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Tag: River

  • Buruku River: Confluence of trade and woes

    Buruku River: Confluence of trade and woes

    A first time traveller on water would shiver at the large mass of River Buruku, Benue State. The river which takes 12 minutes to traverse on a wooden boat is a hub for business activities amongst communities in the neighbourhood, especially on market days, as it serves as passage for farmers to transport their produce to meet traders, and passers-by. OLUWAFEMI OGUNJOBI who just returned from the community, reports.

    A one and a half hour drive from Makurdi, the Benue State capital brings one to Buruku, a river side community. The town which had existed long before the creation of Benue State in 1976 is located on the banks of River Buruku, which is an extension of the popular river Benue. Created out of Gboko Local Government about 20 years ago, Buruku local government area, with its headquarters in Buruku town, has an area of 1,246km-square and a population of 203, 721 according to the 2006 census. It shares boundary with Logo and Katsina Ala Local Government Areas, which produce yam and rice in high quantity. These food produce are transported through Buruku River to major cities like Gboko, Otukpo, Aliade and Makurdi.

    This reporter gathered that Buruku Council was created in recognition of the commitment of its inhabitants to economic growth of the state. Parts of the major villages that make up Buruku Local Government are situated across the other side of the river and they share borders with Sankera in Logo Local Government Area of the state.

    Being predominantly farmers and fishermen, the people of Buruku depend largely on Buruku River for irrigation and fishing. Meanwhile, crossing the river is regarded as the fastest way to Anyiin, hometown of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, Gbanyam village and Ugba town, headquarters of Logo Local Government. The people of Logo too are predominantly farmers and in fact, they are one of the major producers of yam in Benue State.

    A visit to the river side gives a glimpse of the enterprising nature of Buruku residents. Small huts are built to serve as restaurants to entertain travelers. Pounded yam, fried yam, locally-made cake, also known as ‘akara’ are served to customers. There is also a ‘mini-depot,’ where fuel is sold at black market price to vehicles and boat engines. On the other side, are young men and women eking a living by trading in sugar canes, oranges, pears, and other fruit items. There is also ‘kuu’, a locally-made corn. Some of them channel the profit towards their upkeep, education, and to relieve their parents of stress. One of them is Benjamin Kerter, an English/Theatre Arts student at Katsina-Ala College of Education. Benjamin sells sugarcane at the riverside; he has been in the business since he got admission into the school two years ago.

    According to him, ‘I have been in this sugarcane business for quite some time, say since I got into school, and I give it my best anytime we are on break because I use the proceeds to support my education.”

    Asked how much he makes from the business, he said; ‘Sugarcane business is not really profitable, and has so many people into it. We make around N700 (Seven hundred naira) in a day, but it depends largely on how many people cross the river. We make good sales on market days, or during important occasions that require people to travel across the river. And that’s when we make around N1, 500 (One thousand, five hundred naira).”

    The river-side is always busy, especially every Wednesdays – which is Ugba market day, a community that is 30 minutes from the riverside. Buruku residents also trade at the market every five days. Most times, students in government schools defy school work for farm work and trade on market days.

    Transportation problems

    However, despite its economic potentials, the people of Buruku lack modern transportation system as well as a bridge over the Buruku River. The inhabitants of these communities have suffered these challenges for decades. The problem has made transportation of farm produce to the cities a difficult task. It has also caused many deaths. Though the communities have made several attempts to tackle the problems themselves, their efforts have yielded no fruitful result. The communities have also lodged several complaints to successive governments in the state, requesting them to extend their cries to the federal government, but all these to no avail. Presently, they have resorted to boats and canoes to enable them move around. Some farmers are left with no option than to board canoes with their produce on their heads to cross the river.

    Interestingly, it is not only humans that ride on the boats to cross Buruku River. Cars and motorcycles also get to ‘enjoy’ the privilege, even though the experience is a risky one and not funny at all for the faint-hearted.

    Although it has become a lucrative business and an opportunity for some inhabitants to make thousands of naira especially, during the rainy seasons, the operators are, however, forced to relocate their usual boarding points at the river bank, whenever it rains, to avoid the boats and people capsizing in the river.

    Zador Akinde, a native, gives an insight into how transportation across the river works. There are two kinds of boats; the ferry and the small boats. Travelling on the river in the small boat takes five minutes to the other side of the river, while travelling in the ferry boats takes 10 to 12 minutes depending on state of the engine. The small boat can take maximum of 15 passengers, while the ferry takes up to 100 passengers at once. The ferries can also convey vehicles, motorbikes alongside passengers. A ferry can take maximum of two vehicles. This route links to Zaki-biam, Katsina-Ala, Anyiin, Ugba and other communities of Benue State. It is also a shortcut for travelers going to Jalingo, Plateau, Kaduna and other northern states.

    Although there is a road across the river in the far end of Kastina-Ala town, the River Buruku terminal point located in the Ihungu Igor village mainly provides the needed shortcuts for motorists plying the route. Most commuters prefer using the route to reach their destinations quicker, at least to save time and resources by passing through the Kastina-Ala axis by road. Consequently, both private and commercial vehicles find it suitable to ferry their cars and passengers for a fee at the Abuku crossing point.

