Lifestyle

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Africa Heath Budget Network (AHBN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to redouble efforts in determining to achieve the Family Planning (FP).

Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, the AHBN Coordinator, made the call in a statement Monday to commemorate the World Population Day of 2022.

He added that the government should also make family planning information, commodities and services available and accessible to all.

He stated that these places should be provided especially in hard-to-reach areas, adding that, “this will curb teenage pregnancy significantly.”

As Nigeria has the largest population in Africa, the Federal Government was reportedly launched the 2030 FP commitment in March 2022, in Abuja.

The Daily Reality gathered that the federal government intents were, “by the end of 2030, Nigeria envisions a country where everyone including adolescents, young people, populations affected by crisis and other vulnerable populations are able to make informed choices, have equitable and affordable access to quality family planning and participate as equals in society’s development.”

Magashi further called on the federal government to maximize its bulging youthful population by improving on the quality of and access to education.

He added that, “The issue of recurrent strike action in the education sector such as the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should be addressed once and for all.

“The youth should also be empowered and given the relevant skills to enable them contribute in resolving national challenges.

“We call on the government to also make family planning information, commodities and services available and accessible to all, especially those in hard-to-reach areas – this will curb teenage pregnancy significantly.

“The Federal and state governments should take the issues of the provision of family planning commodities serious by ensuring its availability free of charge in all government clinics across the country.

“This can be achieved by the payment of counterpart funding and the provision of funds for logistics by all tiers of governments,” the statement added.

By Muhammad Sabiu

A husband in Misau town of Misau Local Government Area in Bauchi State, Ismail Ahmad Misau, has recounted his worst ordeal involving an ill-qualified doctor at Misau General Hospital. The doctor performed an unsuccessful post-partum surgery on Mr Ahmad’s wife without the husband’s or her family’s consent.

The wife, Khadija Muhammad, was admitted to Misau Town Maternity, after which she was referred to Misau General Hospital on July 4.

Speaking to The Daily Reality, Mr Ahmad lamented that he had found himself in a state of misery since then, adding that things are only worsening as his wife has been in a coma for about one week.

“After she was taken to the ward room, I was instructed to get out. Also, the person taking care of her was asked to move to the laboratory. Khadija was left alone in the room. Afterwards, as we sat down, we heard a cleaner shouting, asking where her caregiver was. We entered and found that Khadija had fallen from the bed in a coma. She was then quickly given an eclampsia injection.

The unprofessional doctor injured my baby—husband

“At 10 am, I was called from the hospital. We were asked to get some drugs. We did as instructed. After one hour, drugs were again needed. I was still asked to get drugs for the third time. On my way, I got a call that she had delivered a baby, but not by herself.

A doctor checked her and found that her unborn baby had died, so she could not deliver it. So, the doctor used a metallic object to eject the baby forcefully. Unfortunately, in trying to remove it, the baby got injured in the face, hand and leg. However, it later mysteriously turned out that the baby did not pass on, contrary to the doctor’s claim.”

Khadija’s life is at risk

“Khadija had been bleeding since then. I was told that she needed a blood transfusion. She first consumed two bags, two bags again, and another one afterwards. Still, the bleeding did not stop. The doctor then administered Tranexamic Acid (1 ample). Unfortunately, it wasn’t available in the whole of Misau. Before I returned to the hospital, I was told that the doctor had taken her into the operation room because, according to him, her womb had developed some issues (either cut or damaged). Therefore, the womb had to be stitched or completely removed before the bleeding could stop. Otherwise, she could die at any moment, according to him.

“On arrival at the hospital, I stopped and asked him why he would perform the surgery without scanning. He still answered that further delay could lead to my wife’s death. I still asked what he had discovered after the surgery. He said the womb was fine and that he had sorted the problem he found. After she was relocated to another unit, it took him about 40 minutes to attend to her again despite her acute condition. She had to be put on an oxygen mask.

“Since then, she has not been urinating because, as claimed by the doctor, she has developed a kidney problem,” Mr Ahmad recounted.

A 7-man delegation arrived in Misau

After subsequent development, the victim’s husband told The Daily Reality that on Wednesday, a 7-man team of doctors from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital visited the Misau hospital. Three of them checked Khadija and instructed that she be referred to the Federal Medical Center Azare.

“After taking her to Azare, she was taken to the Intensive Care Unit, after which we narrated all that transpired to the personnel in charge. And they documented it.

