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  • Labour: why we opted out of revolution mass action

    The organised labour distanced itself from the botched mass action tagged: “Revolution Now”, because the issues involved were not thoroughly debated by the appropriate organs of the Congress. It noted that before embarking on any mass action or street protest, issues involved would have been exhaustively debated.

    In a statement by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, the decision to do a mass action or any form of protest, the union said, is usually taken by those organs.

    “Accordingly, we wish to state unambiguously that neither has such an issue arisen nor a debate for a mass action taken place, let alone a decision to proceed on a mass action.

    “We are, therefore, not involved in any street protest. Nonetheless, Congress respects the right of the citizenry to freely associate and hold an opinion and to peacefully protest against any policy or policies with which they disagree,” Wabba said .

    Similarly, TUC President Comrade Quadri Olaleye, in a media statement on the protest, distanced the union from the protest, saying it had no plan to embark on mass action or street protest in the country for now.

    Olaleye clarified that TUC was not in league with any group whatsoever, for any mass action in any part of the country. He stated further that there were no issues in contention with any public authority that had not been subjected to social dialogue.

    “The labour centres, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), therefore wish to inform members and affiliate unions, civil society allies and the general public that they are neither  organising nor getting associated with any mass action or street protest over any issue in any part or every part of the country in the days ahead,” it said.

    The NLC further said if such issues arose, the Labour Centre would go through its internal mechanism to procure authority for such an action, bearing in mind that its organs must be properly briefed and thorough debates undertaken before the organs can give approval.

    “In this case no issue has arisen, no organ has been summoned, and no debate has been undertaken, therefore no such decisions have been taken,” it said.

    The TUC also expressed commitment to the corporate existence of Nigeria, adding that citizens reserved the right to express themselves in any manner they deem fit, taking into cognisance the laws of the land.

  • Lagos market association craves PPP for reconstruction, hub

    The Arewa Perishable Foodstuffs Market Association (APFMA), Mile 12 Market, has called on the Lagos State government and private sector to partner her in its ongoing renovation of the market aimed at making it a world-class vegetable hub.

    The call for support, the association noted, became necessary given the level of finance needed to complete the projects.

    According to the market spokesman, Femi Odunsanya, the project is also aimed at attracting investors to the market as it does not only serve Lagos and other southwestern states, but also the West African sub-region.

    He explained that since the assumption of office of the market’s executives, led by Alhaji Shehu Usman, they begun the reconstruction of the market, starting with the renovation of its front view from the Kosofe area to Maidan area.

    “The market now has different gates to monitor entry and exit, and security to regulate the stipulated market hours of 7am to 6pm,” Odunsanya said.

    Other features being built into the market include perimeter fencing, demarcating it from the road to ease off traffic and to stem loitering around the market areas. The front view is being aesthetically designed and upon completion would have signpost, the country’s flag, flowers and others. A recreational centre would also be built around the market.

    Read Also: We need your support to succeed, Abiodun tells financial institutions

    Odusanya noted that the project would address street trading in the area as every seller would be mandated to sell inside the market.

    He said it would also discourage open defecation in some parts of the market, combat hooliganism and insecurity.

    “We want to achieve security. The market is time operational. We want to ensure that we are able to monitor and secure the market properly.  The market starts by 7am and closes by 6pm; with this fencing and gates, it will help us a long way.

    “Again, there would be no loitering, waiting or hanging around the market corridors. We also want to ensure there is free flow of traffic along this axis.  Again, when the environment is always clean, it will keep off those who see every spot as a toilet. Since this new leadership began, they have been trying to give the market a befitting metropolitan aesthetic look that would attract investors and also give buyers a sigh of relief to shop comfortably in the market,” Odusanya noted.

    To achieve this, he explained that the union has recruited 100 security personnel and taskforce agents that would synergise with the police force and army unit in the market to make the project fruitful.

    Odusanya further explained that the association would also be constructing its interlocking roads within the market that would aid easy and quicker offload of goods brought into the market.

    He noted that from the Bill of Quantity of the union, the project for the road construction is estimated  at N300million. So far, he said, almost N30 million had been expended to give the market a new look.

    He added that a good drainage system, borehole and sandfilling of the swampy portion of the market were also part of the project the union wants to achieve.

