The Nation Newspaper

Tag: years

  • Sade Adu ‘sings’ after eight years

    Sade Adu ‘sings’ after eight years

    Nigerian–British soul singer, Folasade Adu, a.k.a Sade Adu, has recorded an original song for the upcoming American film, ‘A Wrinkle in Time’, her first in eight years.

    A Wrinkle in Time is an upcoming American science fantasy adventure film directed by Ava DuVernay from a screenplay by Jennifer Lee, and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Madeleine L’Engle.

    The film set for release on March 9, stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, Storm Reid and others.

    DuVernay shared the news on Wednesday on her twitter page @ava, she wrote: “I never thought she’d say yes, but asked anyway. She was kind + giving.

    “A goddess. We began a journey together that I’ll never forget.”

    The song, titled ‘Flower of the Universe’, will be the first new music from Sade since her eponymous band released its sixth album ‘Soldier of Love’ in 2010.

    The soundtrack to ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ will also feature music from DJ Khaled, Demi Lovato, Sia, Kehlani and Beyoncé proteges Chloe x Halle.

    Iranian-German composer, Ramin Djawadi – best known for writing the score to ‘Game of Thrones’– will provide original composition.

    The movie follows a young girl who sets off on a quest, with the help of three astral travellers, to find her father, who went missing after discovering a new planet.

    DuVernay was announced as director of the film in February 2016, making her the first woman of colour to direct a live-action film with a production budget of more than $100m.

    Sade, 59, was born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1983, she left the band ‘Pride’, in which she was a backing singer to form her own band

    Band members include guitarist and saxophone player, Stuart Matthewman, keyboardist Andrew Hale, bassist Paul Denman and drummer Paul Anthony Cook.

    Their debut single, Your Love Is King, was released in February 1984, followed by their debut album, Diamond Life, that July.

    The album has been certified four times platinum. In the Queen’s 2017 birthday honours list, Sade was awarded a CBE for services to music.

  • 30 years after

    30 years after

    •FRSC should move into regulatory functions, and leave the brick-and-mortar road safety works to state agencies

    If the Nigerian federal polity were well structured, there would have been no need for a Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), established in February 1988, vide Decree  No. 45 of 1988, as amended by Decree No. 35 of 1992, both warehoused by the National Assembly as FRSC (Establishment) Act 2007.

    FRSC was an answer to the decay in the old central police, which vehicle registration traffic arm had gone to seeds, much like most of its other arms. It also followed another Federal Military Government’s initiative, under Gen. Yakubu Gowon, which established a National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in 1974, though nothing much followed that initiative.

    Pre-1988, the latest road safety initiative came from Oyo State in 1977. Then, the state government established a Road Safety Corps (popularly dubbed “Maja-maja” by the local populace), following the endless carnage on its roads. Prof. Wole Soyinka, then at the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Osun State,  (now Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) gave that campaign a popular fillip. Though bad politicking led to its scrapping in 1983, it was a final model that eventually triggered the FRSC, established by the government of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, in 1988.

    This rich background is imperative to demonstrate the crisis that carnage on Nigerian roads had become, necessitating a central body to streamline about everything on road safety: from vehicle registration, to driver testing and licensing, research to focus on reasons for road accidents, putting up trauma and first aid centres in aid of road accident victims, public enlightenment blitzes to sell the imperative of sanity on Nigerian roads, and seasonal advocacy for safe driving.

    Since FRSC debuted 30 years ago, it has made tremendous contributions in these areas, particularly in research and advocacy, and in mainstreaming the consciousness of road safety. One of its principal successes was mainstreaming the use of the seat belt, in so short a time, on the Nigerian roads.

    The roads are still far from being safe, given the poor state of many roads nationwide. Drivers are also still far from safe driving, given the recklessness of many of them, especially the commercial drivers (who over-speed); and those of trailers, tankers and other articulated vehicles, who still turn the roads into regular shrines, on which they shed innocent blood.

