Chris Hassan and NAPEPS Successes

Chris Hassan became the Plateau State Co-coordinator of the National Poverty Alleviation Programme just six months ago. Accepting this position automatically placed on his shoulders the responsibility of the implementation of the new blueprint of National Poverty Eradication Council (NAPEC) for the eradication of poverty across the nation. The new policy became imperative in view of the shortcomings of the previous programme where trainees were more interested in the monthly stipends but not the skill, which is necessary if poverty must end.

Challenges

Chris says the biggest challenge on his assumption of office, as the Coordinator of the programme, was the absence of communication between his office and the people the office is meant to serve. According to Chris, a lot of people even in the immediate neigbourhood of his office in Jos South were oblivious of the organization. Those who knew were skeptical of the financial assurances of the organization to help them bid farewell to poverty. His office was then compelled to commence investing huge financial resources on jingles. It also had to create offices in all the seventeen Local Government Areas. There was also the recruitment of the manpower made up of people of grade levels nine to ten to run these offices with the sole intention of reaching all the districts across the states.

Programmes

The Coordinator said the policy guidelines of NAPEP are designed by NAPEC, which is chaired by the President. It has, as its members, seventeen serving federal Ministers, the National Coordinator of NAPEP and the national economic adviser. Two of the programmes of NAPEP in Plateau State are the ones drawn by NAPEC at the national headquarters in Abuja. They are the primary programmes that all states branches must adhere to. These include the Village Economic Development Solutions, VEDS and the Micro Credit Scheme. Having studied the peculiarities of Plateau State, his office decided to bring in additional programmes to compliment those of the federal office. Thus at the state level, the Mandatory Attachment Programme for unemployed graduates, the Skill Acquisition and Widowhood Schemes were added.

Loan Disbursements so Far

Under VEDS individuals are not qualified to apply for loans. A group made up of a minimum of ten people and a maximum of thirty must register as a cooperative group according to the terms stated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. These cooperative groups then apply on behalf of the members. So far 149 cooperative groups have benefited from the loans in the state. The total financial loan disbursement to these groups now stands at N146 million. Under the Widowhood and Micro Credit Schemes, N2 million have been issued out to each of the seventeen Local Government Areas of the state amounting to a total of N 34 million. In addition to these there is also another N6 million from an NGO known as the Grassroots Women and Men that has also been disbursed evenly to the seventeen Local Government Areas. The grand total of loan disbursements now stands at about N186 million.

Repayments of the Loans

In view of the fact that Nigerians have often seen public funds within their reach as a piece of that Nigerian national cake, it could be the reason why there may be difficulties in the repayments of the loans. Chris says there is usually the pre-assessment of potential beneficiaries, which is undertaken by the monitoring department of his organization in addition to that undertaken by the micro-financial institutions nearest to them and through which the loans are issued. They must show an existing venture they intend to use the loan to improve. Besides the pre-assessment, there is also the post assessment usually undertaken using standard means of appraisal such as templates to ensure that beneficiaries remain committed to the ideals of the scheme.

In the event of failure of repayments by beneficiaries, his organization will resort to a memorandum of understanding that involved a legal document singed by the guarantors of beneficiaries.

Funding of NAPEP

Funding of the organization comes primarily from the Federal Government through the Millennium Development Goals office. In addition to that is counterpart funding from the Plateau State Government. There is also the NGO, Grassroots Women and Men. The state branches across the nation never receive allocations in the year 2008 however. The money that has been used in 2008 is a rolled over of the financial resources that was meant for 2007 in addition to the N50 million from the state government. In 2008, the Grassroots Women and Men also gave N6 million.

Plan for the Next Six Months

The next six months is a period during which the organization will continue to give out loans says Chris who pointed a stack of application files at a corner of his office. This however depends on the availability of money to give out to beneficiaries. The Coordinator thanked the Governor for his commitment to the poverty alleviation programme through prompt action whenever it matters. The NAPEP boss says the indication from the 2009 budget is that they may get more than they got in 2008

Nigerians Lack Fire Safety Consciousness

The past few months in Plateau State recorded incidences of fire outbreaks during which possessions acquired over years of hard work and sacrifice perished. The frequency of fire outbreaks is usually higher during the dry and windy seasons of the year. As the dry seasons draws nearer, we approached the Plateau State Director of Fire Service, Michael Pam Dung at his office along the Bukuru express way to find out about their plans towards preventing fire accidents in the coming dry season.

