Kaduna (Nigeria) — Kaduna State in northern Nigeria has announced the destruction of the recently laid foundation for the construction of military barracks by unknown persons.
Spokesman of the governor, Samuel Aruwan, announced on Saturday that the governor received the news of the act with shock.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of the state, and Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai laid the foundation last week at Ungwan Yashi area of Zangon Kataf Local Government as a response to the incessant killings occurring in Southern Kaduna since 1980.
Aruwan quoted the governor describing the development as, “unfortunate, and further confirms that the conflict entrepreneurs are determined to continue to create obstacles and setback to our stabilization and peace building efforts.”
Aruwan’s statement further quoted the governor saying, “I want to use this medium to appeal to all men and women of conscience to remain firm and optimistic, while government in collaboration with security agencies, civil society, religious and traditional institutions will continue to work assiduously for peace and security of life and property.
“Finally, all those that have their hands in the destruction of this structure will not go free. The security agencies will fish out the perpetrators, and those found to be involved, or engaged in omissions that led to the destruction of public property will be brought to justice without fear or favour.”
On the 25th day of January 2017 2baba came out boldly that he is going to lead a peaceful protest on the 5th of February 2017. A lot was said against him though some supported him, a lot of tensions were raised and the pressure was increasing by the day.
An OAU professor, Prof Akindele Akintoye blasted 2baba even though he realized his mistake and apologized. Blackface dissed him, Femi Kuti antagonised the protest claiming it was not 2baba’s idea that some people were behind it.
Some said he has been paid, even if he is being paid, are you jealous of his pay? Why didn’t those that pay him come to you to raise a voice and pay you too?
Don’t be jealous……… You hear? Some said the protest was sponsored.
If the peaceful protest was sponsored at least it was for the right reasons, a peaceful protest to speak out to the government, express our feelings and hardships and make our voices heard. Is there a big deal if such a protest is sponsored? After all boko haram for all the wrong reasons are sponsored.
The Nigerian police did not support the protest for unreasonable reasons known to them and statements from the Presidential office disapproved the protest. There’s no food, no water and no light, we want to protest they say we have no right. May God help us.
The reality is that 2baba raised a motion when everybody was sleeping, we were all suffering and smiling even his accusers and prosecutors were all affected directly or indirectly, but we were all trying to adapt and get used to the economic crisis. None of us could stand up and talk, none of us could sparehead a struggle, everybody was simply minding his/her business.
I swear we are really missing the services of the late AbdulGaniyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, a great activist, the man of the people, always ready to fight for justice and the masses. Not like the so called opposition that we thought they were activists, the Lai Mohammeds, the Oshiomoles, Femi Falanas, Tunde Bakares, Raji Fashola, Tinubu etc.
Imagine that things were like this during the PDP regime, don’t you think the people I mentioned above would have protested? They would. And to those who are saying protest is not a solution, I agree but it is a step in the right direction and if you want to know more go and ask those I mentioned above why they have been protesting against some policies before THEY got to power.
Some people called 2baba an illiterate, they seemed right, but according to my dictionary an illiterate is someone that cannot read or write and remember that he has written and sang a lot of songs, he has his ‘o level’ which he used to gain admission into the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu whereby our honourable President is still looking for his WAEC certificate. Who is the illiterate? Be the judge.
The so called graduates are out there jobless without even one percent of 2Baba’s Achievements.
2baba’s proposed protest was an eye opener, it was a reminder that reminded us of what we should have done. He reminded us that those we thought were our activists were purely opposition and maybe more activists are seriously needed.
2baba eventually backed out of the protest for reasons best known to him, but he deserves our credit, in fact every Nigerian owe him that. Special credits to the (EiE) Enough is Enough, Charly boy, Seyi Law, Sowore and every Nigerian that was involved in the protest held in Lagos, Abuja and in London. Even the NLC organised protest too.
If others are criticising you, some of us will still say A BIG THANK YOU TO 2BABA, the man that opened our eyes, the man that showed us the way and reminded us of a step we should have taken long ago to a government that has failed us woefully, a government we voted for not knowing that it is pains and hardship that they will be noted for.
Once again, A BIG THANK YOU TO 2BABA, the man that woke us from our slumber and rekindled the fire in our bones, you are the catalyst, our stimulant and impetus.
Any protest held on the 5th of February and the subsequent ones will all be traced to your giant stride.
#Godbless2baba #IstandwithNigeria Written by memo Eminimemo@gmail.com Facebook emini memo Twitter emini_memo IG eminimemo00
Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai
By Our Reporter
Two Nigerian soldiers involved in the maltreatment of a physically challenged man for wearing army camouflage uniform have been demoted and imprisoned by the military authorities.
