FG SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR N’DELTA DEV - AZAIKI

The Federal Government has been urged to take responsibility for the development of the Niger Delta region by refunding funds spent on infrastructure in the area.

Former Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government and Coordinator of the National Think-Tank, Professor Steve Azaiki, stated this when he accompanied the Rivers State Deputy Governor on an inspection of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road projects yesterday.

Expressing delight on the pace of work on the project, Prof. Azaiki, who is also a Visiting Fellow of the Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port Harcourt, said “The Federal Government should take responsibility for the development of the Niger Delta region and refund the monies spent on road projects in the area.”

Commending the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, for the development initiatives ongoing in the State, Prof. Azaiki, who is also the country President of the World Environmental Movement for Africa (WEMFA), Nigeria, urged the people of the State to support the present administration in its efforts at bringing the dividends of democracy to the people.

“I want to commend the Rivers State Governor and his deputy for the development initiatives they have embarked upon. Projects of this nature answer the question of the development of the Niger Delta region and what the governors in the region are doing with the allocation given to them” he said and urged the government to ensure development spreads to the rural areas.

 

Responding, the Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, reiterated the State Government’s determination deliver on its promises and uplift the living standards of the people by completing the project.

Impressed by the present state of the project in which the Ebukuma Bridge on the Andoni axis is almost completed while the Opobo axis is within the precincts of Kalaibiama community, the State Deputy Governor explained that despite challenges faced by the construction firm, Rivigo JV Nigeria Limited, the road will soon begin to serve the needs of the Andoni and Opobo communities.

Speaking, the site manager, Mr. Leyira Kamanu, assured on the quality of the project, saying “the job is being done according to specifications and the bridges are expected to have a life span of 100 years,” adding that the road spanning 37 kilometers and covering 17 communities is expected to be completed on or before 2011.  

BONNY TRAVELERS SOON TO GO BY AIRCONDITIONED BOATS, MONORAIL …as Tolofari lists achievements in Transport sector

Travelers to Bonny Island and other riverine communities in Rivers State would soon enjoy the luxury of traveling in state-of-the-art boats, fully air-conditioned or by monorail system, the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has said.

The Governor, who said this at the 2^nd State Transport Summit in Port Harcourt, with the theme “Transport Sector Reform” organized by the State Ministry of Transport, said government is desirous of laying a proper foundation for an integrated transportation scheme in the state.

He stated that apart from improving land transportation with the introduction of monorail system, water transportation would equally be given a boost as new water taxi boats equipped with air conditioners have been acquired for the purpose.

Earlier, the State Commissioner for Transport, Mr. George Tolofari, has said that the transport system in the State has seen a transformation due to the strident efforts of his ministry aimed at alleviating the suffering of the masses as a result of the ban on commercial motorcycles.

He disclosed that his ministry adopted the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model and entered into joint venture with Skye Bank Plc in the building of new and modern bus shelters with lay-byes.

Noting that 56 bus shelters with lay-byes have been completed, and over 106 buses are plying on Port Harcourt roads, the former member, representing Bonny Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly, added that the State Government and Skye Bank have also introduced 200 taxis into the sector to ease transportation in the city.

According to the Commissioner, the 2^nd Rivers State Transport Summit is aimed at creating a platform for the Ministry to evaluate the reform in the transport sector and chart the way forward.

In a paper delivered at the summit, titled “The Emerging Role of Women in Commercial Transportation Prospect and Challenges”, the wife of the State Governor, Dame Judith Amaechi, said the ESI lady cabbies scheme is aimed at creating participation of female taxi drivers and generating regular income for the women.

She said the initiative of the lady cabbies scheme by her NGO, has broken the barriers of male dominated profession of commercial transportation in the state.

Rivers son presents US Purple Heart award to Gov Amaechi

An illustrious son of Rivers State and United States Marine Sergeant (Dr) Ledum Dennis Ndaanee, today formally presented his Purple Heart award to the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, at Government House, Port Harcourt. 

The award was handed to him in November, 2007 by former United States President, George H.W. Bush.

Making the presentation, Marine Sgt. Ledum Ndaanee, who described the award as an honour to the people of Nigeria and Rivers State in particular, said he was overwhelmed representing the country in the US Marine Corps.

“I decided to come home and present this award to my State Governor. It’s really an honour serving in the US Marine Corps and I feel overwhelmed representing my country, Nigeria and the people of Rivers State in particular,” he declared.

Ndaanee, a machine gunner who survived an explosion during the Iraq encounter with the US, noted that Nigeria had brave and best brains in the United States, saying “I am proud of my country, especially Rivers State.”

Receiving the award on behalf of the Governor, his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, commended the recipient, Ledum Ndaanee for bridging honour to the people of Rivers State in particular and Nigeria in general.

“I congratulate you for making us proud in the United States where many think that we cannot excel in anything,” Ikuru said, adding, “that a son of Rivers State is a hero in the US is great”.

In an interview with newsmen shortly after the ceremony, Sgt. Ledum Ndaanee, who hails from Luekue Town in Khana Local Government of the State said he joined the US Marine Corps in September, 2004.

According to him, the award was presented to the dead and the wounded, pointing out that he was the only living and the first African to be so honoured by the US Government.

“I consider myself lucky and I thank God for being alive to receive the Purple Heart, the highest US military award to war heroes”.

He advised Nigerian youths to have faith in God as there are windows of opportunity awaiting them, saying “I never knew I would be where I am today”.

SEMINITARI, DAWARI GEORGE, 4 OTHERS SWORN IN AS RIVERS COMMISSIONERS

Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, award winning seasoned female journalist and communications expert, and Dr Dawari George, immediate past chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Rivers State, were among six new Commissioners sworn-in yesterday by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State at Government House, Port Harcourt.

Sworn in with Mrs. Ibim Seminetari, who until her new appointment was the Publisher of the weekly magazine, Business Eye, and Dr. Dawari George,  are four former Commissioners who were in the last dissolved cabinet, Felix Nweke, of Youth, Joseph Poroma, Social Welfare and Rehabiliattion, Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, Special Duties, and Marshal Uwom, Housing, respectively.

The Governor Amaechi charged them to render selfless services and be transparent in their dealings with the people.

“The only reason why you were appointed is for service, and it must not conflict with any other interest”, Governor Amaechi said, and explained that government office is not a place where people come to share money but to deliver services. Use public money for public purposes not for private use”, he declared.

According to him, “the state lacks basic infrastructure, therefore we all require concerted efforts to develop it. It is not time for funfair, but time to serve, and make the people of Rivers State happy”, the Governor said.

The State Chief Executive said the state has the potentials to be a model in the country and urged the new Commissioners to discharge their duties creditably.

He warned that he would not hesitate to remove any one found wanting in the discharge of his duties, emphasizing that they should not give him the opportunity to dissolve the cabinet another time.

Governor Amaechi cautioned the Commissioners to make open the processes of contract awards to the public, and maintain an open door policy to enable the people have access to their offices.

One of the Commissioners, Mrs Ibim Seminetari, who spoke with newsmen after the swearing-in, said her vision is in line with the commitment of the State Governor to ensure the development and progress of the state.

