The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Victims

  • Ajimobi pledges to assist market fire victims

    Ajimobi pledges to assist market fire victims

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has pledged to assist victims of the Alesinloye market fire disaster within one week.

    The governor, who visited the burnt market in Ibadan twice in one day, made the pledge while inspecting its damage last Saturday.

    His first visit was at 2a.m on Saturday and later in the day to identify with the affected traders.

    Ajimobi expressed sympathy with the traders, describing the fire incident, which destroyed over 500 shops, as “very unfortunate.”

    He pledged that the government would provide succour for the victims.

    The governor recalled his experience when his Lagos private residence was razed in 1993.

    He prayed that God, who assisted him to overcome the incident, would also compensate the traders.

    He directed the affected traders to form a committee to meet with government representatives.

    The governor urged the leadership of the market to ensure equitable distribution of whatever assistance the government would offer.

    He pleaded that such assistance should not be politicised.

  • FG nets N58.7b to support terror victims

    FG nets N58.7b to support terror victims

    •Danjuma,Dangote, Adenuga, Elumelu, Tinubu, others donate billions 

    Victims of terror attacks in the country have  a N57.790billion kitty for their rehabilitation.

    The amount was amassed on Thursday night in Abuja by the Federal Government and key players in the private sector under the  Terror Victims Support Fund.

    It is about N10billion in excess of the N50billion targeted by the initiators of the fund.

    An elated President Goodluck Jonathan  yesterday  expressed  ”immense appreciation of the kindness of all persons who responded enthusiastically” to his appeal for collective action by contributing generously to the fund.

    N20billion of the donation came from the Federal Government while key players in the oil sector gave N17 billion.

    Other high profile donor were:the banking sector- N15 billion; Mr. Tony Elumelu, N2.5 billion; General T.Y. Danjuma, N1.6billion; and Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Jim Ovia, Wale Tinubu, Mike Adenuga,all of whom donated  N1billion each.

    From the 36 states and the FCT came N3.7billion; Arthur Eze and Mohammed Indimi, N800million each;and  Mrs. Folorunsho Alakijia, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, Abdul Samad Rabiu, N500million each.

    Presidedent  Jonathan  speaking at  the occasion bemoaned the terror unleashed on Nigeria by  Boko Haram for the umpteenth time  ,but declared that the defeat of the sect was imminent.

    He vowed to personally  lead Nigerians to victory  over the  terrorists.

    He told the audience comprising key players in the polity and the economy that he often wonders why Nigerians  make themselves available to be used as suicide bombers.

    “I never for once thought that I would, in my life time, hear of Nigerians strapping bombs to themselves and blowing up innocent people. We would have sworn that it is impossible! Ten years ago, no Nigerian would have imagined it. We thought it was something that could only happen in other countries,” he said.

    “But here we are today witnessing this sordid phenomenon. Even women, who are not known for violence, are now involved.We will defeat terror and I will lead Nigerians to achieve this.”

    He said the setting up of the fund should not be seen   as an acceptance  of  terrorism as a way of life in the country.

    ”No! Never! Rather, this is just one of the short-term measures in our overall strategy against the enemies of peace and progress,” he said and spoke of government’s determination not to allow evil to overcome good in the country.

    He also said he found it  unbelievable to think that “some twisted minds” could kidnap innocent school girls and keep them in captivity for months.

    Government,he added,was  now  caught between demonstrating military might and endangering their lives or undermining the sovereignty of Nigeria by succumbing to the blackmail of the terrorists on their own terms.

    All options, he said, were  still opened to bring the girls back home safely.

    He said: “We will come out of this tougher and better nation. In these trying times, we have seen Muslims and Christians, Northerners and Southerners, men and women, and Nigerians from all walks of life rise up in unison to condemn the terrorists.

    “By bombing mosques and churches, they have shown to us that they are enemies to all. By killing Muslims and Christians, they have demonstrated to every Nigerian that their evil agenda does not discriminate. Unintentionally, they are motivating millions of Nigerians to see them as common enemy whose only purpose is to steal, to kill and to destroy.”

    Chairman of the  Fund Committee and former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma said : “All too often, the victims of terror are soon forgotten. The majority are the soft targets the terrorists prefer but unable to fend for themselves. The funds being collected are not for combating terror or fighting terrorists organizations but for supporting victims of terrorists attacks.”