    Still, no one could doubt the presence of the FRSC marshals nationwide, as they battle against the scourge, even if a good number are compromised from the high moral heights of the very beginning, when Prof. Soyinka was the chair of the FRSC Board, and Dr. Olu Agunloye, was first Corps Marshall.

    Nevertheless, as the years wear on, it is becoming increasingly clear that the FRSC might be far better as a national traffic and road safety regulatory agency, that researches and set standards for lower bodies engaged in the day-to-day nitty-gritty of maintaining sanity on the roads.

    Many a time, FRSC has clashed with state governments like Lagos, on rights to produce vehicle plate numbers. The reason is that for Lagos, that enterprise is a gold mine, given the stupendous volume of vehicles on Lagos roads. Lagos somewhat muscled its way into that lucrative market, forcing some form of commercial cohabitation.

    Lagos trauma centres also appear to trump FRSC ones, erected on highways in aid of road accident victims. Other road safety hardwares also seem to follow in this negative direction. This is clearly because of FRSC’s apparent poorer funding from the federal purse; in comparison with the cash Lagos shelled on its traffic hardwares and trauma centres. As one of just many federal agencies, perhaps FRSC is low on the scale of preference?

    That has reduced its operational efficiency and effectiveness — despite its clear strivings — made no better with the reported corruption and abuse by some of its marshals.

    Still, over the years, the FRSC has gathered rich competence on road safety research, advocacy and standardisation.  As a federal regulator and standards setter, all these would aid it to help mainstream a national good road safety culture in the states, without necessarily competing with state agencies. That way, it would just busy itself with policy, and closely supervise their implementation.

    To fully deploy its operational staff, it could help midwife putting in place state traffic agencies; or, for those states that cannot afford a full shop, outsourcing services to those states, to cut down costs, in a win-win arrangement.

    These services, regulatory and outsourcing, would go a long way to maximising FRSC’s cognate experience in road safety and allied matters in the last 30 years; and also secure its relevance in the years to come.

  • Cultist jailed three years in Jos

    Cultist jailed three years in Jos

    A Jos Upper Area Court sitting at Kasuwan Nama yesterday sentenced a 38-year-old man, Idris Umar, to three years’ imprisonment for cultism.

    Umar was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to a charge of inflicting several injuries on Abdul Isa, and begged the court for mercy.

    The judge, Yahaya Mohammed, however, gave the convict an option of N10,000 fine.

    The Police Prosecutor, Mr Ibrahim Gukwat, told the court that Umar was arrested on October 26, by the Special Task Force (STF) on Security, for allegedly attacking Isa, on Ali Kazaure Street, Jos.

    The prosecutor said further investigation by the police showed that Umar was a member of Sara-Suka, a cultist group that had been outlawed.

  • Deserved 70 years

    •Conviction of Kebbi’s ex-accountant-general raises questions about the lower court’s verdict

    After being discharged and acquitted by a Kebbi High Court, on charges of conspiracy and obtaining money  by false pretences preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a former Accountant-General of Kebbi State, Mohammed Dakingari, has had his luck reversed by the Court of Appeal, Kebbi Division. The appellate court found him guilty of all the 10 counts and sentenced him to seven years in prison on each count, making 70 years in all.

    Mercifully, the sentences are to run concurrently.

    Dakingari was accused of using his office as accountant-general of the state for personal enrichment to the tune of N1.6bn. Moreover, contrary to extant civil service rules and regulations forbidding serving civil servants from owning businesses, the former accountant-general not only owned a construction company, Beal Construction Nigeria Ltd, but also awarded mouth-watering contracts to the company in his capacity as accountant-general. He was charged alongside Musa Yusuf, the company’s managing director.

    A statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said it was discovered at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) that Dakingari’s sons,  Bashir Mohammed, Anwal Sadat and Nasir Mohammed,  as well as his brothers,  Abduallahi Mohammed and Habibu Mohammed, were all directors of Beal Construction Company Ltd.

