The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Tears

  • Buhari: Sweat and tears

    The founder of modern Germany, Otto Von Bismarck, after the failure of the 1848 Liberal revolution to unite the German states, told the Germans that German unification will not come through debate but through blood and iron. Meaning that if Germans wanted unification they would have to fight for it by war and by shedding their blood. Winston Churchill, war time Prime minister of Great Britain in those dark years of 1941 when defeat was starring Britain in the face told the British people that he had nothing to offer them than blood and tears.

    In view of the depressed economy of Nigeria and moral bankruptcy in high places, General Buhari must tell our people that we can pull ourselves out of the quagmire we are in by a policy of sweat and tears. This means in essence that there is work to be done and that in doing this work, we may go through lots of pain involving shedding tears and sweating. He has already said he has no magic wand to solve all our problems at once and that we must not expect any miracle but that he would offer moral compass by which to negotiate the stormy waters ahead of us. If all he offers is the moral leadership, I believe this would be more than sufficient.

    The problems facing Nigeria are both physical and psychological; it is easier to tackle the physical problems of infrastructural decay in form of bad roads, unavailability of electricity and pipe-borne water, poor health and educational facilities, poor environment, non-functioning of our railways, seaports, airports and general urban decay as well as the huge problem of unemployment.

    The psychological problem we have is not knowing when to stop taking from the public till, as well as embezzlement in order to provide for ourselves and families, moral decay and buccaneering attitude to public service and governance and general lack of integrity and prevalence of unrighteousness in our way of life.

    Many years ago, our first civilian President, Right Honourable Dr Nnamdi Azikwe of blessed memory, said the problem with us Nigerians was the problem of politics of poverty. He defined it as the desire of public officials to embezzle public money so that they and their family will not lack anything. We still have the problem with us.

    This attitude to life generally has permeated not only public life but also private commercial dealings to the extent that Nigerians in the corporate world and in public life are too steeped in corruption that they cannot help themselves. The problem of underdevelopment can be attacked if the president has the right kind of people working with him and, a grand plan to implement the other problem of moral deficit that is not something that can be easily solved. It will require the leadership acting as a beacon to those who may go astray when called to serve.

    The president is the head of the executive branch. The executive branch is the council of ministers and the departments working under them composed of civil servants. This is the branch that formulates policies and after approval from the legislative branch, executes policies. It is the executive branch that is in charge of contract awards and supervision. Eighty to ninety percent of the resources of states is handled by the executive branch. Hence, if there is going to be a reduction in corruption, the executive branch is going to lead the way. The executive branch must ensure that contracts are not padded for the purpose of kick- backs. It must ensure that the bureaucracy is not over inflated with un-needed personnel; it must ensure that a lean administration shorn of jobbers and nepotism is in place. The days of special advisers, special assistants, special-this and special-that should be gone, and gone forever. The days of a fleet of aeroplanes and cars for the executives should no longer be tolerated, and as much as possible, promotion should be based on performance and we should bring back the days of Public Works Department (PWD), so as to engage the service of young engineers and technicians in doing public works instead of all minor physical works being given to contractors.

    This will help to fight unemployment and our youth must be told frankly that the task of building this country is in their hands. Whatever is being done at the centre must be replicated at the state and local levels. A regime of accountability must be imposed on all levels of government through beefing up and activating audit departments at all levels. The executive must also ensure that all institutions charged with preventing public corruptions like EFCC and ICPC must be revamped and sufficiently staffed and well-funded to do their work. They must also be separated from he executive and merged with the judiciary so that they can do their work without let or hindrance. The days where prosecution takes a lifetime must be stopped. Cases before anti- corruption courts must be swiftly decided; those guilty must be sanctioned and punished. No regime can completely wipe out corruption and corruption is a global problem but we must be seen to be serious about tackling this hydra headed problem.

    If educational institutions are functioning well, if there are hospitals to take care of the sick, if infrastructure is modernized and efficient, if there is excellent public transportation, if there is welfare plan for the old, the women, the children and the unemployed, then, there will be no reason whatsoever to steal from the public treasury. This was the philosophy of Lee Kwan Yew in Singapore. He decided that he would so highly remunerate his workers that they would not steal and embezzle public funds and that people would work for and uphold the system that takes care of them. Let us try it here in Nigeria. If the executive is serious about cutting down corruption and the cost of governance, the legislative branch will have to follow suit and the same goes for the judiciary.

    The current package of emoluments and allowances for legislators is not sustainable. We are told that our current members of House of Representatives and of the Senate are the most highly paid in this category in the world. This is not an enviable record for a third world country. This has to change. What we are saying of the centre applies to the states and the local governments. We cannot honestly ask for a change of direction without all of us being committed to changes in the system.

    There has to be a change in revenue mobilization, a situation in which Nigeria charges a VAT of seven percent while other African states are charging 18percent must change. We have to increase VAT to 18percent especially at a time when our income for oil has been reduced by 50percent. Increase in VAT will hit the rich more than the poor because it is the rich who buy aeroplanes, cars and drink champagne etc. we should also adopt on a national scale, Lagos state land use tax and each state would decide how much it wants to levy. States had better get used to mobilization of internal revenue than carrying begging bowls to the federal government.

