The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Succour

  • Succour for victims

    Succour for victims

    •Federal Government should assuage pains of bomb blast victims 15 years after

    It is 15 years since bomb blasts rocked the Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigerian Army in Lagos, leading to the death of about 1,000 persons, five hundred injured and about 12,000 families displaced. In the aftermath, governments at the federal and state levels promised to compensate the victims as well as take actions to remediate the situation and prevent a recurrence. But the gvernment has failed to meet with the responsibility.
    The victims who marked the 15th anniversary on January 27 have been recounting the sad experience and how they have largely been ignored by the authorities. While the chairman of the victims, Mr. Nurudeen Oyegbemi, said half of the families duly registered have been compensated by the Lagos State Government, the Federal Government is said to have stopped at making empty promises.
    This is unfair. Given the level of physical losses suffered by the families, with some having to relocate, it is unfortunate that the Federal Government that retains about 52 per cent of the national resources failed to play its part. This is even the more painful when it is realised that the military, its funding and control, is on the exclusive legislative list.
    As the Commander of Ikeja Garrison, Brigadier-General George Emdin, said then: “On behalf of the military, we are sorry; this is an old ammunition depot with high-calibre bombs … some efforts were being made in the recent past to try to improve the storage facility, but this accident happened before the high authorities could do what was needed.” It was an indication that negligence was largely responsible for the calamity. Yet, the government could not rise to the occasion. It is time governments realised that they exist to cater to the welfare of citizens. The immediate actions taken in providing temporary accommodation and needs of the victims were undertaken by the state government.
    The Federal Government’s inability to provide necessary succour despite the promises made in the heat of the moment is similar to agreements willfully breached by the government. This is at the root of industrial disharmony in the country. Teachers, doctors, judiciary and aviation workers, among others, down tools regularly because government has failed to implement signed commitments. This must change if the country is to march forward.
    There are suggestions that the government has equally failed to take stock of armouries in the military formations and the storage condition. We call on the Federal Government, in conjunction with the military authorities, to immediately take stock and put in place remedies. There is no reason why such poorly maintained and potentially dangerous facilities should be put in residential environment.
    Besides, despite the existence of agencies such as the National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and information centres at the state and local government levels, Nigerians remain ill-informed about emergency procedures. Most of those who died and sustained injuries in the 2002 incident did outside the cantonment. They sank in the Isolo canal owing to panic, not knowing what to do. Others, mainly children, were crushed as they attempted to cross the highway at Ikeja by equally frightened motorists attempting to run away from danger even when they did not know the direction the blasts came from. Handling such emergencies and First Aid should be taught at the secondary and tertiary education levels.
    The military should learn from that incident, as well as the blasts that still occur occasionally from ill-disposed bombs from the civil war in the South East, to take proper care in locating armouries in the North East where the anti-insurgency war is being fought now to avoid similar havocs in the future. Fifteen years after, it is time to put closure to the sad episode.

  • Finally, succour for persons living with disabilities

    SIR: Despite the cliché – ‘there is ability in disability’, there are innumerable cultural, political, economic and social barriers that have served to deter full participation of persons with mental or physical disabilities in various gatherings be it in academic circle, sports, arts, business, politics, social events and even religious gatherings, thereby hindering their well-being.

    While some are born with physical and mental disabilities, some end up as casualties of a sudden, yet are equally accorded second-class status in our polity. Succinctly, the doctrine of human frailty should make all appreciate that today one may be fit, yet not have the same luxury of agility tomorrow. This buttresses the need to show utmost concern to the needs of the physically and mentally challenged in our society by providing the enabling environment for them to realize their full potentials in all spheres of human endeavour and closing the structural nature of the prevalent gap.

    It has been recognized that domestic legislations remain one of the most effective means of facilitating social change and improving the status of disabled persons. Thus the Senate passed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill 2016. There are numerous laudable provisions of the Bill including but not limited to: protection against discrimination of PLWD, easy access to public premises/road/sidewalk, prohibition of use of persons with disabilities to solicit for alms, free education, free healthcare, right to work and employment, right to participation in politics, a National Commission to address complaints of harassment, discrimination and harmful practices amongst others.