Mr. Dung explained that a reasonable degree of prevention of fire outbreaks can be achieved if the fire service has its operations improved upon to a professional standard. This is usually achieved with a good manpower base that is properly trained and welled equipped. The public must also be adequately educated to understand that the fire service knows there is a fire outbreak only when it is informed through phone calls or other efficient means of communication. Majority of the public, he says are ignorant that fire fighting as undertaken by his organization is free. As a result they sometimes prefer to put out fires on their own using manual approaches with all its shortcomings.

One problem his organization has often faced is the problem of chaotic development of residential areas that has often led to the inability of his organization to put out fires as a result of the unavailability of in-roads.

Mr. Dung said that Nigeria is a country where emphasis has often been placed on security consciousness but not on safety consciousness. Safety consciousness however, ensures prevention. He noted that most fire accidents would have been avoided but the lack of a culture of safety consciousness has been responsible for our inability to prevent them leading to lost of lives and belongings. He said that the national fire code is underway and it is hoped that its final passage into law would ensure the enforcement of crucial fire regulations. When that happens he says he is sure the frequency of fire accidents will reduce.

The Plateau State Government according to Dung is now determined to overcome some of the difficulties of the Plateau State Fire Service. More persons have been recruited into the service. An ambulance has also been purchased to help them in their rescue operations for victims of fire accidents. As at the time of granting this interview, Dung said that some equipments have been ordered and are being expected at the end of the week.

Dung called on private organizations to take up the responsibility of sponsoring radio and television programs aimed at creating awareness, as doing so will go a long way towards ensuring they arrive fire accidents sites as quickly as possible. Such forums will also serve as channels for educating the public on fire safety consciousness and its significance.

On the optimal use of Hadejia-Jama’are-Kamadugu-Yobe River Basin

The River Dilimi with its catchment on the Jos Plateau stretches through five other states in the northern part of Nigeria where it is variously known as Hadejia, Jama’are, Kamadugu and Yobe River. These five other states include Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Borno and Bauchi. The river thus supports economic and domestic activities among hundreds of thousands of Nigerians.
Growing challenges resulting from population explosions and the consequent desire for economic activities to support the increasing population has further played up the significance of the river in the various states. This is also coming at a time when the nation’s authorities have devolved powers for generating electricity to the state governments. Some states could thus be considering building water barrier dams across the basin with the intention of generating hydro-electric energy. When this happens, the communities downstream would be prevented from getting access to the water anymore. Already the decision of the Bauchi State Government to build a dam across the basin at Keffin Madaki has resulted in a showdown between the state and the other four, downstream.

The world is indeed a small place. A Plateau man travelling upwards to the northern part of the country may fail to realize that the high velocity and explosive Hadejia River he sees at Kano and Jigawa is the slow and gentle river Dilimi he apparently left behind in Jos. It would be the reason why the river had become his refuse dump resulting in the people suffering all manner of water borne infections downstream as a result of his abuse of the river. At this time of dire need of additional megawatts of electricity, he may also be tempted to build a dam and broaden the irrigation opportunities of his brethren. These considerations informed the hosting of a capacity building workshop for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) which was held at CRUDAN office at Sabon Barki in Jos-south Plateau State.

According to Sam Ishaya, the focal contact person for the Hadejia-Jama’are-Kamadugu-Yobe River Basin project for Plateau State, the aim of the capacity building for the CSOs is for them to in turn train communities with stakes in the river to play strategic and key roles in determining how the water resource is governed and where development project will be carried out, in a more transparent, environmentally friendly, cost effective and efficient manner. Already, there are the Fida, Chalawa and Hadejia dams along the basin. The sensitization will among other things teach approaches by which the demerits of these dams can be minimized as much as possible in addition to ensuring that additional dams are not built. The workshop thus has dam impacts within the basin, policy frameworks of the world commission on dams and water and energy policy advocacy as topics to be addressed during the workshop.

The Delimma of Jassawas of Jos

At the casualty unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, Abdulrazak a Yoruba did not look like the victim of the Jos crisis of November 28, 2008. Following the unusually high number of casualty cases, hospital bed spaces could not meet the demand. Thus the beds were reserved only for the critical cases. Abdulrazk and his younger sibling looked like visitors as they sat on top of the wards’ cupboard for patient’s paraphernalia. The two reside in the Hausa quarters of Rikkos in Jos-North. On the morning following the elections, some Hausa youths launched an attack on a Miango Quarters of Rikkos killing the men and throwing the remaining members of the families out of their houses. The houses were then set ablaze. The Yorubas who happened to live with the Hausas by virtue of Islamic brotherhood could not sleep. They were certain the Miango boys would launch a revenge attack. The Miango boys came some twenty-four hours later. They were according to Abdulrazak, little boys who drew their valor form the heavy weapons with which they were armed. All pleas fell on deaf ears. they later discovered themselves at the casualty unit of JUTH. JUTH, Plateau Hospital, ECWA Evangel Hospital and other auxiliary medical centers became a rendezvous of the living and the death from the different suburbs of the city were ferocious attacks followed the local polls of December 27.