    Finally, we must direct our energy to industrialization, agriculture and exploitation of solid minerals as a way of diversifying our economy from over-dependence on oil and gas and when we have enough resources, we must radically transform our electricity generation and distribution because without this we will not have modern industries, health, transportation, industrial and communication infrastructure.

  • Mu’azu’s crocodile tears

    Those familiar with events surrounding the last ward congresses and primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would be amazed at the recent assessment of that party by its national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. Not that the issues he raised are not correct. But coming from such a key leader, people are bound to wonder what he is now up to.

    Hear him, “A lot of people who left our party did so because of injustice in our party. Our party is full of injustice. The membership of the APC, LP APGA is increasing because of this. All these members are from our party. We must find out what is wrong and correct it”

    Mu’azu’s comments at the event which had President Jonathan in attendance reportedly attracted heavy ovation from party members. Apparently sensing danger, Jonathan was quick to admit he was aware of issues arising from the last PDP primaries. But he called on members of the party to unite and resolve them so as to ensure success at the coming elections.

    The issues raised by Mu’azu on the conduct of their party are not entirely new. What is perhaps new is that this is the first time a sitting PDP national chairman who just presided over very flawed primaries would so soon after, come public to speak of his party in such a deprecating manner.

    From the way he spoke, he appears to have given the impression that he is not part of the charade that went in the name of ward congresses and primaries of the party. That is why he would want the president to speak with the governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives and other elected officials.

    Its corollary is that much of the blame for the said injustice should be heaped at the doorsteps of the president or somewhere else. That is why he is being asked to speak to all categories of elected officers. The other logical deduction is that much of those in the category of the aggrieved, fall within elected people who apparently could not secure a return ticket or whose plans to install their anointed candidates hit the rocks.

    Admittedly, there exist clear instances of this. Enugu State, where the incumbent governor had to trade off his senatorial ambition for imposing an anointed governorship candidate is a case in point. There is also that of Ebonyi State where the incumbent governor not only had his preferred candidate shortchanged but has been so frustrated that he now pursues his senatorial ambition through another party. These and many more instances could be cited.

    But they represent an infinitesimal fraction of those genuinely embittered by the outcome of the last PDP primaries. They only represent the most vocal and most visible of those who have left the party because of the malfeasance the PDP national chairman felt strongly about that he had to come out public. There are many more of such aggrieved people and Mu’azu cannot claim ignorant of this fact.

    He inadvertently fell into the same trap he is complaining about in assuming that those who need to be reconciled are all about elected members.

    That is not exactly the case. If it were so, he would have had no cause to lament the heavy exodus of his party members to other parties. In the category of aggrieved people are ordinary members who were lured out to participate during its ward congresses which never held in many places even as lists of purportedly elected delegates were produced by powerful members.

    Complaints were made to the national headquarters where Mu’azu holds sway but nothing came out of some of them. It was against this foreboding background that the primaries were held with lists doctored by highest bidders. Their outcome was very predictable as those who suffused the lists with their cronies’ names succeeded in determining who eventually emerged as candidates. They succeeded in throwing up people who at once, were electoral liabilities.

    The party’s further reaction was to embark on the very panicky measure of even substituting names of such people with those they thought will give them victory at the polls. This further exacerbated the situation. Many of the popular candidates who could not withstand the glaring injustice had to seek accommodation in other parties as the PDP national chairman rightly observed.

    They have left and may not be available for any reconciliation for now. They have left and are going to fight the PDP at the elections. So, it is not just the issue of bad losers. You cannot have bad losers or losers at all in a game that has no rules or worst still where the rules were observed in their breach. That is the burden the party has to bear for now and the consequences might be very dire.

    Mu’azu was being less than honest when he asked the party to find out what went wrong and correct it. In a way, it could amount to self-indictment for him to feign ignorance of the monumental corruption at the party headquarters that made its leadership incapable of decisively handling genuine complaints of members. He cannot claim ignorance that a lot of money changed hands before delegates’ lists that bore no semblance with the wishes of the people were imposed on them. He cannot claim he was unaware the current predicament of the party in Imo State was a logical concomitant of the delegates’ lists’ imposition. So why does he require another inquisition for what is obvious? The issues that aggravate defection are not new. Not even after the implosion of the party leading to mass exodus of some of its governors and foundation members. For someone in Mu’azu’s shoes, the minimum expectation was that he should have seized the momentum of that event to put the party on the right frame.

    But he did practically nothing as it remained business as usual. For a party that is faced with the kind of challenge this country is passing through, he would have steered the ship of his party to the part of sanity, order and good example in internal democracy. He allowed the matter to degenerate such that he now wants to give the impression he could be exculpated from the vices he complained about.

    It would have made more sense if he had let the nation into the actions he initiated to remedy the situation or throw in the towel if his ideas on that were being frustrated by some powerful interests. That would have been the path to credible and visionary leadership rather than this belated resort to shedding crocodile tears when the harm had already been done.

