The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rot

  • Left to rot

    Left to rot

    Residents of Shadadi community in the heart of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory lack almost every
    infrastructure they need. Worse, they cannot understand why it seems the authorities do not care. GBENGA OMOKHUNU
    reports.

    Do not judge Abuja by the glitzy high-rise buildings, nor the paved roads and the flood of streetlights on its upscale districts. Not that far away, lie communities which look abandoned, if not totally forgotten. Shadadi is one such community. It is located near the Kuje Area Council headquarters, in fact, only about 2km away, but that has brought it no dividends of any kind. The residents have no paved roads, nor do they have water fit for drinking. When they fall ill, there is no health facility to get treatment.

    Two questions Shadadi residents have been asking are: why does Kuje council leadership not want to help us? Why are we abandoned?

    The chairman of the council Hon. Shaban Tete has been in office for more than a year but has not responded to any of the requests made by the community residents. The people said they felt neglected by the leadership of the council. Can they get anything good from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership? Past leaderships of the council also neglected the community. The people said they want potable water, access roads, primary health care, among others.

    As for electricity, the residents of the community were left in darkness for over 10 years, despite endless complaints and appeals to past administrations of the council. After waiting in vain, the residents, through community effort, paid what was necessary before they their power nightmare ended.

    Sine the only transformer installed in the community broke down in 2002, the council has not repaired it nor replaced it.

    Mallam Yakubu Dan, a native of the community, said it has been abandoned by every council chairman. He said there were so many things that are supposed to be put in place by the government, but are absent in the community.

    Dan said since Mr. Samuel Estu Lanto, a former chairman of the council from 1991 to 1993 left office as the council chairman, development has ceased in the community.

    According to him, Lanto executed some tangible projects, but were not completed, thinking that governance was continuous.

    “He was wrong. He expected that successive administrations would continue with the projects and complete them, but the reverse was the case, because, up until today, they still remained the same way Lanto left them, mostly in Shadadi.

    “Some of the projects are road construction, rural electrification and bridging of the river that separates Shadadi and Lanto people. The bridge was started and got to an extent that Lanto’s administration could not complete. Other administrations would have completed it, but since then, nothing has been done.

    “Also, the issue of electrification, if you look at the entire Kuje, other nearby communities have been given electricity, but this community was denied electricity for over 10years. We called on the government to come to our aide, but they denied us our desire, until we made community effort to do it ourselves. We drew electricity line from Pasalli community and mounted one transformer through the community effort since last year, until PHCN gave us the electricity this year.”

    Another native of Shadadi community, Mrs. Joy Shema attributed the neglect of the community to the fact that the only council chairman that emerged from that community belonged to an opposition party, saying that probably that was reason why subsequent chairmen of the council who were members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have refused to anything positive in the community to improve the lives of the people.

    “It may be political, because, the party which many people support in this community is the All Progressive Congress (APC) and also, probably because of the presence of the former chairman of Kuje, who also belonged to an opposition party, that is why they have taken the decision not to consider this community for anything, thereby punishing the people for no just course,” she said.

    “We pray that the present chairman, Hon. Shaban Tete will be different because democracy is not supposed to be practised way most political leaders are doing it, that because certain people are not in your party, you tend to punish them as a leader. A good leader is supposed to work more for those who refused to vote for him, so that he could prove them wrong and show them reasons why they should have supported him, so that he could win their trust in future,” she said.

    Bakare Ahmed a resident of the community who also spoke with Abuja Review said that, on different occasions, when they went to visit previous chairmen of the councils to let them know about their plights in Shadadi, they will get such response that the people did not vote for the government in power, why then did they desire his assistance in developing their community.

    “The way some political leaders see politics, is wrong. They believe that if you are not in the same party with them or you did not give them your vote, they have nothing to do with you. But that is the wrong way to practice politics. When Lanto was chairman, it was not everybody that voted for him in this council. In fact, out of the 10 councillors, his party produced only three councillors and the opposition produced the rest and but he did his best to work in all the communities.

    “To a large extent this community has been neglected totally since after his administration. But to my notice, since we have made a request to the present administration, we hope that things will change for the better in this community, may be this time, it will be our turn. I want to appeal to the present chairman to critically look into our matter and come to our

    aide, because people in this community have been neglected for too long.

    “This community needs health care centre, portable water supply and access roads. I am appealing to. Hon. Shaban Tete to come and rescue us from this prolonged neglect by his predecessors and not judge his performance on party sentiments, but his desire to impact positively on the lives of the people of Kuje, irrespective of their political or religious affiliation,” he said.

    According to findings, only few spirited Nigerians have been visiting the community to support them and also left their spirit through various means.