In the terminal years of General Ibrahim Babangida, who ruled Nigerian between 1985 and 1993, Jos-North was created out of Jos Local Government Area (LGA) leaving the remainder as Jos-South. The northern portion happened to be the pearl and pride of the whole of Plateau State, which also included Nassarawa state at the time. The Berom were the predominant indigenous tribe of Jos LGA. The division of the Jos now left only a handful and helpless remnant of the Berom tribe in Jos-North. The other indigenes of Jos-North were the Jarawas and the Anagutas. When all ethnic groups of Nigeria residing in Jos-North are taken into account however, the Hausas who now started calling themselves the Jasawas (Josites) make up the largest ethnic group.

History of Crisis

The first Hausa man to be appointed the Administrator of Jos-North is Samaila Mohammed now representing Jos-North and Bassa LGAs at the House of Representatives in Abuja. He held the postion between 1990 and 1992. In 1994 Col. Mohammed Mana Governor of the state appointed late Aminu Mato as the Administrator of the LGA. It resulted in the first Jos ethno-religious crisis.

On September 2001 Governor Joshua Dariye tried to appoint a Hausa man as the state’s coordinator of the National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP). There were protests by indigenous tribes leading to the reversal of the decision by the Governor. Six days later fighting broke out between the Hausas and the indigenes. It was one of the worst crises ever witnessed in the history of not just Plateau State but the whole nation. Thousands of people died and any progress made in ethnic and religious relations were shattered.

The 2001 crisis in the city of Jos lasted for just three days. The result of the fight however created ripple effects that traveled across the state. The crisis lingered in the form of occasional attacks between the Moslems and the Christians in the different localities across the state. In May, it blew up so severely in the town of Yelwa in Shendam LGA in the south of the state.

Who is an Indigene in Jos-North?

The Yelwa crisis compelled the President, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency in Plateau State. An Administrator appointed by the President replaced the democratically elected Governor of the state Chief Joshua Dariye. During the period of emergency, a peace conference was held and attended by all ethnic groups of Nigeria that are well represented in the state. There were also delegates from social groups, NGOs and trade unions. At the end of the conference, it was agreed that the only indigenous tribes of Jos-North LGA are the Berom, Jarawas and the Anagutas. With the exception of the Hausas, Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Labour Congress and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (an Islamic NGO), all participants endorsed this resolution of the conference.

The Jasawas and the Federal Character

Appointments to fill vacancies in federal ministries, parastatals, and agencies, military and paramilitary organizations are based on the principles of the Federal Character Commission. The Commission allocates job quotas to the thirty-six states of Nigeran and Abuja. The state quotas are in turn shared among the local governments of the state. As long as the Jasawas are not recognized as indigenes of Jos-North, i they don’t stand the chance of getting appointed into these federal organizations. What the indigenes of Jos-North fear is an obvious fact that should the Hausas become citizens they would dominate the quotas available to Jos-North.

How the Hausas Win Elections in Jos-North

It is needless to stress that politics in Nigeria as a whole follow religious and ethnic paths. Of the twenty electoral wards of Jos-North, seven are strongholds of the Jasawas. The remaining thirteen are strongholds of the Christians. Whenever the Jasawas are able to strike a deal with a tribe that is well represented in Jos-North it helpls them to win elections, The Irigwe people make up the second largest ethnic group in Jos-North. In 1996 the Jasawas had a power sharing deal with the Irigwes. It yielded a beautiful dividend as the Jasawas won the set up a government in the LGA. After the 2001 crisis all indigenous tribes became jittery of any political deal with the Jasawas.

Bitrus Kaze’s Scholarship Award Enters Second Year

Legislators in Nigeria have learnt to come to terms with the misunderstanding of the nature of their roles in the administration of the country by many of the folks they represent. A legislature’s responsibility is to make relevant legislation that will help in administering the constituency he represents. The people however don’t understand the difference between the roles of the legislators and the executive. They also expect the legislators to carry out projects. Since the legislators would not want to fall victims of ballot denial as a result of the ignorance of the people, they have resorted to satisfying some of these needs of the people they represent. There are also those who just feel the need to assist, considering the dire need for such assistance in the communities they represent. Such persons go to the extent of using their personal incomes to attend to such needs. The ignorance of the constituents has given rise to constituency allowance usually given officially to legislators to help them attend to these needs.