    Even former Governor Gabriel Suswam, this reporter learnt, finds the route most appropriate to travel to his village of Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area. Indeed, for various reasons, people have used the Buruku River crossing to engage in profitable and cheaper economic and social activities.

    Tersoo, a ferry boat driver, explained that charges depend largely on the type of vehicle that wants to cross, and how heavy they are. Charges for taxis are from N400 upwards, while buses range from N700 upwards. In some cases, they charge N1, 000 for heavy-loaded vehicles. Charges for Motorcycles range from N200 to N300.  As for humans, N50 is charged per head to cross the river. In some cases where the ferry is already loaded with vehicles, passengers are given free ride across the river. Corps members, whose places of primary assignment are across the river most times, enjoy this favour.

    They also make brisk sales on market days and during important events, when more vehicles throng in. During important occasions, charges, especially for private vehicles, are based on how highly-placed the person is – far from the normal fee.

    The cost of constructing the boats is huge. Zador explained that it costs N400, 000 to N500, 000 to construct a ferry boat, which doesn’t include the engine while it costs around N200, 000 to construct the smaller ones. Buying new engines is also quite expensive and beyond the reach of the local boat operators. According to him, the engines in their boats are the ones they can afford. The ‘Belgium’ (second hand) Yamaha 30 horse power cost N350, 000 while a brand new one is about N750,000. Smaller engines are also sold for around N200, 000.

    A year to remember

    Aside trade and transportation, the banks of Buruku River also serve as recreation. Overtime, picnickers and fun seekers in Benue State have made it an annual event to mark the Boxing Day celebration on the river bank. Fun-seekers turn out massively to do sight-seeing, picnic and play games and also win various prizes. Some even use the day to make marriage proposals to their loved ones. The picnickers have also succeeded in attracting government attention, as the Buruku Local Government Council now sponsors lots of games at the beach to encourage picnickers and create an enabling tourism potential for the state.

    The annual events and celebration has also gone smoothly since the beach was discovered, until December 26, 2013. On that fateful day, many young students of various higher institutions in the area who had come to socialise had  finished catching their fun, and were about to leave at about 8:45pm. However, only one ferry boat was available to convey the 125 fun-lovers across the river. As the story goes, the Maritime Union tried to stop them but the passengers insisted, because it was the last boat for the day. Problem however started when they got to the middle of the river and a boy brought out some fireworks. Some guys who were not comfortable with the development challenged him. In the process, they started exchanging words and the same boy brought out a knife to stab his challengers. The action triggered a fight in the boat. It led to pandemonium as other occupants of the over-loaded boat ran towards the driver’s side for safety. According to Zador Akinde, the weight of the people rested heavily on one side of the boat and as a result, the boat drifted, tilted and suddenly capsized before anyone could calm the warring parties.

    Stories have it that the driver lost control following the distraction from the warring occupants barely 500 meters to the berthing point, and the passengers were thrown into the river.

    The incident, which happened at the Abuku crossing point of the river, left 18 people dead.

    The Maritime Union and the Marine Police regulates the activities of the boat drivers. They ensure that the boats are in good condition, and the ferries do not carry more than they can safely convey. They enforce protocols or set rules at the river banks to ensure safety in water transportation, and also watch for criminal activities. They also defend the riverine area against subversive elements and external threats.

    It took 11 hours to recover the bodies of the drowned passengers. Ironically, the boy who was said to have instigated the pandemonium escaped unhurt because he could swim, while those that drowned died because they could not swim.

    When our correspondent asked if there are life jackets for passengers, they said, the locals consistently refuse the use of life jackets, which are dumped in the union’s office at the riverside. Their refusal is because Buruku River isn’t as deep as other rivers in Benue State, and there are no wild animals in it. Also, a handful of Buruku residents are good swimmers, who can easily rescue drowning passengers when accidents, which they say are very rare, occur. The life jackets are said to be donated by politicians seeking votes and non-governmental organisations.

    Election time, busy time

     As elections approach, the river is always as busy as market days. Residents who have left neighbouring cities travel down to their communities to exercise their civic right. Even politicians return home during this period. But, it’s not always rosy at this time, especially for electoral officers deployed to wards and polling units across the river. Corps members and the natives are used for the elections.

    At the last 2015 general elections (which our correspondent was one of the Presiding Officers), electoral materials were transported across the river around 3am in the night to the RAC Centre ahead of Saturday’s polls. “Our polling area was Agwabi, and I was posted to LGEA School, Buter.  The exercise went well, but encountered problems after we left the collation center for the INEC office. We got reports not to dare cross the river because there were some aggrieved parties who were not satisfied with the results in their wards, waiting to pounce on the electoral officials as it happened during the 2011 elections. On that occasion in 2011, aggrieved natives attacked electoral officials and poured the election materials into the river. We were only able to escape unhurt, with the quick intervention of Logo Police Command, who saw us through another route through Katsina-Ala to Buruku.”

