Flood On Okeyemi Street Ikorodu, In Lagos

A LANDLORD DRAINING WATER FROM HIS ROOM ON OKEYEMI STREET, OFF POWER LINE,IKORODU, IN LAGOS AFTER A DOWN POUR ON MONDAY (30/9/13).

Meeting The Water Supply Needs Of Yobe Rular Communities

For instance, villagers say that the borehole in Garin Goge village in the Fika Local Government Area of the state has not been functioning; a situation that compelled them to share the only available water source, a stagnant pond, with animals.According to Malam Baba Bukar, a farmer and resident of the area, after each day’s dawn prayers, women and children throng the pond to fetch water before it gets muddy. Observers have, however, raised concern over the health implications of the development, noting that the pond might have been polluted by organic and chemicals waste products.They also note that a single non-functional borehole is not enough for the entire community because other villagers in Katarko and Ngirbuwa, who face similar problem, depended on the pond. Malam Isa Lawan, a resident of Garin Goge said: ``the community depends on the pond to drink, cook and do other domestic chores; we are constrained to use the pond in spite of the looming health hazards because we have no alternative’’. ``The villagers are terrified by the experiences suffered by other communities that depended on polluted water sources; but there is nothing we can do, we cannot do without water.’’ Nonetheless, he noted that even though there were cases of gastro-intestinal infection in the community in 2009 arising from water pollution, the community has yet to witness any outbreak of water-borne diseases in recent time.``Water pollution and diseases can be avoided with timely intervention and rehabilitation of broken down water facilities in rural areas,’’ he pleaded.Reacting to the situation in the village and most communities in the area, Malam Mohammed Bukar, General Manager of the state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, acknowledged that the agency had received complaints from such communities.``We have taken samples of water from one of the affected villages, particularly, Gumsa, in the Geidam Local Government Area for laboratory analyses,’’ he said.He attributed the breakdown of borehole facilities in some villages in the state to the pressure exerted on them by users in their bid to obtain water from taps. Bukar explained that the repair of broken down boreholes would take some time to effect due to unavailability of spare parts.``Unfortunately, we do not have parts for the broken down boreholes; what we have presently cannot fit into the broken down facilities,’’ he said. He expressed optimism that government would soon provide the needed materials for the rehabilitation of the boreholes so that the rural communities could enjoy safe water supply.``With improvement in the security situation, we are hopeful that we will get the parts for experts to come back to the state and rehabilitate the machines,’’ he assured the residents. Observers recalled that rural communities in Yobe had enjoyed potable water supply in the past, noting that the state was rated ninth in the European Union Development Fund (EDF) assisted programme on water and sanitation.They insisted that the rating paved way for the state’s participation in the 10^th EDF on which baseline survey was recently conducted in 287 communities in the state.Stressing that Yobe, in partnership with the EU, constructed 157 water facilities comprising of seven motorised boreholes, six solar-powered boreholes, 59 single phase boreholes and 85 balance hand-pumps, the observers called for the sustenance of the performance.While residents of the communities commended the successes recorded in the partnership to provide safe water for them, they insisted that the partnership must make provisions for special maintenance funds.According to them, this is necessary to ensure that the facilities are refurbished as at when due to ensure safe and uninterrupted water supply. All said and done, observers have suggested that the Yobe government should also be more committed to rural the transformation agenda. They argued that the agenda would not be real when safe water and other facilities required by the people to live meaningful lives at the grassroots were lacking. (NANFeatures)

FG To Create 3.5M Jobs In Agric Sector

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, announced this in Enugu at the 4^th National Agricultural Exhibition and Symposium organised by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA).

Adesina, represented by the South East Regional Director in the ministry, Dr Uche Nwafor, said that the Federal Government planned to inject over N60 billion into the economy.He said that the government would also provide over N300 billion additional incomes to Nigerian farmers in the agricultural sector from the commodity value chains.The minister said that government had leveraged over 8 billion dollars of private investment commitments through ATA. According to the minister, government has potent policies and laws to reposition the agriculture sector.“ATA is aimed at promoting a private sector driven commodity value chain mechanism to appropriately utilise agricultural resources in line with global trend. “Through this, domestic food supply will increase by 20 million tonnes by 2015,’’ he said. The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, presented a paper titled: “Systematic Water Management for Sustainable Agricultural Development and Food Production in Nigeria.”

According to her, the ministry is determined to turn around the irrigation sub-sector by investing in infra structural development.

Ochekpe, represented by Dr Ben Aneke, Head of Department, Agro-Hydrology of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Authority, said that most dams which were constructed in the 80s, were under-utilised. “It has been observed that irrigation projects have been bedevilled by defects and inadequacies in all stages of the projects, starting from the planning, design to the execution as well as operation and maintenance,’’ she said. Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State urged the Federal Government to set up an irrigation project to assist and service farmers in the state. Chime, represented by his Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Mike Eneh, called on ECCIMA to partner with the state government to improve mechanised agriculture in the state. Earlier, the President of ECCIMA, Dr Theo Okonkwo, appealed to banks to disburse credit facilities at lower interest rate to farmers, to enable them to work effectively. (NAN)