Honorable Bitrus Kaze is a Member Representing Jos South and East constituencies at the House of Representatives in Abuja. In order to live up to the unconstitutional demand of the people he represents, he last year started a scholarship programme for needy students of his constituency. The Personal Assistant of Honorable Kaze, Pam Dalyop, explained that in 2008, the first year of the programme, a total of 240 students studying at various institutions of higher learning benefitted from the programme. This year, an additional 60 students have been added to raise the total to 300. He says the scholarship is part of the broad effort towards community development as one way of achieving community development is to have an enlightened population that can work and cater for themselves and their extended family circles as is the tradition in Africa.

Dalyop praised his boss whom he referred to as “a law maker with a purpose” who wouldn’t want to make public his activities for the people as he believes his works will speak for him. All he wants from the people is their maximum support to enable him carry on with the responsibility to his people excellently.

A first year medical student of the University of Jos, Kim Dalyop Danboyi who came out of the constituency office with his hands loaded with one thousand naira bills said the initiative is of immense significance as long as students use the money for the purpose for which it is meant. He said he is not going to use his money to buy an expensive mobile phone or a set of fashionable jeans trousers like most students do. He has had a book, Biological Sciences, in mind and intends to use 65% of this allowance to buy that book. The money he says can also be used for the payment of tuition fees, particularly by students in the Polytechnic whose tuitions are highly subsidized. The medical student used himself as a proof to the fact that Kaze’s scholarship is real and admonished students to ensure that the money is put into proper use to help them in their studies.

A Squadron Leader Upholds Family Military Tradition

The Air force girls Comprehensive School again passed out their students during the 7th Speech and Price Giving Day held on June 17. As usual, it was a colorful ceremony with parents coming from across the country to celebrate with their graduating children. One of the parents who came all the way from Lagos was retired Squadron Leader Yusufu Garba Mamman.

One considers self very important when young but considers his children more important once he begins to have them. It was the mood of Squadron Mamman as he gave all attention to his daughter, Maryam who was passing out form Air Force Comprehensive School Jos. The man says his father was a soldier and this compelled him to grow up in the barrack. Eventually he himself joined the military till he retired. Military has thus become a family tradition and explains why Maryam went to Air Force Primary School and eventually Air Force Secondary School together with her siblings. Coincidentally, the school has maintained a remarkably high standard since it was founded in 1987. Thus his decision to educate his children in the school makes a lot of sense.

Despite the obvious financial rigidity of Mr. Mamman he says he is not sending his daughter abroad for University education just like most affluent Nigerians now do. His reason is that she is too young to be sent to a foreign country where she will be her own guardian. He prefers her to be close to him. When reminded that the Nigerian education sector particularly at the tertiary level has been the subject of endless crisis for long and that as we were talking the Academic Staff Union of Universities are on strike, Mr. Mamman expressed his strong conviction that the situation will be resolved for the benefit of all parties and Nigerians at large.

Nigeria and Obama’s Visit to Ghana

Nigeria’s democracy suffers from epilepsy and would not function properly. It ensures that only the incumbent wins an election. Members of the opposition parties have thus been defecting to the ruling party. Nigeria is practically now a one-party state.

Foreigners from outside Africa often say that Nigeria is the most conspicuous African nation. By extension, its sins are also conspicuous and Americans have also seen them. The administration of Barack Obama has not hidden its displeasure with the path of events in Nigeria. Thus it chose not to come to Nigeria despite Nigeria’s leading role in Sub-Saharan Africa. it means that Nigeria is still an outsider in the circle of nations, a status it suffered during the military era. It also means that Nigeria during and after the military era has remained the same.

While Obama’s refusal to come to Nigeria is a source of pain to Nigerian leaders, it is a source of joy to the ordinary man. Professor Jubril Aminu who is presently a Senator and who served as a Minister of Education and Petroleum Resources at different times during the military era condemns Obama’s action. According to him, “Obama should have come to Nigeria and scold us here. It would have made more sense.” Again he says, “I don’t have anything against Ghana, but Obama shouldn’t have been specific by pronouncing Nigerian democracy as sinister as one of his aides told us when we visited the White House.” These comments seem to express the mind of a man that has chosen to remain stiff-necked. On the other hand, an ordinary Nigerian commented mockingly on VOA Hausa on the morning of the second day of Obama’s visit to Ghana saying, “Aso Rock has a history of electric power failure and Obama would not compromise his security. He could be shot in the dark.” Too harsh one would say, but the Nigeria situation is capable of provoking such vitriolic comments.

In case the Nigeria leadership cannot troubleshoot, the hitch has now been diagnosed for them. There are more than six billion pair of eyes now staring at it to see whether it cherishes material possession or its integrity.