happy with the discount, while you are actually paying more. But discount is good isn’t it?
Everyone likes a discount. On the other hand, stores sell more products through promotion, so the shoppers spend more and come back more often. Oh yes, discount are good but mind, no matter how big the discount, a store almost never sells at a loss.
It is funny what luxury retailers do to get the attention of shoppers some times. I remember an Italian shoes store that was doing the ‘buy two get one free’ promo last year. A friend of mine was so excited that she ran off to go get the awoof, only to discover that the price of the two items could fetch her four of the same quality stuff from another shop she knew. Of course, she left the place and came back to tell me that she would have played the mugu if she had not known the other store.
But one thing was certain. The offer made people rush to that store and they did make great profit.
It reminded me of when the GSM first came out. So many promos were on. Calls were N50 per minute and people rushed at the great offer. The communication companies, in collaboration with handset companies ran similar promos. The spate of sales today explains how huge the profit they made at the time. Yet, they continue to make huge profits.
But the method I love is the one where stores offer good services, thereby endearing customers to always come back. Sales and discounts, but then once they see all the products offered and the prices that are available everyday and the excellent customer service that they will receive, it is almost a sure bet that everyone will be coming back over and over whether there is a sale or not.
Friendliness, good service, better
I have been to many shops where all they are concerned about is for you to buy something. All they want to do is make sales. If you find yourself in such a shop, woe betides you if you are not sure of what you want. You would either be thrown into confusion or end up buying the wrong item.
That’s why it is always advisable to go to a reputable shop where you can ask questions and receive good answers concerning your purchases. Such shops would care about maintaining their name and reputation, so they would most likely give you a good service.
Shopping is about so much more than a sales transaction, so shops that haven’t yet got the message ought to get out of the game.
Even if the shop is 20 years past its last refurbishment, it is amazing how well we would understand if the workers are knowledgeable and friendly and recognise us as individuals. The worst offenders are those who take your money without acknowledging your presence.
For me, people who do not give a hoot about providing an exceptional customer experience ought not to be trading. If you are not being served, walk out.
I went to a cosmetic store sometime ago. There was just a young man selling and customers were so many. He attended to each individual so well that the customers waited patiently until he could attend to them. All they said was that he should not be the only one attending to customers.
In such a situation, some customers could have gotten angry and left but the young man’s disposition made them wait. That is what good service can do for you.
For any store to grow, friendliness and good service cannot be over looked. All too often we hear complaints by word of mouth stating that an employee at a certain business was rude, callous, or uptight while servicing a customer. This creates a huge problem for the business. Word of mouth travels extremely fast and we all know that when we hear something, we take it to heart and usually stay clear of the business without even trying it out for ourselves, especially if it came through someone whose judgment you trust.
Talk to your customers, smile, make suggestions but do not be overbearing at the same time.
Keep in mind that once the consumer is in the store, your focus should be on merchandising. We have already established that the discounts could draw customers to your store but it does not guarantee that they will come back on days you are not offering discounts. So what do you do? Avoid filling racks with discounted products. It is better to move appealing products to the front and promote by using eye-catching displays.
Maintain the value of your retail brand with a clean and well-presented store front. Regardless of the economy, consumers want to enjoy their shopping experience. Make sure your store front is warm and inviting get-away from the daily economic downturn.
Yes, buyers may be looking for bargains, but they also value a fun and entertaining shopping experience. If you provide that, the customers will come.