    Government’s neglect and a people’s appeal

    In 2011, former president, Goodluck Jonathan promised two bridges across the River-Benue to avert frequent deaths resulting from water accidents. One of the bridges was to be built in Buruku to link Gboko direct to Ugba and Ayin – all in Logo Local Government. And the other was to be built at Kwata, to link Abinsi/Agasha from Makurdi straight to Wukari in Taraba. Four full years after, none of these bridges have been constructed. All the Federal Government roads inherited from the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007, that were in manageable states, are presently in bad shapes, with criminals taking full advantage of the situation to unleash terror on commuters. They include the Katsina/Ala–Takum, Vandekya–Katsina/Ala–Zaki/biam that connects Taraba and Cross-River. Others are Lafia–Makurdi, Makurdi–Otukpo and Aliade–Gboko. Federal roads like Makurdi–Naka–Adoka–Ankpa, Adoka–Agatu–Oweto roads are death traps and have never been good since 1999 till date.

    Since that ugly incident of December 2013, the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Buruku branch has called on the Federal Government to provide its members with more sophisticated engine boats capable of ferrying heavier capacity of passenger weights. They have also appealed to the Federal Government to build a bridge across the river, to serve as a major crossing point to the three local councils of Logo, Buruku and Ukum (all in Benue), as well as linking parts of Taraba.

    My host and guide, Akinde has a good command of English language. He completed his secondary school education few years ago, but was called home from Lagos because of family responsibilities. He aspires to further his studies. His utmost cry is a bridge across the river for easier transportation. Will the government ever hearken to their plea?

    Only time will tell.

  • River of tears flows in Bayelsa

    River of tears flows in Bayelsa

    •Navy, Opume bury 25-year-old soldier killed by Boko Haram

    Tears. Tears. Tears. If only tears could wake the dead, Seaman Paul Alex Amaseimogha would have no business lying stone cold, face up in his white casket. Who did not cry that day? Perhaps only people oblivious of the death of the 25-year-old.

    Friends, family members, relations and residents of Opume kingdom in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, were weeping, sulking and crying.

    Like the river surrounding Opume, the tears of Darling, the mother of the deceased, flowed. Like the water cascading from a fountain, the tears of Miss Yusuf Emma-Ojo, 25, the deceased’s fiancee, who hails from Kogi State, flowed.

    Rogers, the father, was all tears as he repeatedly used his wrinkled bare palms to wipe his swollen visage. In fact, the community was beaten by the same bug of sorrow.

    Those who could not cry stood with their hands folded. The misery permeated so much in the community that children disappeared from playgrounds.

    That Amaseimogha died was not the reason for the tears. The circumstances surrounding his death and the fact that he was cut short in his prime fighting a needless war in the Northeast caused the lamentation.

    He was one of the young soldiers trained in counterterrorism in Belarus and deployed in Borno State to flush out the Boko Haram insurgents. He was hit by bullets in the Boko Haram battlefield and the vivacious young man described as an intelligent and patriotic soldier by his peers later passed on.

    While his fellow fallen heroes were buried in a dedicated graveyard in Abuja, the family of the late soldier requested that his remains should be brought back to them for interment. The Chief of Naval Staff directed that the remains  of Amaseimogha should be taken to his Ijaw community and buried according to the Navy tradition.

    So, the residents amidst their tears, rained curses on Boko Haram and called down evil on sympathisers and sponsors of the evil group. Miss Ema Yusuf, the fiancee of the late soldier was the worst-hit. The beautiful young woman never expected that a man she had dreamt of spending the rest of her life with would die unexpectedly.

    •A relation goes down in pains
    •A relation goes down in pains

    This is a day I least expected to come soon,”she sobbed. Recalling her last meeting with him, he said: “The last time I saw him was when he said they were taking them to Jaji Forest in Kaduna State. He left. The next call I got was that they were going to Maiduguri.”

    But Miss Yusuf said something unusual happened.

    “The last time he called, I don’t know, I was in a programme, we were launching an album with Samsung and he was calling again and again. He had never called me like that. He later sent a text saying he was going to the warfront. I never heard from him again.

    “I only heard he was dead. His friends told me. A friend of his sneaked from their camp there to come and see me with some Alex’s properties, his phone, and he was like Alex is dead. I didn’t believe it at first but when I saw his phone, I knew he was no longer there again.”

    She further remembered that she had earlier mounted pressure on him to resign from the navy but the late Amaseimogha refused insisting on serving the country.

    On why she asked him to leave the service, she said: “I told him to resign but he refused. I told him so because they were not paying them. They were not giving them the necessary attention. They don’t even care if they were there. Some died of dehydration, no water.”

    She said the man she never married would not have died if he were attended to immediately after the attack. “He survived the attack for a whole night. No medics attended to him. They cared less. They just left them there without any medication, no attention.

    “He wouldn’t have been a dead man because he got the attack on Friday and died on Saturday morning. He didn’t die immediately, he survived all through the night. There was no proper care, they kept saying, ‘the helicopter has not arrived’, until he gave up,” she said.

    In a tearful voice, Miss Yusuf displayed a ring festooned in her finger and said her fiancé made a vow that after their six-month contract of combating the terrorists, he would take her to the altar. But she said he never came back. She said her fiancé was so decent and Godly that throughout the period of their courtship, he never made love to her.

    “He gave me this ring proposing marriage. He said they have signed a six-month contract that after he is coming back to finalise everything but he never came back,” she lamented.