JTF Destroys 127 illegal Refineries, Arrests 29

The Joint (Military) Task Force in the Niger Delta says it has arrested 29 alleged oil thieves and destroyed 127 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta. In a statement on Sunday, JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the suspects were arrested during the series of anti-oil-theft operations between September 16 and September 28. He added that  the 29 suspects were currently undergoing preliminary investigations and would soon be handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies. Nwachukwu explained that in Bayelsa State, troops of 343 Regiment of the JTF in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area clamped down on 98 illegal crude oil distillation sites. He said the sites were operating with 119 illegal distillation tanks and 37 large open wooden boats (Cotonou boats) laden with stolen crude oil and illegally-distilled Automated Gas Oil. He said in a separate operation, troops of 29 Battalion and the Gun Boat  Patrol Company, arrested a barge with three crew and a vessel christened MT Tora Eagle with 11 crew members in Bodo waterways and Akassa creek in Rivers and Bayelsa states respectively. Nwachukwu said, “The barge was intercepted while conveying some quantity of illegally sourced crude oil, while the vessel was laden with 3,600 drums of stolen petroleum product. “The troops also scuttled five illegal crude oil distillation sites and 10 Cotonou boats filled with stolen crude oil along Lewe, Bodo, Elem Sagangama, Oluwasiri and Bodo  West in Rivers State. ”He said the outfit’s Operation Pulo Shield, 19 and 3 Battalions’ troops covering Edo and Delta states scuttled 24 illegal oil distillation camps and 73 Cotonou boats. He said 31 of such boats were intercepted at an illegal crude oil loading point close to an abandoned oil well in Warri North, while 27 of the arrested boats were intercepted in Egara creek along NNPC pipeline in Warri South Local Government Area. Nwachukwu added, “The operation also swept through Ajide, Lagos; Makara, Egwu Aghara watersides in Warri-North, Warri North-West, Warri South West and Ethiope West Local Government areas of Delta, where oil stealing was also found to be thriving. “The outfit intercepted 61 pieces of 75 HP speed boats and a truck laden with 33,000 litres of AGO while they were still lifting the stolen products. 502 drums, 22 steel tanks, four plastic surface tanks, 77 metal drums laden with stolen crude oil and illegally distilled AGO and four pumping machines used by the oil thieves were also seized during the operations. 

source: http://www.punchng.com

Population: How Many Are We In Nigeria?

AS Nigeria marks 53 years of independence next week, one question that has defied answer is what the actually number of Nigerians is.This question, as simple as it appears, has been difficult to answer in the last 150 years.Few weeks to the country’s 53rd independence anniversary, five months to 100 years of the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorates to create Nigeria and three years to the 2016 scheduled population census, the issue of how many we are was flung to the front burner of raging issues, recently. National Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chief Festus Odimegwu stirred the hornet’s nest when he said, in an interview with journalists in Abuja late August that the country had not had any credible census since 1816. Blaming the irregularity on distortion and falsification of figures for selfish and political reasons by politicians, he said: “No census has been credible in Nigeria since 1863. Even the one conducted in 2006 is not credible. I have the records and evidence produced by scholars and professors of repute. This is not my report. If the current laws are not amended, the planned 2016 census will not succeed. ”Odimegwu’s comments raised a quantum of dust in the polity with the presidency firing him a query. He also received an avalanche of attacks from many northerners especially, Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who during a visit to President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, called for Odimegwu’s sack over his denigration of the 2006 Nigeria census.

150 years of controversial headcounts

The question of how many Nigerians are there has been popping up long before the people evolved into a nation through amalgamation in 1914. The first recorded headcount was at the Colony of Lagos in 1863. Another one was held at the then colony in 1871. It was, thereafter, conducted every 10 years.

The first national census was in 1911. Of the 16.054 million persons counted, the Northern Protectorate had 8.12 million, about 50.1 per cent of the total population. After the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, another exercise was held in 1921. The population was put at 18.7 million with the South having 48 per cent of it. Other exercises were conducted in 1931, 1953, 1962/63, 1973, 1991 and 2006. Except in the 1962 exercise, the North has always maintained an edge over the South, thus affirming the 1911 projections. The 1952-53 exercises put the nation’s population figure at 31.6 million. This census was considered an undercount for a number of reasons: apprehension that the headcount was related to tax collection; political tension at the time in eastern Nigeria; inability to reach many remote areas; and inadequate training of enumerators in some areas. The undercounting was estimated at 10 percent or less. The 1962 and 1973 censuses were most controversial and were subsequently cancelled by the governments in power. The mid-1962 exercise was canceled after much controversy and allegations of over-counting in many areas. Of the 45 million Nigerians counted in 1962, the South had 24 million, thereby “overtaking” the North, which was allegedly favoured in past exercises. A second attempt in 1963, which was officially accepted, was also encumbered with charges of inaccuracy and manipulation for regional and local political purposes. Indeed, the official 1963 figure of 55.6 million was inconsistent with the census of a decade earlier because it implied a virtually impossible annual growth rate of 5.8 percent. The equally controversial 1991 census posted a figure of 88.9 million people with a projected growth rate of 2.9 per cent Before the 2006 headcount, intense bickering arose regarding the proposal to include ethnicity and religion in the questionnaires to generate the statistics of the various ethnic and religious groups in the country given claims and counter-claims regarding their relative strengths. The North threatened to mobilize its people to work against the exercise should these two indices appear in the questionnaire. There was equally a counter threat from the South-east to boycott the exercise if they were not included. In the long run, the North had the upper hand and religion and ethnic group was excluded to the chagrin of Southeasterners.