    Had he done so, he would have saved himself the embarrassment of buck-passing when the buck should stop at his table. Unless there are some extenuating issues, Mu’azu should take much of the blame for the current fate of the party. He must also share in the blame for the injustice he complained about. The issue is not just about the existence of injustice in the party as the steps he took to remedy the situation.

    Curiously, all these are taking place during an election year with very high stakes. For Jonathan, the party will take these into account when preparing for the 2019 elections. Fine! But the cost could be such that he may not have another opportunity to redress the situation.

  • Tears off the screen

    THERE were moments of gloom for the Nigerian entertainment world. Moviedom was thrown into a mourning when, in the month of April, its matriarch and pioneer, Amaka Igwe passed on to eternal glory.

    According to reports, Amaka had gone to Enugu in company of her husband for a pre-production preparation for a new Igbo sitcom when the sad incident occurred. She was said to have suffered asthmatic attack and was immediately rushed to a hospital, but died before getting there.

    Amaka is survived by her husband of 21 years, Charles Igwe, three children, and an aged mother. Born Amaka Isaac-Ene, the deceased was an accomplished writer, producer, director, entrepreneur and teacher.

    She founded the BoB TV Expo, and was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Top Radio 90.9 FM, Amaka Igwe Studios, and the newly-launched Q Entertainment Networks. Amaka hit national limelight as the writer and producer of the award-winning TV soap, Checkmate and Fuji House of Commotion.

    The entertainment world was yet to recover from the death of Igwe when, in the month of June, the news of the passing on of one of its musical greats, Kefee Don Momoh nee Obareki broke. The singer reportedly fell into a coma while on a flight to Chicago, United States. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing and she was rushed into the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Los Angeles. She died few days later.

    Again, in October, the industry recorded another death, when it woke up to the news of the demise of Taiwo Oshadipe, one half of the popular Oshadipe Twins singing duo. The sensational and dynamic identical set of twins Taiwo and Kehinde Oshadipe are known for contemporary, inspirational and specifically gospel music.

  • No tears for Dickson

    No tears for Dickson

    ACT one, scene one: Once upon a time, Bayelsa State had a governor named Timipre Sylva.  He led the state to the best of his ability. Not all were pleased with his style of leadership. So, there were voices against some of his actions. But what did him in was not whether or not he was perspicacious; it was his loss of the support of President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Dame Patience.

    Sylva was Jonathan’s governor because the president hails from Otuoke, a community in Bayelsa. Mrs Jonathan, by marriage, is also from Otuoke. By birth, she is from Okrika, Rivers State. She takes more than a cursory interest in political developments in both states. She has openly endorsed  former Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard bearer in Rivers. The other close to 20 aspirants can go to hell for all she cares.

    Some will vow that Sylva lost out more because he fell out with the First Lady, who convinced her husband to disallow him from securing the PDP ticket to run for a second term of office. I can’t confirm this.

    Mrs Jonathan never publicly listed Sylva’s sins. But her husband did. Jonathan said Sylva was prevented from participating in the November 2011 governorship primaries of the PDP in Bayelsa State because of failure to make impact. He described his reign as “monumental disgrace”.

    Jonathan accused his successor of failure to stimulate development and complete worthy projects left behind by his administration. He cited the five-star hotel project among such projects. He did not forget to say the people were frustrated and “openly stoned him (Sylva) during the Presidential rally sometime in October 2010.”

    His words: “I was second in command to Alamieyeseigha. One thing I remember is the Tower Hotel. It was not my dream but it was conceptualised under the Alamieyeseigha administration. He discussed with the contractors. It was supposed to be a 5-star hotel and it would attract people from all over the world. But now, it is a monument of disgrace.”

    While Jonathan was speaking, Seriake Dickson was seemingly enjoying the drama. He was the ultimate beneficiary of Sylva’s loss. Dame Jonathan was also happy that her husband was painting Sylva black. It was good for the project-install-Dickson.

    Jonathan added at a point: “Dickson you brought the people from Abuja to present flag, the only thing I want to do is to tell you that sometimes ago I was in Bayelsa and the people stoned the governor. I was here and you must work hard for Bayelsa not to stone you. The day they stone you, I will join to stone you.”

    Dickson spoke too that day. His words were those of a man who believed every brick thrown at Sylva was well-deserved. He also accused Sylva of directing “unwarranted attack” at the president.

    He said: “In the new PDP government in the state, we will be working with the youths and elders to replace Bayelsa lost glory. We want to turn Bayelsa to the Jerusalem of Ijaw Nation. We will work with the people. I am aware of the unwarranted attack on the President, the blackmails and the rest.”

    PDP’s Mr Fix-It Chief Tony Anenih was also at that event where Dickson received the party’s flag. He spoke in riddles, but the long and short of it was that Sylva wanted to be taller than his father and deserved to be banished.

    Act one, scene two:  For some time now, there have been speculations about whether or not all is well between Dickson and Mrs Jonathan. These speculations bring to mind how Sylva’s problem with the First Family began. It all started as a rumour. But time proved it.