    He advised the government to see the step taken by the association as a motivating factor to assist the executives in executing the projects.

    “We are hopeful that this will energise and motivate the government, private organisation and financial institutions to come and partner with us. There are a lot of potential in the market that people have not really tapped.’’

    His confidence in this may not be faulted. For instance, the country is said to lack tomato preservation plant, irrespective of the fact that the crop is a seasonal product. Besides, agricultural practice in the country is rainfall dependent, meaning there are very few mechanised irrigation farms around.

    These factors, among others, make the sector unattractive. Odusanya explained that owing to this, there were times traders were forced to sell a 40-kilogramme basket of tomatoes for as low as N2, 000; the same size of tomatoes at off-season period, can be sold for N40, 000.

    He contended that if the market could have a preservation plant that could preserve tomatoes during   bountiful harvest, it would help make the crop available at all seasons at cheap prices and also reduce post harvest wastages.

    “We want to have a new modern market. The state and the local governments get revenue from this market; so, it is ideal for them to give back. We are appealing to the private sector and financial institutions to come and partner us on these projects to make this market a world-class market hub. The Department of International Development (DFID) UK Aid has done alot in training tomatoes traders and handlers. We have been trained, but there are no infrastructure to support or practice these training as they are not available in the market. We need a Public-Private Partnership system because there is a lot to be done which the country can benefit from,” he added.

  • Bayelsa community: The army lied on invasion, says lawyer

    There have been outcries over the recent invasion of Azagbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State by the Nigerian Army. Soldiers reportedly stormed the community following the alleged killing of two of their colleagues guiding an oil platform in the area.

    Armed hoodlums attacked soldiers in the facility killing two of them and stealing their arms. Reacting to the development, the army deployed soldiers to the community to fish out the perpetrators. But the community raised the alarm that the soldiers destroyed their properties, burnt down their homes, stole their valuables and attempted to rape their women.

    While condemning the killing of soldiers, different people and groups lampooned the army for allegedly violating rules of engagements. The commentators, including the Kennedy Olorogun-led Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), Central Zone, wondered why the army would burn down a whole community, including the only storey building in the area because of the sins of few youths.

    Following large-scale lamentations from the community and other stakeholders, the army, through the 16th Brigade acknowledged that soldiers were deployed to the community to fish out the killers of their colleagues. But the spokesman of the Brigade, Major Danjuma Jonah, said the soldiers did not burn any house in the community.

    Read Also: Police fault Army’s claim over Taraba killings

    He said: “Our men did not burn down houses in Azagbene community. We were only combing the community and neighbouring towns in search of one soldier that was missing as a result of the attack that led to the death of two other soldiers. We are carrying out the search for the missing soldier in conjunction with the leaders of the community. So, that is what is going on now. I cannot give you the details of the operation until it’s over.”

    But a prominent Human Rights Lawyer in Yenagoa, the state capital, Wisdom Adike, contradicted the claims of the army. Adike recently undertook what he described as a suicidal journey through secret canals in the creek to get to the Azagbene community. He said soldiers blocked the major waterways to the community and prevented him from passing through it. Adike, who said the army lied, shared his experience with the Niger Delta Report in the following interactions.

     

    We learnt you went to Azagbene community in an investigative tour. How did you access the community?

    I can’t divulge how I went there. I followed a secret canal. The canal is known by only the community people. An insider took me through that path. The main access has been blocked by the Nigerian Army. They are trying to cover up what they did in that community. They destroyed all the houses. They burnt down the only storey building in that community. It has come to a stage where we have to put all these people in check. If we do not do all these things, we have failed the society as human rights lawyer. I don’t believe in just telling people. I believe in going to the scene.

     

    In your investigations of what happened in the community, what did you observe?

    I saw a state of confusion in that community. People are homeless. They are so afraid that once they heard the military is coming, everybody runs into the bush. Soldiers are now threatening and intimidating them. The matter is similar to the Odi case. There was an allegation that two to three soldiers were killed by unknown gunmen. Upon hearing these things, these community boys fished out two of the suspects, but one escaped. They handed one to the Nigerian Army. But the army told them that they should ensure that they bring the other one. Before the next morning, soldiers came and burnt down houses in the community. They even attempted to rape a girl. I have her witness statement. I have taken everything on record.

