The vision of keeping staff fit in the multi-million naira State House Gym appears to be getting blurred.
The facility, which is one of the best in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was set up to encourage physical exercise among staff towards enhancing or maintaining their physical fitness and overall health and wellness.
Benefits of physical exercise, which health care providers often call the “miracle” or “wonder” drug, helps to boost the immune system, prevent the “diseases of the affluent” such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and promote physiological well-being, while reducing surgical risks.
It also prevents depression, promotes and maintains positive self-esteem, improves mental health, and can augment an individual’s sex appeal or body image just as it strengthens muscles, and ensures weight loss, among other things.
But the ability of the State House gym to effectively provide these critical services to staff is hanging in the balance due to utilities challenges.
There is presently no electricity supply to the gym. The electricity transformer by its fence has packed up for several weeks now.
Rather than coming together to repair the faulty transformer, many of the neighbours surrounding the gym building have acquired smaller transformers to supply electricity to their individual houses.
In the interim, the 200 litres of diesel being provided weekly for the gym’s generator set is like a drop in an ocean as it hardly lasts a day.
Since the Gym’s generator set consumes an estimated 19.6 litres of diesel per hour, the 200 litres meant for one week only last for about 10 hours. The gym is open 64 hours a week, including 12 hours daily from Mondays to Fridays and four hours on Saturdays.
Water supply to the gym also cannot be taken for granted as the gym users most times always find dry taps when they want to freshen up after their exercises.
This development has not only discouraged many users from exercising in the gym, but it threatens to worsen some of the staff’s already bad medical cases.
One staff, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, said: “I cannot remember the last time I met light in the gym. Most times I work out on the treadmill and that machine cannot work without electricity. I have stopped going to the gym.”
Another user, who does not want his name in print, said: “My Doctor has warned me to intensify my exercises so as to keep my blood pressure within the normal range. That is why I registered at the gym. But this problem is working against that.”
A female staff, who also uses the gym said: “Since this power outage problem started, I have resorted to my skipping rope at home. But, you know, this cannot be very effective like coming to use the equipment in the gym and having the instructors around to help you. One is even motivated to do more in the company of friends.”
“I was lucky one day to meet the generator set on and I stayed on the treadmill for 45 minutes before going to the bathroom. I was shocked when I got there. There was no water to wash my face and hands let alone to take my bath.”
Since no standard gym can effectively operate without electricity for the machines and water for users to freshen up, it is hoped that this write-up will be a wake-up call to those in charge to take steps to ensure continuous wellness of State House staff.
The Presidency, no doubt, deserves healthy staff for its day-to-day activities.
A day of gaffes
There were too many inexcusable mistakes by one of the Master of Ceremony (MC) in the full glare of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja last Monday.
The occasion was the launching of the 2015 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem and Appeal Fund.
There were two MCs for the occasion, one civilian man and a woman from the military.
While the female MC performed the role well, the male MC was coming up with one error after the other during the programme that was carried live on the national television station.
The first error that took those in the hall by surprise came at the beginning of the function when the male MC mentioned the names of Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Senate President, David Mark and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal while acknowledging the dignitaries in the hall.
The number two, three and four citizens were conspicuously absent at the function and they were not represented.
When the MC mentioned the three names, especially Tambuwal, some people in the hall stood up to have a glimpse of the Speaker, who has become a subject of intrigue and power-play since he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The MC, who was standing at the podium which was about 30 feet away from the high table and with nothing obstructing his view, was completely in his own world and oblivious of happenings in the hall as he appeared to be the only one who did not know that the three people he mentioned were not in the hall.
He was probably acknowledging the dignitaries based on the photographs and names of leaders in the event programme without looking around.
It was also surprising for him to repeat the same mistake towards the end of the function.
After the President had made a remark and launched the emblem, it was time for dignitaries to be decorated by the chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Col. Micah Gayya.
President Jonathan was decorated first. Then the MC called the names of Vice President Namadi Sambo and Senate President David Mark, who were not at the function, to stand up to be decorated.
The President must have been embarrassed with what was going on but did not show it.
Another error occurred when it was time for launchers and co-launchers to be decorated. The Publisher of National Mirror Newspapers, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, was the only co-launcher in the hall.
When the MC got to the name of Jimoh Ibrahim on his list, to invite him to stand up to be decorated, the MC said “representative of Jimoh Ibrahim should please step forward”.