    Five months into his inauguration in July 2012, Dickson caused uproar in the country when he announced the appointment of Mrs Jonathan as a Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa civil service.

    It emerged last week that Mrs Jonathan voluntarily retired as a Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa, a position Dickson appointed her under controversial circumstances.

    Civil society screamed. Human rights activists condemned the appointment. They urged the First Lady to reject it. But the First Lady not only accepted the appointment, she personally went to Yenagoa to be sworn-in on July 21, 2012. She was one of 17 who took the oath of office that day at the Government House Banquet Hall.

    The governor shrugged off criticism of arbitrary use of constitutional powers.

    He rationalised the appointment, saying he did it based on the power conferred on him by Section 203 of the constitution. He added that the First Lady merited it because of her services to the state and the nation. He did not forget to remind Nigerians that she was a directorate level officer in the civil service and was only on leave of absence to support her husband.

    For the discerning, Dickson was only playing to the gallery. Many wondered why the appointment could not wait until she finishes her tour of duty as First Lady. The general consensus, which I share, is that His Excellency only wanted to help his benefactress to reach the summit of the civil service. Something tells me he did it under duress.

    It has been over two years since then and things seemed to have fallen apart between the duo. They may never give us the details, which are usually ugly and shared only in private circles. Like the First Family complained of Sylva, Dickson’s leadership style, we hear, is also being bandied around here.

    A source said of the 57-year old First Lady: “The whole thing is political. It appears Madam Peace is not happy with the governor. I feel the President’s wife resigned to enable her to have the moral right to slug it out with Dickson ahead of the governorship poll in the state. Let no one deceive you, the whole thing is politics. After all, she is 57 and the retirement age is 60.”

    Now, she is awaiting her entitlements and for life, she will also be entitled to the pension of a permanent secretary. All thanks to a godson now about to give way to another favoured son in the person of Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa, who is the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters.

    Before curtain falls: The Bayelsa governor’s tenure will not lapse until 2016. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may not hold the election until the last quarter of next year. By then, the 2015 rush will have died down. As they say, 24 hours is a long time in politics. So, Dickson can still re-find favour in the First Lady. But the poser still remains: Will there be a repeat of Jonathan, the Dame and the PDP top echelon handing over the PDP governorship standard bearer flag to a candidate other than Dickson and expletives being poured on him? It won’t be surprising. After all, what goes around, they say, comes around. And like the Yoruba will say: “The cane with which the first wife was flogged is still there for the enjoyment of the second wife.”

    Really, I have got no tears for Dickson. I admire him and have absolutely nothing personal against him. I am only guided by the law of gravity that says: “What goes up must come down”. It remains to be seen if the law will come to fruition in this case or not.

    I must add that I don’t think it is right for Mrs Jonathan to choose Bayelsa governor.  I also beg the president that whatever the First Family decides to do with Dickson, please don’t join in stoning him. It is not presidential.

    The end? Not quite. So, watch out.

  • We need more than tears

    Pain and joy are two antithetical features of human existence. While pain reminds one of the sore sides of life; joy brings one to its brighter flank. Via pain, we reveal traits that may not show in our everyday life – those that are only triggered by horrendous occurrences. One of such traits, of course, is tearing. But then, how to we describe tears spurred by no emotions?

    As a matter of fact, Nigeria is in pain. Pain caused by long years of deceitful leadership, religious xenophobia and ethnocentrism; long years of autocratic-democracy. Amusingly, Nigerian leaders still don’t find a reason to desist from deceits. Instead, their kit of guile keeps accumulating.

    Just like the popular “New Year, New System” saying, many Nigerian leaders who, indeed, are good at improvising, now find it official to shed tears when they get to scenes of fatalities, even those ones that have happened weeks after. But, are tears strictly elicited by sights of terrible incidents or merely from the sound of inhumanity whatsoever? Do we start crying after seeing the corpse of our relative, or on hearing the news?

    About three years ago, the President was spotted wiping his face with his handkerchief at the site of the destroyed UN House in Abuja. It was a devastating sight indeed. But instead of instigating strident moves toward finding a lasting solution to the cause of the incident, it was only a dress-rehearsal for the real tear-opera we were to watch.

    Just in about a month ago, the First Lady was also reportedly moved by emotions to weep on a national TV. It was another emotion-spurring incident. But then, Sun Myung Moon explains in Return to tears that tears could be shed for two people: for oneself or for another person. So, what was spurring the emotion: the thought of probable loss of the Aso Villa in 2015 or a share in pains of the aggrieved parents?

    To continue the opera proper, another character joined the cast of wailers. Brig. Gen Ibrahim Sabo, Chairman of the Presidential fact-finding Committee on the Chibok issue, also shed tears during his committee’s meeting with the disconsolate parents of the abducted girls, one month after the incident. Is that how he sheds them daily, or he needed to court attention at all cost, like Robert Greene said in 48 Laws of Power?

    Truthfully, I have no problems with those manifestations of emotion. Good leaders share in the problems of their followers. Even Sun Myung Moon explained that God cried for the fall of mankind. But then, almost as immediately, God made provisions for amelioration of man’s conundrum. So, when a leader snivels without taking action, there’s need for a probe.