    The President  said  yesterday that he was overwhelmed by the “expression of support, cooperation and solidarity by Nigerians and friends of Nigeria from all walks of life” at the launch

    He said this showed that the public  ”is genuinely concerned about the threat of terrorism to our common humanity and stands ready to support worthy causes and pro-people policies.”

  • Fed Govt committed to terror victims’ assistance, says Jonathan

    Fed Govt committed to terror victims’ assistance, says Jonathan

    •Targets over $500 Million income for Victims Support Fund

    President Goodluck Jonathan has said he expects members of the organised private sector (OPS)  and friends of the country to donate generously to the Victims’ Support Fund to be launched today in Abuja.

    The fund will provide more relief and succour to those affected by terrorism and insurgency.

    A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Jonathan spoke during separate audiences with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Prof. Babatunde Osotimehin.

    Jonathan hoped that about $500 million will be raised through the fund in the next 12-month to alleviate the suffering and deprivation of  Nigerians living in states affected by the terrorist attacks.

    The President said his administration was committed to helping the victims of insurgency and terrorism rebuild their lives and communities.

    He said the fund, to be managed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), will also be deployed to rebuild destroyed schools and create a safer environment for education in the affected states.

    Jonathan welcomed the pledges of support from the Commonwealth and UNFPA, made by Mr. Sharma and Prof. Osotimehin.

    The President stressed that his administration appreciated the solidarity of the international community as Nigeria grapples with terrorism and insurgency.

    He said: “We continue to work very hard to deal with the problem. It is a major challenge, and we welcome all the assistance we can get.”

    He also assured Sharma that Nigeria remained committed to the goals of the Commonwealth and would continue to support efforts to reform and strengthen the organisation for the benefit of member-countries and their people.

    Sharma told Jonathan that he was in Abuja to express the Commonwealth’s solidarity for Nigeria to overcome insurgency and terrorism.

    The Commonwealth chief said the organisation was also exploring ways to assist Nigeria in the fight against insurgency.

    Prof. Osotimehin said UNFPA was working with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its civil society partners to support the families and girls in the states affected by insurgency.

    He hoped the United Nations (UN) would evolve a comprehensive programme to support the humanitarian crisis terrorism and insurgency had caused in Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

  • Boko Haram: We’re all victims now

    Boko Haram: We’re all victims now

    Boko Haram is Nigeria’s ultimate man-made disaster. Natural disasters often occur as one-off events, whereas the insurgency in the North East is becoming a never-ending horror flick.

    Unfortunately, this is not make-believe as lives are being lost and communities devastated. Speaking in France in May this year, President Goodluck Jonathan estimated that over 12,000 have been killed in the conflict since 2009.

    For many years Nigerians living far from the flashpoints could not really relate to the violence because the victims were mostly poor, faceless, nameless ‘nobodies.’ All that changed when the insurgents snatched close to 300 girls from Chibok over 100 days ago.

    By that singularly brutal act, Boko Haram landed foot first on global primetime TV. Today, Abubakar Shekau’s sorry visage is about as familiar to the average person as any pantomime bad guy in a Nollywood production.

    A few days ago, former military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, came within a whisker of being assassinated when suicide bombers took aim at his convoy. He was clearly the prize they were after, but his would-be assassins bungled the task. In the process over 40 innocent persons became collateral damage.

    In the nascent stage of Boko Haram atrocities, exasperated Southerners digesting their daily dose of gory headlines from the comfort of their sofas in Lagos, Yenagoa or Abakaliki, could afford to snort derisively that “these bloody Northerners can blow themselves to kingdom come if they like.”

    Today, the reality is that no matter how far we are from the epicenter of the conflict, we have all become victims in one way or another.

    We desperately need to come to terms with how Boko Haram is impacting our lives, and the way we live, to understand that if we don’t throw all we can muster at the monster, it will soon consume the entire country.

    Some years ago, statements credited to unofficial United States diplomatic or intelligence sources suggested that Nigeria could break up in 2015. Ever since that report came to light, Jonathan and several other former Nigerian leaders have vowed that the worst would not happen. They speak with such confidence thinking that a split would follow the old Biafran template.

    Truly, Nigeria may not break into tiny pieces in 2015, but what percentage of our sovereign territory would we be exerting control over when terrorists have started planting their flags in parts of Borno?