A statement by Nigerian Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman says, “both have been sentenced to reduction in rank; from Corporal to Private Soldiers and 21 days Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL) respectively, which includes forfeiture of 21 days pay to the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
On Tuesday, a video went viral on social media, showing two soldiers molesting a physically challenged on the street of Onitha, south east of the country.
Earlier reports said, the military had made a public apology to the molested cripple and paid him damages in money and clothing.
Usman’s statement says, “Nigerian Army has also reached out to the victim of their unjustifiable assault, Mr. Chijoke Uraku (alias CJ), as widely reported by the media.”
Currently, Nigerian military is taking steps to redeem its battered image from record high human rights violation, especially by sanctioning officers and men involved in human right abuses. Find below the military statement.
TWO SOLDIERS DEMOTED AND IMPRISONED WITH HARD LABOUR FOR MALTREATING PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED MAN
Sequel to the video clip of two soldiers maltreating a physically challenged man on the streets of Onitsha, Anambra State, last Tuesday, in line with our zero tolerance of infringement of human rights by troops, those involved; Corporal Bature Samuel and Corporal Abdulazeez Usman of 82 Provost Company, have been arrested, summarily tried based on 2 count charges and found guilty.
Consequently, both have been sentenced to reduction in rank; from Corporal to Private Soldiers and 21 days Imprisonment with Hard Labour (IHL) respectively, which includes forfeiture of 21 days pay to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army has also reached out to the victim of their unjustifiable assault, Mr. Chijoke Uraku (alias CJ), as widely reported by the media.
We wish to reiterate our avowed determination to ensure that troops conduct themselves in the most orderly and professional manner at all times. Any act of indiscipline would not be tolerated.
You are please requested to disseminate this information to the public through your medium. Thank you for your kind cooperation.
Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman Director Army Public Relations
At a time when reports showed that many children were malnourished, susceptible to different diseases and have died in their numbers in the North-east ravaged by Boko Haram which resulted to spent healthcare services, the United Nations (UN) on January 13, 2017, took up a massive campaign to protect as many as 4.7 million children from measles in the area.
In September 2016, the National Immunisation Financing Task Team (NIFT) promotion commission had called on the federal government to guarantee that Nigeria’s dedication of $181 million immunisation funding requisite for 2017 and 2018 was rallied in order to diminish the catastrophic evidence of under-five demises in the country. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in the same month to 18 December 2016 drew the attention of authorities that children under five were affected by measles.
An estimated 1, 500 infected children were suspected in Borno State that led to about 77 per cent of them vaccinated. This was even apart from 177,000 infants below age five that experts said lost their lives annually then, due to pitiable running of pneumonia vaccines. According to experts report, “WHO estimates that over 800,000 children under age five die from pneumococcal diseases each year with those less than two years of age most affected, especially in developing countries.”
Given its readiness to combat measles, the WHO founded Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS) last year. Children that numbered 83,000 who were aged six months to 15 years old camped as internally displaced people (IDPs), received vaccination from the Borno State authorities in partnership with the WHO. Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, Country Representative of the UN World Health Organisation showed concern that the body’s interventionist approach to campaign against measles this year, could not be avoided owing to dangerous and transmittable diseases that the children faced.
Apart from measles, on August 12, 2016, Doune Porter, the UNICEF Chief of Communication said in Abuja that the WHO and UNICEF supported the Federal Ministry of Health as partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in the latter’s fight against polio in the approachable parts of Borno State. In October, the same year, the UNICEF commenced an urgent-situation vaccination in 18 states in northern Nigeria with 39,000 health workers set-out across the Lake Chad basin that included Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Central African Republic.
More than 41 million children were hoped to be immunised. The WHO hoped that the battle against polio could be won in 12 months. The UNICEF believed that 400,000 would be affected by malnutrition in the areas prone-to Boko Haram, hence the UN body geared up to screen under five children of malnutrition last year.
Porter said at the time, “We cannot deny the connection between conflict and the continued threat of polio. The two new cases mean children across the Lake Chad region are now at particular risk. With our partners, we will not stop until we reach every child with polio vaccination.”
A report by the WHO stated that “all wild polio cases worldwide originated from Nigeria”. And it was believed early 2000 that many Muslims in the North where polio was said to be predominant than the South, felt that polio vaccine was a mechanism to poison their children, especially cause HIV/AIDS. On August 11, 2016, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole gave hope that the government would as a matter of urgency to the outbreak, take on up to five million children for immunisation, in four states.
According to Adewole, “Our overriding priority right now is to rapidly boost immunity in the affected areas to ensure that no more children are affected by this terrible disease. “Local health officials with the support of partners including WHO and UNICEF are conducting detailed risk analysis to clearly ascertain the extent of circulation of the virus, and to assess overall levels of population immunity in order to guide the response.
“As an immediate response, about one million children are to be immunised in four local government areas in Borno State. Children in adjoining states of Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe will also be immunised bringing the number to about five million in the four states.”