    Remarkably, Lagos State is at the fore-front of recognizing that there is ability in disability and has a Special People’s Law of 2011 to give PLWD a sense of belonging and had only recently launched a Disability Trust Fund. Happily, in Lagos State, upon registration and issuance with a certificate and badge by the Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs, there are numerous opportunities such as: free ride for physically-challenged persons on Bus Rapid Transit and LAGBUS,exclusive right to designated parking lots, special consideration for access to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund facility, amongst others.

    The Federal Government must be humble to take her cue from Lagos and even exceed the giant strides the United States of America has recorded by virtue of the Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA), which was introduced on July 26, 1990. Of note, the ADA was bolstered by the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Olmstead decision which determined that, under the ADA, people with disabilities cannot be unnecessarily segregated. Similarly, the Affordable Care Act tremendously advanced health equity and reduced health care disparities among Americans.

    The Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill 2016, though laudable will only produce the desired result if and only if there is sincere commitment on the part of the populace and the relevant authoritiesto make life more comfortable for Persons Living with Disabilities.

     

    *Michael O. Ogunjobi,

     Lagos.

  • School as succour

    School as succour

    •It is good that NGOs and aid partners seek to educate internally displaced children

    The news that a foundation attached to an oil marketing company will work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to enroll 60,000 internally displaced children in formal schools throughout Nigeria by 2018 is truly heartwarming.

    Utilising an ingenious “Adopt-a-School” programme, the foundation and USAID hope to ensure the reintegration of the children into formal education and thereby improve their learning outcomes. Already, educational starter kits are being distributed to children in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps as part of preparation for this process.

    The education plan will help to further facilitate the rehabilitation of citizens who were rendered homeless and destitute as a result of the depredations of the Boko Haram insurgency across the country’s north-eastern states.

    Over two million people have been displaced by the unrest, out of which about half comprises school-age children and youth. Education has suffered tremendously as a result. The most famous instance of terrorist disruption of the learning process is the infamous abduction of the Chibok girls in April 2014, but the general decline in educational activity is far more profound. In its insane campaign against western education, Boko Haram has targetted educational institutions, destroying schools and killing students and teachers.

    In 2014, USAID launched the Education Crisis Response (ECR) in association with state governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It was an attempt to respond comprehensively to the educational needs of internally displaced children living with host communities or in resettlement camps. Along with agencies like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ECR has provided education emergency supplies such as school-in-a-box and recreation kits, as well as Hausa literacy materials. It is scheduled to end in 2017.

    After food and shelter, education is the most important requirement for internally displaced children. Indeed, it is perhaps the most potent defence against terrorism because it simultaneously creates anti-terrorist attitudes and offers significant alternatives to the hopeless lives which make terrorism so attractive. Educational programmes also provide a much-needed psychological boost to individuals struggling to overcome the effects of terrorism.

    The Buhari Administration has made efforts to improve the educational prospects of displaced children. In August 2015, it announced the Presidential Initiative Project for the North-East which makes provision for the education of children displaced by the insurgency. The Victims Support Fund (VSF) regularly distributes learning materials to displaced children in pursuance of its mandate.

    It is crucial that the federal and state governments do more to ensure that education plays a greater role in the rehabilitation of internally displaced children. As the months go by, out-of-school children are likely to lose faith in their ability to regain what they have lost; such despair can only complicate the difficulties of rehabilitation. A seething mass of uneducated, disgruntled youths, embittered by their traumatic experiences could lead to social problems that are better imagined than experienced.

    The country’s poor educational system, beset as it is by infrastructural shortcomings, poorly-motivated teachers and a chronic lack of educational supplies, only serves to make the prospects more challenging.

    One solution would be to work with charitable organisations to identify schools that can take internally displaced children and work out the logistics of accommodating them as either day or boarding students. The various organisations donating food and medical supplies to IDP camps should be encouraged to pay more attention to the educational welfare of internally displaced children. Schools in the north-east should be refurbished to meet the demands of larger student populations; the modalities of introducing an afternoon school system should also be considered.

    As the war against the Boko Haram insurgency is being won on the battlefield, it must not be forgotten that the classroom is the arena for the even more crucial battle for hearts and minds.

    We commend Oando Foundation, USAID and other organisations involved in these initiatives and urge those that are yet to join to do so for the benefit of humanity.

