The Nation Newspaper

Tag: persons

  • ITF’s skills acquisition scheme for internally displaced persons begins

    ITF’s skills acquisition scheme for internally displaced persons begins

    • CPC opens Consumer Voice on TV

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has finalised plans to commence a skills acquisition project for Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in Nigeria.

    The initiative, according to its Director-General, Mrs. Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko, is in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to the reduction of poverty and crime across the country.

    She spoke when she paid an unscheduled visit to the camps of the internally displaced persons in Jos.

    Meanwhile,  Consumer Protection Council (CPC) said it will begin a consumer education television programme today to equip consumers with the necessary skills for market interactions.

    In a statement, CPC said the new move was designed to raise the bar of consumer education for Nigerian consumers to assume their rightful kingship position in their interactions in the market place.

    The ITF chief assured the IDPs that the agency, in line with its mandate, would provide vocational and technical trainings and help open up employment opportunities, noting that the training programmes would kick off very soon.

  • School trains 2,000 visually impaired persons

    The Nigeria School of the Blind (NSB) has trained no fewer than 2,000 visually impaired persons (VIPs) in vocational skills.

    At a briefing to herald NSB’s 60th anniversary in Lagos, its chairman, Mrs Biola Agbaje, said the VIP’s were trained in computing, tye and dye, daily skill living, mobility skills, operational skills for job placement, teaching and pastoral care.

    The school, she said, does after care service for its ex-trainees with the creation of a Cooperative and Thrift Society.

    According to her, N1.9 million has been earmarked to provide start-up soft loans for the trainees or for sponsorship to return to school.

    Mrs Agbaje said the school is open to more support and partnership for the next 60 years, adding: “The society must not die because of the good it is doing to the virtually impaired community”.

    She recalled that NSB was founded in May 1955 with assistance of the late Sir James Robertson, then Governor-General of the Federation, with a vision to rehabilitate and train visually handicapped adolescents and adults.

    From one building, the school, she said, today has different structures which include Braille library, cane workshop, dining room, music studio, hostels, classrooms, cooking and gymnastic rooms.

  • Group makes case for disabled persons

    Group makes case for disabled persons

    The Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has expressed its regret that persons with disability (PWD) are in deprived situation in terms of access to justice in Nigeria.

    The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr David Anyaele, said persons with disability are being discriminated against, even as they experience difficulty in getting justice.

    He spoke during a seminar for Persons with Disability (PWD) at Clean Foundation office in Ojodu, a Lagos suburb.

    Mr. Anyaele, who presented abridged report entitled “Enhancing Access to Justice for Persons with Disability in Lagos”, said the NGO conducted a survey on the topic in Surulere, Ikorodu and Amuwo-Odofin local government areas.

    He said they visited 15 police stations, 12 Customary and Magistrate’s court and a focus group discussion was carried out with organisations in the areas.

    “We discovered that PWD who seek justice through the police and courts are often faced with the challenge of infrastructural discrimination in terms of lack of access to ramps for persons who use wheel chairs, lack of instructions in Braille, inability of the officers to use sign language and the cost of litigation in the court.”

    Mr Anyaele therefore reminded the Federal Government of the need to sensitise and strengthen the capacity of the police and court personnel to make justice accessible to PWD through provision of access ramp, training of the officers on the use of sign language for effective communication with the deaf.

    “Sensitise police officers, court personnel, legal aid organisations and the civil society on the rights of PWD and the ills of discriminating against them,” he said.

    Mr Anyaele noted that organisations working on human rights and access to justice should be sensitised on the rights of PWD and their access to justice.

    He also called for more awareness among people with disability on their rights.

    Coordinator (South), Justice for All (JFA), Mrs Ghbogu Obinwa, noted that it is important for citizens who are working with PWD to be conscious of the need to protect them and help them to be aware of their rights.

    “When it comes to access to justice, PWD have more challenges than those who are not living with disability because they would need social facilities to access platform for justice like the court, police station and transportation, she said.

  • Cholera kills 70 displaced persons

    Cholera kills 70 displaced persons

    More than 70 Tiv victims of Fulani attacks are said to have died in the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp in Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State from measles and cholera epidemic. The camp spokesman, Emmanuel Kegh, told reporters that the outbreak resulted from the unkempt condition of the camp. He also expressed fears of possible outbreak of the Ebola virus disease if the camp’s sanitary state deteriorated further.

    Some eyewitnesses revealed that most of the deceased died because of unbearable suffering.

    Of the dead, 50 are children.

    The lives of 13 women who were delivered of their babies, including their children, are said to be in danger.

    Many of the children appear malnourished. They were hungry and needed food and medical care. The mothers equally needed not just food but balanced diet in order to regain strength and breastfeed their children. But where is the food? The displaced persons are really starving.