This brings the number of Commissioners in the state to 26.

MRS. AMAECHI CHARGES LGA CHAIRPERSONS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Wife of Rivers State Governor Dame Judith Amaechi has charged wives of Chairmen of the twenty three local government areas to initiate sustainable programmes capable of eradicating poverty among the rural populace.

Dame Judith Amaechi stated this during a meeting with wives of Chairmen of the twenty three local government areas c of Rivers State at government house Port Harcourt.

According to a statement by Dike Bekwele, her media assistant, Mrs. Amaechi stated that the improvised situation among the rural populace is very worrisome adding that the government programmes would be a success if it impact positively on the lives of the people.

“The poverty situation within the rural community requires urgent and drastic action, we must tackle it on all fronts, and bring government to the door steps of the rural dwellers”.

The Rivers Governor’s wife who recently empowered women through public transportation challenged the chairpersons to initiate similar programmes that have capacity of sustaining rural economy of the people.

“Please it is on record that we have ladies driving cabs, while some have become entrepreneurs after our soap making training programmes. You can replicate this effort in your locality or initiate suitable programmes that can sustain the economy of the people”.

The governor’s wife said she wants the rural dwellers to benefit in the ESI Lady cabbies, because most female drivers today have become economically independent and can cater for their family.

“I have directed that some forms for the ESI lady cabbies be distributed at the rural areas to enable them benefit from it. Please it must not be politicized, let the qualified and capable hands benefit, while I charge you to initiate your ideas in this regard and complement your husbands effort”.

The governor’s wife warned that she will not support chairpersons who are insensitive to the plight of the rural populace.

TEARS, TRIBUTES AS BONNY MONARCH BURIES COUSIN

It was a gale of tears and tributes as the remains of Princess Catherine Secondus Pepple was laid to rest at Bonny Island in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State at the weekend.

Late Princess Catherine Secondus Pepple is cousin to the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, HRM King Edward William Dappa-Pepple, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers.

Commiserating with the Amanyanabo of Bonny, the immediate past Leader of the Bonny Youth Federatiion (BYF), Mr. Ibifubara Willie-Pepple, commended the sterling qualities of the late Princess, saying she was a woman of strong character while she was alive.

Mr. Willie-Pepple, who is also the Chairman of the Rivers State Movement for Good Governance, a civil society organization, said Princess Secondus Pepple epitomized the ideals of womanhood and described her as a woman who fought for what she believed in.

He prayed the Lord to give the King and the people of Bonny community the fortitude to bear the great loss and for the repose of the soul of the deceased.

On his part, the Chief and Head of Jumbo Major House of Bonny, Chief Horace Oko-Jumbo, said the Jumbo community deeply regrets the loss the Amanyanabo has suffered through the death of his cousin, Princess Kate Secondus Pepple, and prays that God would imbue him and the royal family with at this trying moment of grief.

Speaking, the Chairman, Bonny Council of Chiefs, Chief Reginald Abbey-Hart, prayed God to accept the soul of late Princess Catherine Secondus Pepple, saying she was a woman of truth who stood for the truth during her lifetime.

Chief Abbey-Hart, who is also the Chief and Head of Hart Major House of Bonny, described the late Princess as a good person, adding that she was full of knowledge of Bonny history, tradition and culture.

The funeral ceremony was attended by dignitaries from all walks of life including top government functionaries, captains of industry, the traditional institution and members of the royal family.

NULGE, HEALTH WORKERS CLASH OVER N4M

The stage seems set for a showdown between the 23 Local Government Councils in Rivers State and the State chapter of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) on the one hand and the State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria over the embezzlement of about N4 million belonging to health workers in Rivers State. 
Reports reaching enigmareports reveal that due to perceived marginalization and lack of adequate representation of their interests in NULGE, health workers in the country under the aegis of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) sought leave of the Nigeria Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) to unionize health workers in the 774 local government councils in Nigeria and be independent of NULGE. 
The Industrial Court granted this leave through its verdict in the suit No. NIC/19/95. NULGE would have none of that and challenged the verdict but the court reaffirmed its stand on the issue in suit No. NIC/9/2001. The matter later went to the Supreme Court where the apex court upheld the decision of the industrial court and also ruled that community health practitioners under the aegis of the Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria be part of the MHWUN in suit No. SC/210/2005.  
During this time the check-off dues deducted at source from the salaries of health workers by the local government councils and paid into the coffers of NULGE was ordered to be held in a suspense account pending the determination of the various litigations on the issue. 
On the strength of the Supreme Court verdict the Rivers State chapter of the Medical and Health Workers Union requested the retirement of the check-off dues including the arrears into the union’s accounts but was rebuffed. The arrears so far amount to N332,131,345.00 being check-off dues for the period between June 2001 and December 2008 for the 23 local government councils and N25,548,565.00 for the period between January and July 2009 bringing the total sum to N357,679,910.00. 
Consequent upon this the health workers sought the intervention of the State Government in the matter. 
A reliable source, who prefers anonymity, said the Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, through the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ken Chikere, upon the advice of the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, directed the council chairmen to abide by and implement the decision of the apex court and release the accrued check-off dues to the health workers union in their respective councils. 
Contrary to expectations that this directive would have been complied with and the issue long concluded, the health workers’ union was yet to see the check-off dues instantly raising questions as to why the said monies have allegedly not been released. 
In a reaction to this development, the Chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Chief Ephraim Owoh-Etete, in a letter dated 8^th April, 2009 and signed on his behalf by one Barr. R.R. West, directed the council chairmen, through their heads of local government administration, to “implement the decision of the (Supreme) Court and (the) directive of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Rivers State,” warning that “you will be personally held responsible for failure to implement the directive of His Excellency.” 
Furthermore, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Hon. Magnus Abe, through a letter signed on his behalf by one Sir Joe Akpa and dated 17^th July, 2009, advised all parties in the issue to “please abide by the advice of the Hon. Attorney General in order to maintain and ensure peace and industrial harmony…across the State.” 
Worried by this recalcitrant attitude of the council chairmen and NULGE on the issue, some aggrieved health workers have threatened to drag the State branches of the Association of Chairmen of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON), and NULGE to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal, saying “this is a case of barefaced fraud involving funds belonging to us.”

ACF TASKS POLITICIANS ON PEACE IN NIGER DELTA

Efforts by the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration to foster peace in the Niger Delta region and thus bring about sustainable development in the area needs the support of politicians in the region, the Arewa Consultative Forum has said.

Coordinator of the forum in Rivers and Bayelsa States, Alhaji Musa Saidu, who stated this a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, expressed appreciation for the efforts of the federal government and the Rivers State Government to bring peace to the troubled region.

Decrying activities of unscrupulous politicians whom he accused of benefiting from the crisis in the region and thus worked surreptitiously and fervently to undermine the success of the amnesty programme, he expressed optimism that the issue of militancy will be resolved.

Alhaji Saidu debunked rumours about the insincerity of Governor Chibuike Amaechi regarding the amnesty programme, saying politicians who were not comfortable with the aftermath of the amnesty programme were behind such rumours.