     

    When did the soldiers invade the community?

    It was early in the morning. It was between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. This thing happened on the July 23. They invaded the community, burnt down their properties. In fact, they assaulted old women and children. They attempted to rape one.

     

    What did the people tell you were their reactions when they saw the soldiers early in the morning?

    When they saw about 15 military gunboats according to eyewitness reports l got in the community, they ran because the soldiers were not coming in a friendly manner. They soldiers told them that if they failed to provide the second suspect, they should take whatever they see.

     

    Don’t you think the anger of the soldiers were justifiable since their colleagues were killed by people they believed were hiding in the community?

    Soldiers lose their lives in the cause of doing their lawful duty. Then if there is a suspicion that maybe one or two youths might have committed a crime, by virtue of the rules of engagements, the law provides that the duty of the military is to investigate and bring those culprits to justice. Why do we have the military intelligence?  The essence of the intelligence department is to investigate and get the information they need for an operation.

    You can’t just begin a full-scale action that has made many people in the community homeless. It is even against the rules of engagement. In the treaty of the United Nations, the rules of engagement state that where the two forces are similar, the military can undertake this kind of action in defence of the nation. But in this instance, two or three suspects went out to commit a crime and the community being lawful, went after those people and caught one of them and handed the person to the army, the next day the army went to destroy the properties.

    In fact, the only storey building in the community was destroyed. It also violates their rights to life and property enshrined in the Constitution. The duty of the military is to defend the people not to put their lives under threat. Read sections 42 and 44 of the constitution, the rights to own properties are expressly provided.

    This is another Odi scenario in a low tone. The difference between Odi case and this is that people died in Odi case. But this other one, people are homeless and injured. Some are treating their injuries. My human rights friends all over the world are on this case. I have sent some facts to them.

     

    How are the people in the community coping?

    It is unbelievable how they are coping. Most of them sleep on the streets. Most of them squat in people’s houses. And the properties they burnt were worth hundreds of millions. Following the facts that most of these communities are in the waterways, they don’t have access to banks.

    So, most of them keep their money in their houses. Most of them are wood dealers and farmers and they save a lot of money in their houses. One of them told me that apart from his destroyed properties, the money he saved was worth more than N1.5 million. Another resident said the soldiers stole his money because where he kept the money, fire could not have destroy it. So, they even went there to steal, which is a breach of their oaths of office.

    We are ready to face them within the ambit of the law. We are not scared of anybody. In fact, with what I have seen on ground, the military lied. They lied in totality. In fact, the military misled the Nigerian state. They breached the trust of Nigerians.

    I am not saying this to favour anybody. I am stating the fact because I was on ground. It took me days to the creeks. The question we should ask is: if the army knows they have nothing to hide, why did they block the waterways to the community? They are still going to the community to check and put fears in them.

     

    How did you know they blocked the access?

    I was supposed to pass through the main access to the community, but they stopped me. I have to turn back through one community called Agudiama. I followed a secret path that the community doesn’t reveal to outsiders because I had recommendations and the community viewed me as a human rights lawyer. They know me that whenever I am handling a matter, I do it sincerely. I don’t play pranks and I am not a politician. I don’t belong to any political party. I am purely a human rights practitioner and I earn my living from my private legal practice.

  • Afreximbank reaffirms commitment to Africa’s transformation via trade

    The African Import Export Bank (Afreximbank) has reiterated its commitment to integrate and transform African economies by promoting intra-African trade.

    The bank, in a statement on Monday quoted its Managing Director on Intra-African Trade, Mrs. Kanayo Awani, as saying this at the “Trade with Africa Business Summit’’ in Chicago, United States of America.

    Awani said efforts to open up African markets should be accompanied with industrialisation and capacity building initiatives to help African countries produce value-added goods.

    She said such an approach would allow for such value-added goods to be traded within the continent and globally in a competitive manner.

    “Afreximbank is already financing and facilitating the production of such value-added goods, using a number of instruments which also support intra-African trade.

    “This includes supporting the establishment of industrial parks and export processing zones, establishing Africa quality assurance centres, and setting up export trading companies.

    “The bank has also recently inaugurated the Pan-African Payments and Settlements System, established MANSA, an Africa customer due diligence repository platform, and instituted the Intra-African Trade Fair.