    Describing the late soldier, she fondly called Alex, she said: “Alex is a very unique man in nature. He is very tolerant. He loved his country. He wished there was something more he could do to solve this Boko Haram attack. Alex is a man that I’ve never met a kind like him on this planet earth.

    “All the time we were in courtship until he deceased , he was waiting to take me to the altar before he would ‘cross me’. He never made love to me. He was a very honourable man. I just wish there are men like him out there but I’ve never seen a man like him.

    “He is just so unique. He would always challenge me when l called him perfect. He would say, ‘my baby, no man is perfect. It’s only God that you can use that word for. Perfection is of God and not of human’. But to me, he was always my perfect man.”

    The aggrieved fiancee could not conceal her loathsomeness to her fiancé’s decision to serve the country as a soldier.

    She said: “With everything in me, I regret he served the country. I wish there was something I could do to just bring him back. I’ve been telling his friends to retire from the force because Alex died for nothing.

    “He died but they are not recognising him. He survived, but they didn’t give him care and attention. Why are they dying there for nothing. The government does not even know you are there. There is no food to eat and there is no water. Your colleagues are dying of starvation and dehydration.

    “There was one that died instantly. He was walking and was shouting water, water, water, he fell and died. I regret he served Nigeria because it was not worth it. How can a man put his life at stake in the warfront and died and there will be no attention from the government.

    “I don’t think it worths it at all. I get angry everyday and ask myself what is this for? Everything about him is cut short, his unborn children, his home, his family is mourning. Where is the government?”

    Just like Miss Yusuf, Rogers, the father of the deceased, is still in shock. All his investments on his late son had ended suddenly in a white casket. He said his son would not have died if he had avoided the special force.

    “He was a brilliant and intelligent child. After everything, he went for Naval training successfully and passed out. I trained him at the Petroleum Institute in Warri. After graduating from that place, he said he was going for Naval training, I sponsored him to that very place not knowing that at the end, this type of thing is going to happen.

    “He graduated and was working as a Naval officer already and after two years he told me that he had got another training at oversea, Russia. When he came back, he said he is no more in Navy that he is in special force and I asked him what is the difference between Special Force and Navy and he said that side is better than this.

    “I never knew the force was facing defence at the Maiduguri Forest. When he returned from that place, he was posted to Abuja, from Abuja to Maiduguri. When he got to Maiduguri, he phoned me and told me he was at Maiduguri and I said where Boko Haram is? He said no problem, that they went for defence and I said okay.

    “At the end of it, I was called and told that he is dead. After that I came back to the community to receive his body from the Federal Government. As you see me, I am not happy, there are tears in my eyes,”he said.

    The 50-year-old said the twin brother of his deceased son is studying at the University of Calabar, describing all his sons as responsible, respectful and obedient.

    “They are six and they are united. Nobody fights. They obey me to the core,” he said.

    He, however, added: “I have no regrets that he went to the Navy even until now. The diversion is from the training at Russia, he wouldn’t have died. At Navy, he was trained as a communicator, they didn’t train him to go to war. I regretted he diverted from Navy to other area.”

    He demanded adequate compensation from the Federal Government. He said the news of his son’s death got to him as a rumour which he later confirmed to be true.

    Also, Silas, the twin brother of the deceased ,described his death as painful and shocking.

    “We didn’t expect it. I heard from him three weeks before his death. We used to chat on Whatsapp.

    “The last time we spoke, he told me about his experience in Sambisa Forest. He told about the progress they were making. He had this passion for the Navy so I don’t regret that he joined the Navy because it was his decision and he did that for a reason. I miss him a lot”, he said.

    Even his first cousin, Mr. Mitema Amaseimogha, never believed that he was dead. The relative who works with road safety said there was a time he was rumoured to have died but it turned out to be false.

    He said: “Last December, there was a rumour that he was dead and I was in Jaji at the Nigerian Army Training School. Then I called him and he said he wasn’t dead.  So when I heard about his death,I didn’t believe it until I saw his corpse. I feel very bad, we were so close. My mother took him as her son. He is not the arrogant type, he would always play with the children around.

    “He had always wanted to work for his country. He had always loved the uniform men.  He was staying with us at Opolo whenever he comes to Bayelsa state,before he went for the recruitment. Since then, we never met again. It’s over three years now but we have been communicating on phone.”

    Navy buries its own

    The late Amaseimogha was given a military burial based on the tradition of the Navy. He was honoured by top echelon of the navy from the Naval Headquarters, Abuja and  the Headquarters of the Central Naval Command (CNC) in Yenagoa. His body was driven into the riverine Ijaw community in a convoy of the Navy.

    The Chief of Naval Staff was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), CNC, Rear Admiral Stanley Ogoigbe, who ensured that the ceremony was carried out to the details. Ogoigbe led the naval officers to the community and spent time pepping up the family members and giving them reason to live again.

    The pall bearers, soldiers dressed in military fatigue, lowered the white coffin draped in a  naval flag in the arena. In tears, the community gathered to witness the departure of their hero and to catch a glimpse of his remains.