    Unless we radically review our approach and begin to take the fight to the insurgents, what Biafra couldn’t achieve in the 60’s could manifest through the war in the North East.

    So far, our best efforts rather than contain the terrorists have only pushed them to unprecedented levels of depravity. This is a group that does not operate by any known norms of civilized conduct and is not influenced or affected by international conventions that govern conduct in war. That is why they serve up fresh atrocities every new day.

    The question is how many more mindless blasts or slayings can this fragile country take before things spiral out of control? Many wars have been ignited by some stupid incident. World War 1 was sparked off by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo in 1914.

    Who could have predicted the fallout if Buhari had been killed in the deadly blasts a few days ago? Given the present foul political atmosphere in the country, conspiracy theories would have gone into overdrive – with unpredictable consequences.

    This government doesn’t understand the deadly phenomenon they are toying with. That is why its leading lights are still playing political games trying to tie the opposition to the insurgency. If the governments that have held power since 2009 had properly assessed the danger posed by Boko Haram, we won’t be where we are today.

    Five years ago when the sect’s members went on an orgy of violence across three North Eastern states, the then President Umaru Yar’Adua went ahead with a state visit to Brazil – despite the massive loss of lives and destruction of property.

    Back then, it was clear that this latest manifestation in a long line of extremist Northern Islamist groups was something special. But what did Yar’Adua do? From the safety of Brasilia, he sent preachy appeals to other Muslims not follow the ‘bad’ example of Boko Haram. On his return from the trip he didn’t even deign to visit the site of the mayhem, but retired to Aso Villa to business as usual.

    His successor has followed that same pattern – treating psychopathic killers as compatriots who can be reasoned with. The government even went as far as colluding with Hillary Clinton’s State Department two years ago to thwart efforts by the US government to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

    While this tomfoolery was going on, Boko Haram got enough breathing space to beef up its fighting capacity. Now, they have acquired a fleet of pick-up vans, APCs and, according to some reports, even anti-aircraft guns which they still don’t have the knowhow to operate. In that time, too, they mastered the deployment of IEDs to deadly effect.

    What could have been contained three years ago within the budget now requires the country to go a borrowing $ 1 billion.

    In 2012 when Nigerian government officials and diplomats were strenuously resisting the FTO designation for their enemy, the argument was that it would make life difficult for privileged Nigerians who travel overseas as they would be subjected to intrusive searches. Today, we have much more to worry about.

    One of the inevitable consequences of wars is that they produce refugees who flee to neighbouring countries or internally displaced persons who run to other parts of the country for safety. Already, thousands have fled the theatre of conflict in Borno.

    Recently, over 400 Northerners were intercepted in several trucks headed for Port Harcourt in the dead of night. Although security agencies reportedly apprehended a wanted Boko Haram leader among the travelers, the vast majority have since been repatriated to the states from which they initiated their journeys.

    We should prepare for more of such mass movement as the areas of conflict broaden. Worryingly, the consequences of such movements go beyond security as they have ramifications that are beginning to threaten national unity.

    After steps were taken by the Imo government to track Northerners living in the state, reciprocal action has been initiated by several groups in Kano and Kaduna seeking registration of Southerners living in those states. Where will such tit-for-tat actions lead? No one knows.

    If things get worse in the North, people would drift South – it is only to be expected. As it is, many farmers in the North East cannot access their farms for fear of being killed. Those who manage to plant crops soon lose all to rampaging insurgents who harvest them to feed their hungry cadres.

    The economic impact is spreading beyond locals who have lost their means of livelihood. Boko Haram is affecting our pocket and impacting our dining tables. Much of the produce that used to come from Borno State and surrounding areas has been cut off leading to price increases because of diminishing supplies of everything from grains to livestock.

    On the political front the implications are equally troubling. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Attahiru Jega, keeps assuring us that election will hold all over the country next year. Unfortunately, security conditions in large swathes of the North undermine his words.

    Who is going to conduct polls in unprotected places like Damboa or Chibok? If the President could not visit such places for security reasons, which school teacher or NYSC member would put his life on the line to guarantee the success of those polls?

    If the conditions in many areas of the North are such that free and fair elections cannot be held, how does it affect our democratic transition? There are grave questions that need to be answered. Unfortunately, those to address them are still too giddy with a sense of their power to realise that their empire is shrinking dramatically by the day.

