Reducing burden of out-of-school children among orphans, less privileged in Kaduna community

By Aisha Gambo

The number four goal of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is quality education. It aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to quality higher education by 2030.​

Education helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.​

Education is an essential right of every child no matter the location or circumstances, but many children have been deprived of this right in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

According to a recent report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), about 20 million Nigerian children are out of school in 2022.

The figure is a far-reaching increase from the 10.5 million recorded by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in 2020.

UNESCO had in the report stated that the number of out of school children increased due to  the challenge of insecurity and kidnapping of school children in the country.

According to the UNICEF, 40 per cent of Nigerian children in the North aged between six and 11 years, especially girls, do not attend any primary school.

In Rigasa ward of Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna state, about 100 orphans who have been out of school due to the death of  their parents had the opportunity to study for free.

The orphans are not required to pay school fees, text books or writing materials except school uniform.

Also, children whose parents were low income earners or persons living with disability had access to subsidized education paying N500 only monthly.

Mrs Rahma Umar, a 25-year-old woman and the founder of Rahma Adam Community School, says the school was established to assist orphans and the less privileged with free and affordable education.

“I was raised in Rigasa and I know how the locals view education; most of them don’t know the value of education and those who know the value cry of high school fees.

“Of course, there are public schools that provide free education but the population is enormous and you will find more than hundred pupils in a class.

“These schools are not enough to cater for all Rigasa children, many parents cannot afford private schools and orphans who lost their breadwinners find it hard to go to school.

“When I finished secondary school , I couldn’t further my education because my parents couldn’t afford it. I was not happy but my grandmother spoke to someone whom knows a state assembly member who paid for my JAMB examination.

“And I when I got admission to study Science Laboratory Technology at Kaduna Polytechnic, that same man paid for the registration fee; I was happy because I got help when I never expected it.

“This is what motivated me to help children who want to go to school but have no means and when I completed my National Diploma, I decided to establish this school for orphans and the less privilege”, she said.

Mrs Umar says it was a difficult task finding a suitable location for the school as many landlords refused to give out their place for rent due to the charitable nature of the school.

“When I told my mother about my plan to establish a school for orphans and the less privilege she told me that it will be hard and advised I forget the plan.

“The school was launched on October 9, 2022 and I was lucky to have teachers who volunteered to teach for free for a month and I paid them subsequently with the gains I made from my food business.

“Apart from teaching, we make sure we monitor the attendance of learners; in cases where a pupil is absent, we call parents or guardian to enquire of the child’s whereabouts”, she said.

What criteria does the school engage to enroll students?

The school is open for orphans and  less privileged children whose parents are earning low. The school has about 160 pupils and 30 students consisting of nursery one to three, primary one to six and J.S.S one to three classes.

Each child has to pay N100 for school form where his or her data will be documented and submitted to the school.

“Only children whose parents are not alive and those whose parents are either disabled or low income earners are accepted.

“We make sure we carry out test before sending them to a class because some children who attended public school may say they are in primary four but when you test them, you will have to send them to primary one.

“Since it’s a community school, we accept children from the community to enroll so that we can know their residents and their care givers”, she said.

Students share their experiences about Rahma Adam Community School

Maryam Abubakar a J.S.S 1 student said she had to drop out of school after finishing primary six because her father died.

“I couldn’t further my education because I have to help my mother with her tofu business; I have to hawk everyday so that we can eat.

“I had to spend a year without school until my mother heard about Rahma Adam community school and registered me there to continue my education for free.

“I thank God for this opportunity and I am happy to be back in school; when I finish school, I will want to become a customs officer”, she said.

Jafar Ibrahim, a primary four pupil, said he had lost his father when he was a baby which made his mother to send him to a public school.

He said he find it hard to learn and comprehend effectively due to the population in his former school, saying he understands maths and English better in his present school.

Another pupil, Zulaihat Ismail, said she was attending a private school before her father lost his job, adding that she was staying at home before the community school was launched.

“My father paid N500 school fees and I was given exercise books and pencils to write; they teach us English , Maths, Social Studies, Basic Science and the rest”, she said.

Has the school reduced the burden of education on low-income families?

Caregivers said that with the free education for orphans they can concentrate on hustling for what to eat and feed their wards.

Other parents who pay N500 monthly fee said the amount was affordable and had given them opportunity to enroll more of their children in school.

Amina Usman, a grandmother to one of the pupil of Rahma Adam Community School said her son was killed and left her with his two children.

“I was able to enroll the elder one in a public school and the junior one has been enrolled into the community school and I am happy it is free and she’s learning fast.

“These are the kind of schools NGOs and wealthy individuals are supposed to support, so as to bridge the gap in education between the poor and the rich”, she said.

Halima Muhammad, a house wife said she had enrolled six of her children in the community school because their father couldn’t afford to pay high school fees for all the children.

“We want quality education for our children but we can’t afford it; with schools like this, I am sure many poor children would have access to education.

“The school’s founder has really tried in this era where everyone is looking for how to make profit but she established a school to help the poor; we pray the school grow bigger and the quality sustained”, she said.

Meanwhile, the community head of Police Station Road, Rigasa, Mai Unguwa Usman Bagobiri said the school will help children in the community get access to quality education at a low cost.

“Parents have no excuse of not sending their wards to school; lack of education is the main cause of the social ills of theft, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy among others.

“This school is a welcome development to the community, if we can have more schools like this then Rigasa will be better”, he said

How Rahma Adam Community School teachers cope with volunteering.

Abbas Yahuza said he and other people willingly volunteered to teach orphans and less privileged children with the small token some parents pay.

“The school is young , so we are giving our best to ensure our junior ones are educated hoping that in the nearest future, aids will come and the school will be bigger than this.

“Some of us go to public schools and teach as volunteers, so when this school was established for orphans and the less privileged, we thought it wise to contribute our quota.

“Even though the founder had paid some of the teachers, some of us refused to collect anything because we know that the school is not profit oriented.

Faiza Salis, another teacher, said the passion to help the poor made her to serve as a volunteer in the school, saying she go back to her business after school.

“We hope that NGOs, CSOs, corporate bodies and philanthropists will support the school with a permanent place, reading and writing materials,” she said.

How does the school hope to sustain this venture?

Running a non-profit organisation like a community school is not an easy task for a young woman like me, Mrs Umar said.

“Our main challenge is to have a permanent site where we don’t have to deal with the fear of being evicted or  paying rent.

“We want to continue giving free and quality education to orphans and we need more funds to do this because those paying N500 monthly are not consistent.

“We have contacted some NGOs and politicians to assist the school with reading and writing materials.

“Some have given us books while others have made pledges; we are hoping that by next term, we will have tables and chairs for our students to learn effectively.

“Though I have teaching experience as I have taught in private schools, I will pursue my degree in the field of education to have better understanding on running a school,” she said. (NAN)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

**If used, credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Firm develop software to promote strategic  service delivery in MDAs

Software

By Dorcas Jonah

Abuja, Dec. 30, 2022 (NAN) Mrs Offiong Anyanwu, Chief Executive Officer of STRANSFORM, a Strategy Consulting Firm, says the  firm had developed a software to promote strategic and focused service deliveries  in Ministries, Departments and Agencies ( MDAs)

Anyanwu stated this in a statement  by the firm’s spokesman, Mr Anthony Anyanwu on Friday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that  the software known as Issues Identification Resolution Mechanism (IIRM) is a root cause analysis tool for  solving problems.