     

  • Oduah explains rot in Aviation sector

    Oduah explains rot in Aviation sector

    Entrenched human interests, besides technical and funding deficiencies, are the bane of the Aviation sector, the Minister, Ms Stella Oduah, has said.

    Ms Oduah, who addressed reporters in Abuja at the weekend, explained that in the last 38 years, such interests had been frustrating government efforts.

    She said the barrage of attacks against her personality, following the controversial purchase of the two bullet-proof cars and other vehicles by a corporation in the ministry, was aimed at diminishing the modest achievements the sector had recorded through her determination to dislodge the “entrenched interests.”

    Ms Oduah said: “Entrenched interests in the Aviation sector have, for over 38 years, held the sector by the jugular and diallowed any meaningful development and change. They are bent on undermining our efforts for selfish interests.

    “For the over 38 years, our airports were damning commentaries on our status, as part of the civilised world. When our airspace existed without the requisite navigational equipment and facilities to make the airspace safe, these persons saw no evil and heard no evil while they happily clapped their hands to the banks!

    “This group has carried on with bitter venom, throwing decency and honour overboard; lying and misleading Nigerians, even when they knew the truth because my team and I changed the game.”

    According to her, the Federal Government’s determination to reposition the sector has led to heavy investments to make it safe and effective for Nigerians.

    This, she stressed, was responsible for the antagonism.

    Ms Oduah said: “The massive investment and the aggressive prosecution of this agenda have seen the Aviation sector being transformed.

    “Today, 22 airports, owned by the Federal Government, are at various stages of becoming decent and world-class terminals. Nigeria’s airspace has become one of the safest in the world with the deployment of modern navigational equipment and infrastructure.

    “The oversight capacity of the sector has been strengthened with the relevant regulations in place and the training and retraining of personnel.

    “Our National Aviation Policy has been reviewed to chart the path to a safer and more secured Aviation sector. The plan to make Nigeria have a national carrier is at an advanced stage.

    The minister said her resolve was to stop the rape of the country’s patrimony by putting her feet down.

    She said: “We have had to confront powerful forces that have held the sector hostage. My team and I are not people who will see things wrong and would fold our arms and complain without lifting a finger to correct them.

    “We dared to act, convinced that it was in the national interest to do so.”

  • Still on the rot at Police College

    Still on the rot at Police College

    SIR: The president visit to Police College Ikeja on Friday January 18 was a visit long overdue and better late than never. Though the visit was triggered by the documentary televised on a Lagos – based privately owned Channel Television, the unscheduled visit allowed the President to see things the way they were. I think he should be commended because if he had informed the Inspector General of Police and co. they could have covered up the true situation of things at the Police College.

    During the visit, the President moved round and saw the rate of dilapidation of the college. The grasses were not cut, the hostels facilities were too bad, the wall separating the college from the highway patrol barracks, Ikeja was said to have collapsed a year ago, thus giving access into the college by all manners of people, making the security in the college to be pathetic.

    Apart from the rot, the college is also being dogged by recruitment scandal which came to the surface when the President visited. It was alleged that many under-aged people were recruited which prompted President to ask for the age of one of college trainee. Another problem of the college is the fraud that was alleged being perpetrated against the trainees. Each trainee was paid N3000 instead of N14000.

    Like the President, there is nobody that will not be angry if he/she sees the rate of rot in the college in spite of the huge of amount of money that was allocated to the police colleges in the budget.

    For instance, in 2011, N291.946 million was budgeted for all the 10 Police Colleges across the nation. In 2012, N296.757million was budgeted for the same colleges and in 2013 budget, N280million has also been set aside for all these 10 police colleges apart from the money each of this college is generating from renting out the field of the college to the public for ceremonies as it was witnessed on the day the President visited.

    But it is a pity that all the money that is meant for development of these police colleges was not being utilized well.

    Having commended the President for that surprise visit, I also commend the management of Chanel Television for televising that documentary that revealed the sad state of the college.

    However, President Jonathan must not see the documentary as a calculated attempt to damage the image of his government as he has said but rather he should see the documentary as a wakeup call to his government. Therefore instead of angrily asking for who permitted Channels Television to film the depreciation in the facilities of the college, he should rather be serious with the question why and how the college got to that deplorable state in spite of the huge amount of money that is being pumped into the college.

    The DIG ‘E’ Department who is in charge of the trainees and the college commandant must be probed on how they have been managing the college’s monies. The IGP, his predecessors and other past DIGs of ‘E’ Department must also be asked to say what they knew on how the Police College Ikeja come to that deplorable state. After the thorough investigations, anyone that is found wanting must be dealt with accordingly.

     

    • John Tosin Ajiboye

    Osogbo Osun State