  • Succour for the elderly

    Succour for the elderly

    The old men and women dressed in their best attires. Their average age should be 65 years, and  they were in high spirits. They danced to the music in the background while some moved their heads to the music and others shook their legs. They were in full gyration. Their lively faces masked their age and, like children, who just discovered that they were adults, they threw banters. They giggled, chuckled and shared jokes. Intermittently, one or two of them would stand up to sing.

    That was the scene when Caring Hands International (CHI), Nigeria, celebrated its 10th anniversary in Osogbo, Osun State.  The group focuses on promoting the welfare and well-being of the elderly in the society.

    The group, in the last 10 years, has been supporting the elderly by providing care and support and also ensuring their full integration into the society.

    So, when the group rolled out drums to celebrate the 10th anniversary, the elderly came in droves to celebrate the group that has given them succour in the last 10 years.

    According to the senior citizens, there was a cause for them to celebrate CHI. They said most of them would have died out of loneliness or ill health but for the platform provided for them by CHI to bond.

    According to the founder of CHI, Mrs Fehintola Obilomo: “The condition of the elderly citizens in our society has become a matter of great concern. Many of them live in abject poverty; while a large proportion are confronted with problems of societal neglect and frustration. Apart from emotional distress and psychological trauma, a high percentage of elderly people are also exposed to various health problems without proper medical care thereby increasing the mortality rate. Against this background, Caring Hands International was established in order to improve the lives of elderly people and enable them live fulfilled and dignified life.”

    When these elderly started giving their testimonies, it was a story of triumph in the face of tragedy.

    Narrating his experienced, Pa Fariyibi, a retired soldier in his 70s who walks with the aid of a walking stick, said he is alive today because of his  chance encounter with CHI. The man had an accident in 2014, a situation which nearly took his life. Even after he had been discharged from the hospital, he  battled with  other health challenges associated with old age.

    ”When a car hit me in 2014, I spent a year in the hospital. After I was discharged from the hospital, Obilomo visited me; I never knew her visit was divine. She asked for the condition of my blood pressure, she advised me to go and do checks.  She did the tests for me. She said my ailment had a remedy, she referred me to a doctor who referred me to another hospital. There, I was admitted for five days and all manners of tests were administered on me there and then, solution was found to my health challenge,” he said.

    According to the 70-year-old man, it was the wise counsel from CHI, coupled with the medical attention he got that kept him alive.

    Eighty-two-year-old Ayegoro Oladipupo Olabode, who was in very high spirit said she belonged to the first set of people to join CHI about 10 years ago.  ”It was Mr. Obilomo, the husband of the Executive Director of Caring Hands International, Mrs Fehintola Obilomo, that introduced me to the organisation, about 10 years ago. For the past 10 years, Mrs Obilomo has been taking care of our wellbeing, she provides food during our monthly meetings, she also does medical care for us, especially in the areas of medical checkup be it high blood pressure, urine test or any form of diseases, she would refer us to the hospital if necessary.”

    The 82- year-old man while disclosing that Obilomo uses her money to take care of the elderly,  was full of praises for Obilomo and  said if the CHI Executive  Director had been a politician, life would have been better for Nigerians. “The aspect of medical checkups has really helped, she would tell us the type of exercise to do and the type of food to eat. It will surprise you that she does it free of charge. We hold our meeting once a month,” he said.

    For Mrs Felicia Olubunmi Akintaro, who is also one of the early members of CHI said she clocked 70 in January,adding: “I have been enjoying different benefits from this association, even while in service, I went to treat my tooth in the hospital, they told me to pay N500 to remove it.  I made them understand that I was a widow and I had children in school and could not afford it. But when it became unbearable, it was Obilomo that came to my aid by paying the dentist and since then I have been okay.Many would have been dead, especially me, if not for the medical advice. The doctors would come to advice us and tell us what to do, they check our blood pressure and at times give glasses to  people that need it.”

    Evangelist Oluwaremilekun Abiona said: “I had the privilege of knowing Caring Hands International many years ago. I didn’t know about them before. It was somebody that advised me that there was a place where they take care of the aged people, that was when I went to their office. I was registered with No 350, since then I have been going every month and we do exercise at Technical College Osogbo on first Saturday of the month. During our meeting days, they normally give us moi moi, water. I’m not ashamed to tell you that anytime I take this moi moi home, I would tell them to prepare pap for me and I would take the moi moi and pap. I’ve benefitted a lot from this organisation, I remember when I had challenge, they did eye test for us and the organisation gave me eye glasses without taking a dime from me.”