    They listened to the officiating priest as he spoke on hope for a better life. Quoting from the Bible, he described death as the greatest enemy of mankind. At the end of the sermon, the citation of the late Amaseimogha was read to the audience.

    After the sermon, it was time to bury the heroic solder. He would not be buried within the community because of his age and the fact that he had no wife and children. It is the custom of their people. Therefore. The pall bearers bore his coffin and in military fashion and command walked about a kilometre to a nearby forest where youths from the community dug his grave. There he was laid and covered after 21-gun salutes.

    The curtain fell on the late gallant, patriotic, disciplined, dedicated and intelligent soldier. But the Navy took his accoutrement comprising shoes, cap and the naval flag and the FOC presented them to Silas, the deceased next-of-kin, as objects of remembrance.

    The FOC curdled and consoled Silas. He also gave N250,000 from the chief of naval staff to the family for the burial expenses and asked Silas to begin the process of collecting all the entitlements of his late brother.

    Among the senior naval officers, who trooped out to honour the late soldier, were Commodores A.K. Owo-Chuks, B. Babagbale, C.A. Ofor, F.O. Teimisan, U.B. Onyia and M.A. Eno.

     

    The man Amaseimogha

     

    He was born in Opume Town on May 1, 1990. He attended the Community Primary School, Ogbia Town and had his secondary school at the Community Secondary School, Ayakoro in Ogbia Local Government. He, however, completed his secondary school in Adagbabiri after which he proceeded to the PTI, Warri where be obtained a Diploma in Computer Engineering.

    He later attended the Navy Training School in Port Harcourt where he was trained as a communicator. He served as a full-fledged naval personnel for two years and was sent to Russia because of his intelligence for a five-month training. He served as an intelligent officer in the special forces before he was transferred to Maidguri were he died.

     

     Navy pays tributes

     

    The FOC read the citation of their late soldier and described him in glowing terms for dedicating his life to fight for the peace of Nigeria. He said the deceased paid the supreme price of patriotism.

    “He went for the training, he did very well. It was not everybody that went for the training that passed. He came out and he was deployed happily. He never expected he will die. None of us that have joined the military look forward to death. But we know death is the ultimate prize you pay for your patriotism. He is a hero, he paid the ultimate prize for his love and patriotism for Nigeria.

    “Like the Reverend Father stated in his sermon, Alex is not dead. He has gone to sleep. He has done his bit for Nigeria. He paid the prize to ensuring that Nigeria is a peaceful country.

    “We are very proud of him and in that regard I will state again that on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, officers, ratings of the Nigerian Navy, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to the Amaseimogha family to the Opume community and to the great Bayelsa state for giving us a worthy son that immensely fought to ensuring peace in our dear nation, Nigeria”, he said.

    FOC later described the ceremony as a sad day for the Navy.

    He said: ”It is a day of mourning. In fact it reminds us alive and in uniform that, God is just our guidance. He keeps us when we go in and go out for operations. We are just using today to observe his ultimate prize for his patriotism to the nation.

    “He was in combat fighting insurgency in the northeastern part of the country. These days,operation is not done by one service alone. We carry out operations jointly. So, he was on one of the special forces in support of the Nigerian army to ensure that insurgency is reduced in the country.

    “Casualty is expected every time you go into combat. When you go in and come back, you give thanks to God. Some percentage of casualty is always expected, it could have been any one. It is a pity he is a young man.

    While describing his burial as special, he said the name of the deceased would remain indelible in the cenotaph of departed heroes. “His name will be indelible. It can never be erased”, he said.

    On how they relayed the tragic information to his family, he said: “When we heard that the young man fell in the battle front, what we did was to promptly check out record to look for his next-of-kin. The next-of-kin happened to be his twin brother, so we communicated with him immediately.

    “He is a student of UNICAL. We connected our base in Calabar to locate him, which they did through his address and that’s why you see us here today. We gave them the option of either burying the young man in national military cemetery in Abuja or to bring him home and they decided to bring him home.

    “The military has a tradition for everything. We have a procedure for communicating with the next-of-kin. In fact, the next-of-kin is informed first before any notice and announcement”.

    So, the journey of the late Amaseimogha ended abruptly. He fought gallantly for peace and paid the supreme prize. It is only expected that the country will reciprocate the sacrifices of persons especially soldiers who shed their blood for peace and sovereignty of Nigeria.

  • Story of the river people

    Written in first person narrative, the short story was set in a village called Obir in Port Harcourt, South-South of Nigeria. (The writer’s maternal village).

    The writer focuses on the time of his life from the early 90’s to the year 2000; during this period the British had built gigantic oil refineries in the Niger Delta but the people were impoverished and their youths were not employed in the companies, yet the community suffered oil spill.

    He described his mother’s village as more civilised than his father’s. According to the writer, just like his father’s village he imagined his mother’s village to be characterised by “rustic setting where children played hide and seek with relish; where they frolicked in the sand and listened to moonlight tales of Tortoise, the antagonist of lore. I dreamt of a place where elderly men made merry with companions as palm wine flowed from calabashes to enthusiastic throats in front of huts roofed with bamboo and raffia. And I envisioned maidens with lithe limbs returning from the farm or marked with trays of ukwa and ogiri balanced on their heads.”