NAN also report that the software  is aimed at facilitating achievement of deliverables and consequently Mandate optimisation in MDAs.

Anyanwu said that the idea was muted in the Presidential delivery unit in 2017 for identification and resolution of issues in the Social Investment Programmes.

”In 2019, STRANSFORM expanded its capabilities and developed the mechanism into a Software.

“It deploys logical iteration and critical thinking for issue identification, subsequent resolution and knowledge management,” he said.

Anyanwu said that the objective of the software was to ensure proactive identification of issues and challenges that could impact negatively on attainment of deliverables of MDAs’  mandate.

”This software was successfully deployed in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development to facilitate optimisation of its mandate.

”The resultant effect was the all green score card achieved by the Ministry in the recently concluded Ministerial Mandate Review Retreat 2022.

”The software has been deployed across the agencies of the ministry,” he said.

She said the  software is the game changer for intentional achievement of not only ministerial deliverables but also attainment of Governments priority area objectives.

”Interaction with the software will result in a new breed of strategic result focused civil servants that will change the narrative associated with the level of productivity in the service.

Anyanwu said that the software was deployed in October through November 2022 at the instance of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development.

She  said plans are in place to deploy the software across various MDAs.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

DE/JPE

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(Edited by Joseph Edeh)

Expert identifies poverty, failed courtship as major causes of divorce

By Mujidat Oyewole

Divorce

Ilorin, Dec. 29, 2022 (NAN) An expert, Justice AbdulQadir Umar has identified poverty and failed courtship as major causes of divorce in the country.

He also said failure of couple to understand what they like and dislike during courtship before agreeing to enter marriage relationship as another factor.

Umar, a Senior judge at Area Court, Ilorin, explained the major causes of divorce in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin.

He said that one of the major causes of domestic violence, which eventually leads to divorce was poverty, adding that hardship makes people to misbehave.

“People behave well when they have money, they do what is expected of them, especially husbands, they do all their responsibilities and ignore unnecessary issues that may arise.

“Some people however find it difficult to say they don’t have money, thereby turning their frustration to violence, which is one of the causes of divorce.

“There is this saying that when poverty enters through the door, love fly out through the window, which is the beginning of aggression, attitudes and violence,” the judge said.

Umar explained that poverty make couple to stop tolerating each other, especially when husband could not provide for the family, some wives leave the marriage, while others stay but give lot of trouble.

He revealed that judges usually find ways to delay divorce, thereby giving couples chance to reconcile, but when the marriage could not be mended they order for divorce, but to only applicants.

“Lots of divorce had occurred without appearing in court, the same thing with broken marriages, meanwhile some issues would have been resolved through proper justice,” he said.

The judge said that when husband and wife could no longer live together in peace, then it is better for them to separate than committing murder and various kind of grievous hurt on themselves.

He further said that there was need for people to understand marriage before venturing into it, because many failed marriages began with nonchalant attitude of couple during courtship.

“Marriage is not about age, status or financial capability, but the determination to make the relationship work through sacrifice and compromise.

“It is not possible to sacrifice always and one cannot compromise everything because marriage is beyond love, so there is need to know what you can and cannot tolerate before marriage,” he said.

Umar therefore advised youths to follow some steps before marriage, including physical appearance; especially women beauty, urging men to settle for women of their choice.

“Financial background is important before settling down for marriage, especially for women who like material things, then family background, in terms of religion, tribe, culture, civilisation, and method of celebrating and mourning.

“Educational background is also important, in terms of level of western education, skills acquired and his or her perspective about life generally,” he said.

The judge noted that there was no need to ask lots of question before one could know everything during courtship, major thing needed is attention and be sensitive to all happenings while together.

“Habits will definitely reveal itself, the only thing is that you may choose to ignore the bad side or believe you can change your spouse, which is dangerous and may affect the relationship,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

MOB/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

“Child mortality: How Katsina traditional rulers help in uptake of routine immunisation

By Zubairu Idris, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Undoubtedly, children below five years in African countries like Nigeria are lagging behind in vaccine uptake during child immunization compared to their counterparts in the developed nations.

Unimmunized children risk high morbidity and mortality. Such children are more exposed to attack by vaccine preventable diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles among others.

According to studies, immunisation helps children to grow up healthy, happy as well as enable them to walk, play and learn.

Experts identified many factors responsible for lower coverage of immunisation, some of which included misconception about the vaccines, distance, and security challenges, among others.

In order to boost wider coverage, government at all levels, and other relevant stakeholders, continue to collaborate to boost coverage for the betterment of children.

In Katsina state, the government has been up-and-doing to ensure that all eligible children received the required doses of the vaccines.

One of such initiative is the involvement of traditional rulers in the exercise to ensure wider coverage.

The State Immunisation Officer, Hajiya Sahura Muhammad, said that District and Ward Heads are being given feedback on regular basis to know performance of their Local Government Areas in terms of coverage.

“”Where we need their support, we usually engage them to support our vaccination teams in their areas for wider coverage, and we have been making progress,”” she said.

According to her, Katsina has 1,636 facilities, which is the state with the highest number of facilities offering immunisation services in the country.

Muhammad further said that the state has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) on conducting outreaches, dialogues, and data quality assessment on routine immunisation.

“”We usually have technical committees that go to the LGAs and take necessary action,”” she said.

Impact of involving traditional rulers in the system

The State Immunisation Officer said that the traditional rulers’ engagement has contributed immensely in boosting coverage, which resulted in improving the child healthcare services and consequently reduced infants’ mortality.

To buttress that, the UNICEF Chief of Kano Field Office, Mr Rahama Mohammed-Farah, said that Katsina has reduced under-five mortality by 29 per cent between 2011 and 2021.

He said that was shown in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 2021, launched on Dec. 5, 2022, in Katsina.

Though the state has made progress in that respect, he said there was still a need to do more to enhance child healthcare services in the state.

Furthermore, an investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on routine immunisation in Kankia local government area, indicated that Tafashiya community is among the wards with the highest immunisation coverage.

Alhaji Sani Yusuf, the Ward Head of Tafashiya, said that the efforts of the state government have contributed immensely in reducing high child morbidity and mortality.

He said that they met with Imams and village heads on regular basis to educate them on the importance of antenatal and child healthcare services.

“”There is a great improvement unlike before, both child morbidity and mortality has reduced drastically compared to five years ago.

“”Here, we recorded cases of these child killer diseases on daily basis, where parents spend a lot of money to treat their children, and sometimes, the illnesses lead to the children deaths.

“”We now hardly record cases of child mortality in our entire community.

“”Our people are now enlightened, husbands give their wives money to travel to Kankia for antenatal or child care services like routine immunization.

“”Even today, there was a woman who asked me to find out for her in Kankia, about the antenatal service being conducted.

“”We don’t have this before, but now everybody is aware of the importance of both antenatal and child healthcare services,”” he said.

Yusuf revealed that in the first instance, husbands sponsor their wives to Kankia for antenatal care because several tests would be conducted on them.