    “This is to further boost intra-African trade and support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),’’ she said.

    Awani said the bank was ready to work with partners, including the United States to promote inclusive growth and socio-economic transformation in Africa.

    She said with the number of Africans in Diaspora, there were opportunities for growth in Diaspora-focused trade in ethnic foods, textiles, the creative industry, including music and film, and tourism.

  • LCCI raises concern over multiple exchange rates

    The Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has raised concern over the multiplicity of exchange rates in the country, saying the situation creates undue arbitrage opportunities and transparency issues in the market.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, its President, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, therefore, urged the Federal Government to address the issue, noting the wide gap between the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) N305 rate and other rates at N360 and above.

    The LCCI chief, who lauded the Federal Government’s efforts in making the forex market relatively calm with stable rates and liquidity ease across the market, however, said a market driven approach to exchange rate offers a more sustainable option of managing the forex market.

    “This is because the Nigerian foreign exchange earnings are largely dependent on oil, and if there is a crash in the oil receipt, the CBN may not be able to sustain the intervention.

    “We, therefore, need to diversify the economy so there would be more flow of forex from other sectors of the economy than just crude oil whose price remains volatile” Ruwase said.

    He also noted with grave concern the increasing wave of insecurity in the country especially as it concerns kidnapping, herdsmen attacks on communities, ethnic and religious clashes and many more.

    While acknowledging that the Federal Government through its security agencies are making concerted efforts to stem the cycle of criminalities across the country, Ruwase urged the government to be more strategic in its approach so that its efforts will yield the desired results.

    “It is important to stress that this wave of insecurity is doing a lot of damage to the image of the country and the economy, as prospective investors may become discouraged to invest in the economy while local businesses continue to groan under the uncertainty created by continued insecurity in the land,” he said.

  • Buhari’s move to revive textile industry raises hope

    Stakeholders in the textile industry have praised the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for prioritising job creation in his second term in office, using the textile sector as launch pad.

    Describing the administration’s policy direction in favour of reviving the comatose textile industry as a welcome development, the stakeholders said the move has raised hope of bringing back the sector’s lost glory as the second highest employer of labour after the government.

    President Buhari had, during a visit by representatives of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers (NUTGTW), led by its President, John Adaji, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, recently, said his priority in his second term in office is to create jobs for the teeming population of unemployed Nigerians.

    Stakeholders in the textile industry, including youths, who warmly received the cheery news, expressed hopes that a rebound of the textile industry would not only create millions of jobs, but also earn the nation huge foreign exchange, while also creating a multiplier effect on other sectors of the economy.

    Read Also: Neglects in education, healthcare fueled security challenges – Buhari

    Some of them, who spoke with The Nation, recalled that the closure of textile factories across the country opened up the evil doors of crimes among which are robberies, cattle rustling, kidnappings and drug abuse, among others, adding that worst hit is the North, largely due to its large population.

    They also recalled that in the early 1990s, the textile industry was the largest employer of labour after agriculture and oil & gas sectors. This fact, according to them, was reaffirmed by the NUTGTW delegation, which is a critical stakeholder in the industry.

    One of the stakeholders, who pleaded anonymity, said Buhari’s decision to ride on the crest of a revived textile industry to create jobs was an addition to previous job creation policies put in place by his administration.

    He listed some of them to include import restrictions that offer affordable and accessible capital incentives to both small, medium and large cottage industries dotting the country, the Presidential Executive order that seeks to encourage the procurement of made in Nigeria goods.

    He also said the President had directed that all security agencies- Police, para-military, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other uniformed agencies that import textiles materials for their uniforms should henceforth source their materials from within the shores of Nigeria.

    While noting that such strategic policy directions set the stage for massive employment of Nigerians especially in the textile sector, he said there should be a sustainable industrial policy emphasising the need to add value to cotton rather than importing finished goods or textiles from abroad.

    The stakeholder added that government should grant tax holidays to manufacturers operating in the textile sector to reduce their tax burden. “This will likely empower them to have access to funds to improve their production capacity.

    “Secondly, government can also make foreign exchange available to enable operators import the necessary machinery and equipment for the comatose industries and set up new textile plants, while also ensuring uninterrupted power supply to existing and new plants,” he stated.