    The plight of the elderly gave birth to Caring Hearts International. Though, the group has been taking care of the elderly in the areas of medicine,  treatment and visits  the fact that as they grow, age related diseases should be  addressed,  “that was when we said we should put a structure down where we can take care of the elderly especially, defecting early the onset of debilitating diseases, related to old age, that was how Caring Heart started in 2006.”

     

  • Succour for the displaced

    Succour for the displaced

    Even though life is now a bit better for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), they still look forward to visitors’ handouts, especially high-profile ones. Such was the case when Senator Dino Melaye showed up at the New Kuchingoro camp, reports OLUGBENGA ADANIKIN 

    The fear of the bloodthirsty insurgents is largely over for displaced persons. The enduring worry is usually what to eat, what to wear and when all the crisis will be over so they can safely return to their ancestral homes. Well-heeled visitors, meanwhile, have been helping with supplies, to the relief of the IDPs.

    Senator Dino Melaye has just added to the charity pool.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dino Melaye brought food and other daily needs to the IDPs.

    It was on his birthday anniversary which he celebrated with the over 1,000 persons at the New Kuchingoro camp in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    During the visit, the lawmaker said the relief materials and celebration were to bring succour to the displaced persons.

    He donated gift items such as staple foods as well as live cow to fete the victims of Boko Haram insurgency.

    Melaye, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District in the Senate, was accompanied by friends and well-wishers to share the day with the IDPs.

    Describing the IDPs as senior citizens of the country, he said, “My birthday this year will be a very fulfilling one, having come to you, senior citizens of Nigeria, paying a very huge sacrifice for the atrocities you know nothing about.

    “I commend your efforts, I salute your resilience and indomitable spirits and I pray that all these sufferings would not be in vain. So, I am here to make these few donations to support your inhabitable situation here.”

    He also pleaded with the insurgents to release the Chibok girls they abducted from their school almost a year ago.

    He assured the IDPs of government’s sincerity to end insurgency such that they could return to their ancestral homes in the Northeast.

    “My singular prayer is that God will restore peace in the Northeast so that all of you can return home very soon.

    “I use this opportunity to appreciate the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari and the military towards ending insurgency in the region,” he added.

    He advised the IDPs to co-habit peacefully, adding that the pains inflicted on the people would soon be a thing of the past.

    Some of the items donated included noodles, bags of rice, cake, books and other writing materials.

    A primary four pupil, Aliu Ibrahim read one of the books entitled The Fisherman and the Fish, presented by the Senator.

    The children agreed to imbibe a good reading culture.

  • Succour for a blind man

    •Governor Ambode’s humanitarian gesture for the columnist should be an example

    Apart from being a commendable demonstration of personal compassion, the intervention of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, in the sad situation of Mr. Wole Falodun is a striking expression of his understanding of institutional integrity. It is impressive that the Lagos State Government responded to the news of Falodun’s plight within 24 hours.

    After PUNCH Metro on July 22, 2015, reported Falodun’s troubles following a problematic eye surgery at the Lagos Island General Hospital, Ambode promptly directed that he should be invited for a discussion. Falodun, a former correspondent of Radio Nigeria and an ex-columnist who in the 1970s wrote the popular column Waka About in the defunct Lagos Weekend, reportedly went blind as a result of a surgeon’s error during a glaucoma operation in 1995.

    According to the story, Falodun had sought the help of the then Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and had a meeting with Tinubu in February 2002 following a letter he wrote to him in May 2001. Tinubu had reportedly promised that the state would take care of Falodun on humanitarian grounds, specifically through financial support and by ensuring the education of his three children through the “state scholarship board and other convenient options”. These promises are yet to be fulfilled 13 years after, the report said.

    It is a measure of the sensitivity of the Ambode administration that its immediate response came through a statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, which said: “According to the Governor, the Secretary to the State Government is to establish contact with Mr. Wole Falodun and collect details of promises made by his predecessors in office and ensure that they are forwarded to him for immediate action. The governor said the promises were not personal, but made on behalf of the state government.”