    Unmistakably, it’s been four years into this political dispensation, and four years of unprecedented killings and destitution. And, of course, it’s been three years since Mr. President openly expressed his displeasure with the Boko Haram barbarism. Yet, nothing has been done, not even close, to allay the fears of the people or solve their problems. Nigerians still live in trepidation-primus inter pares. Hardly does a day pass that we do not record deaths in any part of the nation. And with all this privations, our leaders still derive joy in celebrating centenary memorial.

    I know a good leader cries with his men. Just so Evo Morales, first indigenous President of Bolivia, did during his inauguration, when he stood firm to protect his people against the imperialist intrusion of the West. But what we have here is tears of deceit and fake pathos, which reminds one of O’Brien’s help to Winston Smith in George Orwell’s 1984; tears that only elicit a presidential threat of withdrawal of the nation’s army from a state because of a governor’s frankness. I thought a society’s interest supersedes that of any individual. Tears that only leave the whereabouts of 200 glories in oblivion, and 200 families in unwarranted mourning, for more than three months. Tears that make a President say on an international TV that there are illuminations where stiff darkness exists. Tears that could solve no problem –at least it didn’t convince Hitler to lessen his attacks on innocent people nor did it help the Negroes convince the racists of how precarious their condition was. Indeed, tear is not a suitable weapon of war.

    The motive of tears should not be forgotten. It is not a suitable agenda on one’s manifesto, so it won’t boost support in any election, be it 2015 or 2019. It is not a palliative for headache; neither is it a panacea to incivility. It didn’t dissuade Bin Laden from being a terror. Tears won’t make these insurgents release our girls or shelf their abominable acts. It is only an expression of emotion. We need more than tears. Tears bring fears. Fears bring sleepless nights and horrific journeys. To wipe our tears, we need allay our fears. And to allay our fears we need responsive and pro-active measures from our leaders.

  • Tears as Ekwunife submits resignation letter to APGA

    Tears as Ekwunife submits resignation letter to APGA

    MEMBERS of Anambra State All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), especially the women, were in tears yesterday as the lawmaker representing Anaocha, Njikoka, Dunukofia Federal Constituency, Uche Ekwunife, submitted her resignation letter to the party.

    Ekwunife then announced her formal defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after many weeks of speculations.

    She is expected to be joined by Victor Ogene (Ogbaru Federal Constituency), Chris Azubogu (Nnewi North, South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency), Cyril Egwuatu (Onitsha North and South Federal Constituency) and Emeke Nwogbo (Awka North and South Federal Constituency).

    Their dumping of APGA is generating anxiety in the party’s state chapter, as it continues to dip in crisis.

    Ekwunife, whose supporters trooped out from the three local government areas to her party office on Enugu- Onitsha Expressway, told them that every political party belongs to Ndigbo. She added that no party “is specifically for Igbo.”

    She praised the people for their support and urged them to continue the same way, irrespective of party affiliation.

    Ekwunife said Igbo party should be founded in peace, equity and fairness and not marginalisation of some people.

    “This is the time for me to continue to pursue my political career. I’m still young and I will not want anybody to destroy my political career. I want to go to where I will express myself. I will not be in a place where I will be unhappy.

    “Political party is not a cult group, but only a vehicle where people can air their views. I will continue to be grateful to APGA, but the time to move on is now,” Ekwunife said.

    After submitting her resignation letter to the Nri Ward I Chairman yesterday, the women cried openly, begging her not to quit APGA, having done well for them and her constituency.

    Ekwunife, who consoled them, said life must go on, adding that she would not quarrel with any of them as they continue to be brothers and sisters.

  • Oyo APC to Akala, Ladoja: no crocodile tears

    Oyo APC to Akala, Ladoja: no crocodile tears

    The All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State chapter, has urged former governors Adebayo Alao-Akala and Rashidi Ladoja, to stop shedding what it termed “crocodile tears” over the rumoured plan to impeach Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    The party, in a statement by its chairman, Chief Akin Oke, said the two former governors did not have the moral right to advise any government on peace.

    Oke said: “Isn’t it an irony that Akala and Ladoja would tell us how peaceful our state would be with a House of Assembly that is devoid of rancour? Both of them ran governments whose Houses of Assembly were like Israel and Palestine and the Governor’s Office like Gaza, even when members were of the same Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It came to a head when touts stormed the Assembly, beat members to pulp and a chief thug declared the governor impeached. Hundreds of our people were felled in the violence and bloodshed that the two of them abetted. Both of them have the blood of our people on their hands.”

  • Tears,anger as govt demolishes popular Yenagoa relaxation centre

    Tears,anger as govt demolishes popular Yenagoa relaxation centre

    A Bayelsa government agency renders over 100 jobless demolishing a popular Yenegoa joint in an exercise meant “to rid the state of illegal structures”, reports MIKE ODIEGWU

    Sickedness and insensitivity. These were the words used by passers-by and fun-seekers to describe the action of the Bayelsa State Capital City Development Authority (CCDA) against Bolex, a popular relaxation joint in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    Residents were angry that the CCDA chose no other day but Thursday, a day business experts, tourists and politicians from Nigeria and around the world gathered in Yenagoa for the first Investment and Economic Forum organised by Governor Seriake Dickson to demolish Bolex.