He said that they would later come back to Tafashiya health centre for regular antenatal service, unless if there is need for going back to Kankia.

According to him, there is a meeting on a monthly basis to discuss issues relating to women and children healthcare.

The meeting, he said, involved health experts, traditional leaders and other stakeholders, including Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and other stakeholders to discuss the way forward, and that has been yielding positive results.

Moreover, Malam Ibrahim Adamu, a resident of the community, said that he has a better understanding of the importance of child Immunisation.

He said that before now, they have been battling with child killer diseases and spending a lot on treatment.

Adamu said that since they embraced the exercise through the involvement of traditional rulers in the area, child morbidity and mortality have reduced drastically.

“”Hardly now you hear case of child killer diseases outbreak or deaths as a result of such vaccine preventable diseases in our community,”” he said.

Routine Immunisation in enhancing child healthcare

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), immunisation is the foundation of the primary healthcare system and an indisputable human right.

It said there are now vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages to live longer.

According to the WHO, in spite of the tremendous progress in the area, many people around the world – including nearly 20 million infants each year, have insufficient access to vaccines.

Experts say that insufficient access to vaccines is among factors responsible for high morbidity and mortality rate.

According to the available data from the UNICEF, infant mortality in Nigeria currently stands at 69 per 1,000 live births, while for under five, it rises to 128 per 1,000 live births.

More than half of the under five deaths, 64 per cent – result from malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, Katsina state also made a significant improvement in Penta 3 coverage of 41 per cent.

Also, the state immunization officer said that, the state was able to exceed the set target of 90 per cent coverage in the vaccines with the exception of three antigens.

“”The only areas we are having problem are Hepatitis B, IPV 2 and Measles 2.

“”We recorded less than 80 per cent coverage unlike the other vaccines where we recorded up to 100 per cent and above,”” she said.

She explained that a child was supposed to start immunization immediately after delivery, or before reaching two weeks.

“”If a child is brought two weeks after delivery, it means that child has missed some level of protection against vaccinated diseases, and as such, will be among unimmunized children,”” she said.

Challenges encountered

The immunization officer said that IPV2 was introduced recently, but up to now, some mothers and caregivers are not bringing back their children to receive the second dose.

Also, measles second dose is given after a child reached 15 months, “”the chance of bringing back their children to receive the second dose is low.

“”That is why we have been telling our service providers to enlighten caregivers during Antenatal care to start immunization immediately after delivery,”” she said.

Moreover, security challenges in some local governments are another major problem, because the vaccination teams cannot reach many communities in such LGAs, and they may have IDPs.

Muhammad further revealed that whenever people are displaced, there are tendencies of having a lot of vaccine preventable diseases outbreak such as cholera, gastroenteritis and whooping cough among them.

Again, sometimes there is a problem of supply of some antigens. This one is a nationwide problem.

“”If caregivers come to our facilities and we tell them that we don’t have vaccines, go and come back after some times, they usually fail to come back,”” she said.

Addressing the challenges

Muhammad said in terms of security challenge, they cannot do anything on their part.

However, she said, “”I know there are efforts being put in place by the government and other stakeholders to address the situation.””

She also said that the Georgetown Global Health Nigeria was in Katsina to support the LGAs in terms of immunisation and other healthcare services for both women and children in the front line areas.

“”We are even going to start outbreak response in the 11 LGAs. We list the settlements not being reached through our efforts.

“”They will engage Red Cross International and local people who can deliver services to women and children in such communities. So, this is part of our mitigation plans,”” she said.

Muhammad also said that they have what they called “”hit-and-run strategy”” in partially accessible communities in the state.

According to her, the vaccination teams deliver services in such areas and come back within a short period of time.

If such efforts are sustained, the state would have a wider coverage in routine immunization where its children would grow up healthy, happy and educated as well enable them contribute positively to the development of the society in the future. (NAN)
Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz
**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“

Solidarity Day: How gender, equity and fairness play out in Aleyita Football Field

By Magdalene Ukuedojor

On a cool Thursday evening in Aleyita, 11 young players trade tackles with an opposing team; they dribble and defend their post, riding their team to a 1:0 victory.

The winning goal is scored by Vivian Jonathan, the only girl in an ‘all boys’ football team.

This game is one in a series of spectacular football matches the Aleyita Community, located along Airport Road in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, has witnessed in the last three years.

The community and other spectators troop in to watch Vivian match strength for strength with her male counterparts since 2019 when she joined the team at 10 years old.

At 13, she heads the team as captain of Green Soccer Academy.

The beauty of this football club is in the solidarity that Vivian’s teammates and her coaches, who are all male, exhibited to make sure she settles in to give her best on a field dominated by boys.

This is the spirit behind the celebration of the International Human Solidarity Day, declared by the United Nations in 2005.

The UN General Assembly, by resolution 60/209 identified solidarity as one of the fundamental and universal values that should underlie relationship between peoples in the twenty-first century.

In that regard, it proclaimed 20 December of each year as International Human Solidarity Day.

The day promotes global cooperation and solidarity.

The day celebrates unity in diversity and raises public awareness of the importance of solidarity; wherein those who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most.

Solidarity is mutual support within a group; an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes.

It is the ties in a society that bind people together as one.

The young football players in Aleyita demonstrate solidarity at its best.

Since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, women have clamoured for inclusion, equity, fairness and gender equality in social and political sectors.

Women bills for affirmative action have been debated on the floor of the National Assembly for more visibility and leadership roles assigned to women.

On April 6, 2022, Nigeria’s judicial system granted 35 per cent allocation of all appointments to women.

The court ordered the Nigerian Government to implement the National Gender Policy which provides for the allocation of 35 per cent of all appointments to women.

The judgment was by Justice Donatus Okorowo, of a Federal High Court in Abuja, in favour of Women in Politics Forum, who filed the suit.

The situation is no different in sports, which is maximally male-dominated.

Although the national women football team- the Super Falcons have made the country proud by dominating their games in the African continent and other international games, there is still the need for more women players and women football leagues in the country.

While Nigeria still strives to project women and grant them more opportunities to soar, the Greenland Soccer Academy has led by example for three years, by working in solidarity with their only female team member.

How Vivian got to play in a boys’ team

“I love seeing boys play football and the ball they play gives me joy so I told my mummy I wanted to play football.

“She wasn’t happy at first because she had better career choices for me than football but she could not stop my interest in football, so she reluctantly let me play for fun,”Vivian said.

Vivian said she was about 8 years old when she exhibited her love for football, and as the last child in a family of 6, her parents let her play in the midst of other children while her siblings were given chores.

Now at 13 and a Junior Secondary School (JSS) 3 student of JSS Aleyita, she is proud to be a football team’s captain.

“I started playing till I got people that supported me to play in this club. I joined the Greenland Soccer Academy in 2019. I am a midfielder and over the years, I also rose to become the captain of the team,”she said.

Vivian’s coach, Chukwubuike Obona, also known as Coach Chike, said he started the Greenland Academy in 2013 in the Federal Capital Territory.

“I discovered Vivian when she was 10 years old on the streets when they were playing; I encouraged her to start coming to my team.

“I started coaching her, and then I met her parents as well. I let them know that I want the girl to play football because I saw potential and a great future in her.