    But when he got there to spend his holidays as his father had travelled to England to study, he discovered his mother’s village had big structures of oil refinery and a maze of oil pipelines.

    In irony, the writer showed that even with the difference, appearance of the villages, the people of his father’s village were happier as they didn’t suffer oil spill or lived in abject poverty.

    Ogochukwukamma (The writer) soon settled in his mother’s village and had a friend called Sangha who showed and took him everywhere.

    The writer showed he was an intelligent child when he mentioned that he was only nine and read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart from his mama’s library, and Ngugi Wa Thiongo’s Weep Not Child and many other African books even though they were just to overcome the sultry tiring days.

    He expressed this when he stated that his mama was surprised that he could read the books at that age.

    In the beginning of the story he said ‘Tuesday died on Thursday’ but didn’t explain who Tuesday was until he and Sangha were coming from the River Pama, they arrived at a field crossed by an oil pipeline, Sangha asked him to wait then went to defecate. A man materialised from nowhere and Ogochukwukamma froze.

    He described the man as looking grim, “his eyes were jaundiced, the colour of sunset. Fear gripped me and my heart beat faster. The man was huge and dark in complexion. When he said, ‘how are you?’ his voice appeared to come through a loud speaker. A lump in my throat stifled the reply forming in my mouth. ‘What are you doing here, he said with greater, if intended menace.”

    He continued: “Trembling I let go of the fish. ‘Are u waiting for somebody?’ No, yes, I said as I stopped to pick the sand-ridden fish. When he walked past me with a cutlass in his hand onto the path we had just left, I watched him from the corner of my eyes to make sure he didn’t swing at my neck with the double-edged machete that looked more like a sword.”

    Sangha revealed the man’s identity to be Tuesday, popularly called old soldier because he was a former soldier.

    Sangha further explained that Tuesday owned the fish pond near where he defecated, how many people are afraid of him and how he is fearless of even the British. “He told us that one day he would chase all those oil companies away if they were not willing to employ our youths in their companies, Sangha told Ogochukwukamma.”

    When he got home he was told by his mama that his holiday has been extended due to an indefinite strike by teachers.

    Ogochukwukamma didn’t bother about the strike or any other thing but instead in his child’s mind, he imagined how strong old soldier is and how he can single-handedly chase all the company owners away if they refuse to employ their youths. He imagined that old soldier would go to them and say: “Come I am sick and tired of all your troubles in our land. Now, pack your things and go!”

    He also imagined that old soldier would gather all the companies and their machinery into one gigantic wheel-barrow, the size of an ocean liner, and, with muscles bulging and veins bursting, push them off the land.

     

  • Rivers’ rainstorm victims seek help

    Rivers’ rainstorm victims seek help

    Scores of persons were displaced in Ubima community of Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State following a heavy storm that also blew away a Catholic Church and buildings.

    The strange storm removed the roofs of over 12 houses, damaged important documents and properties at the affected houses.

    It was gathered that the storm accompanied by heavy rain started at about midday, when some of the affected members of the community were in the farms. When they returned they found their houses without roofs. Their clothes, food, and other important items were soaked with rain beyond amendment. Some of them said the roofs of their houses were pulled out completely and taken to another location by the strange wind. Their cloths and goods were littered everywhere when they returned back from farm.

    The victims urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to come to their aid.

    Some residents of the community and victims who spoke to Niger Delta Report said the strange storm killed two persons at the neighbouring community in Elele the same day.

    Mr. Eze Ofurum said: “I was in school when I received a call that our house has been de-roofed by the heavy storm, when I returned  I discovered that  water has soaked inside my room.  My documents were fully soaked, including my foam. I don’t know what to do and I have no money with me.

    “I  am sleeping outside; there is no money to renovate the house for now.  What we did is to evacuate everything in the house to our neighbours’ house.  Though some of them were soaked beyond use, I want to call on the government to assist us. It is very sad that my family is sleeping out. “

    Mrs. Mary Orlu, a victim whose house was completely damaged, said the condition has forced her and others out of their homes.

    “Everything in our house was damaged that day, even the bed, chair and the zinc were destroyed. We are confused. Right now we are sleeping in my husband’s brother’s house. We are calling on the government to come to our aid.”

    Chibueze Amadi, another victim, said: “Some of us are now sleeping in our neighbour’s house.”

    The Parish Priest of St. Theresa Catholic Church Ubima, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Nnadozie whose church collapsed, said the members of the church have nowhere to worship.

    “We give glory to God that no life was lost; we need help at the moment, what happened was terrible, the church is totally off. But we are hoping on God to bring those who will assist us, we have nowhere to worship. The Local government Chairman, Hon. Welendu Amadi, has visited us and other individuals but all we are praying is that God should touch them to re-build the church of the Lord.”

    The Chairman of Ubima Community Development Committee (CDC), Chief Kingdom Elem, said the community is in a sad mood. He advised the people to be calm, saying: “We are going to write to NEMA, the LG chairman and every other person that may show willingness to assist the victims. Some of these affected persons are not doing anything they solely depend on the proceeds from their farm which may not be enough to take care of their family.”

    For Ikwerre Citizens for Democratic Movement, it is the responsibility of the local government chairman to assist the rural communities affected by disaster.