“People are saying Ateke will not surrender his arms, and Governor Amaechi is not sincere, but I want to say that all that is false. All those accusing Amaechi and carrying such rumours are liars. They are politicians who are afraid that if Ateke exposes his sponsors they will be implicated,” he said adding “instead of providing jobs, they provided guns, now they are afraid”.

Calling on the government to “initiate policies that will alleviate the suffering of the masses,” the ACF chieftain said “the amnesty will work when there is sincerity and justice,” and commended the Governor Amaechi administration for its achievements in education and health and security.

“Amaechi is a Governor that has tried, God brought him to do good in Rivers State but he needs support. Amaechi has brought peace in Rivers State,” he stressed, urging politicians to allow the will of the people to prevail in the forthcoming 2011 election, saying “2011 will be a very tough year but only politicians who have performed will be re-elected”.

On the ASUU strike, Alhaji Saidu called on the federal government and striking lecturers to put the interest of the poor masses first and amicably resolve the issue.

“The interest of the poor masses should be considered. The children of the politicians are schooling abroad so it does not affect them. They should see to it that the issue is amicably resolved,” the ACF chieftain said.

OMEHIA'S MAN IN TROUBLE OVER N1.6BN SCAM

The coming of Chief Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to power in Rivers State may have begun translating into an albatross for Sir Celestine Omehia's henchmen as many politicians loyal to the former Governor seem to be embroiled in unsavory probes accross the state.
The latest in list of casualties is the Dr. David Ogbonnaya former head of the now defunct Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) who may be appearing before the Rivers State House of Assembly soonest.
This indication is premised on the motion brought before the House on Monday, November 19, 2007, by Honourable Robinson Ewoh, representing Ahoada East Constituency 1 seeking the investigation of how N1.6Bn allocated to the state Independent Electoral Commission was disbursed.
According to our correspondent who was at the sitting of the Assembly, Honourable Ewoh prayed the House to order the appearance before the House of Dr. David Ogbonnaya and his commissioners to account for the sum of N1.6bn, which expenditure, according to the distinguished legislator, remains a matter of conjecture. The motion according to Honourable Ewoh is based on petitions he received which were signed by various staff of the state Independent Electoral Commission.
Responding to the petition, Honourable Chidi Lloyd, representing Emohua Constituency objected to the motion, praying his distinguuished colleagues to ignore the issues raised in the motion and consider the imperatives of conducting the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
Also responding to the motion, the Leader of the House, Honourable Golden Ngozi Chioma, informed the House that his committee inaugurated to look into the RSIEC funds was working hard to avail the honourable House the report of the issues surrounding the N1.6bn allocated to the Commission. The Leader of the House who is also the Committee Chairman also informed the House that the Chairman of the Commission, Dr. David Ogbonnaya has so far refused to appear before his committee.
The honourable Speaker of the House intervened in the matter by enlarging the Committee with the inclusion of Hon. Chidi Lloyd, Hon. Ibinabo Michael-West, and Hon. Dumnamene Deekor. From the foregoing, it does appear that it is not yet time for respite for Omehia's henchmen who served in various capacities in the previous administration.

SEA PIRACY: RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT INTERVENES IN BONNY COMMUNITY

There seems to be some respite coming for the inhabitants of Bonny Island in Rivers State who have had to live through the trauma of incessant attacks of sea pirates on the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route. This was made clear to the people of Bonny local government area on Friday, December 7, 2007 by the executive Governor of the state, Chief Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi when he met with stakeholders at the Ibanise Hall, Bonny.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Amaechi said he identified with the sufferings of the commmunity especially in the horrifying incidents of sea piracy being witnessed by travelers transiting the sea route between Bonny and Port Harcourt. According to the Governor, "sea piracy and other nefarious activities of criminal minded individuals constitute a threat to development and social harmony and needs to be checked." He therefore ordered the navy to increase the patrol of the sea route and deal decisively with any miscreants found terrorising travelers along the sea route.
The Governor who was on his first official visit to the Bonny community since assuming office as the Executive Governor of the Rivers State was accompanied by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, the Brigade Commander of the 2nd Amphibious Brigade, the Flag Officer Commanding NNS Okemini, the state Director of SSS and other government functionaries.
In attendance at the stakeholders' meeting was the Amanyanabo of Bonny, King Edward Asimini Willaim Dappa-Pepple, Perekule XI, JP and his Council of Chiefs. expressing his appreciation to the state Chief Executive for the visit, the Chairman of the Bonny Council of Chiefs, Chief Reginald Abbey-Hart, in his Vote of Thanks, said it "was a welcome development for the people of the community that the plight of the people was being considered a priority by the new administration in the state."
In a related development, the Leader of the Bonny Youth Federation, Mr. Ibifubara Willie-Pepple has stated that he was very pleased with the visit of the state Governor to the Bonny Community and the placing of the needs of youths in the state as priority issues of the government. Speaking to this reporter after the Stakeholders' Meeting, he explained that "the issue of unemployment was the main problem confronting the youths of the Niger Delta and it was a good thing that Governor Amaechi was making it priority at the onset of his administration," he said.

Prof. Nimi Briggs Kidnap: PDP Agents Fingered

Political pundits in rivers state have fingered some agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as being responsible for the kidnap of the Chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Professor Nimisere Dimkpa Briggs last week.
Some impeccable sources who spoke with the Verite on the phone alleged that some aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not be very comfortable with the Amaechi-led government which intends to conduct a free and fair local government elections in the state come January 2008.
According to the Verite sources, the PDP wanted the Local Council Polls to be a purely PDP affair and not to give opportunities to other political parties such as the Action Congress (AC) to the detriment of other PDP interest groups.
Professor Nimi Briggs, who was kidnapped barely a day after meeting with all the political parties in the state towards the Local Government Elections, had promised a level playing ground for all the political parties.
It would be recalled that gunmen numbering about 20 had on the night of Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 8.00PM kidnapped Prof. Nimi Briggs at his residence at the Staff Quarters of the University of Port Harcourt, Choba. Prof. Nimi Briggs was the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt.
Expressing shock at the unfortunate incident, Barr. (Mrs.) Florence Adokiye Amiesimaka, Secretary of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) wondered why anyone would want to kidnap a man like Prof. Nimi Briggs.
As at press time, the kidnappers were allegedly demanding the sum of N100Million as ransom to secure his release.