    While the governor was dissipating his energy highlighting business potentials in Bayelsa to woo foreign and local investors, officials of CCDA led by the authority’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Idaba Eje, moved into the premises of Bolex, believed by many fun seekers to be a success story in local investment, with a bulldozer.

    Officials of CCDA heavily protected by a truckload of armed policemen invaded Bolex, put their bulldozer to work and pulverized facilities in the bar. There was panic among customers who trooped to the bar for relaxation and to wash their vehicles.

    Bolex is a known brand and a household name located on the Isaac Adaka Boro expressway Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. It has existed in the area for about six years even before a gigantic hotel believed to be owned by Dame Patience, the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan rose close to it. It has a business mix of a car wash, open bar and a night club.

    In fact, many residents believe that Bolex is synonymous to nightlife in Yenagoa. But the bubbling Bolex, a business venture that has employed over 150 people, came under attack by officials of the CCDA.

    In dexterity, the CCDA officials destroyed over six fanciful car ports, perimeter fences, chairs, erected concretised pavements, riser beams and other equipment used for car wash. Nothing was spared, not even the electrical wiring and plumbing line.

    When Niger Delta Report visited the scene, Bolex was a shadow of itself. The Manager, Mr. Preye Boligha, was devastated. He was simply ruminating on the reason behind the action of CCDA.

    “We really do not understand the reason behind this destruction. Bolex is genuine business. We wash cars, run a snacks bar, club and night bars. This is a business that has given employment to about 150 jobless people, especially youths.

    “What could we have done wrong?” Boligha kept pondering. “We don’t have a problem with the government. No part of our premises was marked for demolition and no prior notice of the destruction was given to us. We are not owing the government because we pay all our dues and taxes to the government,” he said.

    The Director and Founder of Bolex, Amos Boligha, was also dumbfounded. He said he lost over N6million to the destruction. The demoralised Boligha wondered why the CCDA came to destroy a business he suffered very hard to build.

    “I was not around when it happened. I was at the airport when I got information that members of CCDA were here with their bulldozer to come and demolish the car wash. This is the business I have been operating for the past six years here.

    “The business is out of the right of way. We have been operating here and we have not got notification from anybody. Nobody has written us to inform us about illegal structures. If the CCDA has any issue with any part of our premises, they should have at least given us a notice,” he said.

    In fact, the founder of Bolex was not alone in his request for an explanation. Employees and beneficiaries of the Bolex business were confused and stranded. They wondered why the government was interested in their job, their only source of livelihood.

    “When we go to the government for jobs, they close their door behind us and tell us there is no job. But Bolex has given us jobs and the same government has come to take them away. Bolex doesn’t owe us.

    “There is no worker here that earns below N30,000 monthly. This is where I have been making a living and taking care of my wife and five children,” one of the workers lamented.

    Also, Mr. Ziki Charles, who hails from Nembe Local Government Area and works as a security man at Bolex said the business made him what he was. “Bolex has made me who l am today. I am surprised at what the CCDA did today,” he said.

    Ahmed Ismaila, who washes vehicles at Bolex to make a living said the business gave him the money and opportunities to begin and finish his Ordinary National Degree (OND) programme.

    “I have worked here for five years. I finished my OND while working here and I want to go for my HND. This man has helped many people in Yenagoa. I feel pained. It was like a dream”, he said.

    But, Eje, while defending the action of the CCDA on a local radio station, said it was carried out to rid the state of illegal structures.

  • Tears,agony, deaths at UCH

    Tears,agony, deaths at UCH

    Nigeria’s premier tertiary health institution, the University College Hospital (UCH) remains a shadow of itself as the nationwide strike by doctors enters its second week. BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON report tales of agony and death at the hospital as patients are left to seek alternatives elsewhere.

    For Mr Babatunde Abass, life is becoming meaningless as his hope of relief from pains and agony associated with hernia, which he suffers from, is dashed. He sat on his bed at a male ward at the University College Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan, looking pale.

    As if trying hard to interpret a dream or make a salient point, the patient looked into the space in the midst of his other bed-ridden patients in the ward. His looks conveyed hopelessness and frustration as he was later helped by his relations to make a trip to the toilet. With a singlet hanging on his Ankara trousers, his looks summed up the effect of the ongoing strike by medical doctors on patients at the UCH, the only major tertiary health institution in Oyo State.

    The situation of Mr Abass is a sample representative of many patients in government hospitals across the country.

    Medical doctors had commenced an indefinite strike last week over unresolved issues within the hospital system.  The doctors are demanding issuance of a circular for restoration of sanity in hospitals as well as increment of hazard allowance by about 100 per cent and delisting of all workers on Grade Level 15 as directors. The strike has since paralyzed health care services in the nation’s government’s hospitals one of which is the UCH, Ibadan.