    Encouraged by the president’s pledge to bring back the good old days of massive employment by the textile sector, the Union, which was full of commendation for Buhari, decorated him as its Life Patron.

  • Roadblocks to sugar self-sufficiency

    The National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) targets domestic production of 1.7 million metric tonnes by 2020. This will cut down sugar importation, which gulps N350 billion yearly, and also create jobs. But, few months to the deadline, Nigeria is not likely to meet the targets. She continues to consume between 1.5 million and 1.7 million tonnes of sugar yearly, making her Africa’s largest sugar importer. Operators blame this on conflicts with landowners/communities, insecurity and lack of infrastructure. They recommend, among others, closing the infrastructure gap and creating sugar hubs and intervention fund to stimulate the industry, Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA reports.

    As a committed investor in the sugar industry, the Group Executive Director, BUA Group, Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu, is in a vantage position to know what ails the industry. And, by extension, he also knows what is required to turn it around in order to achieve Nigeria’s target to become self-sufficient in sugar production and consumption and also guarantee a bountiful Return on Investment (RoI) for investors.

    To make these happen, Rabiu said, for instance, that the Federal Government should double its efforts in addressing some of the observed deficiencies holding the sugar industry down. He listed some of the issues to include huge capital cost for investors,unending conflicts with landowners/communities over land acquisition, insecurity, infrastructure deficit, water and environmental issues, as well as lack of synergy among regulatory agencies.

    The BUA Group executive director spoke penultimate week on the “Challenges of emerging sugar companies in meeting the sugar demand of Nigeria” at the maiden conference of the Sugarcane Technologies Society of Nigeria (STSN) in Abuja.

    He said other factors contributing to the slow implementation of the Federal Government’s Backward Integration Programme (BIP) for sugar include skill deficit and lack of synergy among various stakeholders.

    The BIP for sugar was aimed at boosting the implementation of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), which began in January 2013. The NSMP was aimed at encouraging local production of sugar and halting the importation of the product, which was costing the nation a whopping N350 billion annually. Specifically, Nigeria, under the plan, targeted domestic production of 1.7 million metric tonnes of sugar by 2020.

    The plan also sought to create jobs, contribute to the production of ethanol and generate electricity. While 37,378 and 79,803 direct and indirect/seasonal jobs were expected to be churned out from the sector, respectively, the plan targeted the production of 161.2 million litres of ethanol annually. It was also envisaged that Nigeria will ride on the back of the sugar master plan to generate 411.7 megawatts (mw) of electricity yearly.

    To meet these ambitious targets, the NSMP said there was the need to establish about 28 sugar factories of varying capacities, and bring about 250,000 hectares of land into sugarcane cultivation. The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, which developed the sugar master plan, made it clear that the bulk of the investment capital required to meet the targets would come from private investors.

    This was why the Federal Government entered into a tripartite arrangement with the three major investors in the sugar value chain namely, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, BUA Sugar Refinery Limited and Golden Sugar Company to drive the implementation of the roadmap. But six years down the line, and with only few months to the 2020 target, there are no visible signs on the horizon that Nigeria will be self-sufficiency in sugar.

     

    Unending conflicts with landowners 

    For BUA Group and indeed, other investors in the BIP for the sugar industry, reining in host communities whose disposition to investors has been everything but friendly has become imperative. The Nation learnt, for instance, that many of the projects in some communities, which would have raised the NSMP’s implementation profile, have been stalled by government and host community’s unwillingness to give out land.

    For instance, BUA Group’s investment of $300 million in its integrated LASUCO Sugar Company in Lafiagi, Kwara State, is expected to produce 35 megawatts (MW) of electricity to be used for the factory, while the excess supply will be added to the national grid. Also, the plant, when completed in 2020, will produce 20 million litres of ethanol per annum and 200,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar annually.

    Despite these mouth-watering deliverables, BUA Group was said to have reported community hostilities against operations at its project site in Lafiagi Sugar Estate. It also recorded incidents of physical attacks against contractors working on estate roads and irrigation canals. Flood protection dykes constructed at very huge costs were breached and cane fields washed away. Farm infrastructures – irrigation systems were damaged.