The initiative started due to two new cases of polio virus in the state in 2016, after the WHO certified Nigeria polio free on September 25 2015, as Nigeria did not report a case of wild poliovirus from 24 July 2014 to the year she was certified polio free. A statement by the President, Nigerian Academy of Science, NAS, Prof. Oyewale Tomori, said, “After attaining non-polio endemic status in September 2015, commitment waned and complacency set in. This was particularly evident at the levels of the National Assembly, governors and local government area chairpersons.”
Prof. Tomori continued, “This complacency meant that polio eradication activities were no longer backed by adequate and timely counterpart funding at the state and local government area levels. This was despite a public and often vocal commitment to polio eradication from Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As a result, gaps remained in the quality of immunisation and surveillance activities. These were especially prominent in the country’s security compromised areas.” Media reports accounted that the Project Director, the Community Health and Research Initiative, CHR, Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, “linked the fresh outbreak to non-release of the N12.8 billion approved for routine immunisation five months after President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the 2016 budget.
“Magashi-Garba expressed worry that the continued delay may put the lives of over 7.2 million Nigerian children in danger or even cause more outbreaks of polio and other vaccine-related childhood diseases.”
The WHO said that one in 200 polio infections would end in permanent paralysis. “Polio, also known as poliomyelitis, is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. Children younger than five years old are more likely to contract the virus than any other group.”
Specified that more than 134,000 deaths were recorded from measles in 2015, the WHO took up the campaign aimed at children aged from six months to 10 years old slated to last for two weeks this year. But the deaths in measles would have been more than, if not that the WHO waded in as at when due, and saved a predictable 20.3 million deaths between 2000-2015. This effort was adjudged one of the best in public health.
Today, children in the North-east, especially in states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where the international body felt it could access due to the act of terrorists, were in to gain from the WHO’s measles vaccination. Checks revealed that the WHO supported the primary healthcare development agencies by providing proficiency in areas including “logistics, data management, training, social mobilization, monitoring and evaluation, supportive supervision and waste management.”
How to save children in Nigeria from the vaccine-related diseases was a cause of concern to specialists. Quoting Dr. Garba, the media said, “For Nigeria to return on track of winning the war against polio and deliver the African continent from the clutches of wild polio, immunisation is the way to go.
“To save the lives of our children and save the country the scarce resources by reducing cost of healthcare as well as give the future leaders the opportunity to live their potential, government at all levels must ensure 100 per cent coverage of immunisation. “If we as a nation cannot provide healthcare to our children, what message are we sending to the world?”
For Tomori, “Nigeria must focus on attaining polio free status over the next three years and concentrate less on prematurely celebrating victory.”
Odimegwu Onwumere writes from Rivers State via: apoet_25@yahoo.com
Rwandan Healthcare providers will be prohibited from using mobile phones during working hours to “ensure better service delivery.”
The ban which would be effective from March 1st was announced on Thursday by the Minister for Health, Diane Gashumba, at a workshop of health personnel in Bugesera District. The ban applies to all health facilities during working hours.
The workshop sought to chart ways to improve quality of health service delivery at all levels, officials says.
Head of health communication division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Malik Kayumba, said the decision reached by the ministry to implement the policy was after officials agreed that speaking for long on personal phones affects service delivery in the health sector.
The News Time quoted Kayumba to have said: “They (healthcare providers) were sharing best practices with reports indicating that some hospitals, which banned use of personal phones, proved to be more productive.”
He said the ministry will now discuss how to implement and enforce the ban; noting that, healthcare facilities will be fitted with office telephones for staff to use.
Call for efficiency in implementation
Healthcare providers who spoke to The New Times were of mixed reactions, with some saying that while it is a positive move, mobile phones are effective tool when used well and there is need to ensure the decision doesn’t backfire.
“Use of personal phones has a negative impact at some point as some can use it in their personal business while at work,” said Agnes Uwayezu, the outgoing chairperson of National Council of Nurses and Midwives. “However, we also use them in daily communication so there is also need to look at how patients will not be affected due to lack of communication.”
In some countries, medical staff are not allowed to use mobile phones while on duty but they have pagers they use to communicate work-related messages, and this could be a good solution for Rwanda, Uwayezu said.
A pager is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays numeric messages or receives and announces voice messages.
Some members of the public say the move will be hard to implement but could help patients receive better attention.
“It is worth giving a try. Often, patients are left unattended to while medics make noise on phones,” tweeted Eric Mahoro, the director of programmes at Never Again Rwanda.
“That is a positive move,” said JMV Kayiranga, from Kicukiro District. “It will improve service delivery.”
The Nigerian Army has offered clothing and undisclosed amount of money as succor to Chijioke Orakwu, a physically challenged person, assaulted by two military police officers in Onitsha for allegedly wearing army camouflage.
