09042021- Insecurity: Tension mounts in Imo, Abia, Rivers

Drug Abuse: Northern govs' wives pledge
support for Taraba rehabilitation centre
•As Gov Ishaku urges colleagues to support wives
By Femi Bolaji
J
A L I N G O -
Wives of governors in
the 19 Northern states have
pledged their support to the
newly commissioned
rehabilitation centre for drug
addicts in Taraba State to
ensure it remains functional.
Chairperson of the forum
and wife to the governor of
Niger State, Dr. Aminat Bello,
gave the assurance in Jalingo,
the state capital when she led
her members to the state for
their quarterly meeting.
The rehabilitation centre
which was facilitated by the
First Lady of Taraba State,
Anna Ishaku, was
commissioned by the state
governor, Darius Ishaku .
According to Bello: “As our
contribution, our forum
donates something that
would be needed in the newly
built or renovated
rehabilitation centre in every
state. In Niger, we donated a
computer skill acquisition
centre, in Kogi and Sokoto
states it was also a skill
acquisition and recreation
centre.
“As for Taraba, Her
Excellency has the choice of
choosing what she wants to do
with our contribution but we
are hoping it would be a skill
acquisition centre because
that is one of the best ways of
rehabilitating the people who
are going to use the centre.”
On his part, Governor
Ishaku charged his colleagues
across the 19 Northern states
to support the initiative of
By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja
THE Federal University,
Lokoja, FUL, has approved
the appointment of Prof. Mike
Ogirima, a Professor of
Orthopaedic Surgery from the
Ahmadu Bello University, ABU,
Zaria, to kick-start the process
for the take off of its School of
Medicine. Vice Chancellor of
the university, Prof. Olatunde
Akinwumi revealed this when the
management team of the
Federal Medical Centre, FMC,
Lokoja came on a visit.
The FMC Medical Director,
Dr. Olatunde Alabi had stated
the readiness of the health
institution to partner with the
varsity, noting: “The Federal
Medical Centre, Lokoja, is
willing to support the vicechancellor
to succeed in his lofty
plans for the university and the
State, especially in his bid to start
Medical School in the 10-year
old university.”
The vice-chancellor, while
responding, thanked the
their wives aimed at curbing
the menace of drug abuse in
the region.
He maintained that drug
abuse in the region was
alarming and requires every
hand to be on deck to stamp
out its spread.
traditional rulers in the area
would, however, continue to
educate the public on the dangers
of open defecation.
The District Head of Ganjuwa,
Ahmed Baba Gidado, said
traditional and religious leaders
of the community have already
been sensitised on the danger of
indiscriminate defecation and the
health hazards associated with it,
promising that no human faeces
would be found in the area.
Similarly, the Chairman of Toro
Local Government Area, Adamu
Danyaro Geji, said Toro
Community Radio and the
information unit of the council
would partner with religious and
community leaders in ensuring
that contents of the enacted by-law
are disseminated to enforce
compliance.
Although some residents of Toro
and Ganjuwa local government
areas like Ahmed Usman, a
volunteer healthcare worker, who
spoke with Arewa Voice, have
welcomed the open defecation
bye-law they, however, noted that
compliance with the law would be
difficult because of the seeming
urgency in compliance.
Ahmed Usman, a volunteer
healthcare worker in Ganjuwa
local government area told Arewa
Voice that people would need
money and time to build pit
latrines or modern water closet
toilets in their houses, noting that
more time should be given to
allow residents gather enough
money to construct toilets in their
homes.
"It (open defecation by-law) is a
welcome development. The only
challenge here is that there is not
enough time to allow people save
Vanguard, FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 2021—23
Inside Bauchi community where open defecation attracts 2-month jail term,
other penalties
By Charly Agwam, Bauchi
THE campaign against open
defecation has taken a new
dimension in two Bauchi local
government areas: Ganjuwa and
Toro local councils, which have
formally enacted by-laws making
it an offence for any of the residents
to defecate in any open space.
Under the law, which came into
effect this week, any person who
defecates openly would be jailed
for two months or pay a fine of
N10, 000. The law also imposes a
N20, 000 fine or three months
imprisonment for any person or
group of persons that constructs a
toilet other than pit latrine or
water closet.
Signing the by-law at the palace
of the District Head of Ganjuwa,
the Chairman of Ganjuwa Local
Government, Baba Gidado, said
that health personnel and
Lokoja varsity to commence medical school
•Plans to absorbs FMC Lokoja as teaching hospital
medical director and his team
for the visit, stating that the
Federal University, Lokoja, was
poised to commence the School
of Medicine starting with a Pre-
Clinical Science School in the
Adankolo Campus of the
university.