Tribunal Rejects Amaechi As Omehia’s Substitute

The rejection by the Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal of Governor Omehia’s name to be substituted in place of the deposed Governor, Celestine Omehia, who withdraw from the tribunal recently in said to be paving the way for nullification of the April 14 polls.
The Verite reliably gathered that the Election Petition Tribunal last week struck out a motion by the Governorship Candidate of the African Political System (APS) in the state, Arthur Kalagbor, praying it to substitute Omehia’s name with that of Gov. Amaechi, as 1st respondent.
Earlier, when Omehia applied to the tribunal for his withdrawal as 1st respondent, Chief Awuse had argued that the Supreme Courts judgment against Omehia was a sufficient proof of his petition and therefore should serve as a basic for the nullification of the Guber polls in Rivers State, thereby fulfilling the requirements of section 147 (1) of the Electoral Act 2007.
Counsel to Chief Awuse averred that by virtue of section 145 (1) (a) of the Electoral Act 2006, the tribunal had jurisdiction to entertain grounds of a petition to the effect that a person whose election is questioned was at the time of the election not qualified to contest the election and that the jurisdiction of the High Court under common law does not curtail or limit the jurisdiction of the Election Tribunal.
The opposition still maintains that by section 178 of the Nigerian constitution, a person can only become the Governor of a state after an election in which he was duly elected and that Amaechi never contested the Guber polls on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to them, by the provisions of sections 177-179 of the constitution, it is a person referred to as a candidate and not a political party is no more than sponsor the candidate, as there is no room for independent candidates under the constitution.
Meanwhile, there are indications that some PDP stalwarts who have constituted themselves into a formidable opposition to oust Amaechi are allegedly rallying round the Labour Party Guber candidate in the state, Ashley Emenike against Awuse should there be a by election between the duo.
That based on their overwhelming evidences against the PDP, the (the opposition) believe that the Tribunal will nullify the elections and order for a fresh poll where they would stand by the Labour Party (LP).

Sylva, Ebebi Faces Panel Over N400m Teachers Pay

Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva and his deputy, Peremobowei Ebebi are expected to appear this week before an Administrative Panel of Inquiry investigating the alleged disappearance of N400 Million Teachers’ Salary in the state.
Confirming the invitation of the Panel to the state Governor and his Deputy to appear before it, the Chairman of the Panel, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff said the call on the governor and others became necessary to make the recommendations of the Panel broad and put a stop to the delay in the payment of Civil Servants and Teachers’ Salary in the state.
Also to testify on her role in the whole drama that led to the delay in the payment of Teachers’ Salary and the award of a N25 Million Verification of Civil Servants Contract in the state is the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Bolere Ketebu-Nwokeafor.
The state Commissioner of Finance and that of Local Government Affairs had earlier appeared before the Panel set up by Governor Sylva in the wake of the crisis surrounding the five months delay in the payment of salaries and the alleged missing funds.
Others whose testimonies were also received include the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the former Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr. Benson Agadaga.

Rivers AC Exchanges Blows In Govt House

In what appeared to be a free for all fight, some members of the Rivers State Chapter of the Action Congress (AC) exchanged blows while some were chased out of the Government House in their bid to have an audience with the State Governor, Chief Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.
The Verite reliably gathered that the Forum of National Assembly Candidates 2007 Election, Rivers State under the platform of the AC had earlier in a meeting with the Gubernatorial Candidate of the party in the state, Prince Tonye Princewill, indicated their intention to meet with the state Governor, a desire that apparently did not go down well with those concerned.
In a letter to Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, signed by Mr. Donald Hart, Dr. Sonny Philips, Dr. M.D. Selema and Mr. Onwuli Amadi, on behalf of the Forum said “inspite of overt negative actions which characterized the arrangement, it was clear that the courtesy call was circumstantial.”
“To our chagrin, members of the party loyal to Prince Tonye Princewill embarked on scrutiny, harassment, blackmail and threat to lives of members of this Forum in attendance for the visit, on false accusations that we associated with the embattled Chairman of the party, Mr. Muue Kpagani, a move to mar the Forum.”
Meanwhile, the leader of AC in the state, Prince Tonye Princewill has admonished the party leadership and party faithful to continue to support the Governor Amaechi-led government particularly now that AC as a party is part and parcel of the administration.
Prince Tonye Princewill who gave the advice when the AC leadership and party faithful paid him a solidarity visit last weekend at the old Presidential Wing of the Government House, emphasized that the days of politicians compromising local politics for national are over.
Earlier the party leadership through Chief Williams Igweh, the Party’s Deputy Guber Candidate in the last election declared that AC in Rivers State is focused on the forthcoming LG Polls and thanked Princewill for his purposeful leadership of the party and pledged their unflinching loyalty to him.

Environmentalist tasks NAFCON, Hamilton, Titan

Companies operating in the Niger Delta have been warned of the dangers associated with damaging the region’s fragile ecosystem, as it was a sure way of invoking the anger of the communities affected. This warning was issued by an environmental stakeholder, Mr. Minainyo Dagogo Tamunotonye who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the riverine communities in Rivers State.
Speaking with the Verite correspondent in a telephone interview on Thursday, December 13, 2007, Mr. Minainyo stated that the advice was particularly directed at companies such as the National Fertilizer Company of Nigeria (NAFCON), Onne; Titan Tubulars Nigeria Limited and Hamilton Technologies Limited whose business activities in the state have become a source of grave concern to watchers of the environment in the state.
He, therefore advised them and other corporate businesses in the state to conduct their businesses in an environment-friendly manner According to the environmental activist the “quickest way of resolving the conflicts in the region was for the multinational oil and gas companies to provide gainful employment for the youths of the communities in the Niger Delta whose skills and strengths were lying waste.”
Admonishing the youths of the Niger Delta, Minainyo stated that they were also warning the youths to desist from acts of violence and work with the government of Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi to move the state forward and create an enabling environment for the needed development to take place in the state.
While drawing the attention of the government to constantly regulate and monitor the activities of oil and gas companies in the state, Minainyo also appealed to the government to reform the youths in the state so that they would not be predisposed to violence both on the land and in the creeks.