  • Victim’s sister died of Ebola three weeks ago

    Victim’s sister died of Ebola three weeks ago

    •Fed Govt urges calm 

    Patrick Sawyer is the second member of his family to die of Ebola virus in three weeks,according to information from Monrovia.

    The degree of contact between the two is now being investigated by Liberian health ministry officials said yesterday.

    Liberia’s finance minister Amara Konneh confirmed that Sawyer was a consultant for the country’s finance ministry.

    “Our understanding is that the cause of death was Ebola,” Konneh told Reuters.

    The Federal Government yesterday called for calm over Sawyer’s death ,saying there has been no other case of the virus in Nigeria.

    Addressing journalists in Abuja Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm as necessary steps has been taken by government to contain the disease from spreading.

    A special information committee on Ebola has also been set up.

    It is headed by Information Minister Labaran Maku and is charged with the responsibility of creating awareness in the country about the disease .

    Measures put in place to prevent the disease include: quarantining all the passengers that travelled with Sawyer; placing all entry ports in the country on red alert; and deploying health personnel at entry points.

  • Goitre-infected community where victims reject medical help

    Goitre-infected community where victims reject medical help

    Blame plight on witches, wizards

    They cut a pitiable sight for the observer, but they are less disturbed about their plight. And like a camel saddled with a big burden, hundreds of residents of Ajara community in Badagry live with protruding lumps around their necks with measured despondency. And while a camel might know the source of its burden and certain that the burden would be lifted after some time, it is not so for Badagry’s army of goitre victims. They cannot place the source of the epidemic and are in the dark about how the yoke could be taken off their necks. Goiter, it was learnt, has been ravaging the serene community for years.

    Only recently, the Lagos State Government flagged off a surgical operation programme to address the scourge in the area which according 2006 . It was gathered that some of the victims who made themselves available for the exercise had their goitres removed through the intervention and their health have since been restored to normal. Investigation, however, revealed that a good number of the victims are not convinced that the solution to the problem lies in medical treatment. While they have been taking part in the various tests prescribed by the medical personnel, they have deliberately avoided the surgery that would see the lump removed.

    Some of the victims who spoke with The Nation strongly believe that their problem is spiritual. They remain rigid about their belief that their conditions resulted from attacks by their enemies. For all they care, the solution to the problem not medical but spiritual.

    One of the victims who share in this belief is 60-year-old Maria Godonu. Recalling the genesis of her problem, she said: “I started noticing it about 20 years ago. I went to the hospital the very moment I noticed it but they couldn’t carry out an operation on me because I was pregnant. I didn’t go back after giving birth. I have been going from one place to another in search of remedy to the problem.

    “I went to the primary health centre after it was announced that Governor Babatunde Fashola had flagged off a health programme to help the victims. The medical team has been calling to inform us about their plans for us.

    “They have taken us to the Lagos Island General Hospital on two occasions to undergo medical tests. I did about three tests between April and May but I don’t really know what the results were. All I know is that the results are with them in the hospital.

    “Apart from the tests we did in Lagos, we have also done some here in Ajara. They brought some medical personnel to examine us.”

     

    Spiritualising the problem

    After all the efforts she has put into the exercise, one would expect Godonu to jump at any offer of surgical operation to have the lump removed, but this is not the case. She cited spiritual reasons for staying away from surgical operations on two occasions.

    She said: “I would have gone for surgical operations long before now, but a prophecy from my pastor made me to jettison the idea. When I was contemplating going for the operation, I went to church one day and in the course of praying, a prophecy came that there was someone in the congregation who wanted to go for surgical operation. I was warned against doing so because it would lead to death. That was why I could not go for the operation.

    “After some time, I had a rethink and made up my mind to go for surgery. I took the decision because I realized that no matter how much one tries to run away from death, it remains an inevitable end.

    “At this point, my mind was made up once again to go for an operation. A few days to the time that I was supposed to go for the operation, my husband attended a church service and a prophecy came to him that I shouldn’t contemplate operation at all. They told him that the operations would be successful but it would lead to my death.

    “The prophecy further dampened my morale to go for the operation because it confirmed the first prophecy. If the prophecies had come from the same church or persons, I probably would have dismissed it as a conspiracy. I bought into it because it came from two different places and persons. One must be careful and never try to pay deaf ears to such warnings.”