    The statement added, “The construction company operates two accounts at Ecobank and Unity Bank, with Dakingari and Yusuf as signatories to the accounts. However, Dakingari was discovered to have operated with two signatures, one in his official capacity as accountant-general of the state and the other as the owner of Beal Construction Company Limited. EFCC said “the contracts executed for the state for which Beal Construction Company received huge payments included the supply of furniture to 66 secondary schools in Kebbi State valued at N987m; the connection of water and drainage system at the Kebbi Central Mosque valued at N110m and the building and partitioning of Mohammed Maira Secondary School valued at N247m.”

    According to it, “analysis of the accounts revealed a total inflow of N1.3bn between May 2012 and September 2013, with most of the receipts coming from the Office of the Accountant-General and the Kebbi State Ministry of Finance.” The commission consequently filed 20 charges bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretences and abuse of office against Dakingari and Yusuf at the Kebbi High Court.

    Curiously, the lower court convicted and sentenced Yusuf to six months’ imprisonment but discharged and acquitted Dakingari. This judgment did not go down well with the EFCC which approached the Court of Appeal, urging it to set aside the judgment of the lower court and convict Dakingari as charged. The appellate court upheld the plea, convicted and sentenced Dakingari to seven years’ imprisonment each on 10 of the counts preferred against him.

    We commend the EFCC for its doggedness in pursuing the matter this far. The convict would have been left to go away with the impression that it pays to commit crime if the EFCC had handled the case in a cavalier manner.  Even as laymen, the facts on ground could not have supported the acquittal of the former accountant-general. As a matter of fact, most of the thieves in high places in the country steal cleverly, if we can be pardoned for using that expression. In this instance, Dakingari was either too naïve or overconfident that nothing would happen to him even if he broke civil service rules to commit crimes.

    While we wonder what informed the lower court’s judgment, we commend the decision of the appellate court for serving justice without fear or favour. That is the way it should be. Public servants must work by the rules and when they depart from these to commit crime, they should be duly punished. This is the way to check corruption, which has done so much damage to the country’s economy.

    We hope both the judiciary and the EFCC would sustain the momentum in dealing with the many other corruption cases pending in the courts or under investigation.

  • Motorcyclist gets three years for theft

    A 35-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Moruf Raji, is to spend the next three years in jail for breaking into shops and stealing provisions and bottles of wine, an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ruled.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. I. O. Omotosho, said Raji was found guilty of the five-count charge on conspiracy, break-in and stealing brought against him.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Raji has been in prison since his arraignment on June 9.

    He changed his `not guilty’ plea to a plea of guilty.

    Consequently, Omotosho sentenced him to three years imprisonment on count one, which he would serve at Agodi Prisons in Ibadan, but with an option of N20,000 fine.

    The magistrate also sentenced Raji on count two (housebreaking and entering a shop) to 18 months, but also with an option of N20,000 fine.

    For offence of stealing, he was given three years imprisonment and an option of N50,000 fine.

    Raji was sentenced to 18 months for breaking into another shop with an option of N20,000 fine.

    On the fifth count of stealing, Raji got three years with an option of N50,000 fine.

    Omotosho said the sentences would run concurrently with the convict spending three years.

    He added that the cumulative fines stay.

    The prosecutor, Olalekan Adegbite, had told the court that Raji committed the offences on June 6 at 3:50 a.m. at Idi- Ose, Olode junction in Moniya, Ibadan.

    He said the accused with others at large broke into two shops and stole provisions and bottles of wine belonging to Mrs. Folake Adeniji and Mrs. Folasade Obaromi.

  • Guard jailed four years for defiling minor

    A 40-year-old security guard, Mr. Francis Gyang, has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by a Jos Upper Area Court in Plateau State for defiling a minor.

    The Judge, Mr. Yahaya Mohammed, convicted Gyang for defiling the six-year-old girl without an option of fine.

    According to the prosecutor, Ibrahim Gukwat, the convict, on September 21, lured the girl to his room and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.