“Initially they did not agree, they wanted her to do other things that females do but when they saw that she picked interest whenever football was mentioned or played, or instantly developed a fever if she wasn’t allowed to go to the pitch, they let her come out to play.”

Coach Chike said that Vivian’s presence in the male-dominated club had caused uproar in Aleyita Community in the early days of coaching.

“Members of her family and the community had to summon a meeting; they tried to dissuade her from football but after series of meetings and advocacy, her father stood his ground.

“What also helped was that her uncle is the present chief of the community; their influence created acceptance although half-heartedly at first, but now the community is very proud of her achievements and often gather to watch her dribble the boys,”Coach Chike said.

Why was Vivian made captain of the team?

“I saw her seriousness; she was much organised. Equally, a whole other people that were older than her listened to and respected her.

“I observed this for some time and then made her the captain. I have never regretted that decision because when I am not around she sets every programme for practice just as if I am there.

“Also, when I am not around, the team follows her every move and lead, there are no clashes,” Coach Chike said.

Her teammates say there are no discriminations or disparity on the football field and are free to tackle their captain irrespective of her gender.

Wisdom Wilson, 13, and a student of Junior Secondary School, Maitama also plays in the Greenland Soccer Academy.

“Vivian is very good with the ball and that is why she was picked as the captain and not because she is the only girl in the team.

“We all see ourselves as equals and not like she is a girl and we are boys.

“And because we are teammates, we protect her in the community; even if other boys want to fight her, she has a whole team of boys looking out for her in the community,” he said.

Another teammate, Mohammed Suleiman and student of Junior Secondary School Aleyita, says although they trade tackles on the field with their female captain, it is all healthy competition.

“It feels very good playing in the team, Vivian tackles me a lot in the field, I tackle her too; sometimes we put leg for her to fall if she tackles us too much although it is all healthy competition.

“We need other girls in the team because we are a unique team here.

“What we do as a team for our captain is that we make sure that other girls and boys do not tease, discriminate nor laugh at her because she is playing football with boys,” Suleiman said.

The solidarity displayed by these young players has impacted the community greatly; more families are seeing the need to introduce their female children to football.

Chiagoziem Nneji, a 9-year-old girl of Pilot Science School, Wuse, has just joined the team, now she looks up to the captain and other male teammates to horn her skills.

“Vivian encourages me to play more because I love football and I like playing it.

“I started playing in this team because I feel it’s the best place to play and I have a companion.

“My parents want me to be a doctor but footballers now earn more money than doctors and football is what gives me joy, what I like to play,” she said.

There are many benefits to playing ball and doing it in solidarity the young players say.

After their matches, they wash their jerseys and help each other complete their household chores.

Coach Chike says that football in Aleyita has curbed unruly behaviour as the young players have no time to indulge in vices after school hours and gruelling football practice in the evenings.

He, however, ensures that the game does not in any way diminish their educational prowess as he makes them practice only twice weekly on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings.

There are high hopes for these players with great potential in Aleyita.

Vivian hopes to follow in the steps of her hero- Asisat Oshoala, a Super Falcon star, who has continued to make Nigeria proud with her skills.

But for a community team to raise such shining stars, Assistant Coach of Greenland Academy, Coach Andrew Bangs, says the young players need sponsorship to replace worn out jerseys, balls, boots and other practice equipment.

“The coaches most times task themselves and the players to afford sporting gears and hire buses to play matches outside Aleyita,” Bangs said.

In spite of these challenges, the team looks forward to receiving more female players as it is very open to gender mainstreaming and with solidarity, they can achieve more just as they have with Vivian and Chiagoziem.(NAN)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

By Magdalene Ukuedojor, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

At 18, every Nigerian who is registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and possesses a Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is eligible to vote during elections.

However, when you can barely see to sieve through the write ups and logos of the different political parties vying for attention, that right is taken from you.

For the blind, braille is preferable at voting polls while for those with albinism, a different set of help is needed – a magnifying glass which is an instrument that can block sun rays and magnify the words on the ballot papers.

UN Albinism Ambassador, Mr Jake Epelle, turned 18 in 1979. Eligible to vote, but had to wait 40 long years to exercise this right.

“I never voted in Nigeria until I was 58 and the reason is not farfetched, it’s because the process was not conducive.

There was no introduction of solution devices like magnifying glasses so it was practically impossible for me to vote because I couldn’t see plainly the tiny logos on the ballot papers,” Epelle said.

Epelle was born with albinism, a group of inherited disorders characterised by little or no melanin production.

Most people with albinism have pale skin, eye conditions and are sensitive to the sun.

It is estimated that over 2million people with albinism live in Nigeria. Many are faced with stigmatisation and discrimination.

In Africa, research has shown that the prevalence of albinism generally ranges from 1 person in 5,000 to as low as 1 person in 15,000.

It has been reported that some selected populations in Southern Africa have high prevalence rates.

Prevalence as high as 1 in 1,000 were reported for selected populations in Zimbabwe and other specific ethnic groups in Southern Africa.

Just like Epelle, a good number of persons with albinism in Nigeria were disenfranchised due to lack of modalities to aid a smooth electoral process.

Epelle was able to cast his first vote in the 2019 elections at 58, using a magnifying glass.

In the Electoral Act of 2010, it was enshrined in Section 56, subsection 1, that:

A voter who is blind or is otherwise unable to distinguish symbols or who suffers from any other physical disability may be accompanied into the polling unit by a person chosen by him.

“And that person shall, after informing the presiding officer of the disability, be permitted to accompany the voter into the voting compartment and assist the voter to make his mark in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the commission.”

Also, subsection 2 of the same Act on blind and incapacitated voters stated that:

“The commission may take reasonable steps to ensure that voters with disabilities are assisted at the polling place by the provision of suitable means of communication, such as braille, large embossed print or electronic devices or sign language interpretation, or off-site voting in appropriate cases.”

The ‘may’ clause used in subsection 2 of the Act did not give stringent powers for the inclusion and insistence of the use of tools to aid persons with disability during election.

The advocacy that made the change in the Electoral Act

The Albino Foundation, founded in 2006, collaborated with other stakeholders to initiate strategic advocacy to prioritise the needs of persons with disability (PWDs) which include those with albinism.

The foundation engaged government agencies, the electoral body- INEC, National Assembly and various other stakeholders in talks and meetings to understand the need for the inclusion of PWDs in the electoral process.

It granted interviews to the press, featured on talk shows, made presentations during National Assembly retreats, engaged in lobbying to underscore the need to amend certain areas in the Electoral Act to favour PWDs.

The advocacy yielded results in 2021, when some clauses proposed by the foundation was part of the amended electoral law.

On Feb. 25, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2022 Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law, the new Act ‘2022 Electoral Act’ repealed the Electoral Act 2010.

In the new Act, in Section 54, subsection 2, the word ‘may’ has been changed to ‘shall’ which is more solid and binding for the provision of aids.

It states: “The commission shall take reasonable steps to ensure that persons with disabilities, special needs and vulnerable persons are assisted at the polling place by the provision of suitable means of communication, such as braille, large embossed print, electronic devices, sign language interpretation, or offsite voting in appropriate cases.”