    The Nation learnt that the story is the same for Dangote Sugar Refinery, which acquired 6,500 hectares of land in Guyuk for the expansion of its Savannah Sugar Company Limited, Numan, in Adamawa State. The project was reportedly stalled at some point by unrealistic demands by local community leaders.

    The company’s project site in Lau/Tau in Taraba State, also suffered the same fate. After the company was said to have gotten a Certificate of Occupancy (CoO), and had paid compensation following which 20 hectares of nursery was established for further development, the Taraba State administration allegedly frustrated the projects with its “untenable demands.”

    Golden Sugar Company Limited, another investor, also suffered similar fate when its Golden Sugar Estate in Sunti witnessed many disruptions during its development, requiring, at some point, interventions by police and local chiefs. The company’s intention to expand its cane fields was also stalled due to hostile and anti­-investment sentiments.

     

    Reeling under high production cost

    Although Rabiu praised the NSDC for stimulating investment in local sugar production for self-sufficiency, he lamented the high cost of sugar production and heavy capital investment. He noted that Nigeria is Africa’s largest sugar importer, with consumption ranging from 1.5 million to 1.7 million tonnes per annum.

    This, according to him, translates to about 8kg per head, which is low compared to the Africa average of 17kg. He said Nigeria’s low consumption capacity was due to lack of infrastructure, which drives up project cost, as well as heavy capital investment in plantation development, irrigation facilities, mills construction, and direct land acquisition by investors etc.

    Synergy among stakeholders, regulators imperative

    Although Rabiu said his company has made significant progress and that BUA’s LASUCO Company will be the biggest integrated sugar plantation in Nigeria upon completion in 2020, the need for synergy among various stakeholders and building capacity among the industry regulators is not lost on him.

    For one, such synergy will ensure optimal and sustainable development of the value chain for sugar as a commodity right from production to the market. And the value chain, according to experts, begins with farmers, who must be provided with all the necessary inputs including the variety of sugarcane to plant to be able to deliver the quality of sugar required, and the right quantity per hectare.

    It will also encourage not just large scale sugar cane plantation, but also Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) to provide their own support to the sugar master plan. There will also be full involvement of members of host communities as farmers who will be involved in the sugar value chain instead of allowing them become a spanner in the works for investors.

    Synergy and collaboration will also ensure that sugarcane out grower farmers are encouraged and supported through the provision of credit facilities, procurement of necessary inputs and development of basic infrastructure.

    On the other hand, building the capacity of industry regulators will ensure that NSDC, working with relevant government agencies, walk the talk on halting the smuggling of sugar into the country. NSDC Executive Secretary Dr. Latif Busari stated earlier that smuggling was threatening the businesses of local cubing and packaging companies.

    Although Busari said then that the Council had evolved new strategies for effective implementation of the NSMP going forward, including increased inter-agency cooperation and sanctions for defaulters, such inter-agency cooperation has yet to halt the smuggling of sugar through the nation’s numerous porous borders.

    Sadly, the Federal Government has also not been able to enforce the ban on the importation of sugar to encourage operators in the sugar value chain.

    Push for sugar hubs, intervention fund

    At the STSN conference in Abuja, Busari told participants that the Council was committed to achieving self-reliance in sugar development as contained in the NSMP. However, Rabiu said the Federal Government, through the Council, can help by creating sugar hubs and sugar sector intervention fund to stimulate the sector.

  • Terror victim

    Baby-mother. This best summarises the experience of Masenengen Targba, the 10-year-old orphan that was living in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Benue State, who was raped and impregnated by an unknown man. We have Chigozie Effe who shared the news on Facebook to thank for bringing her plight to the public space. Targba was dumped at General Hospital, Makurdi, at Northbank, by an unknown person in the early hours of August 4. She was said to be in labour pains because her time to deliver was due.

    She however needed surgery but could not afford it.  It was during interrogation that it was discovered that she is a Tiv and an orphan from Benue State, but she had been living in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Benue State, where she was eventually impregnated. Mercifully, a Good Samaritan, one Mr Ukan, took her to Foundation Memorial Hospital, Makurdi, Benue State, where Dr Ijoko and Dr Yima carried out an operation to deliver her of her daughter in the early hours of Monday.