    He said the offence was contrary to Section 282 of the Penal Code.

    The accused pleaded guilty and begged for mercy.

    The judge said the sentence would act as a deterrent to others.

  • Oyo records best WASSC exam results in 18 years

    The Oyo State government has said the state recorded its best result in the West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC) examinations in 18 years.

    The government said its 54.18 per cent pass for pupils with a minimum of five credits, including Mathematics and English, was encouraging when compared to the national average of 59 per cent.

    It said 29,174 candidates, representing 54.14 per cent, had a minimum of five credits of the 53,850, who sat for the examination.

    The government said the 29,174 candidates consisted of 13,884 boys and 15,290 girls.

    Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Mr. Toye Arulogun, gave the figures yesterday in Ibadan, the state capital.

    He said this year’s average results had an improvement ratio of above 100 per cent over last year’s, which was 22.12 per cent.

    The commissioner noted that the improvement followed government’s renewed commitment to reverse the downward trend in the performance of pupils in WAEC and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.

    He said the state also came second in last year’s NECO result ranking.

    Arulogun said the government was awaiting the statistics on states’ performances from WAEC, adding that this was concluded on September 5 and will be sent to each state, according to WAEC’s Head of National Office, Mr. Olu Adenipekun.

    Oyo State recorded 4.40 per cent in 1999, 3.59 per cent in 2000, 8.7 per cent in 2001, 6.93 per cent in 2002, 6.13 per cent in 2003, 9.17 per cent in 2004, 7.89 per cent in 2005, 10.40 per cent in 2006 and 6.16 per cent in 2007.

    The commissioner said the state recorded 9.14 per cent in 2008, 11.92 per cent in 2009, 13.40 per cent in 2010, 16.97 per cent in 2011, 21.35 per in 2012, 21.79 in 2013, 19.19 per cent in 2014 and 21.61 per cent in 2015.

    Arulogun said the improved performance followed several policies to reform the Education sector for improved performances in internal and external examinations.

    He said Iseyin Local Government Area recorded 67.64 per cent, followed by Ibadan South West, with 67.53 per cent.

    Others, he said, are: Irepo, 66.18 per cent; Oyo West, 63.95 per cent and Ido, 63.62 per cent.

    Arulogun noted that these were the top five councils with good results in this year’s examinations.

    According to him, Ibarapa North Local Government Area recorded 34.89 per cent; Surulere, 29.11 per cent; Ogbomoso South, 27.95 per cent; Itesiwaju, 21.01 per cent and Iwajowa, 10.28.

    Arulogun said the listed councils had the least of candidates with a minimum of five credits, including Mathematics and English.

    He said: “This is below our target as we are competing both within ourselves and at the national level. We want to reclaim our status as the Pace Setter. So, many policies have been introduced to ensure that our aspirations on quality education for the people of the state are achieved.

    “We have cancelled automatic promotion in schools and introduced the School Government Board (SGB) OYOMESI, Education Trust Fund (ETF), WAEC Boot Camp, extra-mural classes, workers’ review for optimisation of work force.

    “These and many other state government’s initiatives are yielding results.”

  • 50 foul years

    We need to pause as a country why Biafra is still on the burner after five decades

    About this time 50 years ago, something happened that the majority of Nigerians would not want to see in their lifetime. A section of the country declared independence of the federation, but that was not the real bad news.

    It was what resulted, a fratricidal convulsion, where brother held gun against brother, and ushered in bloodshed, butchery, dislocation of persons and psychology, hunger and diseases, in a 30-month conflict that we remember as the Nigeria-Biafra war, or the Nigerian Civil War.

    Although it is five decades since, we see fissures of those years returning with the bilious intensity of street protests, burning of properties, confrontation with the police, brandishing of signs spitting incendiary words, the flourish of subversive rhetoric in print and electronic media and open calls for secession.