The 2022 Electoral Act also depicts gender and name sensitivity in including ‘her’ and ‘visually impaired’ where otherwise it stated only ‘him’ and ˜his’ and captured ‘blind’ in the Electoral Act 2010.

“A voter with visual impairment or other form of disability who is otherwise unable to distinguish symbol or who suffers from any other physical disability may be accompanied into the polling unit by a person chosen by him or her.

“And that person shall, after informing the presiding officer of the disability, be permitted to accompany the voter into the voting compartment and assist the voter to make his or her mark in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the commission.” -Section 54, subsection 1, 2022 Electoral Act.

“Of course, it’s not a matter of semantics or use of words,” Epelle says.

“The latter gives more legal impetus and mandate to INEC, it is now a must. In 2010 you couldn’t take INEC to court because they did not factor in the disability in the electoral process.

“Now in 2022, I can take INEC to court if they do not incorporate disability in the electoral process.

“If they don’t use magnifying glasses, I can go to court and it can actually nullify the election so now it’s a legal issue.

“It’s binding on them to ensure that they make this provision and ensure that it is part of their operations, it is operationalised and the people that will use it will indeed use it,” Epelle said.

He advised any organisation or group that wants to advocate for certain rights to engage a legal team and consult widely.

“We brought the community together and all agreed we were going to do this; we put together a legal team and the legal team drafted the clauses.

“It was more than two but we got only two into the Act; we made amendments where wrong terminologies were used and all that and then we went to the National Assembly.

How the Magnifying Glass was introduced

Armed with the Act to provide suitable means of communication, the foundation set out to propose to INEC the use of magnifying glasses for those with visual impairment and persons with albinism.

Different brands and types of the magnifying glasses have been tried remotely since the 2015 elections and have continued to evolve after use with input from the users.

In the Nov. 18 Anambra Elections of 2017, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, told the EU Observer Mission to Nigeria led by Mr Santiago Ayxela, that the provision of the magnifying glasses was part of the commission’s efforts to ensure inclusiveness in the elections.

In 2019 general elections, the tool was also used by some persons with albinism and other visually impaired.

But with the victory of a more vibrant clause for PWDs in the 2022 Electoral Act, the foundation boldly engaged with INEC to procure a more user-friendly magnifying glass for its elections going forward.

This highly effective model was used during the Ekiti Governorship Election in June and Osun Governorship Election in July.

Its outstanding features are the high definition HD lenses, lighting effects with knobs to increase or decrease light shades to adjust to the user’s eyes and a smart handle with a solid grip.

The attendant result of this, has spurred more persons with albinism to confidently register for their PVC, knowing that they will, without stress, vote smoothly in the 2023 General Elections.

This is affirmed in the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD)’s analysis and results, after the validation of eligible voters with disabilities for the 2023 General Elections.

“Total Number of Persons with Disabilities registered for 2023 Elections using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) are 84,072.

“Of this number, registered persons with albinism are 20,345, making 24 per cent of the registered voters, the analysis showed.

This user-friendly magnifying glass is also branded to avoid it getting into the open market. “Not for sale, property of INEC is inscribed on it.

Stakeholders have commended INEC for championing inclusion and improving on ways to ensure that PWDs participate maximally during elections.

INEC, on its part, has pledged to continue to promote the inclusivity of persons with disabilities in electoral processes by advancing their rights and participation.

“I must say from the outset that PWDs are citizens and have the right to participate in all areas of human activity without stigma or discrimination.

“Their systematic exclusion on account of disability has affected a significant part of the Nigerian population from effective participation in many areas of human endeavour, especially political and leadership roles at all levels. This is unacceptable.

“The National Population Commission estimates that at least 19 million Nigerians are living with disabilities.

“From our records, many of them are registered voters.

“We owe it a duty to our democratic and electoral processes, as well as national growth and development, to encourage their active participation as citizens with equal rights, INEC Chairman Yakubu said.

The Albino Foundation maintains that the magnifying glass used for the electoral process is not only for the use of people with albinism but for any visually impaired at polling units.

In spite of many successes, many limitations exist, the numbers of people with albinism and their clusters in local government areas and polling units across the country are still outstanding.

20,345 eligible voters, spread across the country, needing magnifying glasses may be a herculean task to achieve in the short space of time.

A fair knowledge of which locations and voting units is needed to measure the number of assistive devices like the magnifying glasses to be deployed by INEC for use in polling units.

Although the Albino Foundation is in the process of creating a database and app to assist INEC locate clusters that would need the magnifying glasses, Nigeria’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections billed for February 25, 2023, is in less than three months.

It is, however, hoped that the 2023 census which Nigeria has scheduled to undertake after the elections, will ensure an accurate database for all sectors.

It will put an end to conflicting figures and lack of accurate data for PWDs, including those with albinism.

That way, resources will be equitably distributed and accountability assured.

**If used please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Addressing the educational needs of victims of conflict in Plateau IDP camps

By Martha Agas

Nigeria is ranked as the third highest African country with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of which 56 per cent of them are less than 18 years. In a recent report by the Displacement Matrix Index of International Organisation of Migrations , there are 73,891 IDPs in Plateau alone resulting mostly from communal crisis and herders/farmers clashes in some of its local government areas.

One of these local government is Bassa in northern Plateau which has being hit with more than 73 episodes from 2015 till date. The worse hit in the local government is Miango District of the Irigwe chiefdom, which according to records of the State Emergency Management Agency, more than 3,000 children have been reported displaced in three communities within few months of eruption of crises.

This has caused setbacks in access to education forcing the affected children to lag behind among their peers in academics. According to the Digest of Basic Education Statistics report, out of the 659,930 children of ages six to 11 enrolled in both public and private schools in Plateau, 335,865 have been estimated to be out of school.

The consequence of these is that towns like Miango and Mistali have continued to experience influx of many IDPs, seeking safety resulting from the aftermath of the conflicts.

For some members of these host communities, the situation has inspired them to think outside the box to seek ways of addressing the education gap of the children. This is through establishing schools to help them especially as there are few public schools to accommodate their population.

One of such schools is Calvary Arrow Nursery and Primary Academy in Miango town which was established in 2020 to help displaced and less privileged children. The school located at a temporary site at the premises of St John’s Catholic Church in Miango currently has pupils for nursery to primary four classes.

The school was founded with 23 children comprising of 10 displaced children and three indigents, and two years later it has a population of about 90 pupils of which 46 are displaced children and 10 indigents.

The founder, Mr Amos Emmanuel a graduate of Guidance and Counselling from Federal College of Education Pankshin said in addition to the security challenges, he was also inspired to establish the school by his final year research project on “ The impact of counselling services on traumatic experience of Fulani herdsmen Attack in Irigwe Chiefdom.“

“ The crisis started in 2016 when I resumed my programme but even before I finished school, I saw the challenge and need to help my community most especially displaced children, orphans and the less privileged. The school started in late 2020 when I finished my degree programme. We currently have displaced children from Jiri, Jebbu Miango, Zogu, Kwashe, Rewienku, Nche-shwerishi, Ri-Bakwa from Kwall district, La`ake -Ansa.