     

  • Woman drowns in Ibadan river while swimming

    A woman, Ramatu Saka, was Wednesday drowned in a river in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    Saka was said to have jumped into the river in Ogungbade area of the city with the intention of bathing but did not survive the dive as she was swept away by the river.

    A sympathizer and resident of the area was said to have reported the incident to the police after all efforts to retrieve her failed.

    Residents wailed on learning about the incident which threw the entire area into sudden mourning.

    The Pice Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs Olabisi Okuwobi, who confirmed the incident said residents made concerted efforts to retrieve the drowned woman but that they were futile.

    She said a police team visited the scene, adding that the command would make efforts to retrieve her corpse.

  • River crisis: Spanner in the wheel?

    River crisis: Spanner in the wheel?

    Nigeria’s political history is replete with monuments of willful resistance to change by the powers that be. The colonial office, through crookery and other obnoxious means strove to stop the nationalists from fighting for independence. Truth became a victim as nothing was too sacred to trample upon by the rampaging colonialists. At the end of the day, the will of God for the country came into manifestation.

    Did the civilians in the First Republic learn any lesson from the fall of colonialism? Not at all! They too unleashed terror on the opposition. With time, terror confronted terror, and, “Wetie” and other skirmishes led to the collapse of that republic. The rest is history. Students of medieval history knows too well that without renaissance, the world would have remained in the dark, no wonder change, though often confronted, remains the only constant decimal in global political calculus.

    It was in line with this pedigree that the Nigerian League of Democrats met in Asaba, the Delta State capital, to discuss the current crisis in Rivers State.

    As Uthman Dan Fodio rightly put it, conscience is an open wound, only the truth can cure it. The Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, out of concern for the Nigeria project has reminded President Goodluck Jonathan and the presidency to be careful lest they unwittingly foster unpleasant political heist on Rivers State.

    He rightly pointed attention to the insecurity in the north, which is sufficient for discerning leaders to know that it could be dangerous for anyone that as Nigeria sits on the precipice, heating the system further could lead to anarchy.

    The Nigeria Democratic League is united with the Nobel Laureate to aver that bickering and parochialism are no solutions to the crisis staring Nigerians in the face now. Already, factionalisation based on some political jobbers’ penchant for fanning the embers of vendetta has already divided the Rivers State House of Assembly.

    The league is of the same mind with Prof Soyinka and all peace loving Nigerians that enough is enough on unnecessary political belly aching and the dangerous fanning of schism among the good people of Rivers State and, well, in all parts of the country, should stop forthwith.

    All apostles of politics as it was in the beginning should realise that change, when it must come, will come whether people like it or not. The Nigerian League coordinators are eagle-eyed across the country to document the activities of interlopers, beating their chests as leaders of our people. These people wherever they are or no matter their privileged pedigree should, however, note that every day, the pot goes into the well to draw water, but one day its bottom will drop. It is a simple arithmetic.

    The League officers have observed that the opinion of many Nigerians that the presidency and its cohorts plan to rubbish Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s good work in Rivers State cannot succeed. This accounts for the riddle in the election at the Governors Forum, in which Amaechi retained his seat as chairman, and yet the presidency is said to be backing the Jonah Jang faction.

    Any discerning Nigerian who has visited Rivers State of late will realise that Amaechi would be difficult to put aside. What is democracy other than giving the electorate good roads, food on the table, peaceful environment to work and creating gainful employment for the people.

    In all of these, Amaechi is a champion any day. The construction and expansion of roads, awards of overseas scholarship to indigenes, establishment of modern health facilities, building and equipping schools are just a few on the list of this populist governor.

    Critical to Nigeria’s development is the need for power to shift to the north in 2015. It is incumbent on the north too to ensure that an experienced, trusted and detribalised leader emerges from their ranks come 2015. This recommendation is germane to promote fairness and equity across the land.

    The League is also of the opinion that non-performing political office holders should not hold the electorate to ransom because Nigerians are already warming up for a change and there is no stopping them.

    The fanning of schism in the nation is a call up to progressive elements to come together and give Nigeria, the land flowing with milk and honey, but which has continued to bring forth sour grapes a break, the right leadership.

    It is not too late for the progressives to perish whatever has caused them bitter acrimonies in the past. Let them shun ‘I and I’ and other dividing tendencies and unite to liberate our people from the shackles of modern slavery and pervasive servitude.

    Ayela is a veteran journalist, based in Lagos.

     

  • Man found dead on river bank

    A  man, who was identified as Victor Adepoju, has been found dead on the bank of a stream at Okpekpe in Estako East Local Government of Edo State.

    He was said to be an official of the Ministry of Budget.

    The cause of his death could not be ascertained but sources said he was last seen at the Okpekpe 10km road race organised by the International Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

    It was unclear whether or not the late Adepoju was a participant at the event.

    A relative of the deceased, who gave his name as Jude, said Victor participated in the race but did not return home until his body was discovered by the river.

    He said the remains have been deposited at the Lazarus Hospital in Fugar, Etsako Central Local Government.

    Police spokesman Moses Eguaveon confirmed the incident but said the family has declined to conduct an autopsy.