    This is a throwback to the tensions that led Nigeria to gain world notoriety when the war started. Many thought at the time, that it was going to blow over, that Nigeria was too involved to descend into any sort of war. It was the same narrative in the early days of the Second World War. Commentators became smug and called it the phony war. We now know better.

    But the preamble to that time 50 years ago was dark, and almost inevitably crimson. We experienced a pogrom. The Igbos suffered the great indignity of mass slaughter, especially in the north. The northern establishment folded their arms, and even became quiet conspirators, in the murder spree. Fathers not only saw their daughters raped, but their sons wiped out when they also stood in line for elimination.

    So high was the rage and so irreversible the momentum seemed that we ought to learn a lesson or two from the blood-spattered turbulence.

    At the end of the war, the then head of state, General Yakubu Gowon, declared in the apparent conciliatory language of United States after their civil war, that there was no victor and no vanquished. Some historians borrowed from the names of the generals in the American conflict and crooned that “there was Grant or Lee.”

    Going by the events that happened during the marking of the 50 years, it is clear we still seethe with the rage of those years. Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), had the whole of the southeast on lockdown. Streets lay prostrate with inactivity. Businesses were shut down in such big cities as Enugu, Owerri and Umuahia. Even in the south-south where the Igbo tribe is seen as tangential and settlers, places like Asaba and Port Harcourt tingled with the sting. Port Harcourt was only partially affected and children stayed away from school in Asaba. These areas form part of the ambitious Biafra map. The indigenes were not impressed but they shuddered because they felt the Biafra shadow in their midst.

    While this was on, a colloquium took place in Abuja that attracted no less a personage than the acting president, Professor Yemi  Osinbajo. His rhetoric was controlled; it was conciliatory but not concessionary.

    But this is a far cry from the attitude of the Federal Government at the inception of this administration when the president, Muhammadu Buhari, dismissed the agitators. The president declared the sanctity of the federation, and characterised  Kanu and his supporters as subverts. Not only that, the leader was hounded into detention and treated as though he did not belong to this country. While this was going on, the protests kaboomed on the southeast streets.

    Biafra young men collided with police and some of them died. The Federal Government failed to realise that the discontent was hot on the debate grill. Some saw it as effusions of frustrations owing to perceived or real alienations, while others thought that a section of the Igbo elite took them seriously enough to warrant a state of indifference or even contempt. This provided the background for the treatment of the IPOB leader.

    He did not only suffer detention, he did not enjoy the full import of the Nigerian law. The rule of law was not adhered to. He was locked up even when the law did not support it. When he was let go, the judge reeled out rules that mocked the very purity of the law. He was gagged with a dozen conditions, including he should not grant interviews or hold a rally.

    The young men who are on the streets brandishing the glories of Biafra were not alive when the east boiled and roasted. It is not a great experience to go through a war where one cannot guarantee not only one’s lives but also any member of the family or cherished friends. War does not only kill people. It kills time, frustrates careers and dreams, and atrophies opportunities. And those for only the persons who survive. A war does not discriminate, from a genius or fool. The war gulped some of Igbo best, including poet Christopher Okigbo and EmekaNzeogwu.

  • ‘Our years of horror’ My mother died of shock when Boko Haram slaughtered my father—Buni Yadi resident Modu Bala.

    ‘Our years of horror’ My mother died of shock when Boko Haram slaughtered my father—Buni Yadi resident Modu Bala.

    Residents of Borno and Yobe states believe they owe the Buhari administration a lot of gratitude for the peace they currently enjoy after the horror years of unmitigated attacks by Boko Haram terrorists, reports JOEL DUKU.

    MODU BALA, a resident of Buni Yadi community, Borno State, had a hectic time responding to questions as he fought back tears repeatedly. He, however, pulled himself together to rain curses on Boko Haram insurgents for the heinous crime they committed against Nigeria and the Northeast in particular. His joy, however, lies in the way the Buhari government has chased the insurgents out of town. Modu, whose father was slaughtered by the insurgents like a ram, later lost his mother who could not recover from the shock of her husband’s death.