Consequently, population figures had always been a subject of mudslinging between Southern and Northern politicians. For Southerners, the belief is that the population of the North had been “over-counted”. They argue that going by simple demographic distribution pattern across the globe, population increases as one move from the hinterland (desert or Savannah regions) to the coast. They wondered why in the case of Nigeria, the North which lies in the arid zone, is more populous than the coastal South. For Northerners, their extensive landmass and population must not be taken for granted, facts that several head counts had confirmed. And the controversy continues.

Odumegwu’s comments belie Nigeria’s topsy-turvy experience with population census. Acclaimed as the most populous nation in Africa, the true number of Nigerians has always remained a matter of estimates. Currently, Nigeria’s population is between 160 – 167 million based on projections from the 2006 census that put the nation’s population at 140 million with the North accounting for 73.6 million and the South having 64.9 million.

Lagos complaints

One state that strongly disputed the 2006 census was Lagos, which promptly filed a petition at the Census Tribunal and got a favourable judgment. At the 1991 headcount, Lagos had 5.686 million inhabitants while Kano had 5.632. However, in 2006, Lagos recorded 9.014 million people compared to Kano’s 9.384 million. The state government, whose parallel headcount recorded 17,553,924 people, described the NPC’s figure as too low. It prayed the tribunal to order a repeat headcount in 14 Local Councils, namely, Alimosho, Ojo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Apapa, Lagos-Island, Lagos Mainland, Ikeja, Ikorodu, Kosofe, Mushin, Badagry, Oshodi-Isolo, Shomolu and Surulere and the prayer was answered.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye, said:  “In the final analysis, the official national census results for the 14 old Local Government Councils (now 40 LGAs and LCDAs) in LagosState have been nullified. This vindicates the resolve of the government to base its physical and economic plans on a projected population of 17,553,924 in 2006 and over 21,000,000 currently. We now expect that the National Population Commission will urgently announce plans for a recount as ordered by the tribunal,” he said. However, Lagos may not have a repeat headcount in the affected areas until 2016 when another nationwide census would be carried out. Feelers from the NPC indicate that the commission lacked the basic benchmark and requirements to conduct a census now.

Paucity of funds has always hindered scheduled censuses. That was one of the major reasons it took 15 years to hold the 2006 census after the 1991 exercise.

N600 billion budget

Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan approved a budget of N600 billion to the NPC for the 2016 census exercise. The amount is to take care of the activities of the commission for the period of five years at the rate of N120 billion per year. Population is a major asset; as resource for development, and is also the prime beneficiary of development in society. It constitutes the bulk of the producers and consumers of goods and services. Having a fair estimate of the population of a country enables the government to plan effectively for the betterment of the citizenry. Otherwise, economy planners will be groping in the dark. In Nigeria, population has been a rather sensitive and controversial issue because of its implications for shaping geopolitical regions, state and ethnic relations and balance of power. It is the attitude towards the population question, in terms of its absolute size, as it concerns election, the states and the sub-regions that constitute the background to census controversies.

Given the controversies stoked by Odimegwu’s comments, his assurances and the hefty budget approved by the government, it is to be seen if the 2016 census will live to expectation.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com

ARMY MEDICAL CORPS' OUTREACH TO UMUOBA ANAM COMMUNITY IN ANAMBRA

PIC. 9. A NURSING MOTHER CONSULTING A DOCTOR FROM 302 ARTILLERY REGIMENT’S MEDICAL RECEPTION SERVICE DURING A MEDICAL OUTREACH TO UMUOBA ANAM COMMUNITY IN ANAMBRA

WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA ON SUNDAY (29/9/13).NAN

Nigeria’s Unemployment Woes

 