“This is to contribute our quota to the community to become a better place and also to give hope especially to these IDPs who lost their parents. We believe that through this school, we are contributing our quota to the community, “ he said.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PUPILS
The school targets displaced children and indigents. One of its major objectives is to give hope to the despondent mostly IDPs from communities in Miango district and other parts of Bassa LGA affected by insecurity. In line with that for each term, the founder said five scholarship forms are given to each village affected by conflicts in the district.

The school does not organise entrance examinations but children’s Intelligent Quotient (IQ) are assessed, through oral examination to enable their enrolment into appropriate classes.

The school has only three classrooms and does not have enough space to admit the numerous applications it receives, especially because it awards scholarships to displaced children and indigents.

“We mostly focus on the orphans first who are displaced children preferably resident within Miango, to ease the issue of long destination to the school. This is to ensure that they are not only enrolled, but there is also consistency in their attendance. This is because some of them coming from neighbouring villages usually have challenges of transportation to school“ he said.

HOW THE SCHOOL GETS FUNDING
The school is one of the cheapest in the area with a fee of N3700 and an automatic discount of N500 to those who are able to pay. This is in consideration of the low socio-economic status of the remote area, and IDPs who have resettled there. The school has seven staff, five of whom are on its payroll while the other two are volunteers.

“ The school is funded by few parents who pay school fees, the little they pay is what we use to pay those on our payroll and other few things that we need for the school,“ Emmanuel said.

However, in spite of its lean resources it currently has 52 beneficiaries on its scholarship scheme out of its 90 beneficiaries. In addition to this, the school management often provide uniforms and writing materials to all displaced children following difficulty of some beneficiaries to resume.

The founder said: “We have given 35 additional scholarships to other IDPs who did not resume to school due to challenges and have requested to resume next session which is September.

In 2021, the financial challenges of Emmanuel to help these children was given a leap by Cedar Tree Worship Centre Jos supported by AVC Nehemiah Germany, a religious charity organisation which offer humanitarian services to communities affected by conflict and natural disaster.

The church visited Miango after one of its crises and awarded scholarship to 10 displaced children who are also orphans from among the school’s 52 beneficiaries, for continuous education till high institution.

HOW THE SCHOOL HOPES TO SUSTAIN ITS VISION
The founder of the school says operating the school has its challenges especially in resources, which has limited their capacity to award scholarship to many displaced children. He said sustaining the scholarship scheme depend on the resources available to it through the fees it generates.

The founder says“ Among those paying school fees, the percentage of the consistent parents out of 100 is 90 per cent and out of the 90, 10 per cent may not finish paying for the term till the next term.

“ If we can get the financial support, we intend to sustain the scheme till the IDPs reach the high institution, knowing that they are able to be useful to themselves and the society they belong, but if our strength cannot take us, we can only reach the secondary school level and even pay their senior examinations, then perhaps get a skill for them.“

Emmanuel says the school needs space for expansion as it gets numerous applications for enrolment for their scholarship scheme and, it is struggling with finding solution to pupils of different grade sharing classroom as a result.

“We mix them together because we do not have enough space, like the play class and Nur. 1 are together, Nur. 2 and 3 are together and Pry 3 and 4 are together.

He says finances were required to register the school with the state government.

However, Emmanuel said he remained focused in spite of such challenges and is optimistic that with time and perseverance, the school will grow to become a secondary school.

Even though the school has inadequate amenities such as play materials and furniture, parents and guardians of the displaced children have described the school as a ray of hope to achieve the educational aspirations of their children, as it has enabled them to enroll their children to have a secured future especially as most of them have lost their source of livelihood, homes and spouses.

In all, stakeholders are of the strong belief that support from government, NGOs and individuals can go a long way to assist and encourage the likes of Emmanuel, to realise their dreams of addressing the education needs of displaced children as government alone cannot handle the situation. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

***The story is made possible in collaboration with the Solution Journalism Network and the Nigeria Health Watch.
MAA/ISMA

Malaria control in Nigeria: Gains, Lessons from Kwara Initiative

By Usman Aliyu

Mrs Taiwo Sulaiman was six months pregnant when she experienced persistent fever and cold. To save her condition, she quickly rushed to the General Hospital, Ilorin, where she consulted a doctor and was subsequently treated.

“When the symptom was becoming unbearable for me, I had to go to the clinic. I was asked to run some tests, one of which was malaria test. This test was conducted, using a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kit.

“For all these I paid, except for the malaria test which the laboratory attendant told me was free. In the end, the result showed I was positive. I took the result back to the doctor, and he prescribed ACT (Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy). The anti-malaria drug was, as well, dispensed free of charge. Here, I got the wind that malaria test and treatment at the hospital is free,” said Mrs Sulaiman.

It’s a similar experience at Ero-Omo Basic Health Centre, Ilorin South Local Government Area, where Mrs Aminat Ayinla was tested and treated for malaria. Ayinla, a primary school teacher visited the centre when she felt feverish and cold.

“I developed the symptoms overnight; then I visited the centre the following morning. Though, I had a premonition that it could be malaria, but I wanted to be sure.

“When I tested positive to malaria, the test and drug given to me were at no cost. When I asked, the head of the centre told me malaria test and treatment are free at the centre,” she said.

This is the situation in over 500 public health centres, where the Kwara state government is supporting healthcare facilities with RDT kits and ACT among others materials to test, treat and track malaria for free, under its malaria free initiative.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease, caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2020, World Malaria Report estimated 241 million cases of malaria worldwide.

The figure was an increase from the 227 million in 2019, with most of this increase coming from countries in the African region. The estimated number of deaths from the cases for the year stood at 627,000, with Africa still carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden. The region homed 95 per cent of malaria cases this year and 96 per cent of the resultant deaths.

Only four African countries accounted for more than half of all malaria deaths worldwide, with Nigeria having the chunk with 31.9 per cent. Similarly, children under five accounted for about 80 per cent of all the death cases in the region.

In Nigeria, the disease is transmitted all over; 76 per cent of the population live in high transmission areas in the country, while 24 per cent of the population live in low transmission areas. The transmission season according to the Severe Malaria Observatory (SMO) can last all year round in the South and it’s about three months or less in the Northern part of the country.

SMO notes that microscopy data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that the average national prevalence of malaria in Nigeria was 27 per cent. The data also captured 27 as the prevalent rate in Kwara.

In line with the global efforts, the Federal Government introduced National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), with a broad mandate of formulating, facilitating policies and guidelines, coordinating the activities of partners and other stakeholders on malaria control activities in the country. The timeframe for this strategic plan was from 2014 – 2020.

The programme was meant to provide technical support to implementing bodies including states, local government areas and stakeholders, mobilization of resources, monitoring and evaluation of progress and outcomes in malaria control efforts.

Concurrently, this effort is replicated in most states of the country under the nomenclature of State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP). Alhaji Abdullahi Nageri, is the Programme Manager of SMEP in Kwara, and identified Malaria Free Kwara Initiative as a project that is helping to control, and free the citizens from the scourge.

Besides the free malaria treatment at public health centres, there is also Community Drug Distribution (CDD) with officials of the relevant ministry and department in the state and its local government councils going from house-to-house to give malaria drugs to children under the age of five at no cost.

Mrs Rukaya Lawal, a mother of three, who resides in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state collected the drug for her daughter when the health workers visited her community.