    What would you say about the current security situation in Yobe State?

    Honestly, there is significant improvement and kudos to the Federal Government as well as the army and other security agencies. They have done well and we are enjoying relative peace now. Although when such incidents happen, there will still be trauma, and that is what we are still facing now.

    For example, I have not made use of my generator since the last major attack on December 1, 2014 in Damaturu. I feel like the noise of the generator will make me unaware if anything is happening in the tow. It’s just the trauma that is creating fear. And anytime I travel out of Yobe State and see other people move freely without fear, it always seems strange to me because in Yobe, it is not so, but seriously our situation has improved, as we can now travel within the state and beyond.

    Did you incur any personal loss during Boko Haram attacks?

    Of course, you see, Boko Haram slaughtered my father and the trauma resulted in the death of my mother. If you live in Borno, Yobe or Adamawa state, you must experience at least one episode; you must have been affected directly or indirectly. So as far as Boko Haram is concerned, a lot has happened. But we hope for the best.

    Did you have to relocate either within or outside the state?

    Of course, you know my home town, Buni Yadi, was the epicenter and operational base of the insurgents. There was a time it was attacked and we had to relocate our families. About that time, I had more than 40 people in my house, and because it could not take us, we had to relocate some of our relatives to Potiskum and other places. Those were the issues we faced at that time. I relocated my wife and children to a place outside the state and I was operating a mobile house, carrying my clothes and shoes in my car where ever I went.

    How did you feel re-uniting with your family and what made it possible?

    Now, everybody is enjoying reuniting with their families after all the problems. My people have now moved back to Buni Yadi without any fear, though most of us have lost a lot of relatives. We became reunited because of the peace that has come now, and it is our fervent hope that it will be sustained.

    What is your greatest fear at the moment about Boko Haram?

    My greatest fear is suicide bombing. At least you can run when you hear the sound of a gun, but suicide bombing is very dangerous. I however pray that it does not befall us.

     

    Mohammed Fanami from Adam Kolo area of Maiduguri said he was in school in Yola throughout the period of the high wave of attacks in Maiduguri, but his greatest fear came each time he returned home on holiday.

    He said: “As a student, whenever I was at home for holidays in Maiduguri, I always felt that they could come and attack us at home. Even around the school at Yola, they made attempts but nobody was harmed. All the residents around the school moved to town out of fear.”

    He is optimistic that the remnants of Boko Haram insurgents will soon be routed out from Borno communities for his people to move freely in any part of the state.

    “Borno will soon regain its true status of home of peace. The pockets of Boko Haram insurgents who don’t want to embrace peace will be cleared by the military in no time. I have complete confidence in our security forces,” Mohammed boosted.

    Abdullahi Sule, a civil servant in Borno State, who lives near Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, said his fears then were worse than his feelings. Living with his family in such an area was a nightmare for him. But the 45-year-old Borno indigene feels safer now more than ever.

    “As you can see, Maiduguri is now safer than Lagos and Abuja. We are enjoying peace here. I say we are safer here because we have a better understanding of security here more than those areas through our experiences with Boko Haram. We are more security-conscious than those people,” he boasted.

    Recalling the horrific days of Boko Haram attacks, Sule said: “Whenever there was an attack and we heard the sound of bombs and guns, our families were always scared. Sometimes we would lie flat on the ground in our houses for fear of stray bullets. But now we are going about our daily activities without fear. It is a thing of the past and we pray it will never happen again.

    “Now our major fear is the suicide bombers, because those ones do not care. They are out to kill. We can avoid such by alerting the security on a suspect in our midst. There was a time I left my area with my wife and children for five days to another part of the town. Although there were many of us accommodated in a big house, my wife and I carried just a pair of clothes. It was not easy. We came back when everything had settled. We thank God for President Buhari.”