Millions of Nigerians are jobless. We all know that an unemployed population is a potentially rebellious army ready to enlist because the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Why are so many Nigerians in the job queue? It is now apparent that the multitude of makeshift tokenistic official programmes currently in place to tackle the frightening unemployment outlook at all levels of government is just not working. Instead, it could be said, with respect to the monumental joblessness now overwhelming the polity, that most of the prescriptions so far on the ground are actually counter-productive, being merely part of dubious outlets for siphoning government money into private pockets all in the guise of “jobs creation. ”Nigerians are yearly inundated with official promises, couched very much like political slogans, to end the huge unemployment which has in turn generated an alarming level of poverty, social instability and general insecurity for of which negative phenomena like robberies, kidnapping, assassinations and incessant pseudo-sectarian violence are the ultimate bye-products. If it is true that “there is dignity in labour”, it must mean also that there is indignity in joblessness. Little doubt therefore about the cause of the overall collapse in human values in contemporary Nigeria. All over the world, there are varying degrees of unemployment but what has made our case sadly unique is the fact that, whereas governments elsewhere take the unemployment challenge of their societies as one of the cardinal purposes for their existence, Nigerian governments, on the other hand, do not yet see unemployment for what it is – a blight on governance. It is true that Nigeria also has the peculiar demographic reality of a huge population which naturally puts considerable strain on the limited resources available. It is also correct to say, as China and other nations have demonstrated that a large population is only a problem for societies that have failed to construct their development agenda around their human resources. Properly utilised, a large population is a natural productive capital, an active catalyst for rapid economic development as well as a guaranteed effective market for economic outputs. Unfortunately, governments in Nigeria, past and present, have never seriously factored the actual job needs of the people into their development plans or even during their routine budget making. On the contrary, budgets have been influenced largely by selfish and hedonistic considerations of individuals in power with little consideration for the overall wellbeing of the population. Government projects or businesses, for example, ought to be designed in such a way as to meet their specific capacities to absorb a part of the labour force currently idling away. In other words, no government project should be approved if there is no evidence of its capacity to first utilise the abundant and wasting human resources within Nigeria before any consideration is given for any expatriate participation or undue automation. I concede however that there is also the shameful reality of the gaping incompetence of most Nigerian “graduates” lately due to the poor quality of education now available in the country. We must however wake up to the fact that modern governments, being necessarily lean, are not expected to be the main employers of labour. That is the exclusive preserve of the private sector and, in this connection, small scale industries are the greatest absorber of labour but, unfortunately, they are the worst victims of our inordinate madness for the importation of anything consumable. Our unbridled tastes for foreign products, especially among the elite of which government officials are the principal culprits, have made it impossible for genuine local entrepreneurship to thrive. For example, nearly all the local pharmaceutical companies have abandoned production in preference for importation of every drug including simple pain-killers and malaria medicines from far away India, China and other places. Same for the textile industry and other once labour-intensive businesses. The large-scale national infrastructural failure, worsened in particular by a comatose power supply, has forced many former producers to now become mass importers. All that NAFDAC does is to merely certify the chemistry of these medicines regardless of their origins. From the earlier policy of “import substitution”, we have gone regressive full circle into full importation. That has meant the massive wipe out of most small and medium scale industries which in a normal economy are the major employers of labour. This has put undue strain on our foreign reserves and national investment capacity as the thirst for the dollar has become uncontrollable.bToday every young school-leaver is dreaming of going abroad for the proverbial greener pastures. The alternative is to endure an inevitable joblessness in the country. Even the Benin City — Arik — stowaway lad also had the escapist dream of “going to America,” dead or alive. The only thriving sectors now are those who have concentrated on the importation of just about anything under the sun – trading. Another sector that has a semblance of boom is the emerging hedonistic entertainment industry which, alongside miracle — preaching — religion outfits, is really valueless in terms of economic productivity but serves as illusory diversionary outlets for a troubled population — short-term sedative: “opium of the masses.” It is a bad sign for any economy when, for example, warehouses, bakeries and factories are been converted to places of worship as is the current reality in all the defunct industrial estates across the country. It has been estimated that about 70 per cent of employable Nigerians are unemployed of which many of those who claim to be “self-employed” are actually in disguised unemployment — fringe economic/criminal activities like touting, fake pastors and juju men, street hawking, prostitution and area boy-like deviant agencies cum middlemen. Needless to say that the unemployment crisis will never be resolved by the tokenism of official schemes like Sure-P and other temporary sinecure absorptions of practically duty-less and no-task types of prestige engagements such as the ubiquitous political aides/advisers because most of such employments are not intended to add value to the economy but merely to assuage the gluttonous political patronage machine. This country is blessed with human and material resources but sorely cursed with politically-minded official economists who pontificate ‘ivy league’ theories but pratise with Ochanja market mentality: volume/turnover instead of production.  It has turned out to our collective chagrin that not much progress has been made in the economy in spite of the bonanza that has come our way through the abundant petrol-dollars that have poured into the nation’s coffers over the years.

Source: http://www.punchng.com

Nigerians React: Independence Anniversary …‘Our Leaders Allergic To Good Governance’

There is hope

At 53, Nigeria seems to be getting weaker and weaker. The country is like an old man that needs a ‘third leg’ to walk or a child who cannot provide for himself. Nigeria still depends on other nations by importing most of the things it needs. We are still operating an economy that depends largely on oil. The level of poverty increases on a daily basis, insurgencies, kidnappings and robberies are on the rise. There is corruption in high places, food shortages, environmental degradation, inconsistent government policies, bad roads and epileptic electricity supply. However, Nigeria has a lot of potential, except that its leaders have not been able to harness it. For some of us who are still optimistic, there is hope for the country. God bless Nigeria.

— Andrew Amata

We all have roles to play

Mother Nigeria is 53! To God be the glory. Different ceremonies, including the already -denied 53 gold-plated iphones gifts, have been planned to celebrate the event. However, the founding fathers of Nigeria are not likely to be happy in their graves because the principles of social contract/justice; human rights, security, good governance and accountability remain a mirage.  The present crop of leaders seems to be allergic to good governance. The only way out is sincerity in governance and genuineness of the people in governance. The will of the people in choosing their leaders should be respected. Good governance should replace corruption and impunity. The citizens should also perform their civic responsibilities.

— Mujeeb Raji-Abaja

We were better off 50 years ago

The point to note here is that the country, at 53, is at a more confused state in the area of progress and positive recognition than it was a few years ago. What do you tell a nation that never seems to get its acts right? The fact that Nigeria has refused to grow into nationhood is evidence of its  failure. I do not want to moan about the many  opportunities that   past  regimes had missed especially the present one. To borrow from Charles Dickens’ book, the current administration came with a “Great Expectations” but it has failed to excite Nigerians. Since I am not in tune with what is even going on among the cabin crew of the ship of the Nigerian state, I will rather not moan for long but look on the bright side. We are more divided now than even during the civil war years. But I know that a change of attitude by our leaders can leapfrog the country  to the frontlines in micro seconds.