    Asked if she could change her mind and go for a surgical operation, she said: “I don’t think I have the courage for an operation anymore. If God is speaking to you, you must be attentive because you don’t know who is after you. May God protect us from those that are after our lives but pretending to be friends.”

    Another victim, who identified herself simply as Sauda, says she dreads an operation because there is more to the problem than medical treatment can solve. “I have heard of the government programme but I don’t think I can be part of it,” she said with a tone of finality.

    “I am not convinced that the solution lies in medical treatment. I know somebody who went for a surgical operation to remove his, but as I am talking to you, the goitre is back on his neck. It has even grown bigger than it was before the operation.”

    Bose, a beneficiary of the state government’s health programme, said she was initially reluctant when she was asked to go for an operation.

    She said: “I was scared of going for an operation at the initial stage because I never thought that medical help could take care of the problem. Like several other victims, I had the belief that the affliction was not natural. I also lived with the feeling that some forces of darkness were behind the affliction in the entire area. Our fears were heightened by the rate at which the problem has been spreading in our area.”

    “Actually, if you look around, you will discover that this is the only area where the case is widespread. I have not really seen any area where the problem is endemic as it is in this area. In fact, we have had people that always campaign against going for operations to correct the anomaly because they feared that victims would die in the process.”

     

    Common challenges

    The victims say the problem gives them sharp pains which cause them sleeplessness nights.

    “I have been having sleepless nights because of it. The pains wake me up many times in the night. I have developed a sort of phobia for night. I have been a trader all my life but my children stopped me from engaging in business activities because of this,” Godonu said.

    Sauda also explained that the pains caused by the problem sometimes weaken her to the point that she would not be able to go about her normal business.

    She said: “There is no how this kind of heavy load would not make one to have pains. At times, the pains would be so severe that I would be incapable of doing anything. It can be more worrisome when it happens at night, because I would writhe in pains all night and have my eyes wide open all through the night.”

    A 70-year-old victim, Pa Jonas Penuola, also spoke about the pains caused by the problem.

    He said: “It used to give me a lot of pains in the past, but I hardly feel it in recent times. At the initial stage, I went to the hospital for treatment but it did not change the situation.

    “I started noticing the growth about 10 years ago. It started very small, and as time went on, it started increasing in size till it got to the stage it is right now. I am prepared to go for an operation whenever they ask us to come. I have no fears whatsoever about going for an operation.

     

    Stigma and exploitation

    Madam Godonu recalled that she had been fleeced of her hard earned money by fraudsters masquerading as traditional healers.

    She said: “I have spent so much money trying to find a solution to this problem. There was a time that somebody came and assured me that he would cure it. He made a concoction of bitter leaf and asked me to be rubbing it on the affected part. I was full of joy when he gave me the assurance that the goitre would disappear after using the concoction.

    “I followed all the instructions he gave me and used it religiously. Unfortunately, the concoction made the situation worse. Instead of curing me, it started giving me sore. I quickly discontinued its usage before it could worsen my situation.

    “Shortly after that experience, I went back to a nearby general hospital and was given some medications that made the goitre to reduce in size. If not for that medication, it would have become far bigger than you are seeing now.”

    She also spoke about the stigma and embarrassment she has gone through with the problem.

    “I have suffered series of embarrassments because of my condition. There was one woman who publicly abused me because of it. She told me to go and remove the heavy load on my neck simply because we had a minor misunderstanding. There has been countless number of similar insults on me over the years.

    “Besides, whenever I attend social functions, the guests would leave everything they are doing and fix their eyes on my neck. It is very embarrassing but there is nothing I can do about this, because it wasn’t an affliction I brought upon myself.”

    Pa Jonas also spoke about his ugly encounter with traditional healers, saying{“I have also tried several native medicines without any improvement. I have spent so much money patronising herbal medicines. I stopped doing this after I discovered that they were only ripping me off. There is no human being that would be happy to have this kind of burden on his neck. It easily disfigures the victim. I have lost my handsome look since I developed the problem.”

     

    Community leaders react

    A community leader who simply identified himself as Alhaji Raji noted that many people in the community were unwilling to go for operation because they believe the affliction is the handiwork of witches and that any attempt to operate it would lead to death.

    “The efforts of the government to have good number of the victims operated has suffered a setback because some of these people strongly believe that the problem is supernatural and can never be cured medically,” he said.