    Modu Aji, a Red Cross volunteer from Customs area in Maiduguri, says he has forgotten about Boko Haram except for memories of horrific sights of dead bodies that littered the streets.

    He said: “I always recall those times we saw dead bodies on the streets. Bad sights of shredded bodies cut into pieces. I even relocated my family to a village in Yobe State because at that time, we felt the villages were safe. But presently, we feel safe even though we sometimes remember those episodes. Everything is calm now.

    “I have never seen such in my life. It has cost the state backwardness in development and achievements. But I believe that this will never happen again because the Federal Government and even the states are taking things seriously in order to curtail insurgency. We hope that with God and the security agencies, Boko Haram is now a thing of the past.”

  • 83-year-old gets eyeglass four years after diagnosis

    ‘We are moving away from curative medicine to preventive medicine. It is so gratifying that the state is moving into Health Insurance Scheme’

    For over five years, 83-year-old Mr Samuel Oluwole Odunlami could not afford a pair of reading glasses. He is a retiree who lives in Epe but a native of Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. His pension is N8, 000 per month.

    The elated Mr Odunlami could not hide his joy, relief and appreciation when the team of Eko Health Mission handed him a pair of glasses penultimate Wednesday.

    Recounting his experience, Mr Odunlami said he was 79 years old when he was told he needed a pair of reading glasses for presbyopia which is an age-related eye disease. Presbyopia is caused by a decreased elasticity in the eye’s lens, making it more difficult to focus on objects in a close range. Presbyopia generally is believed to stem from a gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the natural lens of the eye.

    After the diagnosis and prescription, he could not afford the pair of glasses due to lack of fund. Days roll into weeks, and weeks into years. When it was exactly four years after the reading glass was recommended, fortune smiled on him.

    He heard, through his daughter, about the Eko free Health Mission put in place by the Lagos State Ministry of Health.

    The crowd was massive at the Epe Local Government Area, venue of the event. But that did not deter Mr Odunlami.

    Mr Odunlami said: “Right from the eve of getting the information, I became restless. I could not sleep very well. I kept vigil. And by 6:00 a.m., I had taken my bath and arrived early to pick number. When the medical team came, they sorted us out to our needs. I was then taken to doctors who examined my eyes. They said I needed glasses. In less than an hour, my glass was presented to me. I pray for Governor Ambode. His children will not experience hard life. This is the first time I am benefiting from government programme. Epe has transformed with all the infrastructure development taking place here.”

    The Director of Eko Free Health Mission, Dr Dolapo Fasawe said the mission which is in its 14th outing, is meant to bring health care closer to the grassroots.

    “We are moving away from curative medicine to preventive medicine. It is so gratifying that the state is moving into Health Insurance Scheme. Nobody will be left behind. So far as you are a resident in Lagos and you have the registration done for your residency by Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and issued the card, you are qualified.

    “Another thing is that for the people of Epe, malnutrition is not their problem; they feed well. There are cases of Prostate enlargement. I want to use this opportunity to inform that any man over 40 years should go and do screening for prostate enlargement. That way, there will be no need for emergencies,” Dr Fasawe said.

    She said so far over 127, 000 people have been attended to.

    Her assistant on the Eko Free Health Mission, Dr. Tolu Ajomale revealed that nobody should wait to be sick before taking proactive steps in ensuring health healthy.

    “It starts with knowing your numbers- Bp (Blood Pressure), cholesterol level, BMI (body mass Index), doing exercise, watch closely one’s diet in tandem with the health indicators. If you are hypertensive or diabetic, the role of nutrition, especially salt, carbohydrate and sugary foods should be regulated. The best way out is fruits, vegetables, water and active life in the form of exercise.

    “Shun sedentary life. Just find an exercise you are comfortable with,” Dr Ajomale said.

    The Sole Administrator of Eredo Local Council Development Area, Muyiwa Okusanya said his people are grateful to the state government for bringing the programme to their door step.

    “That is an indication of a responsive and responsible government that will always prioritise the health of the people,” Okusanya said.