INDECENCY IN DRESSING

The hype and hullabaloo has been long in the news. The noise has been huge and leaders of opinion have severally volunteered their perspectives on the issue of what decency or indecency connotes with regards to dressing. From a latent issue it has metamorphosed into a vibrant discourse. As it waltzed its way through the social spectrum it has succeeded in raking up enough controversy across ideological divides.
This controversy has been hinged on the confusion surrounding opinions on the issue. But what does dressing connote and at what point does the term indecency come into the picture? To answer this it is important I invite my readers through time back to the days of Eden. God himself is the first Designer and Clothe-Maker. It is understandable that some may wish to differ on this but that does not eliminate the fact of it. Dressing, fashion and all that they imply have their origins in an intelligent design that can only be explained as divine. From the original design of providing cover for the human anatomy, dre4ssing has e evolved down through history into a crazy fad and a universal issue. With the fragmentation of human habitation into continents and into subcontinents, countries, local communities, races, ethnic nationalities, cultures and subcultures, dressing has assumed diverse styles, patterns, formats, ETC.
Colour, designs, textures, etc have all served to create distinct cultural identities. Not only that, they have come in handy in the design of uniforms identifying professionals in diverse fields of endeavor and other ramifications of human existence. Beauty, harmony, interaction, and a host of other qualities that enhance humanity have been profoundly highlighted by dressing. The benefits clothing, nay dressing has afforded the human context are indeed overwhelming and unquantifiable. Clothing and dressing serves the purposes of covering the body, defining identities, accentuating beauty, promoting cultural dynamics and highlighting the diversity inherent in humanity. Obviously from the foregoing dressing brings a lot of good to the human context and the harm can be huge when it is perverted in indecency.
To hold that modernity has impacted much on dressing is to state the obvious. What today is referred to as indecency in dressing is the result of the interaction of so many different factors. One of them is the arrival of western culture at the doorstep of many different nations that were hitherto unaffected by the drift in morality. The past few centuries saw the spread of this imported culture in dressing which reflected many aspects of Western culture being brought to different parts of the world. As colonialism spread and was later succeeded by neocolonialism so did western fashion trends find their ways into different cultural settings across the world. Another one was that the developed world scouting for new markets across the developing world brought their wares into Africa, Asia, the Caribbean’s, etc. also the technological revolution which brought the television, computers, the internet, mobile phones, home videos, provided so much for people around the world to mimic as long as the fashion was concerned and the economic gains accrued. Beauty pageants, fashion shows, showbiz personalities, public figures, political icons, etc also brought so much influence to bear on dressing so much so that the dividing line between what was modest or immodest, decent or indecent became so blurred that contemporary youths now find it difficult charting moral coordinates in between.
Indecency, for all purposes, represents the opposite of decency. It implies indecency symbolizes what is not decent, proper, responsible and acceptable to the collective social sensitivity to morality- the collective conscience. When applied to the issue of dressing, it means that mode, form, style, pattern or way of dressing that is not decent, proper, responsible and acceptable. It defeats the very purpose of dressing. For the benefit of the layman, it means any type of dressing that does not properly cover the body(at least the sensitive parts of the body), or enhance the moral content of society and is suggestive. It matters not who is involved here.
Dressing such as displays sensitive aspects of the human body (stomach, navel, back, laps, cleavage, breasts, etc) are indecent. These include clothes like the spaghetti, mini-skirts, backless dresses, sleeveless shirts, transparent or perforated clothes, low-necks, etc. these types of clothing not only demeans the whole essence of dressing but also calls into question the morals rectitude of the wearer. It leaves a warped image of the wearer in the mind of the beholder.
The price of indecency is shared amongst all concerned – the wearer, the beholder, and the larger society. While the wearer bears the brunt of stigma associated with indecent dressing and struggles to mount a defense mechanism or coping approach, the beholders of such indecency suddenly find themselves in a situation where there moral sensitivity is insulted and that with impunity. They strive on a daily basis to avoid images they would rather be spared of. Also, they face the temptation of emulating what is morally debasing or accepting it as a norm.
The larger society suffers more in that with indecency in dressing paraded everywhere – at home and on the streets – comes the challenge of containing the fallouts of the former. Cases of rape, sex-related violence, pornography, loss of moral values, etc have been traced to indecency in dressing.
Whatever are the opinions of the perpetrators of indecency in dressing, the broader picture of the negative impact it would have on society needs to be considered. We all have choices and the more we make informed and responsible choices, especially with regards to decency in dressing the better our society will become.

Godswill Odeku
odekuga@yahoo.com +2348057879764

AIDS and Nigeria’s Rural Youth

AIDS and Nigeria’s Rural Youth
Godswill Odeku
08057879764 odekuga@yahoo.com www.enigmareports.blogspot.com/aids&nigeriasruralyouth

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s sero-prevalence rate stands at 5.8% and that it is growing. While new cases of infection are drastically reduced in urban and semi-urban localities due to increasing awareness, it is spreading like wildfire in the rural areas. More and more new cases of infection are popping up especially amongst the youth population.
Even these new cases are a trickle of available data given the fact that obtaining adequate and accurate information on the rate at which AIDS is spreading in Nigeria’s rural communities is such a difficult issue. This is because the rural areas are not only hard to reach but the terrain is tedious and even the local people are not willing to volunteer information relevant to the AIDS issue. This can be attributed to the lack of adequate grasp, on the part of the locals, of the issues surrounding the AIDS question.
Looking at the rural communities with special focus on the Niger Delta, one can appreciate why new cases of infection are happening all the time. Nigeria has a dual topography. One aspect of it is mainly dry land while the other is riverine riddled with creeks, rivers, rivulets, swamps, and mangrove forests. While the upland is a bit elaborate and easy to access and susceptible to development, the riverine areas are a difficult terrain, densely populated and steeped in demographic incongruities.
The focus of this article is the impact AIDS is having on the riverine communities spread across the southern fringes of Nigeria better known as the Niger Delta. There are approximately a 100 communities running from Ondo State in the South-West of the country to Akwa Ibom State in the South-South. These communities reflect different ethnic nationalities (Ijaw, Ilaje, Yoruba, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ikwerre, Etche, Ogoni, Andoni, Efik, Ibibio, etc), speak diverse languages and sublanguages and subscribe to varied social experiences.
For many of these communities their means of livelihood is derived from fishing, farming, trading, and art works. The terrain is laced with difficulties ranging from inadequate means of transportation, uncharted forests rife with wild animals, mosquitoes, and others. This is where about 70% of youths in the Niger Delta live. Without adequate education, without social amenities, plagued by ignorance and poverty, enmeshed in infection-predisposing factors, and exposed to obnoxious belief systems and practices, it is not a matter of conjecture why these constitute the majority of AIDS victims.
Beyond these overarching factors, there are other minor yet serious ones that facilitate the rise in the rate of HIV infection. One of these is sexual networking among adolescent boys and girls where a group of adolescents network to share or have sex with a particular individual of the opposite sex. A group of boys take turns to have intercourse with a particular girl or a group of girls take turns to have it with a particular boy. And this is done without recourse to the risks associated with such abnormality. Many times the girl involved becomes pregnant without knowing the actual boy who did it since everyone of them had her. On the other hand, some or all of the girls who engaged in that orgy of sex could become pregnant for the same boy and this obviously translates into major alterations in the lives of both the girls and the boy or boys in question.
Another factor is the proliferation of sexual partners by a particular individual. A girl goes on having several male friends with whom she has sex on a regular basis or even at random as the occasion demands, so to speak. Or it could be a young man who strings along with several girls, having sex with them whenever he deems necessary.
These are situations that precipitate infection with HIV and the rapid spread of the virus in the rural areas. And this goes on amongst the youth population. One basic fact about this is that each individual in such network suddenly becomes a lethal carrier unleashed on society, howbeit covertly.
With the prevailing socio-economic environment in the rural areas many youths are predisposed to fall for unwholesome indulgences. Many girls come from poor homes and sometimes are under intense pressure to accede to have sex with one or more men to make ends meet or have their needs met. Almost always, these amorous relationships do not accommodate safeguards against HIV infection. Partners hardly make informed decisions regarding prevention against infection and pregnancy. In some areas, not only are condoms not available, majority of the people are ignorant about its uses or advantages.
So girls just go on having sex with men either on the premarital or extramarital basis or even in cases of early or forced marriages. And given that positive masculinity is foreign to many communities in this country, the young girls have to bear the brunt of pain inflicted by their partners during intercourse, lacerations to the vaginal walls, infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, premature delivery, incontinences arising from compromise of the yet immature birth canal, stigma associated with one or more of the above. All these depict the trauma, dilemma and challenges the Nigerian youth in rural communities have to grapple with.
The process of redressing these unfortunate circumstances is no doubt Herculean. Yet a lot can still be done. First, there is need for information and behavioral change communication targeted at the youths in the rural areas. This can be done through awareness creation and sensitization in the hard to reach localities. This is to acquaint them with issues such as abstinence, positive sexuality, early sex debut, partner reduction, Bonne (good/real) fidelity, dangers of premarital/extramarital sex, correct and consistent condom use, routes of transmission, etc.
This information can be utilized to motivate change and build awareness on critical issues. This change is necessary with regards to beliefs, values and attitudes that predispose and facilitate infection among young people; attitudes towards the infected and affected by AIDS (de-stigmatization/stigma-reduction); negative to positive sexuality and openness to discussions about sexuality; and changes in values, beliefs, and attitudes towards women.
Motivation can also be effected in the aspect of inducing change from irresponsible to responsible or positive masculinity – making men understand and appreciate what it entails to be a man and a father.
Added to the aforementioned is the advocating of the rights of adolescents and children with special focus on that of young girls. Issues affecting women and children with regard to HIV/AIDS needs to be appreciated and given the necessary impetus. This is consequent upon available data suggesting that more women (especially the youths) are being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Considering the difficult terrain, monetary cost involved and the logistics of it all, it would no doubt call for concerted efforts incorporating the government, corporate bodies, civil society organizations, private individuals, and other stakeholders to make the outreach to youths dwelling in the rural areas a dream come true.