    Targba’s experience is a wakeup call on the Federal Government and its security agencies to intensify the war on terror, with a view to decimating the terrorists on time and ensuring that peace returns to many of the country’s troubled states which necessitated the setting up of IDP camps in the first place. One thing is clear from reports emanating from many of the IDP camps: we do not have the capacity to ensure sanity in those places.

    Read Also: Two killed in Boko Haram’s attack on Maiduguri IDP camp

    IDP camps are supposed to cater to the needs of people who have been forced to flee from their own homes due to reasons beyond their control. They are supposed to be given the best of humanitarian care in a way that they would not have much nostalgic feeling about their predicament. Without doubt, there is no place like home; so they cannot be comfortable in the IDP camps the same way they would be in their homes. But then, we can still afford to show them some care and love because anyone could have been victims of what they are suffering.

    However, what we have in many cases are reports of the people who are supposed to make life meaningful for them in the camps exploiting their situation. Food items and other materials that are meant for the IDPs are converted to the personal use of some of the caregivers who do this unabashedly. This is bad enough. But more worrisome are the reports of some of these caregivers taking advantage of women and even young girls in the camps by making some of the essential items available to them in exchange for sex.

    Unfortunately, despite media reports of this ungodly behaviour, hardly do we hear of any punishment being meted to those involved, to at least deter others from toeing the same path. This is what has continued to embolden some people to commit these atrocities with impunity. Perhaps if some of those involved had been sanctioned, Targba would not have been in the situation she is in now; tending to her baby when she should herself still be under parental tutelage.

    Rape has assumed an epidemic dimension in the country. There is hardly any day that stories of rape are not highlighted in the media. It is high time the governments – federal and state – did something to check the trend. The country cannot continue to watch helplessly while people who cannot control themselves take undue advantage of women and children, sometimes ruining their lives and careers in the process. Our anti-rape laws should be made tougher to deter potential rapists.

    As for those in IDP camps, the only way out is for the Federal Government to quickly put the terror war behind us so that everyone can return to their homes without any fear of being traumatised again by terrorists.

  • Anambra shops for partners on healthcare delivery

    The Anambra State government has expressed its readiness to partner with the private sector towards revamping its health care system.

    Commissioner for Health, Dr. Vincent Okpala dropped the hint when members of Akpo Development Association (ADA) in Aguata Local Government Area of the state paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Awka.

    He said efficient service delivery and governance were among the six major building blocks a functional health care system was predicted on.

    He said the goal of government was to create diverse medical tourisms in view of the funds released by the Federal Government in the tune of over $2billion annually.

    “Health care system based on the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition has six building blocks which include service delivery and governance and leadership.

    “In Anambra State for example, we have 34 general hospitals and we want people to assist the government to optimise care in these hospitals,” he said.

    According to Okpala, there were lots of diaspora physicians from the state willing to come home, but were looking forward to a government not just ready to show leadership, but create enabling environment for them to invest.

    Read Also: ‘Clinical governance will boost healthcare outcomes’

    He said, “We’re trying to sponsor a policy on Private Public Partnership. We’re already negotiating with consultants who had worked with the World Bank and WHO with a legislative backing that will outlive this government.

    “Once these investors know you have a political backing, they don’t have any other option but to come in.

    “I’m happy that our state is the safest state in the federation, and I’m also excited to be working with a principal who doesn’t take the issue of security lightly.”

    The commissioner further revealed that his first few weeks of assumption was visits to health facilities across the state with a view to accessing their states for immediate interventions.

    His words, “My background is emergency medicine. The first thing you do at accident scene is “scene size up” which means to understand what you’ll dealing with.

    “My visit to the health institutions in the state is to get firsthand information on the real situation of the facilities.

    “The goal is to access their true situations, evaluate, strategise and find ways of deploying interventions.”

    Earlier, the leader of the delegation and President General of the Association, Nze Henry Caius Dim, said they were at the commissioner’s office to congratulate him on his new appointment which he described as not only timely, but well deserved.

    He urged him to take advantage of his tenure to better the lots of the health sector in their community and the state in general, including upgrading of the existing health facilities.