    “Even though some of the victims in this community have successfully undergone operation, numerous others have remained skeptical about going for it. They easily cite the examples of their colleagues who died shortly after they were operated upon in the hospital. They are never interested in knowing the cause of such person’s death. All they go about believing is that it was the surgical operation they had that killed them.

    “Another reason some of them give for shunning operations is the fact that some people who were successfully operated upon earlier experienced a fresh growth on their neck after some time. In fact, some of the victims have fled the community out of fear.

    “There is a particular woman who would never want to have anything to do with you the moment she knows that you are out to discuss the problem with her. She deliberately avoids medical personnel any time they come around.”

    Another community leader, who gave his name as Osawe Babatunde supports those who believe that the problem is spiritual.

    He said: “I would never blame anybody who refuses to go for operation. The problem cannot be ordinary and I don’t think that surgical operation is the answer to it. I cannot even advise my enemy to go for an operation because it will have dire consequences.

    “From every indication, the problem appears to have some invisible hands behind it. When you observe such development, you don’t just rush into applying medical treatment. It is pertinent that you do some consultations with the elders that are grounded in traditional healing methods in the community and do the needful.

    “If you ask me, I think there is an urgent need to appease the gods in the area so that the challenge can be taken care of. Medical efforts would only be a short term thing,” he added.

    In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of Global Hospital, Alimosho, Lagos, Dr. Johnson Babatunde, dismissed the insinuations that goitre is the handiwork of witchcraft. He urged victims to be courageous enough to embrace the intervention of the Lagos State Government by going for surgery to remove their goitre.

    Babatunde said: “It is sad that people can still be holding on to unsubstantiated thoughts about goitre being the machination of witches and wizards. For the avoidance of doubt, goitre is the swelling of the neck resulting from the enlargement of the thyroid gland, and it can be caused by multiple factors, one of which is iodine deficiency.

    “It can be associated with over-function of the thyroid gland, excessive thyroid hormones, under-function of the gland or inadequate levels of thyroid hormones. When a goitre becomes very large, it can sometimes cause symptoms because it presses on adjacent structures such as the oesophagus and the trachea. Symptoms related to a large goitre include difficulty with swallowing, shortness of breath, wheezing (sound that results from turbulent air flow in and out of the trachea) and hoarseness.

    “And just as goitre cannot be linked to one particular disease, there is also no one specific treatment for it. The treatment depends upon the cause of the enlargement. Treatments for goitre can include medications, surgery, treatment with radioactive iodine, and simple observation. I want to therefore admonish those living with goitre to seek adequate medical solution or remedy to their problems.”

    A nutritionist, Mrs. Nkechi Okafor, said: “Goitre may occur in people who live in areas where the soil and water do not have enough iodine. As a result of this, people in these areas might also not get enough iodine in their diet.

    “The use of iodised salt in many food products in the advanced countries today prevents a lack of iodine in the diet and this is the reason why the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended minimal intake of iodised salt to prevent further spread of the disease in Nigeria. Therefore, it is necessary for people to ensure use of iodised salt in their diet or cooking.

    “In many cases of simple goitre, the cause is unknown. Other than lack of iodine, certain foods such as soy beans, peanuts and vegetables in the broccoli family have also been linked to goitre. To this end, consumption of these foods should either be reduced or discontinued.”

  • Lagos gives N3m aid to rainstorm victims

    Lagos State Government has presented a cheque of N3 million, which was the last phase of its financial assistance, to victims of rainstorm disaster in the Surulere Local Government Area.

    General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who presented the cheques to the victims in Alausa yesterday, said 60 of them received the sum of N50,000 each to alleviate their suffering following the disaster.

    Oke-Osanyintolu explained that the government also carried out reconstruction of the victims’ affected structures with about N50million, assuring residents of government wiliness to reach out to them.

    He said the primary victims, mostly tenants that occupy the affected building, were the beneficiaries of the N50,000, while the secondary beneficiaries are the owners of the building that have taken possession of their reconstructed property.

    He said: “Emergencies and disasters by nature are unforeseen and sudden. And this explains why the blows by them are usually deadly and devastating. It is in line with this philosophy that the governor has approved payment of this financial assistance.”

    He said the agency had paid a total of N13million to occupants of 65 flats at Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa, adding that 17 flats owners were paid in the first phase, 24 flat owners in the second and 24 flat owners in the third phase.