Stigma: Metaphor of Death for AIDS Victims

Imagine a girl walks into a classroom, greets her teacher and the class, and begins to walk to her seat, only to be called back by her teacher and asked before the whole class if her mother who is HIV- positive has begun treatment. She replies that her mother has begun. The teacher asks her to move her things from her present seat to another, where from henceforth she would be sitting alone. As the students go out for lunch-break, other students begin to rain questions on her and some even go the extent of avoiding her all because she has a mother who is HIV- positive.
She tries to cope for a few days with the taunting and coldness being meted out to her, and when she could no longer cope, she stops coming to school. Since she is unable to let her parents in on what is bothering her due to their lack of consideration, she devises alternatives to school. She wanders to strange and lonely places to while away the time. After school hours she would come home with other teenagers as if she was coming from school. With time, her parents get to know and mete out some harsh treatment to her without reaching down into her emotional being to unravel what is ailing her. She feels her family doesn’t understand and do not care about her feelings and leaves home. While she wanders along she meets some man who listens to her tales and offers her some succour and shelter. He takes the time to listen again and again to her stories and with time she begins to feel comfortable in his company and relaxes her vigilance. Soon one thing leads to another and they have sex. Soon the rate of intercourse increases between them. With time she begins to experience some symptoms she can’t explain. They go for a test. The medical authorities as a matter of policy test her for HIV, pregnancy, etc. It is discovered that she is pregnant. Not only that, she is HIV-positive.
Unsettled by such development, the guy makes off leaving her to wallow in her misery. Suddenly, she finds herself in a dilemma which she was not prepared to handle. Several options play out in her mental spectrum and the most promising of all is to end it all. With no one to provide her with needed counseling and support, she commits suicide and there ends the tragic chapter of one of Nigeria’s youth by just an ounce of thoughtlessness manifested in a stint of stigmatization.
It is common knowledge that AIDS kills. Not only AIDS, tuberculosis, measles, malaria, diabetes, cardiac arrest, sickle cell anaemia, cholera, diarrhea, and a host of other medical abnormalities. Apart from these medical monsters, there are many other things that kill or reduce life to something a little above death. But when viewed from another perspective it cannot be said that this medical absurdities kills faster than stigma associated by society to certain medical conditions.
Stigmatization – the act or policy of labeling and/or branding a person or group of persons as socially unacceptable due to a medical condition, religious or other belief, racial identity, or other reasons – is a major cause of death for many Nigerian youths who are infected by AIDS. It is important to state as clearly as possible that for one to be infected AIDS or has AIDS does not make him or her less than a human. He retains his/her dignity as human person. He is still flesh and blood like the rest of us. Most times, it is bias, bigotry and prejudice which are a spill over of the absurdities of our socio-cultural and socio-religious belief systems, values, attitudes.
Some hold though erroneously that AIDS can only be contacted through sex and this the perverted aspects of it, viz – premarital, extramarital gay, etc. Since these are held as anathema both in our cultural ethos and religious circles, it becomes evident why AIDS victims should in the same vein be accorded anathema status.
Another aspect of this anomaly is the belief that AIDS is divine retribution meted out to the wayward. Nothing can be further from the truth. Some subscribe to this fallacious purview and manifest it in the stigmatization of anyone who is infected by the virus. Sometimes this stretches into the public domain, where people in authority use dictions and language that not just suggestive of stigmatization but very offensive at face value.
The young people of this nation are the most affected by this stigmatization issue. For the infected, they are stigmatized and treated as outcasts. They are looked upon as morally debased individuals who could not control their sexual urge and have consequently contacted HIV/AIDS as a just recompense of their dissolute lifestyle. This smacks of crass ignorance, as there various routes of transmission of the virus. Besides sexual intercourse, AIDS can be contacted through the use of any piercing instrument, through transfusion of unscreened blood, and from mother to child during childbirth, delivery, and/or breastfeeding in the first three months.
For the affected such as people affected by AIDS (PABAs) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) it is an all-inclusive branding where the children, relatives and other family members of the infected are labeled as social outcasts for no other crime but that one of their own is infected with HIV. in schools, workplaces, organization, and other places, they are subjected to harsh and unpleasant treatments and attitudes. this needs not be so.
It is important for everyone to appreciate the fact that just a single act of thoughtlessness and lack of consideration can go a long way to precipitate disastrous catastrophes which could engulf the rest of us. there is need for all to understand that it is a member of the human family that the stigma is being directed at. no one deserves to be associated with any form of stigma, not even AIDS victims. they deserve the best of our cordiality, care and consideration. where we do not treat them as such we are only fast-tracking their early death.
The statistics are there for all to scrutinize and ascertain for themselves what havoc stigmatization is wreaking on youths who are infected by AIDS. Even when a person is infected with HIV, it would take some months for the virus to completely undermine the individuals immune system and result in full blown AIDS. at the stage where it has metamorphosed into AIDS it would still take about 10 years for the person to die. and this is depending on a lot of factors – how strong the individual’s immune system is, the person’s hygiene regime, the antiretrovirals at his/her disposal, the emotional reservoir he/she can draw from at such critical period, and many other factors.
Given the above and looking at available medical data, it is a fact that there are even other deadlier diseases that kills faster than AIDS. Cholera, diphtheria, diarrhea, and malaria kills faster than AIDS. So it is unnecessary and inhuman stigmatizing AIDS victims, especially the youths.