“They have been here on three different occasions to give my children drugs. I administered it on my first child, Khadijat on these occasions and since she took the medicine, she rarely falls ill from malaria,” said Mrs Lawal.

Beke Audu is another beneficiary, whose child had benefitted from the free drug. The mother of two testified to have collected and accordingly administered the free drugs on her children.

For Hajia Suliyat AbdulSalam, officer-in-charge, Ero-Omo Basic Health Centre, the initiative has led to a reduction in the record of the disease at the centre, with a claim that over 5000 households had benefitted from the free drugs.

“We have so far covered Ero-Omo, Kilanko, Olunlade, Agbabiaka, Alagbede, Ita-Alamu and other nearby axes. We try to sensitise the public not to underrate malaria, but to embrace the opportunity, which they are doing. They receive the drug without hesitation,” AbdulSalam said.

Interestingly, the latest report indicated that the fight against malaria in the state is yielding the desired result. The World Malaria Report 2021 recently released demonstrates that the prevalent rate in Kwara has dropped to 20 per cent from the 27, even below the now improved national average of 23 per cent.

This milestone feat, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the state, attributed to the over N150 million the administration committed to the malaria elimination programme since 2019.

Corroborating the stance, Nageri, the SMEP manager admitted that timely release of counterparts, to complement the supports from the Global Fund, an international donor helping the state in the anti-malaria campaign, was a big great contributing factor.

“In 2019, when the governor came in, he released a counterpart fund of N83 million. This is exactly what the donor wants; states must have an input. The following year (2020), he also released N42 million; the third year (2021), about N32 million. So when you look at the money from the inception, it is about N160 million released by the state government.

“This means that the programme we are running, the state is spending money apart from the donor. This elevated us from the status of sub sub-reciepient to sub-recipient. When they say you are a sub-recipient, it means the state is ready to support the programme; we don’t rely on the donor’s money again.

“In malaria programming, we have partners; and in the last grant, Kwara was a sub sub-recipient, meaning we had a partner that was implementing for us. The partner we had was Management Science for Health.

“But due to the proactiveness of the government, the state was the first to be shortlisted from sub sub-recipient to sub-recipient. This means that the grants we receive from the Global Fund, Kwara now stands as an entity that can implement its programme directly without any partner,” he said.

Through this input of the government, Kwara SMEP added 180 healthcare facilities to the 339 being supported by the donor for free malaria tests and treatments, with 2.9 million pieces of Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLIN) distributed to the residents in 2020.

Nageri recounted as well that about N3.5 million was spent on jingles and media visits, to further enlighten the public on the malaria programme, and its procedures.

“Because of this, it makes a share that if one side is following the national guide on malaria; with the state supports, we are also able to carry out our own. Besides that, we trained health facilities across the state public service and the private in 2020 from this money.

“This means that malaria management and treatment in Kwara is more improved than those years. Capacity was built, and based on that, we are able to get the status of sub-recipient, because there is an assessor to come and assess every state,” said the programme officer for the malaria elimination project in the state.

Limitations

Dwindling allocation into the state from the federation account is one of the challenges, identified to be threatening the initiative, particularly inclusion of more facilities into the programme. For instance, in Awodi Basic Health Centre, one of the facilities visited, an official complained of shortfall in the supply of RDT kits.

Moreover, the SMEP officer bemoaned improper use of the mosquito nets that cost the state N13 million. As against sleeping under it, he regretted that many recipients exchanged the treated net with plastics; use it for fishing, as well as, to make a garden.

“That is the area we need to dwell much on, and that is why we need money. We need to dwell much on publicity and public enlightenment. We want to change the narration that if you have fever, it is not all malaria. If tested negative, some will not comply with the test, but insisting that they have malaria because they have fever.

“We are appealing to our people that if they are tested with our RDT kit and they are tested negative, then they should comply,” he said. For health centre, the matron at Ero-Omo said the facility is constrained by inadequate staff, thereby hampering its services.

This story has been made possible by Nigeria Health Watch with support from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.

Curbing the tide of open defecation in Nigeria; the Kwara example

By Usman Aliyu

Bisola Ibrahim was at the Ero Omo Motor Park in Ilorin on a morning to board a bus to Benin City. Suddenly she became pressed; she needed a place to empty her bowel.

“I never had the feeling before I left home. I am not the type that poo every day; and because I did yesterday, I never envisaged the situation. So it really caught me unprepared,” said Ibrahim.

Since she could not cheat the nature, the passenger enquired for where she could ease herself; and she was referred to an integrated public toilet that Kwara Government recently built in the park.

This, Mr Samuel Dajo, an official of the park in-charge of the public toilet, said was a change from the past experience when travellers would have to hide somewhere whether in uncompleted buildings or nearby bushes to discharge faeces, if pressed.

This practice was similar among residents in many parts of the state particularly in the unstructured areas, where people excreted openly at dumpsites, fields and in the canals among others.

Consequent to these repulsive habits, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASH NORM) Report in 2019 rated Kwara the highest among states with the prevalent cases of open defecation in Nigeria.

The WASH NORM report is a summary of annual survey usually carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, with technical and financial support from the UNICEF, World Bank and African Development Bank.

According to this 2019 document, 64 per cent of residents in Kwara engaged in the practice of open defecation, followed by Plateau, 61; while Ebonyi and Kogi trailed, but tied at 58 per cent prevalence.

The findings noted, as well, that only 14 per cent of people in Kwara, Oyo and Ebonyi had access to basic sanitation services. All in all, the report showed that 44 million people openly defecated in Nigeria for the year, a figure that now soared to 48 million in the 2021 report, released recently.

Nigeria displaced India in the year to emerge the first on the rung of countries with the highest prevalent cases globally.

Open defecation has devastating consequences for public health. According to the UNICEF, faecal contamination of the environment and poor hygiene practices remain a leading cause of child mortality, morbidity, under-nutrition and stunting across the world. These, the international agency maintains, potentially have negative effects on cognitive development of children.

The UNICEF also claims that poor sanitation can be a barrier to education and economic opportunity, with women and girls often particularly vulnerable to the consequences of poor sanitation services.

To stem the tide of this unhygienic behaviour among the residents, the present administration in Kwara declared a State of Emergency on WASH in 2019. With the declaration, the government began to erect integrated public toilets in strategic places across the state in 2019. The facilities consist of 10-room, for excreta, which are partitioned for men and women; as well as sections for urination and bathing.

One of such facilities is located at the Ero Omo Motor Park, on the popular Ajase-Ipo road, Ilorin. Malam Shehu Onikijipa is a transporter at the park and uses the facility whenever he is desirous of passing excrement. Onikijipa explained that the convenience is suitably serving the people, known for openly defecating around in the past.

“I use it and it is well maintained. Anytime one of us (transport workers) is pressed, we rush there to ease ourselves. But more importantly, travellers who come here to board buses to various destinations use it often.

“Though we are charged N50 for excrement and N20 to urinate, it is these monies that are used for the daily upkeep of the facility. There are two women engaged for the cleansing of the place. The duo works on shift.

“There is a section for bathing too; that costs N50 as well. These charges are affordable, when viewed in relation to the need for the structure to be well kept at all time. So we pay without any problem,” he said.