    Significantly, the SSG’s statement also said: “This singular move is a demonstration of the commitment of this administration to the plight of its citizenry and it will ensure that promises made to Lagosians are fulfilled.”

    It must be appreciated that Ambode’s logic of sensible continuity is a remarkable departure from the familiar path of unreasonable discontinuity commonly adopted by political helmsmen in the country. It takes a humble appreciation of the reality of predecessors and successors in government for a governor to decide to give effect to promises made by a previous holder of the position. In particular, the beauty of Ambode’s intervention is that it is not driven by any implication of the liability of the state government arising from the alleged negligence of the doctor who performed the surgery that went awry.

    While Falodun’s present circumstances are unlikely to be the same as they were when the government at the time promised to help lighten his burden, it is expected that the Ambode administration will nevertheless address his current state of affairs with a sense of seriousness. It is unfortunate that Falodun’s eye problem was ironically and terribly worsened in the course of medical treatment. However, it is hoped that, with the assistance of the state government, he would be able to cope better with his physical disability.

    Certainly, there is a lesson for medical workers in Falodun’s pathetic tale. In the delicate business of surgery and in the delivery of medical remedies generally, health personnel cannot care too much or be too careful. The consequences of human mistakes in the context of health care can be agonising as Falodun’s case has shown.

    It has been a long wait for Falodun, and now that a listening administration is willing to act and give much-needed succour, there should be no further delay.

  • Succour for Boko Haram victims

    Succour for Boko Haram victims

    SUCCOUR came the way of victims of Boko Haram insurgents who received some relief materials from Vitafoam Nigeria Plc. The company, in fulfillment of its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), donated 100 mattresses and 100 pillows to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Borno State through an Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Oasis Association.
    Speaking during the donation held at the Borno State Liaison Office on Victoria Island, Lagos, the Group Managing Director, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, said the gesture was a token to make life more meaningful for those displaced by the insurgents and alleviate their sufferings.
    He noted that the donation was particularly for the victims in Borno State, which he described as Vitafoam’s way of giving back to the society.
    He said that Oasis contacted Vitafoam to partner them by assisting in this regard. “We believe that we are just contributing our part. We have been supporting the victims of many disasters over the years and we have consistently spent millions of Naira annually.”
    He said that for any human being to think of doing anything in life, the first step is to have a place to rest and that is why mattresses and pillows are very symbolic. He added that the significance of the donation is better appreciated against the essence of comfortable sleep as a necessary condition for thinking better.
    Adeniyi noted that the company has being highly involved in the area of CSR because the company is a good corporate citizen. “We have been of help during the crisis of flood in Nigeria, during health challenges and other series of circumstance that threatened human lives. Today is a consonance to our policy in ensuring that human being live a worthy life.
    “On annual basis, we spend an average of 100 million on CSR and we would continue to support people that have challenges,” he said.
    Adeniyi who pledged the firm’s continual support to the needy as good corporate citizens, noted that Vitafoam’s operations in the Northern part was affected by the activities of Boko Haram thus leading to some loss of revenues. “But then, the government could not address the level of destruction caused by the insurgents alone because the damages are so much. Other corporate bodies therefore have an obligation to to assist the Internally Displaced People without further delay. This is why Vitafoam has been involved by today’s donation.
    While he thanked Borno State government for giving Vitafoam the opportunity to assist the victims, Adeniyi assured the shareholders of increased value saying that all the company’s activities are aimed at increasing shareholder value ultimately.
    The President, The Oasis Association, Air Vice Marshal Olufemi Soewu (rtd) said that the NGO comprises of professionals from various backgrounds driven by selfless desire to assist humanity. “We are driven by the desire to help humanity and not for any material gain. Our material benefit is spiritual. We believe that whatsoever we do would be rewarded by God and that has being our driving force,” he said.
    According to him, the NGO has being involved in diverse disaster internetions in the past. ”We have supported victims of bumb explosion at the Ikeja cantonment in Lagos some years ago and annually, we design a specific programme that we want to focus on to render assistance.
    “Last year, our focus was on health. We assisted victims of tuberculosis, hepataitis and other related ailments. This year, the focus is on internally displaced people,” he said.
    Soewu commended Vitafoam’s management for the quick response to the request to assist victims of the insurgency in Borno State.
    He pledged the NGO’s commitment to ensure that human beings are supported whenever there is crisis.
    The Head, Borno State Liason Office, Lagos, Mrs Racheal Dunama-Balami, who recieved the items donated on behalf of the Boko Haram victims in Borno State, thanked the management of Vitafoam and Oasis for the wonderful support, saying it has confirmed that we are all our brothers keepers. She promised to deliver the items to Borno State government.