AIDS and Nigeria's Rural Youth

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s sero-prevalence rate stands at 5.8% and that it is growing. While new cases of infection are drastically reduced in urban and semi-urban localities due to increasing awareness, it is spreading like wildfire in the rural areas. More and more new cases of infection are popping up especially amongst the youth population.
Even these new cases are a trickle of available data given the fact that obtaining adequate and accurate information on the rate at which AIDS is spreading in Nigeria’s rural communities is such a difficult issue. This is because the rural are not only hard to reach but the terrain is tedious and even the local people are not willing to volunteer information relevant to the AIDS issue. This can be attributed to the lack of adequate grasp, on the part of the locals, of the issues surrounding the AIDS question.
Looking at the rural communities with special focus on the Niger Delta, one can appreciate why new cases of infection are happening all the time. Nigeria has a dual topography. One aspect of it is mainly dry land while the other is riverine riddled with creeks, rivers, rivulets, swamps, and mangrove forests. While the upland is a bit elaborate and easy to access and susceptible to development, the riverine areas are a difficult terrain, densely populated and steeped in demographic incongruities.
The focus of this article is the impact AIDS is having on the riverine communities spread across the southern fringes of Nigeria better known as the Niger Delta. There are approximately a 100 communities running from Ondo State in the South-West of the country to Akwa Ibom State in the South-South. These communities reflect different ethnic nationalities (Ijaw, Ilaje, Yoruba, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ikwerre, Etche, Ogoni, Andoni, Efik, Ibibio, etc), speak diverse languages and sublanguages and subscribe to varied social experiences.
For many of these communities their means of livelihood is derived from fishing, farming, trading, and art works. The terrain is laced with difficulties ranging from inadequate means of transportation, uncharted forests rife with wild animals, mosquitoes, and others. This is where about 70% of youths in the Niger Delta live. Without adequate education, without social amenities, plagued by ignorance, enmeshed in infection-predisposing factors, and exposed to obnoxious belief systems and practices, it is not a matter of conjecture why these constitute the majority of AIDS victims.
Beyond these overarching factors, there are other minor yet serious ones that facilitate the rise in the rate of HIV infection. One of these is sexual networking among adolescent boys and girls where a group of adolescents network to share or have sex with a particular individual of the opposite sex. A group of boys take turns to have intercourse with a particular girl or a group of girls take turns to have it with a particular boy. And this is done without recourse to the risks associated with such abnormality. Many times the girl involved becomes pregnant without knowing the actual boy who did it since everyone of them had her. On the other hand, some or all of the girls who engaged in that orgy of sex could become pregnant for the same boy and this obviously translates into major alterations in the lives of both the girls and the boy or boys in question.
Another factor is the proliferation of sexual partners by a particular individual. A girl goes on having several male friends with whom she has sex on a regular basis or even at random as the occasion demands, so to speak. Or it could be a young man who strings along with several girls, having sex with them whenever he deems necessary.
These are situations that precipitate infection with HIV and the rapid spread of the virus in the rural areas. And this goes on amongst the youth population. One basic fact about this is that each individual in such network suddenly becomes a lethal carrier unleashed on society, howbeit covertly.
With the prevailing socio-economic environment in the rural areas many youths are predisposed to fall for unwholesome indulgences. Many girls come from poor homes and sometimes are under intense pressure to accede to have sex with one or more men to make ends meet or have their needs met. Almost always, these amorous relationships do not accommodate safeguards against HIV infection. Partners hardly make informed decisions regarding prevention against infection and pregnancy. In some areas, not only are condoms not available, majority of the people are ignorant about its uses or advantages.
So girls just go on having sex with men either on the premarital or extramarital basis or even in cases of early or forced marriages. And given that positive masculinity is foreign to many communities in this country, the young girls have to bear the brunt of pain inflicted by their partners during intercourse, lacerations to the vaginal walls, infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, premature delivery, incontinences arising from compromise of the yet immature birth canal, stigma associated with one or more of the above. All these depict the trauma, dilemma and challenges the Nigerian youth in rural communities have to grapple with.
The process of redressing these unfortunate circumstances is no doubt Herculean. Yet a lot can still be done. First, there is need for information and behavioral change communication targeted at the youths in the rural areas. This can be done through awareness creation and sensitization in the hard to reach localities. This is to acquaint them with issues such as abstinence, positive sexuality, early sex debut, partner reduction, Bonne (good/real) fidelity, dangers of premarital/extramarital sex, correct and consistent condom use, routes of transmission, etc.
This information can be utilized to motivate change and build awareness on critical issues. This change is necessary with regards to belief, values and attitudes that predispose and facilitate infection among young people; attitudes towards the infected and affected by AIDS (de-stigmatization/stigma-reduction); negative to positive sexuality and openness to discussions about sexuality; and changes in values, beliefs, and attitudes towards women.
Motivation can also effected in the aspect of inducing change from irresponsible to responsible or positive masculinity – making men understand and appreciate what it entails to be a man and a father.
Added to the aforementioned is the advocating of the rights of adolescent and children with special focus on that of young girls. Issues affecting women and children with regard to HIV/AIDS needs to be appreciated and given the necessary impetus. This is consequent upon available data suggesting that more women (especially the youths) are being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Considering the difficult terrain, monetary cost involved and the logistics of it all, it would no doubt call for concerted efforts incorporating the government, corporate bodies, civil society organizations, private individuals, and other stakeholders to make the outreach to youths dwelling in the rural areas a dream come true.