— Ikem Okuhu

We need action

Midlife, 53, Nigeria, crisis. These  are the first set of words that dance around my head as I try to find the words to express all I want to say as we ‘celebrate’ this year’s October 1. What words should I highlight? What ideas should I emphasise?  Is it strike, salaries, allowances, Jonathan, New PDP,  PDP, APC, Boko Haram, National Assembly, infrastructure, corruption, national cake, private jets, PHCN, technology, petroleum, civil service, public service, 2015 or refineries? Some chastise the youth: “Why aren’t they doing something? Let them protest!” Comparisons are often drawn from countries such as Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, US and the UK. Nothing is happening in Nigeria. We keep talking the talk but no results. The sad fact about all that is happening in Nigeria is that blood is shed, lives are lost and hopes shattered daily because someone somewhere in Nigeria does not care about anything beyond his (and sometimes his family’s) interest. It is sad.

— Damilola Afolayan

Corruption rate too high

I will say the level at which this great country is still underdeveloped is too high. Also, there is still an alarming rate of corruption in the country. Except there is a total overhaul of the  system, the ruling class and cabal are not ready to allow the country to progress. The country needs new hands in government. This must be the first approach to tackling the many problems and chaotic situation the ruling elite have thrown the country into.

— Trust Ifiogho

Nigeria has underperformed

I see Nigeria as a perennial underperformer because, with the enormous resources at its disposal, the country should be doing a lot better than it is currently doing.The country is performing poorly on virtually every index for measuring the quality of life and national development, while the gains of democracy are yet to be fully translated into concrete benefits for the man on the street, even as systemic problems seem to defy solutions. While it would be fashionable to blame the government for the present state the country, I think the citizenry should also shoulder some of the blame. We need to stop taking ethnic and religious positions on national issues. Nigerians should also stop circumventing the system for selfish reasons and celebrating people with doubtful character if we are to make real progress. The government at different levels is struggling to deal with the country’s many problems, but unity and healthy values among the citizenry would help the government achieve its goals.

— Tosin Oke

All hands must be on deck

Nigeria ought to have developed more than it is. It is not right to put all the blame on our leaders alone. What have we done as citizens to contribute to the progress of the country? We need to join hands together and love one another. That is the only way we can make progress.

— Egbetola Jumoke

Reduce cost of governance

Nigeria, as a nation, has come a long way inspite of many challenges on its path to nationhood. I believe we can do better in our efforts to build a strong and prosperous nation if we can eliminate corruption and live together as one indivisible nation. The current federal system we practise is too expensive. The trend of governance in the developed world now is small and efficient government expenditure. This is done  to eliminate wastage in government. It doesn’t make sense for us to appoint a minister from each state of the federation and as well as electing three senators from each state. I would like to see a situation whereby Nigeria catches up with the developed nations.  For us to do this, we must overhaul  our education  system,  right from the primary school to the univesity. Emphasis should be on qualitative education. Also, we need to upgrade our social amenities.

— Adeniyi Jolayemi

There is nothing to celebrate

What a way to meet our 53rd birthday. There is a lot of rimes and bad leadership. Our so-called leaders of tomorrow have been sitting at home for months, and may still remain at home for more months, because there is nothing to show that the Federal Government/Academic Staff of Union of Universities’ impasse will soon be resolved.  Over the years, I think we have tried to make Nigeria a better place, but we still have a long way to go. That we are not there yet doesn’t mean we won’t get there. It is all a matter of time, the same school bell that sounds irritating at 8am also sounds exciting at 2pm.

— Mercy Izehimwense

No positive development

As a Nigerian youth, Nigeria at 53 makes me sad because I do not see much positive things reflecting the age of the nation. The unemployment rate continues to soar, corruption has eaten deep into government and we also have terrorism to contend with. I think at a time like this, Nigerians really need prayers and a sense of direction.

— Aigbovo Victor

We need to get our priorities right

At 53, we are not where we are meant to be. The development is zero, our leaders are self-centred and do not care about the masses. If at 53, graduates cannot boast of employment, except those with connections, and secondary school leavers cannot get admissions,  then there is cause for concern. We need to get our priorities right.