    So, besides the killer diseases, the camp spokesman said, the people could “easily die” due to lack of food, medicare and shelter. A cursory look at the people revealed that most of them are physically and psychologically traumatised.

    Fate has been cruel to the Tiv people of Taraba State. They have been killed in thousands and injured in hundreds of thousands in Ibi, Wukari, Gassol, Gashaka and Bali local government areas by their Fulani neighbours.

    Their farmers are the worst hit by persistent attacks by the Fulani marauders. The Tiv people, in their hundreds of thousands, have been chased out of their homes and their homes and farmlands destroyed by their attackers.

    In the camp, the victims cut the picture of people emotionally wrecked and dehumanised.

    “But it was not their fault that they were quartered in parts of Taraba State. Like every other people, they came from somewhere to settle there,” an observer said.

    The traditional ruler of the Tiv community in Bali, Chief David Gbaar, told reporters at the camp that the death toll may increase if nothing is done urgently. He said: “Our people have continued to die in the camp because the state government has not come to our aid. Life here has been painful and horrible.”

    From all indications, peace is still elusive in Bali and other parts of Taraba State where members of Tiv communities are found.

    Our correspondent gathered that despite government’s pleas for peace, Fulani herdsmen were still killing and maiming Tiv people in the rural areas.

    Security operatives are seen patrolling the troubled towns in Hilux pick-up vans provided by the Acting Governor, Garba Umar, even as Fulani hostilities against Tiv communities have continued unchecked in the remote settlements.

    One of the elderly displaced persons in the camp, Mr. Samson Augustine said they want to return to their homes but their houses had either been burnt or occupied by Fulani herdsmen, adding that their attackers were still on the prowl to launch further attacks on them. It was pathetic listening to his story as he sounded emotionally and physically ruined.

    In an emotion-laden voice, Augustine said: “The police are not doing what is expected of them. Apart from killing our people, the Fulani have taken over our houses and our farmlands. Their cows are now grazing on our farm crops and the government is not able to stop them.”

    Chief Gbaar said in Bali alone, 126,000 Tiv people have been displaced. He added that those in the camp were still there because they do not know or have anywhere to go.

    The Chairman of Bali Local Government Area, Andy Yerima, confirmed reports of the outbreak of diseases in the camp and the loss of “several lives.”

    He said his efforts in procuring drugs for the displaced people have saved the lives of many Tiv in the camp.

    Yerima noted that the state government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities of providing for the people in the camp. He urged the Federal Government to complement the efforts of the state government by making available adequate relief materials for the persons in the IDPs camp.

  • 116,000 displaced persons in Yobe, says NEMA

    116,000 displaced persons in Yobe, says NEMA

    There are 116,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency in Yobe State, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday.

    Relief items worth N500m have been distributed to the 116,000 internally displaced persons by the Presidential Committee on Relief Procurement and Distribution.

    The agency, in a statement yesterday, said the Federal Government approved N1.5bn for the special committee under NEMA’s chairmanship.

    While distributing the relief materials in Damaturu, NEMA Director General Sani Sidi, who is also the PCRP chairman, said the items were procured based on identified basic needs of the people.

    According to him, proper arrangements had been made to ensure direct distribution to the target beneficiaries, adding that the items would be distributed by NEMA officials in collaboration with officials of the Yobe State government and the Nigerian Red Cross.

    Sidi, who was represented by the agency’s Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Alhassan Nuhu, said another consignment was in Gashua for distribution to the IDPs in the northern areas of the state.

    He said about 15,000 displaced persons were in Damaturu while others were in various locations across the state.

    Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Abdu Bulama, said the relief items were in furtherance of the fight against insurgency and provision of necessary support to those affected by the security challenge in the NorthEast.

    Yobe State Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Geidam, who was represented by his deputy Abubakar Aliyu assured that the state would cooperate with the Federal Government to address the security challenge and support the affected persons

    He had announced over the weekend that since the inception of the Boko Haram insurgency the state had expended over N10 billion.

    Aliyu who spoke during Dr. Bulama’s visit lamented that the huge amount of money the state is sinking on the fight of the insurgency is becoming a source of concern especially considering the meagre allocation the state gets from the federation account.

    He said the state spends approximately N300million monthly for logistics of military personnel, adding that the state had also distributed relief material worth sum of N430milion for internally displaced people.

    He urged the Federal Government which he described as a ‘big brother’ to come to Yobe’s rescue by allocating special grant to enable the state continue its amelioration programme.

     

  • Disabled persons demand their rights

    Nigerians living with disability have called on the government and their able bodied compatriots to readdress the way disabled persons are being treated in the country.

    Speaking through the Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disability (CCD), Mr. David Anyaele, they said that the government has a role to play in the lives of disabled persons who are often neglected, threatened and afflicted.

    He spoke during the Disability Awareness week. The annual programme tagged: “Insecurity in Nigeria and the Plight of Persons with Disabilities” was held recently at the Chevron Recreation Centre, Gbagada, Lagos.