OVCs: Mitigating The Trauma

As the AIDS discourse gathers momentum across the African continent, we find a unique population emerging and gaining numbers. This is the population of those negatively impacted by the AIDS pandemic. Sadly, Africa claims the lion share of this unfortunate group with 13.2 million orphans - children who, before the age of 15 have lost either their mother or both parents to AIDS – which constitute 95% of total AIDS-generated orphans worldwide. This population is comprised of individuals whose parents (one or both) have become, not just victims but casualties of AIDS. By this I mean they have died as a result of HIV/AIDS infection.
As these are lost to death courtesy of AIDS, left behind are a host of individuals whose lives are automatically altered by such an unfortunate development. They include both nuclear and extended family members who have to adjust to accommodate the loss of a family member to AIDS.
Apart from other relatives, there are the children of those demised through AIDS who constitute the nucleus of those we refer to as PABAs or People Affected By AIDS. These, almost always, are children and youths who are very tender in age and are still at the stage of understanding themselves and their surrounding environment.
These suddenly become orphans and must now have to adjust to the harsh realities of life without a parent, without a breadwinner and without the protective social umbrella they have enjoyed all along while their parents were alive. It is due to these that they are referred to as vulnerable children.
Imagine a child who suddenly has to fend for himself because the little resources the family had has been exhausted on the treatment of the now dead parent or guardian. Imagine a little girl who suddenly has to cater to needs of her siblings while she is yet to appreciate her personality and all that goes with it. Imagine a little boy who now has adulthood foisted on him and now has to shirk his youth and assume responsibilities of a man due to the loss of his parents. These images, you will agree with me, do not give one cause for comfort!
Ordinarily, the challenges orphans have to grapple with in our society are overwhelming, but these challenges appreciate in the case of AIDS-generated orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Wherever they turn, children who have lost a mother or both parents to AIDS face a future even more difficult than that of other orphans. Not only do they find it difficult mixing up with the larger society, they also find it a huge challenge meeting their basic needs. This is consequent upon their being discriminated against by social institutions, work setups, and even ignorant family members who believe they share the plague of AIDS with their dead parents. Stigmatization, no doubt, is a monster that stares orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in the face and trains tears in their eyes.
In Africa as a whole, AIDS is generating orphans so quickly that family structures can no longer cope with the strain. Traditional safety nets are unraveling as more and more young adults die of this disease. Families and communities can barely fend for themselves, let alone take care of orphans and moreso orphans whose parents have depleted the collective resources of the family or community in the quest to salvage their lives.
Life in the Nigeria on a good day is a hard life without basic social amenities, adequate means of livelihood, institutional failure, corruption and a pervading pessimistic outlook on life. Hope has long taken flight and has been replaced in the present with despair in many communities across the country. Thus coping with the additional strain of catering to AIDS orphans, for both individual families and communities, is a Herculean task.
With discrimination and stigmatization at their doorstep, it becomes evident what a harsh life these youths and children orphaned and rendered vulnerable by AIDS must now contend with. It is to say the least a sorry state of affairs these young ones find themselves enmeshed.
These circumstances foisted on this peculiar population having impacted negatively on them place them with very difficult and unpleasant options. For the boys, cultism, hooliganism, violence, armed robbery and other sordid vices suddenly become very attractive. The girls on the other hand, having more constraints to grapple with in their young lives than the boys, somehow either fall for sexual predators, child/women traffickers or go outrightly and deliberately into full-scale and unfettered prostitution or other forms of criminal activities all in the name of survival. However, for those who dare to be different and won’t concede to dissolute conduct, they have to suffer for real or work very hard and be paid a pittance to make ends meet. Not to talk of the discrimination and stigmatization that will attend their attempt at making life go on.
So having heard it all, what is to be done with these unique individuals whose destiny is at the mercy of society. What should be the impact mitigation interventions offerable to them? First, I deem we can form a consensus on the fact that whichever way the lives of these children and youths turn will impact severely on all of us. If they become responsible adults tomorrow the society will benefit. But where they turn out to be criminals and social liabilities everyone of us will have to grapple with what they can do either as armed robbers, street urchins or militants. Consequently, it becomes obvious that we (governments, corporate bodies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and individuals) are all stakeholders in the circumstances and destiny of AIDS orphans.
There is need for all concerned to take a more than cursory look at the circumstances OVCs find themselves. A lot needs to be done about these children and youths in the area of providing them with social safety nets. More than ever before these young ones need a means of livelihood. Initiating skills acquisition and computer literacy programmes, entrepreneurship and wealth creation initiatives and financing of small and medium scale enterprises can suffice. In the interim, government can avail them of subsidies in the areas of food, medical treatment and housing.
They need a soft landing with respect to their educational aspirations. Corporate bodies, government agencies, philanthropists, foundations, community development committees (CDCs), women groups, and other stakeholders can put together scholarships for these kids in order not to circumvent their educational development.
The society at large needs to be sensitized and given a re-orientation on the negative impact stigmatization can have on OVCs on the short and long term basis. It is also important that these children are not left to live on the streets or be exposed to the dangers of homelessness because no one would offer them a roof over their heads. These young ones can fall prey to ritual murderers, rapists, hoodlums, and other angels of the night. And this needs not be allowed to be. All aspects of our society need to rise to the rescue of these kids.

A GATHERING OF EAGLES!

When a crucial moments meet, it is not a matter of conjecture what next an action should be, or how necessary or urgent such action should be. I say this with regards to the annual interregnum in the academic calendar of the Nigerian education system at the primary and secondary levels. From the end of July to the beginning of September, Nigerian kids go home to have some reprieve from schoolwork, reappraise their performance in the just concluded session and prepare for the next academic session. Some kids will anticipate going on to the next class while some would inevitably repeat the previous class. Still there are those who would go from the primary to secondary level.
During this long vacation, many young people engage in various activities to while away the time. Some spend the period profitably but some choose to waste the time doing nothing significant. And yet these are the young people who form the bulk of the youth population of the great nation.
In-school youths, specifically those in secondary schools and those just out of secondary school combined with the rest who are learning one trade or the other in the workshops, constitute the huge percentage of the general population of young people in this country. This youth population added to those in tertiary institutions constitute the prospective leaders of this nation and those that will ultimately chart the course of her destiny in few years from now.
But the issue is that when one takes the youth into a collective whole and reviews their inclinations, activities and performances in recent times, it leaves one with certain trepidation. This is borne out of the turn of events in different parts of the country. Youth-related violence, examination malpractice, drug abuse, sexually-transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, fast-eroding moral values, disrespect for constituted authority, unwholesome indulgence, and the lot are almost becoming synonymous with the character profile of our youth.
Recent events in the Niger Delta are no funny lullabies. Militancy exerted on the region by disgruntled and misguided youths has impacted negatively on the economic and social life of the nation and even the international community. The just concluded General Elections in the country saw irregularities laced with violence perpetrated by youths. Cultism and examination malpractice in our higher institution are another sad aspect of activities of our youth. Put together, these gives every conscientious Nigerian a source of concern.
Against this background and during this long vacation comes the YOUTH SUCCESS CAMP 2007, an auspicious event crafted for the youth across the nation. It is an epochal gathering tailored to meet the needs of a generation of youth who are facing and living with challenges their parents didn’t know. With the issues of poverty, new and incurable diseases, institutional failure, dearth of qualitative leadership, economic recess on a global scale, etc staring at humanity boldly in the face, there can never be a better time for such an event to come up.
This event is billed for August 21st through 25th of this year and would hold simultaneously in both the 36 state capitals and major towns in each state. The youth department of the deeper Christian life ministry is acting as convener and plans to execute this programme across the country in active collaboration with stakeholders such community leaders, civil society organizations, government agencies, traditional institutions, youth groups, professional bodies, security agencies, churches, and others. Everything possible is to be invested in the successful execution of the programme.
Across four days and eight sessions, speakers will address the physical, spiritual, academic, moral, and mental aspects of the youths. Speakers will be drawn from the academia, clergy, medical profession, security agencies, and other areas and will address issues such as HIV/AIDS, cultism, drug abuse, health, examination malpractice, academic success and morality. Leading the pack of speakers that will deliver papers across the various event venues will be Dr. William Folorunsho Kumuyi, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, whose messages to the youth will be relayed live via satellite downlink to the various locations.
Youths have potentials yet untapped and needs a forum such this to unveil themselves, develop their talents, groom their skills and be motivated for the next level. Participants will be drawn from every strata of the youth population. Everyone is invited.
A revolution on a major scale is about to be unleashed on the moral, intellectual and social fronts. God in His infinite mercies has earmarked the Nigerian youth to birth this revolution and the Nigerian people cannot sit back and watch askance. Everyone is concerned as long as the issue is youth-related and as such none should shy away from contributing his/her resources and effort to make this event a huge success. It will be a gathering of where youths will learn to fly high and soar to heights previously unattained. A real gathering of eagles!