  • KSDT: Succour for scarce kiddies’ content

    IN this age and time when the social media, television and digital games are awashed with adult contents; too strong in language, violence and sex details, there is the need to keep children busy with alternatives. Thus, when a new programme, Kids Say TheDarndest Things made debut on the Nigerian screen, I considered it a worthy development.

    This is adding to such offerings as the kiddies’ version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Nnena and Friends, HealthWise, and Work It Out.

    I’m particularly thrilled about these ones because they are Nigerian series and a sharp departure from the Nickelodeon and Disney of this world, with programmes such as Kickin IT, Lab Rats, Jessie, Sam & Cat, Austin and Ally, Dog with a Blog, etcetera.

    Although programmes like Tales by Moonlight, which treated local and cultural themes and others folktales that help to preserve our indigenous languages have since been rested, it is still okay that at least some establishments have deemed it fit to invest in contents that can develop kids’ intellect, knowing this is essential for their formative stage.

    I have often acknowledged that the little that I know today is a factor of my upbringing, and I sometimes imagine if I have had a better foundation. Reason today, I buy books for my kids and pay the cable TV subscription religiously, apart from the necessary parental and religious guidance.

    It is often said that kids are quick to experiment and adapt. They are therefore particularly natural as being the leading indicators of digital media consumption.  And whichever way we want to look at it, television is still the largest time-sucking activity for kids, albeit on the decline. The medium has also been proven by pundits as the best for bringing mass impact on the audience.

    Although Kids Say the Darndest Things is an American series, its adaptation for the Nigerian audience allows for the reality of our social, economic and political situations.

    The second episode left both adults and children reeling with laughter over the weekend as the kids bared their minds on financial matters while reacting to the posers thrown at them by Tony Okungbowa, the host of the show.

    Two of the participants, Shawn and Orinayo were debating financial matters. Shawn tried to explain to Okungbowa that one could withdraw money from an ATM machine without necessarily making a deposit in the bank, but the extroverted Orinayo countered his position, stating that money must be saved for it to be withdrawn.

    Caught between the arguments, Okungbowa turned to Victoria for help, but the agnostic Victoria literally played safe all through the show, as she sat on the fence providing an interesting bridge between the two.

    Away from that financial banter, 12-year-old DamilolaAkani blew the minds of the studio audience with his mesmerizing voice, as he rendered an Opera.

    The patriotic kid, when asked what he eats to enhance his amazing voice, said he owes it to pounded yam, chicken and Eforiro. Damilola did not only impress his audience with his singing skills, he also took to the Piano, striking a few chords to their delight.

    It is not only thrilling that it is a kiddies’ show, it is also a Nigerian series, so to speak.

  • Succour for rainstorm victims

    Succour for rainstorm victims

    Relief came the way of victims of rainstorm disaster in Oko in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State as the member representing Surulere/Ogo-Oluwa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives; Hon. Segun Odebunmi donated some relief materials to them penultimate week.

    The rainstorm, which occurred on February10, this year, wreaked havoc as it destroyed houses, farm lands, shops, businesses and killed animals. It also rendered many homeless.

    Through the assistance of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), relief materials worth millions of Naira were presented to the victims.

    •Hon. Odebunmi, first from right, with traditional rulers
    •Hon. Odebunmi, first from right, with traditional rulers

    Odebunmi had earlier distributed money to the victims few weeks after the incident, apart from paying the medical bills of those who sustained varying degrees of injury during the rainstorm.

    At the event which took place at the Oko Town Hall, 200 bundles of iron roofing sheets, 200 bags of cement, 300 ceiling boards , 75 bags of nail,75 packets of zinc nail, 500 pieces of blankets , 150 pieces of children’s wears, 300 pieces of mosquito nets, 400 pieces of guinea brocade, 400 pieces of ankara wax print, 300 pieces of mattress, 150 bags of rice,100 kegs of vegetable oil, 86 cartons of milo, 50 cartons of milk, 50 cartons of noodles,100 cartons of tea, 50 cartons of detergents, 50 cartons of toilet soap and 50 bags of sugar were donated to the victims.