“We have approved the
appointment of a Professor of
Orthopaedic Surgery from the
prestigious Ahmadu Bello
University, ABU, Zaria,
Professor Mike Ogirima, to
come and start the spade work
towards the take-off of the
school. Also, the preliminary
consultation with the Federal
Ministry of Education had
commenced in earnest.”
Reiterating the urgent need for
a School of Medicine in the
University which had received
wide commendations, the VC
stated that Kogi State tops states
in the Northern part of Nigeria
who have her citizens seeking
admission and placements to
study Medicine or seeking
Celebrations galore as first ever health centre
births in Kogi community
By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lokoja
ITAKEDE-Ide, a remote
community in Mopamuro
Local Government Area of Kogi
State has many things in abundance
except a health facility to deal with
its medical challenges. With a
blessed and fertile land, the hardworking
natives have food in surplus
but whenever anyone falls sick, there
is always a serious concern on how
to deal with such without a
functional health centre. Thus, to an
average family, falling sick comes
with great worries, as accessing
health facilities is a problem.
Apart from a mission clinic, the
only government dispensary in the
community exists only in name. To
make matters worse, the access road
linking the community to Mopa, the
council headquarters is in bad
shape. During the rainy season, the
community always shuns the route
and turns to Aghara - Iluke Road,
which is in another local
government area of the state.
This explains why the residents
could not hold back their joy when
the Kogi State Commissioner for
Information and Communication,
Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, built and
donated a health centre for the
community; a development that has
given them a glimpse of hope for
their health challenges.
Residents of Itakede-Ide which is
about 20 kilometres to the LGA
headquarters, have for years lived
at the mercy of God whenever
anyone fell ill. The village which is
located in the interior of the council
•Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Jamiu Asuku, taking a routine medical checkup
at the health centre shortly after the commissioning
spaces for internships and
postgraduate Medical trainings
in other parts of the country.
In the delegation of the
Medical Director of Federal
Medical Centre were the Head
of Clinical Services, Dr. Benard
Ododo, the Director of
Administration, Elder SBD
Famolu, Head of Finance and
Accounts/Procurement, Alh.
Jatto Shaib, and the Head of
Public Relations, Mallam A
Abdulahi.
Similarly, with the Vice-
Chancellor to receive the
delegation were the Deputy Vice-
Chancellor, Professor
Mohammed Suleiman Audu, the
Registrar, Mallam Usman
Suleman Obansa, the Acting
Librarian, Dr. Lanre Mbashir,
the Acting Head of Health
Services, Dr. Magnus
Chinemerem Ogaraku, and the
Deputy Registrar, Human
Resources, Mr. Benjamin
Mshebwala
area, suffered years of neglect in health
facilities despite producing sons and
daughters who are doing well in their
private endeavours and have held key
political positions in time past. At the
unveiling of the facility, the community
trooped out in exhilaration to witness
the new hospital that promises to
change the health status of the people.
The Primary Health Centre, a
brainchild of Commissioner for
Information and Communication,
Kingsley Fanwo, a native of the area,
is built in honour of his late mother’s
foundation, Titilayo Fanwo
Foundation. The primary health
facility has a waiting room,
consulting room, examination
room, male and female wards with
capacity for three beds each. The
centre also boasts of a weighing
scale, cylinder, drip stands, phototherapy
machine, sterilising drum,
thermometers, nebulizer and other
medical equipment.
A representative of the
community youth, Mr. Tunji
Dambola, eulogised the
Information Commissioner for
donating the health centre,
describing his contributions to the
community as immense.
Explaining his choice of building
the Primary Health Centre, Fanwo,
who had earlier graded the
community road, said he was
moved by the health challenges of
the community, hence the premium
he placed for the quick completion
of the PHC.
An elated Fanwo said he was
moved to establish the centre to
alleviate the pain of members of the
community who often had to
endure long journeys to access
medical treatment.
up money to construct these
facilities. You know how difficult
it is to get money now. Most of
our people are peasant farmers
and it is a known fact that there is
no way some of them will source
this money given the urgency of
the by-law.
Although it is true that the
authorities have been speaking
against the practice of open
defecation for a very long time
and people have been reluctant to
comply, I want to appeal to the
authorities for more time to allow
people source the money for the
construction of the toilets,"
Usman said.
Speaking with Arewa Voice, a
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene,
WASH, expert, David Ayodele,
explained the benefits that come
with open defecation free zones,
saying that it also attracts
international donor support for a
community. "The signing of the bylaw
brings lots of benefits to people
of Ganjuwa and Toro local
government areas. If there is
compliance with the law, the water
system will be safe for
consumption because there won't
be faecal substances that will be
carried around by wind. And you
know that our people have this
culture of drying most of their food
grains and flours in the open air
which can be contaminated. When
it rains, dry faecal matter is
washed into our rivers and
streams where some of our
communities source their water.
And, when children play around,
like some that play with sand, they
stand the risk of being
contaminated with fecal matter
because of open defecation.