  • Residents fume as NDDC road project fails months after completion

    Praise Centre (Aya) Road in Effurun, Delta State used to be a source of worry to residents and motorists. But there was joy when contract for the construction of the road was awarded and eventually completed. Regional Editor, Port Harcourt Shola O’Neil reports that residents are sad again as a result of the road that has failed few months after its completion.

    Then construction work on Praise Centre (Aya) Road in Effurun, Delta State commence months ago, it elicited celebrations by, not just the thousands of residents of the area, but also inhabitants of other suburbs of Jakpa, Refinery, Ekpan and other parts of Effurun, headquarters of Uvwie Local Government Area.

    The road is strategically located to link the area to other parts of the twin-cities of Effurun-Warri, as well as to cut users off gnarly traffics from Jakpa and Sokoh Estate Junctions in that axis, and that of Ekpan/Housing Complex roads, which are usually knotty during rush hours.

    Sadly, barely two months after the road was opened to traffic, residents and motorists alike are seething over the failure of the multi-billion naira road project awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the area.

    Various sources told our reporter that the contract for the project linking Jakpa Road, through Aya (Praise Centre) Road, to Sokoh Estate Road was completed early this year, to the relief of thousands of motorists and road.

    “We were very grateful when the contract was awarded and started. When it was completed, we heaved sighs of relief because we can now cut off the tragic jam on Jakpa Road when going to Airport Road and other parts of Effurun and Warri,” an aggrieved resident of the area told our reporter.

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    Our checks revealed that the smiles have turned into frowns as the main road and others adjoining it have started caving in just months afterwards. Findings showed that the deplorable state of the road was due to an obvious wishy-washy job by the contractor and failure of NDDC engineers to carry out due supervision.

    Our reporter, who visited the area noted that the road has failed at several portions, notably at points where it connects with Jakpa Road, much to the chagrin of users and residents of the area. Several potholes are growing by the day, revealing very thin layer of tar over earth.

    Attempts by our reporter to get the details of the contractor that executed the project were futile. A signpost at the Church of God Mission (Praise Centre) section showed that the project was awarded to Comme Le’Etoile Limited. The job was listed as ‘emergency maintenance’. It reads: “Project: Instruction for Emergency Repairs of Failed and Unmotorable Sections of Praise Centre Road Linking Sokoh Estate Road, Effurun, Delta State.”

    Findings revealed that designation of the project as ‘Emergency Repair’ is inaccurate because some of the roads listed in the contract were earth roads and footpaths that had never been barred. This development raised suspicions that the description was deliberate used to bypass directives on award of new projects by the NDDC.

    “This is one of the abuses of the “Emergency Repair’ activities of the NDDC. The powers that be there know that it takes longer process to award new projects. So, what they do is to hide under the ‘Emergency Repair’ to award any contract that they want to,” a source, who asked not to be named revealed.

    Our source said he is compiling a list of projects similarly misnamed as part of a petition to relevant authorities on the issue.

    Meanwhile, attempts to get clarification from Messrs Comme Le’Etoile  were unsuccessful, as neither the company nor any of its officials could not be located at the No. 9, Abacha Road, GRA Phase 3, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, address listed as its office. Business owners and workers at the complex told our reporter that they do not know any occupant or business by the name.

    When contacted, the office of the NDDC Executive Director, Projects, Mr. Adjogbe Samuel told our reporter that there was no cause for alarm over the project, stressing that the contractor had more to lose than the NDDC, as it was yet to receive payment for the job.

    The EDP’s media aide, Mr. Ogheneovo Itefue, in a telephone chat with our reporter, assured that the contractor would not be paid until the commission is assured that the quality of the jobs passes its strict scrutiny on durability and specifications.

    “It is in the interest of the contractor to do a very good job because they will not be paid until a time when we are sure that the work has passed all tests,” he added.

    The claim could not be independently verified, even though feelers from the site hinted that the beneficiary might have received payment for the job.

    “What we are hearing is that the contract was awarded to a businessman, who is developing a property on this (project) area. The road also cuts through his property and that was why we are surprised at the quality of this road project.”

    A source said a contractor involved was in the past awarded a contract for the construction of the road on the street where he lives. The road project was also bungled, and is said to be in total ruin at the time of this report.

    “You then begin to wonder why the eggheads at NDDC continue to award contracts to people and companies who have record of not properly executing such jobs. We constantly reward people for misbehaving.”