    He said plans are ongoing by the government to rebuild the demolished structure and hand them over to the owners, adding that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with them to show government’s commitment to return the property to them when completed.

    He suspended plans to present cheques of N200,000 each to 24 flats’ owners in the last phase at Jakande Estate in Oke-Afa area due to low turnout of affected persons as well as following report that some aggrieved members plan to institute legal suit against government.

    He charged residents on the need to insure their properties, while urging them to always accord safety issues the deserved attention in daily activities.

  • Taraba victims can return home, says Speaker

    Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker Josiah Sabo Kente yesterday urged victims of violence in some local governments to return home.

    Kente, who spoke with The Nation, said the government has provided adequate security for the people.

    He said: “I want to assure my brothers and sisters who fled their homes in the Southern zone to return now, because the government has provided adequate security to contain any situation that may arise.

    “It is very interesting to note that some of the attackers who were hired from other states to come and carry out these attacks have fled because of the steps taken by the government and some communities to crack down on them.

    “Their leaders also confessed that they hired mercenaries from other parts of the country to come and assist them in the crisis, but the insurgents have left to where they came from.

    “Places that were under attacks have relative peace as I speak to you. The government has taken adequate measures, especially in the procurement of operational vehicles for security operatives.

    “About 79 vehicles were distributed to the security agencies recently. The vehicles were provided to assist security agencies in patrolling the troubled areas to maintain law and order, by keeping watch and ensuring that no attacks are carried out again. A peace deal has been signed among the Tiv, Fulani and Jukun people.”

    Dozens of residents, particularly Tiv and Jukun farmers, have been killed, hundreds wounded, while thousands have fled their homes when crises erupted in Ibi, Wukari, Takum, Gassol, Donga and Bali local governments.

  • Rivers’ rainstorm victims seek help

    Rivers’ rainstorm victims seek help

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     

  • Succour for Jos blast victims

    Succour for Jos blast victims

    Help has come for victims of Jos blasts. An Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, Neighbor to Neighbor Initiative went to Jos, Plateau State capital, with a truckload of relief materials for survivors of the terror attack who are nursing their wounds at various hospitals in the  state capital.

    Shortly after the explosions at the Terminus market in which over 100 people lost their lives and about 50 were injured, the NGO led by its director Hajiya Fatima Dalihu Lemo, was in Jos on a mission to help the victims.

    The organisation came with assorted food items. They also came with household items like toilet paper, bottled water, beverages and cartons of noodles.

    On hand to receive the NGO with their donations was a delegation of the Plateau State government led by Commissioner for Environment, Hon. Sylvanus Dongtoe and Commissioner for Urban Development Hon. Solomon Maren.

    Presenting the items to the state government, Hajiya Fatima Lemo said, “This is our own little way of showing concern to victims of the blast. We are here with bags of maize, millet, rice, sugar, etc.

    Continuing, she said, “We are aware that even before the bomb blasts, there were displaced women in Riyom and Bassa local government areas as a result of violent disputes in the areas. We will hand over these items to the state government for onward distribution to the affected victims in Riyom and Bassa.

    “Apart from this, we have also some house hold items which we need to take to the various hospitals for victims of the bomb blast who are mostly poor market women and their Children. This is our widows might as well as a show of concern to these victims. We are using this presentation to prove to them that we share with them whatever pains they are going through at the moment. We cannot comfort them, but God Almighty will comfort them,” said Hajiya Lemo.

    Receiving the items on behalf of the state government, Hon, Sylvanus Dongtoe expressed the state’s appreciation of the NGO’s gesture.

    He said, “This is the first NGO that has shown this kind of sympathy with victims of the attack, and government is most grateful to you for this.”

    The commissioner assured the NGO that the items would be delivered to the right targets.

    Hon Dongtoe also called on other Nigerians to come to the aid of victims of the attack, saying the challenge is beyond the capacity of government.

    “Government needs such gestures from philanthropic organisations, groups and individuals; that is the only way we can be our brother’s keeper as citizens of the same country,” he said.

    At the Plateau Specialist Hospital, Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) and the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) where the NGO also presented some items to victims, Hajiya Lemo said, “We are here to console you, we are here because we share in your pains, pls put your hope on God and do not lose hope in life”

    Hajiya Lemu, after going round the wards to see the victims handed over the items to Mr David Ayuba, Director Medical Services of the Plateau State Specialists Hospital who received the items on behalf of the victims.