Source: http://www.punchng.com

ATM Thieves Beat Card Security With New Tricks

Asides using physical threats of violence at Automated Teller Machine points, fraudsters have found other ways of robbing unsuspecting Nigerians via their ATM cards A few weeks ago, Bola, as she preferred to be addressed, who just relocated to Nigeria from the UK, received a rude welcome to the world of Automated Teller Machine transaction in her country of birth. She had just collected her ATM card from her bank and was looking forward to withdrawing money with it later that evening. On getting to the ATM point at Mushin area, she met five persons there waiting. Two left immediately after making their withdrawals, while the other three men asked her to go ahead and make her withdrawal. “It seemed as if they were waiting for somebody,” Bola recollected. She was mistaken. Being her first time of using the ATM card, she changed her Personal Identification Number and then proceeded to withdraw N20,000. “It was around 7.30pm, and I was all by myself. Then I felt something like a gun pressed on my back from behind, the other guys had surrounded me and they demanded that I gave them all the money. Knowing that it was futile to argue with them, I just did what they asked.” Just then, her phone rang out loud. It was a message informing her of the transaction. One of the guys snatched the phone from her, checked the message and realised she still had some money left. “They asked me to withdraw the rest of the money in my account. It was like a movie. I lost N80,000 that day,” she said, adding that she felt numb after the incident and couldn’t tell anybody about it, until recently. Many Nigerians have fallen victim to such incidents. And like Bola, they may not report it to the police or bank authorities for sundry reasons. An expert  on security matters, Mr. Obadare Adewale, pointed out that fraudsters now resort to the threat of physical attack to rob their victims at ATM points because they cannot clone ATM cards like they used to do in the past. “This is because the new ATM card, whether for debit or credit, is a chip-and-pin type. This ensures that the embedded microchip makes the card extremely difficult to counterfeit or copy if it’s lost or stolen. With the chip-and-pin, it is not possible to fraudulently duplicate and steal other people’s money using their ATM cards, unlike before, when ATM cards were magnetic fibre cards which could be cloned. As a result, card-cloning fraud has drastically reduced in Nigeria. “The Central Bank of Nigeria has mandated all banks in the country to be EMV compliant.  Nigeria has joined countries like France and UK, although the US still uses magnetic fibre cards,” he said. According to Wikipedia, EMV, which means Europay, MasterCard and Visa, is a ‘global standard for inter-operation of integrated circuit cards and IC card capable point of sale terminals and automated teller machines. It is used for authenticating credit and debit card transactions.” Many countries, like Nigeria, are said to prefer chip  cards because the feature makes purchasing abroad  easier. As a result of this security development, fraudsters have developed other means of robbing people of their money. Adewale recounted a recent occurrence. “It happened at a shopping mall, I don’t want to mention the name. A woman’s handbag was stolen from where she forgot it. The bag contained her ATM debit card and her driving licence. Unfortunately for her, the fraudsters were able to guess correctly that her date of birth was her PIN. That was how they started withdrawing and spending her money,” he said. This is the reason why the Executive Director, Business Development, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc, Mrs. Christabel Onyejekwe, advised that people should avoid using their dates of birth as PIN numbers. “Those fraudsters could get it after three or four attempts. Don’t use your birth date because it can be easily known. First and foremost, make your pin very distinct,” she told SUNDAY PUNCH. Another method fraudsters use nowadays is through ‘phishing’ emails. These are scam emails sent to many where the bank customer is asked to click on a link to ‘complete the upgrade of their Internet banking account to a safer platform.” Sometimes, some people innocently fill the fraudulent form sent to them which would expose their bank statement and transaction details. “In some cases, these fraudsters, fronting as bank officials, also call customers on the phone to request for their Internet banking token details. That was how a bank customer lost over N6m.

“On no account should you reply any email like that and do not click on the link or give somebody your PIN number or token details on the phone. No bank will ask you for such details on the phone,” Adewale said.It has become a common method so much that many banks now send disclaimer emails to their customers. When these fraudsters don’t resort to physical attack or send phishing emails, they look for loopholes whenever online transactions are being carried out. “For Internet transactions, referred to as ‘card not present’ transaction, you need the Primary Account Number, that is the number at the front of the card, the Card Verification Value, the three numbers at the back of the ATM card, and your PIN number. “And what most of these fraudsters do is that they carelessly roam about in places where these transactions are done. So, if you hold your card carelessly, someone can quickly cram the digits in front of the card and the three digits at the back of the card. Then, they can do transactions on your behalf. Some websites only need the PAN and CVV, but some others may ask for the PIN also,” Adewale added. Although the use of ATM card details for such online purchases and transactions is quite secure because, like Onyejekwe noted, “they are registered merchants and dealers.”She advised people to do such online transactions in secure and registered cyber cafes. “Don’t walk into cyber cafes that are not registered. There are registered cyber cafes on the Nigerian Communications Commission website,” she said. Since the ATM was introduced into the Nigerian market over a decade ago, there has been a rapid growth in the volume of transactions with ATM cards nationwide. Fraudsters have also found different methods to beat whatever security measures put in place. However, this worrying trend is not only common to Nigeria. In April, US federal prosecutors said $45m was stolen in a few hours after a global network of hackers hacked a database of prepaid debit cards and subsequently used it to loot financial institutions around the world. A US lawyer had described it as “a massive 21st-century bank heist.” Also, statistics released by the European ATM Security Team in April showed that total ATM related fraud incidents increased from 20,244 in 2011, to 22,450 in 2012. While losses due to ATM related fraud attacks rose by 13 per cent from €234m to €265m. The report noted that the rise was due to an increase in losses due to card skimming attacks, which rose 12 per cent  from €232m to €260m.“The majority of ATM related card skimming losses continue to be international (losses outside national borders by criminals using stolen card details) with most occurring in countries outside of Europe.  Such losses increased by 21 per cent when compared to 2011.  The top three locations for such losses were the USA, the Dominican Republic and Brazil,” the report stated.

Protect yourself from ATM theft

Get in the habit of using the same ATM for your transactions. Become familiar with it and be able to recognise changes to the machine.  Use ATMs inside banks rather than on the street (where they’re easier for thieves to access). If you’re visiting an unfamiliar ATM that is not inside a bank, examine it carefully for devices. Card or cash trapping devices need to be glued or taped to the card reader or cash dispenser. Look for ‘extra’ cameras beyond the basic and generally obvious ATM security camera. Never rely on the help of strangers to retrieve a confiscated card. Never use an ATM when other people are lingering .Report confiscated cards immediately. If you can, don’t leave the machine. Instead call the bank from the ATM where your card was taken using a cell phone. Don’t use ATM with extra signage or warnings posted on the machine. Never follow a link in a supposed bank email notice. If you are wondering if your bank has really contacted you via email, then close the email and directly type your bank’s website address into your browser. Visit your account and look for update notices directly on your account or bank’s website. The email is almost always a phishing scam.