    While addressing the beneficiaries, the South-West Assistant Chief Planning Officer of NEMA, Mr. Afolayan Olusegun explained that the agency was committed to making life easier for the people by offering adequate and prompt assistance to the people and community affected by any form of disaster in the country, adding that ”NEMA engages in direct distribution of relief materials because of the lackadaisical attitude of some state governments who either abandon the materials at a store or distribute it to politicians who are not affected.”

    Speaking with reporters, Odebunmi said the gesture was part of his efforts at ensuring that members of his constituency are cared for as fulfilment of his electioneering campaign promises when he sought re-election.

    Odebumi, who equally used the event to urge Muslims to use the Ramadan period to pray for peace and progress of Nigeria as a nation said: ”The month of Ramadan is a time of sacrifice; a time when Muslims abstain from the physical pleasures of life and seek blessings from the Almighty Allah through the study of the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet. In this season, it behoves on all our clerics not only to lead the faithful on the path of righteousness but also to expose promoters of sects that distort and corrupt the teachings of the Holy Prophet for nefarious ends.”

    Continuing, he said: “This month should also be a period when all Nigerians must embrace love, peace and unity, sacrifice for the overall growth and development of the country and co-operate with government for the attainment of our national goals. I pray the Almighty Allah hears and yields to our petitions in this holy month.”

    Meanwhile, members of his constituency have expressed their gratitude to the lawmaker for the gesture. Theý Oloko of Oko land, Oba Elijah Adaramola appreciated the lawmaker’s timely intervention, saying that the gesture would, no doubt, go a long way in ameliorating the people’s suffering.

  • Succour as NGO supports the needy

    Succour as NGO supports the needy

    A non-Governmental Organisation, The Counseling Ambassadors Organisation (TCA), has extended a hand of fellowship to the less privileged in the society.

    The gesture according to TCAO Public Relations Officer, Olusegun-Oyewole, was borne out of the need to keep the masses alive and sustain the indigents in the society.

    She said living in a society where government pays less attention to the suffering of the masses is daunting, adding that TCAO finds it necessary to support the masses and make them less reliant on government at all times.

    According to her, “TCAO has been undertaking the task of providing succour in any and all respects to the rejected, helpless people, irrespective of race, tribe, religion or colour. Someone would dare to ask and say what is unique about an NGO sustaining or keeping the masses, but TCAO has done more than keeping or sustaining the masses, but rather taking the giant stride in giving empowerment/skills development, vocational education and training to the marginalized and vulnerable persons in the society and people dependent on the informal economy.”

    Olusegun-Oyewole said several programmes have been packaged to tackle youth unemployment crisis in Nigeria and unlock the potentials of people, reducing the statistics of those depending on aid.

    “TCAO believes in the total well being of the human being and for this reason she offers counseling to those people who are aching in heart and having issues that the society see to be embarrassing and so they die in silence. The counseling arm of the organization provides succour to those aching in heart, having emotional and even spiritual issues.”

    She listed some of the beneficiaries to include victims of the Abuja bomb blast, adding that TCAO annually provides food items to the indigents in the society in order to exterminate poverty in the land.

    “TCAO brings together both the high and mighty, La creame of the society, and the less privileged people in the society together on the platform of Berachah, a musical concert where everyone has the opportunity to praise and worship God without limits.

    Berachah, she said, is a large event which requires huge resources to organise and yet caters for those who are in need of empowerment materials and some other forms of financial needs.

    She said five persons benefited during the 2014 edition of the concert while adding that the five beneficiaries were given some empowerment materials including deep freezer, sewing machine, industrial sewing machine, generators etc.

    She said apart from the empowerment materials, there was also the release of N267, 000 to Mr. Samson Babatunde, a burns victim to enable him carry out surgery in his hand, while N1.7Million was expended on a baby with hole in the heart for surgery last year.

    She said the forth coming 8th series of Berachah will feature prominent personalities including the Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dame Emmanuella Fashola.

    “The glory of the latter house must surely surpass the former because everything has been made ready for the event,” Olusegun-Oyewole enthused.