    Worse hit by the unfortunate development are the less- privileged patients who could not afford to patronize private hospitals whose bills are beyond their reach. The situation is increasing deaths at the hospital daily. Some patients in critical conditions, some in urgent need of surgery as well as those newly seeking such services are losing their lives daily.

    When The Nation visited the UCH, only nurses, pharmacists and other health workers were attending to the patients, while new patients with complicated issues were being turned back.

    Relatives and patients were seen leaving the hospital in frustration as there were no doctors to attend to them.

    Patients, who were rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital, were advised to seek medical care in private hospitals.

    Many of the patients who cannot afford private hospital bills have since given up hope. A good example is 60 years old Babatunde Abass a resident of Oyo town, in South West ward of the UCH. Although the ward was getting empty as patients literally discharge themselves, but Abass stayed on due to his inability to foot private hospital bills.

    Abass, it was learnt, has been a regular patient at the UCH and was due to undergo a surgery on July 2.

    It was learnt that he got an offer for the surgery at a private hospital in Ibadan but the bill was beyond his almost empty pockets.  He had to resign to fate, praying for a quick resolution of the crisis.

    Another patient, Alhaji Mukaila Ogunsina who suffers heart related disease, was writhing in pains in another ward in the South West wing of the hospital. Ogunsina, who is in his late 60s, is only hoping the strike would end soon. His relative, Mr Ola Akande, said:” If this strike is not called off, I may likely lose my uncle because he has been abandoned and we cannot afford to take him to a private hospital. This place is our only hope and the doctors are nowhere to be found now. We have spent a lot on this sickness and we cannot start his treatment again in another hospital from the scratch. I am using this medium to appeal to the government to meet the demands of the doctors so that they can resume on time.”

    During The Nation’s visit to the hospital, it was discovered that many patients in the wards had been discharged while a few consultants offer skeletal services to outpatients. But all other units such as Laboratories, Eye and Dental are open to patients. Doctors in such units are, however, not attending to patients, leaving only other medical personnel offering services.

    The Chief Medical Director, Prof Temitope Alonge, along with two consultants were seen going round the wards on a routine check to ensure safety of the patients.

    An out-patient, ýwho didn’t want her name in print, said: “I was not aware of the doctors’ strike until Friday. But since I already have an appointment for the day, I have to come.

    “The whole place is dry and the doctors are not on seat. I am still trying to see what will become of my treatment and how my appointment can be rescheduled.

    “I wish the government answer them on time or ensure skeletal services are arranged to attend to some patients that are hanging between life and death.”

    Also, Mr Bade Lawson, whose relation was on admission, said that the family was already planning to transfer the patient to a private hospital.

    “We were shocked when we received information about the strike.  We have to think of how to transfer our relation elsewhere for treatment. The Federal Government and the doctors should settle the issues once and for all. Doctors and health workers are very critical to this nation and to our economy. I believe the health sector should be adequately catered for. There should be enough funding and functional facilities on ground. Doctors on their own part should be more dedicated. They should be efficient and well-grounded to save lives. I hope the issues will be resolved promptly to forestall it from becoming a full blown strike.” Lawson lamented

    Another stranded patient who preferred anonymity, explained that doctors prescribed ultrasound for her at the last visit before the strike but she could not complete all the tests. The patient, who came from Amuloko area of the city, lamented the strike. She said she had spent about five hours doing other tests.

    She said: “Let government answer them so they can return to work fast. Government should pity the masses. People come from far distances. No healthy person visits the hospital.”

    In his own reaction, the President of the UCH Chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD),Dr Franklin Anor , said patients on admission before the commencement of the strike were being taken care of, adding that the strike was not total at they were still rendering skeletal services.

    According to him, the strike is not against the public, but it’s just to call the attention of the government and the public to the atrocities that are being committed in the health sector.

    “Some emergency cases like accident victims are being attended to when we are called upon. We don’t know when we will be calling the strike off but whatever the Federal Government is offering, we shall consider it at our next delegates meeting and a concrete decision will be taken there. We are not trying to punish Nigerians but we are just drawing the attention of government to do the right thing.” Anor said

    He urged Nigerians to be patient with them, saying that their action is to save the future of the healthcare delivery in Nigeria and on the long run to save the lives of the patients themselves.

    The Head of Public Relations Unit of the UCH, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, explained that the hospital embarked on emergency services for patients with critical cases. Senior doctors are called on to offer minimal service to patients with critical cases that cannot be discharged abruptly.

    When asked about increasing number of deaths at the hospital since the strike started, Akinrinlola said he did not have data to confirm it.

  • Rainstorm brings tears in Lagos

    Rainstorm brings tears in Lagos

    Shattered roofs, smashed ceilings and collapsed concrete structures. That was the scene yesterday in many parts of Lagos State, following an early morning rainstorm that destroyed property worth millions of naira.

    The rain lasted about 45 minutes, but the magnitude of the destruction it left behind could not be immediately quantified.

    In most parts of Ilupeju, a neighbourhood in Odi Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA), many tearful residents were counting their losses.