Source: www.scambusters.org

Conflicts Take Toll On New Born Babies, Women

Nasarawa used to be one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria where people from various tribes lived together, inter-married, and shared common beliefs and customs. However, recent events have proved that the state has sadly joined the league of states with records of communal violence.

Apart from the persistent clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in the Southern Senatorial District of the state resulting in the destruction of lives and properties worth billions of naira, Nasarawa has recorded ethnic clashes involving Assakio, Obi and Odobu communities in Lafia local government area.The September Assakio crisis, no doubt, threw citizens of the state into confusion and, of course, it was a rude shock when the Eggon ethnic group and their Alago counterparts who have lived together for years woke up one day in September and began destroying lives and properties. The situation has inevitably left thousands displaced who found refuge in camps across Nasarawa.The condition of  the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in some of the camps visited by our correspondent is deplorable. Mostly women and children, they suffer untold hardship due to the poor health condition, lack of food and sleeping arrangement and no medical attention. There is also the fear of possible attack by assailants as there is no security. Some of the IDPS at Agyaragu and Kadarko camps in Jenkwe development area claimed to have been there for the past two years.  One of them, Mrs. Paulina Adanyi, said she had been in the Agyaragu camp for two years as a result of the fight between Fulanis and Aghatus in Ekye development area in the state in 2012. Mrs. Adanyi,  in her mid 60s, expressed bitterness over the ethnic conflicts that continue to ravage the state. “I don’t know why Nasarawa State has turned to killing fields where blood is shed on daily basis and houses destroyed leaving many homeless”, she lamented. According to her, government has never done anything to cater for the displaced people until  Governor Almakura, on his visit to the IDPs in the camps following recent conflicts, gave them some relief materials. She called on government to look into the plight of the displaced people and give them with adequate attention. Jijah Moses, a victim of one of the recent conflicts, told Sunday Vanguard in the Kadarko camp that he had nothing anymore as all his belongings were burnt alongside his family house in Keana during the conflict. “This dress you see on me is all I have”, he said.  He pleaded with well-meaning Nigerians and international organizations to come to their aid because the state government alone cannot handle the situation. Hon. Kwatse Nicolas said seven women had child delivery in the Agyaragu camp under poor medical care. As peace is beginning to return to some of the troubled places,  Almakura has ordered that the displaced people in Namu, Quan Pan local government area of Plateau State be evacuated back to their homes. On Wednesday, the Nasarawa State Emergency Management Agency (NASEMA) evacuated over 100 refugees who are mainly youths and men from Namu to Asakio. They are presently being camped at the local government secretariat as there are no houses for them.source: http://www.vanguardngr.com

Traditional Rulers Laud Church’s Free Health Programme

Traditional rulers and residents of some rural communities in Atan, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have lauded the free health programme organised by the Covenant University, Ota, in the area. A team from the school, including its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Ayo, was at Egando village, on Friday, to conduct a free health programme for residents. Residents of adjoining communities like Aiyedegun and Alagbo also benefited from the event. Themed ‘Upholding the legacy of contribution’, the programme was held to commemorate the 59th birthday of the Chancellor of the school and General Overseer of the Winners Chapel, also in Ota, Ogun State, Bishop David Oyedepo. The traditional ruler of Egando, Chief Julius Dopemu, described the programme as a “good development as the nearest health facility is Atan Health Centre, which is about 2km away.” He said, “It’s a good thing and it’s impressive that they brought this programme to the people. They say ‘health is wealth’, so once the health of the people is taken care of, the rest is easy. Our people have been going to Atan Health Centre by okada (commercial motorcycles) and without okada, it’s not easy.” The event witnessed eye checks, dental consultations, dietary counselling, vaccinations for babies and health talk. In addition, residents were screened for blood pressure and blood sugar, while drugs were also dispensed to some of them. The traditional ruler of Aiyedegun, Chief Biliaminu Salami, called on the government to establish a health centre for his community, urging corporate bodies and privileged individuals to emulate the action of the university. He said, “We have been lobbying the government to give us a health centre but there has been nothing. Instead of wasting money, Covenant University decided to impact positively on the people; corporate bodies and other influential people should emulate this.”Also present at the event was the oldest resident in Egando community, Alhaja Sikiratu Sifor, 108, who was brought in a wheelchair. Sifor also commended the organisers of the programme, stressing the importance of having healthcare close to the people. “We thank the organisers for this. Look at me, I’m old and it’s not easy for someone like me to be going about again. So this is important to us,” she said. Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, the Chief Medical Director of the university’s Health Services, Dr. Tunde Togun, said residents would be referred to the school’s health centre for further treatment, where necessary. He said, “We listen to them and deal with their issues as best as we could. From experience, we know that people in rural areas can have surgical challenges. We can do it for them for free.” However Ayo, while explaining the programme’s objective, said the school had taken a “cue from the Bishop.” He added, “Bishop always says that success is not about one’s wealth but rather, about the positive impact a person has on the people around him. So on his birthday, we thought we should do this to appreciate God for his life. We thought we should go out and touch the lives of people in remote communities.
”Source: http://www.punchng.com

A Fresh Start In Nigeria

A strong smoky sensation hits me as soon as I step out of the plane at Abuja airport on the first day of a trip to visit some of the life-changing work that Sightsavers is supporting in Nigeria. Sightsavers’ project officer Marthe explains that this is dust created by the Harmattan, cool dry winds that blow from the desert giving relief from the humidity that affects Nigeria most of the year. People living in dry and dusty areas, with limited access to clean water, are at risk of contracting the painful bacterial eye condition trachoma. When I meet six-year-old Ibrahim, he’s washing his face to prevent infection, as he’s been taught by community health workers who work in his village in Sokoto State.