Orakwu was manhandled by two soldiers on Feb. 7, at New Market Road, Ontisha, in south Eastern Nigeria.
Spokesperson of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Col. Sagir Musa, presented the item and cash on Friday.
According to Musa, the Army would not condone acts of indiscipline or gross misconduct by any member, noting that, the action of the soldiers did not reflect the attitude of today’s soldiers under the leadership of Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.
He said, “Already, those who perpetrated the act have been arrested and tried, and because of the seriousness of the offence, they have been referred to higher authorities for further action.
“We want to assure Nigerians, particularly the international community that the Nigerian Army has core values and respect for the rights of people.”
He however urged the public to view the case as an isolated one, assuring that future assault similar to the Onitsha incident would be treated with serious action, adding that, the army volunteered to take Orakwu to hospital but that he refused orthodox medication.
Musa added that the doctors, who examined him physically, confirmed him to be physically fit. He noted that the items given to Orakwu were not to compensate him but to show that the Nigerian Army cares and respect rights of individuals.
“All we did was not an issue of compensation but to show Nigerians and the international public that the Nigerian Army is disciplined, responsive and responsible, and that we care,” he said.
The Army, he said, had warned against the abuse of military uniforms, saying it remain its policy which the army holds in high esteem.
Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), a Media developmental organization, has been urged to direct its training on peace Journalism so as to encourage reporting on issues that unites rather than divide the nation.
The Kaduna Controller of News and Current Affairs Department of Desmin Independent Television (DITV), Shuibu Gimi gave the advice on Thursday when a team from AMDF paid the organization an advocacy visit in Kaduna state, North-west Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria is beginning to be divided along religious and ethnic lines, as such the media could be use to drive issues on peace and the need for unity, stressing that it could be done when Journalists are train to report on that aspect.
He however lauded AMDF’s programs especially in encouraging developmental Journalism saying, Journalism is more than reporting government activities but reporting from the other way.
In her remarks AMDF Coordinator, Sekyen Dadik, who led the delegation said one of AMDF’s aim is to promotes professional excellences in media and journalism through capacity building for Journalists, adding that, her organization has trained over 100 Journalists in Kaduna in different programs such as fundamentals of journalism, internship, media ethics and mentoring, human rights reporting and online journalism among others.
She explained that AMDF focuses on developmental, investigative reporting as well as data driven journalism, stressing that the media serves as a platform that gives voice to the voiceless in the society.
She said, “We are out to promote developmental journalism; we realized that it a platform that provides the leverage for media organization to reach out to communities, because as a media we are the voice of the community and voice of the people.
“We encourage journalist to go into communities and see issues for themselves as there are many communities underserved in terms of water, health facilities and so many others,” she pointed out.
Dadik noted that AMDF has also motivated a group of investigative reporters who were drawn from different medium and have been involved in developmental reporting that has brought interventions to some communities in the state; positing that, such kind of reports attracts award and recognition to Journalists and media organizations.
Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF) is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organisation that supports journalists, media development and promotes freedom of the press. It activities includes; Training, advocacy, research, coordination and information sharing.
Former Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who holds duals Somali-U.S citizenship, was on Wednesday declared Somali elected President and immediately sworn in.
He vowed to crack down on corruption and Al-Shabaab militants.
The 55-year-old former premier, whose hails from the Darod clan and who goes by the nickname “Farmajo”, won after incumbent president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud admitted defeat in a second round of voting by lawmakers.
Fears of attacks by extremist group al-Shabab limited the election to the lawmakers instead of the population at large. Members of the upper and lower houses of the legislature voted at a heavily guarded former air force base in the capital, Mogadishu, while a security lockdown closed the international airport.
Civilians took to the streets and soldiers fired celebratory gunfire in the capital Mogadishu which had been near-deserted for two days with roads and schools closed and residents urged to stay indoors for fear of a strike on the capital by Shabaab militants, geeskaafrika reported.
Chicago Tribune also reported that, Mohamud held a slight lead over Farmajo, 88 votes to 72, after the first round of 21 candidates, but Farmajo held a clear lead after the second round among the three candidates remaining.
Farmajo after taking the oath to office stressed that his victory represents the interest of the Somali people; adding that, “this victory belongs to Somali people, and this is the beginning of the era of the unity, the democracy of Somalia and the beginning of the fight against corruption”.
Farmajo, who holds degrees from the State University of New York in Buffalo, was prime minister for eight months before leaving the post in 2011. He had lived in the United States since 1985, when he was sent there with Somalia’s foreign affairs ministry.
On the 25th day of January 2017 2baba came out boldly that he is going to lead a peaceful protest on the 5th of February 2017. A lot was said against him though some supported him, a lot of tensions were raised and the pressure was increasing by the day.