    The worst hit areas are Iseyin and Adegboyega streets, off Oyewole Street, where about 10 houses had their roofs blown off. Residents ran out when an Internet server mast belonging to a Customs’ agency on 54, Iseyin Street fell on nearby buildings, injuring one person.

    Another mast said to belong to a telecommunications company fell at Adebowale House, a popular electronics showroom in Onipanu, destroying the structure.

    A victim, Mrs Abosede Dominic, broke down at the sight of her shattered two-bedroom apartment. She was returning from the morning mass. “I thank God that my ailing husband, mother and children I left in the house are not injured by flying objects,” she said repeatedly.

    There is no more shelter for her household, at least, for now, because the ceiling of the two-storey building was blown off by the wind. Items in the rooms, including electronic gadgets and furniture, were covered by pieces of smashed building materials.

    Mrs Dominic’s 19-year-old son, Olatunde, who was with his stroke-stricken father, said: “Everything happened suddenly. I was with my dad, grandmother and younger ones, discussing when the ceiling came down on us. Before we could get up, the roof had been removed by the wind. We had to assist my dad and grandmother out of the room to a safe place.”

    Mr Olujimi Ogunbiyi, another victim, said: “I was in church when I received a call that something had happened. Then I rushed home and discovered that my room had collapsed. The rain soaked everything in the house and damaged my electronics. What happened is not good news for anybody, but we have to accept it with faith.”

    The Customs’ agency’s mast fell on a provision shop where two teenagers were attending to customers. The Nation gathered that the teenagers, who are children of the shop owner identified as Iya Ahmed, ran out when the mast hit the roof. Both of them escaped unhurt but the shop, which is attached to House 50, caved in following the impact of the fallen mast.

    Mallam Musa Garba, whose movable kiosk is beside the collapsed shop, was injured by the mast, which fell across Tawose Street.

    A vulcaniser working on the spot, Sarafa Aliu, who escaped being hit by the mast, said: “I was with a customer in his car when the rainstorm started. As I alighted from the car, the storm became intense and I sat under a shelter beside Mallam Musa’s kiosk. When the rain was becoming too much, I got up and ran towards a house. Before I got to the house, the mast fell on the spot I was sitting. The mast hit Iya Ahmed’s shop and I saw her two children running out of the shop for safety.”

    A drama ensued when one of our reporters sought the view of the shop owner. Her husband told her not to speak. This drew the attention of some angry residents.

    A youth and an elderly man attacked the reporter with an umbrella rod and dispossessed him of his writing materials.

    “Your report can bring (Governor Babatunde) Fashola to this area; we don’t want that,” an angry resident said.

    Adeolu Awomolo, a resident of 15, Iseyin Street, whose roof was blown off, said he was preparing for church when he felt a vibration from the ceiling.

    About 10 houses on Adegboyega and Iseyin streets had their roofs blown off. There are houses in Awoyokun, Egbeyemi, Adesiyan and Ilupeju streets, all in the community, which were affected by the storm. Although, there was no report of death, some occupants of the affected buildings were injured.

    On Ijaiye Street in the Ajegunle area, over 500 buildings were affected. The rain also torched Ajeromi Public Primary School in the area.

    Part of the roof of a three-storey building housing Christ the King Primary School, Orodu Street, was also affected.

    Worshipers at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) on Queens Street, in the same area escaped death as the roof almost collapsed on them.

    An eyewitness, Jimoh Saka, said the rainstorm blew off the roof of a one-storey building which houses a mosque and a Muslim school, Mohinatu Ibrahimiyat Arabic School, on Moshalashi Lane.

    The roof of a one-storey building on 40, Okito Street in the same area was blown off as other residents abandoned their homes in fear.

    Another resident, Andrew Udoh, said: “Immediately the wind blew off our roof, I moved my wife and three children to my brother’s home in the Awodiora area of Ajegunle. But unfortunately, the rainstorm also blew off the roof of my brother. It is quite unfortunate.”

    In Ebute-Metta area on the mainland, several buildings, including a police barracks, were affected. Amukoko and Ijora seemed to be the worst hit.

    In Ijora, The Nation gathered that the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness on Town Hall Street and many houses were affected.

    The roof of a two-storey building that was blown off blocked a major road in the area, causing a serious traffic snarl.

    Residents of Alaba Oro Road in Amukoko on the outskirts of Lagos were rendered homeless.

    At Palmgrove, Gbagada, Pedro and Bariga as well as its environs, tales of anguish were all over as the rainstorm blew off many roofs. Several residents experienced similar problems in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area and Badagry.

    However, the General Manager, Weather Forecast Services of Nigerian Meteorology Agency (NiMet), Mr Christopher Onu, has said that the rain’s pattern was normal.

    Onu told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “The onset of the rainy season is always associated with violent wind which can cause some damages when it rains. It is a normal rain pattern as it was predicted during the Seasonal Rainfall Pattern report. We will also be expecting it at the end of the rainy season as predicted by NiMet between November and December.”

    The Director-General of NiMet, Dr Anthony Anuforom, also said that based on the signal, this year will witness a shorter rainy season.