    He said: “He was a contestant in the road race and a tag with number 515 was found on him. His body was recovered from the water.

    “The parents came and identified the body but they have declined investigation into the cause of the death.

    “They said they did not suspect any foul play but we asked them to produce a court affidavit to show that they are not interested in the investigation.”

    Commissioner for Youths and Sports Omorede Osifo said she was not aware of the death of any athlete .

    She said all the athletes with fractures were taken to the hospital for treatment.

  • Four feared dead as van plunges into Lagos river

    Four feared dead as van plunges into Lagos river

    Four people were feared dead yesterday when a Hilux van plunged into Majidun River in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

    An eye witness who simply identified himself as Solomon said the Hilux van marked KSF 918 AU belonging to Ikoyi club plunged into the river after hitting the pavement of the river on high speed.

    According to him, “This accident happened in the morning when I was driving out. It is like the driver lost control or something. He didn’t slow down before approaching the bridge. The next thing we saw the vehicle somersault into the river.”

    The General Manager Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke- Osanyintolu who confirmed the incident said the van has been recovered while rescue operation continued as at the time of this report to recover the bodies of the four missing persons.

    According to him, “A Hilux van owned by Ikoyi Golf Club, plunged into Majidun river in Ikorodu at about 5.30am this morning. Upon notification of the incidence, stakeholders moved in to the scene and rescue, operation commenced. The vehicle has been recovered. However, bodies of the four occupants are yet to be recovered.”

    The GM been said rescue operation has intensified to ensure that the missing persons are recovered.

    Also Navy officer and local divers were at the scene, helping out with rescue operation.

    Our reporter learnt that one of the victims identified as Kolawole Ahmed, a manager with Ikoyi Golf Club, drove the vehicle, having closed from work yesterday morning on his way home.

    The spokesman of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) South – West, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the agency had mobilised its officials to the scene of the accident for rescue operation.

    As at the time of filing this report, he said the bodies had not been recovered. He, however, assured that NEMA would mobilise more of its officials for the operation.

     

  • The floating bodies of Ezu River

    The floating bodies of Ezu River

    All it took to reenact the confusion often associated with Nigerian newspapers were some corpses floating down the Ezu River on Saturday morning. The river passes through about five communities in Enugu and Anambra States before emptying into the greater River Niger. First sighted in Amansea, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, some of the bloated corpses were said to have had their hands tied behind their backs, obviously an indication they were probably tortured to death. Thereafter the drama began, of course first provoked by the media, and then given added colour by the police, baffled community elders, the touchy-feely Governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, and local tourists with bizarre tastes for the macabre.

    First, the newspapers. Not only did their headlines fail to agree on the number of floating corpses, their reports also showed clearly that they depended on unreliable eyewitnesses’ accounts for the scanty and conflicting details of the gory spectacle. Two newspapers, without proof, said the corpses numbered over 50; another, perhaps thinking it was exercising more reportorial restraint, said the corpses were about 40; and yet another dutifully reported 30. But the drama was just beginning. The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, was reported by one of the newspapers to have led a team of policemen to view the scene from the vantage position of the Amansea Bridge. He was mystified about the corpses, he told reporters, but would work with his Anambra State counterpart to unravel the murders. Hear, hear.

    Then, according to the same reports, the Anambra State governor weighed in with his own drama by cutting short his overseas trip to attend to the tragedy. Perhaps Hardball had, unknown to himself, become desensitised to all forms of tragedies; but for a governor to cut short a foreign trip over some floating corpses seems a little extravagant, not to put too fine a point on it. But perhaps the meticulous Mr Obi deserves this columnist’s apology. For if newspapers’ accounts, unlike their statistics, are to be believed, it was not until the governor returned home that he ordered the evacuation of the corpses, and announced a reward of N5m for information on the murders. The tragedy occurred somewhere within the jurisdictions of two state police commands, but it was not until Monday, a clear two days after the corpses were first sighted, that shaken security men began tackling the mess. It was then everyone, including perplexed policemen and community elders speaking in the grand manner, discovered that the corpses were about 18, not 30, not 40, and nothing near 50.

    On the same Saturday the corpses were discovered, they ought to have been evacuated, police should have opened multipronged investigations, the scenes of crime cordoned off and samples taken, and accurate information issued by relevant law enforcement agencies. But as usual, the authorities chose drama and slothfulness. If the shock and outrage exhibited by the public could drive the authorities to solve the crime, it would perhaps mitigate the initial official pussyfooting that accompanied the discovery of the floating corpses of Ezu River and end the farcical drama everyone concerned is enacting to our dismay.

     

  • Body found in Osun River

    The body of a middle-aged man yesterday floated on the Osun River on the Gbongan/Ibadan Road.

    It was gathered that the deceased fell into the river last Saturday while fishing with a friend.

    An eyewitness said the friend ran away when efforts to rescue the victim by passers by failed.

    It was learnt that Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Home Affairs Sikiru Adetona got professional swimmers to help the victim but their efforts failed.

    Yesterday, the body floated on the water and men of the Osun State Fire Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had a tough time evacuating it.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Sunday Akere, who was on the scene yesterday, urged the victim’s family to claim the body.

    He warned people against engaging in risky adventures.