Onikijipa also recounted that the solar powered boreholes at the toilet helped to resolve the problem of water supply at the park. One of the boreholes, he said served the toilet while the other supplies water to the people in the neighbourhood.

He, nonetheless, advocated expansion of the toilet, sequel to the rising number of travellers, and people coming to the restroom from outside. Moreover, the transport worker pleaded for ground-tiling of the park, as he noted that the place becomes deplorable during rainy season.

At Isale Aluko, the location of one of the public toilets at the hinterland, where residents use dumpsites and uncompleted buildings for excretion in the past, obviously the narrative was changed; with the facility now being the only place the people relieve themselves.

Kayode Jaji, a frequent user of the toilet said “the toilet is very useful. For instance, I do not live here; I only come every day to relate with friends. So anytime I am pressed, I use the restroom because it’s difficult for me to go home.

“Many shop owners and traders here do not have toilets as well; so they make use of the facility. In the past, we used uncompleted buildings around and dumpsite whenever we were pressed.”

Jaji also attested that the solar powered borehole integrated in the project is helping to address the water need of the households in the area. As against the practice in other facilities however, he noted that users of the Isale Aluko toilet do not pay to use the convenience room.

“We do not pay to use the toilet; nobody pays. For example, I am a graduate with no job. So we use it for free. Besides, the person taking care of the toilet is a brother. So we relate based on that,” said Jaji.

The situation is similar at Sabojo area of Ilorin, where travellers at Sawmill Motor Park, traders, passersby and students of Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin visit another public toilet, situated at the area, anytime they are pressed to answer the call of nature. Hitherto, people in the axis went to the bank of Okun River to defecate.

“Many users of this toilet are travellers, who are pressed, and need a place to ease themselves urgently. So, commercial motorcycles bring them here in number to use the restroom,” said Alhaji Issa Agaka, a motor dealer, who oversees the maintenance of the toilet.

In addition to this, Mrs Toyosi Adebayo-Thomas, Senior Special Assistant on Inter-Governmental Affairs to Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, who coordinates Open Defecation Free (ODF) programme in the state, said the government also incorporated construction of toilets into the renovation of public primary and secondary schools.

This according to Adebayo-Thomas correspondingly goes on with engagements, leading various communities across the state to build toilets and aware of the negative effect of open defecation. The state also carried out repair of waterworks and building of boreholes to provide water for the citizens.

The state ODF coordinator further claimed that 1,600 youth volunteers are engaged by the state, for Hand-Washing and Clean Nigeria Campaign, with the prompt payment of counterpart fund for Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (PEWASH). All these, she said were targeted at ensuring open defecation free Kwara by 2025.

Three years into these efforts, the WASH NORM Report for 2021 shows Kwara has dropped on the ladder of open defecation by states to fifth, behind Ebonyi, Plateau, Kogi and Oyo. Access to basic sanitation service in the state also improves from 14 per cent to 31. This latest report was released in June.

Even though the number of people practising open defecation in Nigeria shot up to 48 million in the new study, the prevalent rate in Kwara stepped down to 50 per cent from the 64 recorded in 2019.

Yet, It’s not Perfect

Because users of the facility at Isale Aluko refuse to pay for the utility, Jimoh Mustapha, who takes up its upkeep, is accordingly constrained by the burden of cost of maintenance, which exclusively, falls on his shoulder.

“Nobody is paying. Though, government instructed we charge a token for the services, users seldom pay because we are all brothers in this community. So I do the work voluntarily, and even use my money to buy soaps and disinfectants to wash the facility,” Mustapha said.

Besides, he noted, as well, that the soakaway dug for the toilet was small; hence, it easily filled up, brewing offensive odour into the atmosphere.

“One of the challenges is that the soakaway is too small, and fills up easily. As a result, it emits odour disgustingly, making the residents of the area uncomfortable.

“We have been constrained on many occasions to discharge the soakaway into a water channel whenever it rains. Government should come to our aid by either digging a bigger soakaway or lay pipes into a water channel for proper discharges,” he said.

The size of the soakaway in all the facilities was the same, until the managers of the Ero Omo and Sabojo toilets; Mr Dajo and Alhaji Agaka respectively dug larger cesspits from the charges, to continue to serve.

Beyond this, Agaka also bemoaned incessant burglary attacks on the solar installations at the Sabojo facility.

To address this problems, an official of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) in Near a, Mr Rufai Olalekan, said measures a being put in place to check them.

“The OFF team will swing into action and assess the situation with a view to getting the Governor approval for rectifying the challenges. This is a laudable programmes that is beneficial to our people and everything will be done to sustain it,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

This story has been made possible through collaboration with the Nigeria Health Watch with support from the Solutions Journalism Network, a nonprofit organization.

Group urges sustaible agricultural development in Kwara

By Mujidat Oyewole

Development

Ilorin, July 22, 2022 (NAN) The Agro-Climatic Resilience Semi-Arid Landscapes team (ACReSAL) in Kwara has called for the enhancement and sustainability of agricultural and reafforestation activities in Lafiagi, Edu Local Government Area of the state, and its environs.

Mrs Okanlawon Taiwo, the Communications Officer of ACReSAL, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Ilorin.

Taiwo said that the call was necessary in order to promote the eco growth and development for sustainable value and socio-economic potentialities in the communities.

She said that the state Project Coordinator, Mr Zubair Oloruntoyin, in company of the Kwara Senior Special Adviser on Water Resources, Mr Shehu Usman, said this in Lafiagi during an assessment tour.

“Oloruntoyin stressed that with the awareness of the negative effects of desert encroachment, global warming and deliberate deforestation causing havoc on the community, ACReSAL Project leveraged on its multi sectorial outlook.

“This is by harmonising the concepts of environment, water and agricultural remedies to mitigation of land depredations to proffer sustainability and effectiveness to applied interventions.

“Engr. Tunde talked on the extent of the Egua water flow in the area, that the project tagged with water sheds will prompt the need to identify the watersheds,” she said.

She added that it also involved the devastating effects on the community and considered possible solutions to mitigating same, coupled with appropriate investments on the recovered areas.

“The engineer emphasised that it will enhance land reclamation, investment on the redeemed land, thereby improve the living standards of the people through creation of job opportunities, food security and other social amenities.

“He explained that the extent of the proposed irrigation scheme will be dependent on the needs assessments, based on its intended purposes which could be for agriculture, domestic and industrial uses.”

Oloruntoyin affirmed that Lafiagi community is blessed with enough farm land, water and land resources which could generate more economic values for the state.

He lauded Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration for keying into the multi-sectorial project for the benefit of state, making Lafiagi community one of the beneficiaries of the project.

Taiwo also said that the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Kawu, appreciated the team for the assessment visit and emphasised the need for farm irrigation, securing the river banks, as well as harnessing their water for irrigation purposes.

He said that planting of economical trees as well as other major issues beg for adequate attention in the community.

The Emir said that the community has so much passion for economic development, so it focus more on planting of economical trees, other resourceful plants and making sure that the environmental proceedings are observed.

He appreciated the state government and the agency for coming to their aid, for prompt intervention in addressing the environmental challenges in community. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

MOB/AYO/MST

Edited by Ayodeji Alabi/Muhammad Suleiman Tola