Preventing the spread of infection

It’s really important to prevent trachoma as it is very painful and can lead to blindness, so everyone in Ibrahim’s village also receives the antibiotic drug tetracycline, which is used to stop the spread of infections. Of course, not all eye conditions can be prevented and the operating environment in many of the places where Sightsavers works can be very different. Ahmed Danbaba, an ophthalmic nurse at Zaria eye clinic in Kaduna State, explains that part of his training was in Ghana and The Gambia where he witnessed eye health programmes taking place. He says: “We look at systems and techniques that work and bring some of them here. For example, the system of trachoma control has now been implemented here, but we can’t implement the same cataract control programme because the operating environment in Nigeria is very different as it is such a large country.” One in every five people in Sub-Saharan Africa is Nigerian, making it the most populous country on the continent. About 750,000 people are unnecessarily blind with cataract in Nigeria, and a further 200,000 become blind each year, so the country has a desperate need for additional investment in eye health.

Meeting Rukayya

I first meet Rukayya Ibrahim when she is waiting patiently in the hallway for her turn in theatre. Rukayya, who is clearly very elderly, announces to me: “I am 17 years old.” It’s great to see that she hasn’t lost her sense of humour, as life has been tough on Rukayya since she lost her sight to cataract two years ago: “When I could see I was active and able to go anywhere I wanted. Now I can’t move anywhere without bumping into things, so I stay in one room.” After surgery Rukayya’s daughter Daiba and her baby Mohammad stay with her overnight. After her bandages come off, Rukayya, who has not seen her grandson before, watches him in awe and takes a few minutes before she can talk. Dr Muazu, who leads the medical team at the eye clinic, tests Rukayya’s vision and gives her something to stop her feeling uncomfortable. He explains that she will need to take eye drops to help improve her vision further and come back for post-operative care to ensure that she gets the best result possible. Once her eye has recovered she can return to the clinic for surgery on her other eye. It’s lovely to see Dr Muazu and his team at work, taking so much care over each patient, especially considering that they see over 3,000 eye cases every month, performing around 60 eye surgeries.

Returning home

We follow Rukayya and her family back home to Chikaji, a poor suburb of Zaria, where we are greeted by Rukayya’s son Tijani, along with many of her other nine children, 32 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Tijani tells us: “Blindness affected my mother in many ways. We had to call people to help her all the time and she’s been in a lot of discomfort and stress. She hasn’t seen any of her grandchildren who were born since she went blind.” In her home, Rukayya is delighted to greet various grandchildren for the first time as they are passed to her. She has had a very exciting 24 hours so we leave the family to celebrate her return.

Meeting Fatimoh

When I meet Fatimoh Jimoh at her home in Kwara State, she is also recovering from cataract surgery, received through the Kwara State Eye Care Programme. Since it launched in 2004, this work has been supported by ‘Seeing is Believing’, the global community investment programme of the emerging markets bank, Standard Chartered. Thanks to ‘Seeing is Believing’, each year in Kwara State over 2,700 people benefit from sight-restoring eye treatments and over 875,000 people living at risk of river blindness are receiving the medication they need to keep them safe. After nearly three years of being completely blind, Fatimoh is enjoying living independently. She looks proud as she sits outside her home feeding her goats, watched on by her 18-year-old daughter, Musili. Fatimoh explains that now she can see again she wants to return to her work, trading local food in her community, so she can contribute to the household. What I find amazing to witness is the impact of our work on the individuals who have had their sight restored, because each number in our statistics represents a life that Sightsavers, its partners and all our supporters have helped to change for the better.Source: http://www.sightsavers.org

Regular Blood Donation Enhances Good Health, Youthfulness, Says Nephrologist

Dr Ebun Bamgboye, a nephrologist at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, said  that regular blood donation could make people live in good health and look younger. Bamgboye told the News Agency, that rather than having side effects, regular blood donation could prevent haemochromatosis, a genetic disorder associated with iron overload in the body. Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, says, ``In medicine, iron overload indicates accumulation of iron in the body from any cause``The most important causes are hereditary haemochromatosis (HHC), a genetic disorder, and transfusion iron overload, which can result from repeated blood transfusion.```If you donate a pint of blood within, in few hours, you will replace the volume that you have lost.``Within about two weeks you would have actually replaced the actual red blood cells that you donated. So, you don’t lose anything. It is completely replaceable; you can replace it within a very short period of time.`If you make reference to the recent event in Kenya where we had a terrorist attack, a lot of blood was required for many casualties.If blood was available in the blood bank, there wouldn’t be the need to start running around asking for donors to come and donate blood. Sometimes you need that blood in an emergency and in some instances you have people that have rare blood groups and people will come and donate. ``If people have preemptively donated blood, you can be sure that if you yourself require blood that gives you an advantage over any other person. `If you get to a hospital and you are actually a registered regular blood donor, whatever blood is available will probably be given to you as a priority.(NAN)