    Mr Anyaele who lost his two hands to the rebel warlords in the Sierra Leonean civil war of the 90s said the programme was borne out of the on-going Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria and the military response it.

    He expressed CCD’s concern at the seeming invisibility surrounding issues affecting citizens with disabilities in the areas where the insurgency is at its highest with bombs exploding almost on a daily basis leading to the disability of those who survived the blasts.

    According to him: “When disability occurs, it could lead to loss of self esteem, loss of financial earnings, exposure to abuse, harmful practices, stigma and discrimination.”

    He therefore appealed to the National Assembly to speedily harmonize the Disability Bill so as to reduce the pains and agony of living for those concerned.  “This is why CCD, a nonprofit organization for people with disabilities is working to promote independent living, educate, sensitize, show human rights and social inclusion, counsel, mobilise support and empower people with disabilities”.

    Mr Anyaele said the objective of CCD is to increase public knowledge of an inclusive society that is free from discrimination and exclusion on the grounds of disability and to enhance understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well being of all living with disabilities and their families.

    “The government and federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development should not to be silent on the issue of bomb blasts causing disabilities to the victims or soldiers who have suffered disability in responding to insurgency but, rather make effort in having data and provision for them,” he said.

    The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Hajia Zainab Maina who was represented by a deputy Director in the ministry Mrs. J.A. Mohammed said the improvement of security in the country lies on the citizens and government. “People with disability should create awareness among themselves in support of the government.

    “The present administration realizes that the security of all persons in this country requires the contribution and efforts of both government and the citizens. Government has adopted lots of measures to achieve peace and adequate security, in this regard persons with disabilities, specialized Agencies and Organisation like the CCD which appear to be the most effective vehicles for meeting the needs of this vulnerable group must come forward and set up actions to assist government by providing necessary information on ways of fighting insecurity in the country.

    “You are aware that the issue of insecurity is assuming a new and frightening dimension; persons with disabilities and female members of our society are now being used to carry out nefarious activities. I strongly implore persons with disabilities to scale up their advocacy drive by creating awareness among their members on the issue of insecurity in the country”. She said.

    Speaking on the barrier faced by people living with disability, one of the resource persons Mrs. Jan Knight lamented that disabled persons suffer different kinds of bad reaction from people and that the environment they find themselves is not welcoming due to discrimination, lack of information, communication, employment and justice.

    She urged the society to treat such people with equal right, help those of them in need. Interact and create relationship with them.

    The guest speaker at the occasion, deputy Country Director, Mac Arthur Foundation Mr. Dayo Olaide, who was represented by Election Development Consultant Mr. Jide Ojo said everyone is disabled in as much as they are having one problem or the other, noting that disability increases daily in the country with an estimated 22 million persons, representing 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population living with disability.

    Speaking on the issue of discrimination which occurs among family and relatives, Olaide said: “Disability is mostly, a social construct where individuals with disabilities have been socially classified as outsiders throughout history. According to the 2013 State of Human Rights in Nigeria report, persons with disabilities faced social stigma, exploitation and discrimination, and relatives often regarded them as source of shame. Many families viewed children with disabilities who could not contribute to family income as liabilities and sometimes severely abused and neglected them. Many indigent with disabilities begged on the streets”.

     

  • Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    About 700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Gwoza, Chibok, Bama and its environs in Borno State have fled to Kwubaru village in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    The IDPs, including men, women and children, are in three camps – Kwubaru, Angwar Jama’a and Takwa. They have been relocating to the village since March to escape the insurgency in the Northeast.

    But since they arrived, no government agency acknowledged their presence or sent materials.

    The IDPs, it was learnt, survive on the stipends from well-meaning Nigerians and from other forms of assistance from their host community.

    They alleged that soldiers came in trucks and Hilux vans to harass them and arrest the Chief of Kwubaru for harbouring them.

    In the Kwubaru camp, only women and children sleep in one of the nine mud houses and there could be as many as 12 people or more in one room. The men sleep on sacks and mats outside, whatever the weather.

    These were among the allegations of members of the #BringBackOurGirls when they visited the camp to confirm the existence of IDPs near Abuja and to assist them with materials, including foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, mattresses, among others.

    Leader of the IDPs and former Headmaster of Ghwaa Primary School in Gwoza, Mallam Yohanna Wurawa, explained that he escaped from Gwoza with his family after his house and the school were razed.

    According to him, his family and a few others were assisted by the Stephanus Foundation to Kwabaru.

    Murawa said: “My wife suggested that we relocated to Abuja because my wife had stayed with Maclindo, the director of the Stephanus Foundation, before.

    “I contacted him and explained our problem. He promised to come down with me to Abuja in search of help. We came to the Chief of Karu and asked for help because our people were suffering in Gwoza and other parts of the Northeast.”