“They really showed their outrage due to what happened at the Misau hospital. They lamented that incompetence and recklessness had affected the treatment in Misau,” Mr Ahmad added.

This incident has caused a lot of tension in the Misau metropolis as some angry young men attempted to beat up the embattled, suspended doctor, who is also the Chief Medical Director of the hospital.

“People complain about his unprofessionalism”—insider

According to a worker at Misau General Hospital that spoke to the Daily Reality, the ill-qualified doctor was unprofessional and was not supposed to be at the hospital.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, told our reporter that this was not the first time the man’s unprofessionalism caused problems and difficulties for patients after surgery.

He said, “sometimes people come with lots of complaints after surgery. His unprofessionalism is almost known to everyone.”

He added that the quack doctor had been transferred to another hospital long ago. But, to the dismay of anyone in the hospital, he refused to accept the transfer. You know politics has roamed this system too, and the guy was said to have a political godfather.

What he did was entirely unethical

Asked whether the unprofessional doctor was ethically right when he did surgery on Ahmad’s wife without his consent, the doctor said it was entirely unethical.

He said, “What he did was wrong. One should not perform any surgery without the consent of the patient’s relatives.

All attempts by our reporters to hear from the management proved abortive.

By Hassan Idris

It’s quite important to demystify the fact that in the festivity of the Eid festival, which is a religious celebration amongst Muslims all over the world, there is quite a lot of sociologically significant display, which demands sociological explanations and outlooks. Religious festivals such as Eid hold greater importance to sociologists like Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). He developed a widely used theory for explaining what holds society and social groups together through his study of religion. He identified core aspects of religious structure and participation that sociologists today apply to the study of society in its entirety.

This includes the role of religious festivals and rituals in bringing about social cohesion, social solidarity and people together around shared practices and values. It also comprises ways that participation in religious festivals and rituals reaffirms shared values and thus reaffirms and strengthens the social bonds between people and the experience of “collective effervescence,” in which people tend to share in feelings of excitement and are unified in the experience of participating in religious festivals and rituals together. The Eid festival, an Islamic holiday celebrated by many Muslims as a religious holiday with religious rituals, values, and relationships, is one of them.

Thus, Durkheim defined religion as a“unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things. Sacred to him meant extraordinary—something that inspired wonder and that seemed connected to the concept of “the divine.” He argued that“religion happens” in society when there is a separation between the profane (ordinary life) and the sacred. A rock, for example, isn’t sacred or profane as it exists. But if someone makes it into a headstone, or another person uses it for landscaping, it takes on different meanings—one sacred, one profane. Durkheim, who’s generally considered the first sociologist to have analyzed religion regarding its societal impact, believed that religion is about community. It binds people together (social cohesion), promotes behaviour consistency (social control), and offers strength during life’s transitions and tragedies (meaning and purpose).

With the applicability of the methodology of natural science to the study of society, Durkheim held that the source of religion and morality is the collective mindset of society and that the cohesive bonds of social order result from common values in a society. He contended that these values need to be maintained to maintain social stability, to which explanations of Durkheim on the importance and functionality of religion would be used to explain and understand the religious Eid festivals celebrated by all the Muslims in the world.

However, the word “Eid” means festival or feast. Therefore, it depicts the event that is being celebrated. Muslims celebrate two types of Eid yearly following two significant acts of worship. The first is called “Eid Al-Fitr”, which means “the fast-breaking Festival” celebrated after fasting the entire month of Ramadan. The second, known as “Eid-ul-Adha,” meaning “the festival of sacrifice which is celebrated immediately upon the completion of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. The Eid Al-Adha entails going for a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by millions of Muslims simultaneously once a year. Through Eid Al-Adha, the sacrifice Abraham was willing to make to God and the mercy God had upon him becomes celebrated and manifested.

Muslims celebrate the day by sacrificing a sheep or so and sharing it not just with family and friends but also with the less privileged. This celebration lasts four days, beginning the day after the completion of Hajj. The celebration of Eid Al-Fitr lasts one day, starting with the sighting of the new moon, which marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan and the beginning of the following month. During Ramadan, Muslims fast to purify themselves and get closer to God. Ramadan is like a retreat, a time to step aside worldly worries, focus on spirituality, and improve connections with the one who gave them life and blessings.

After going through a long spiritual retreat for a maximum of 29 to 30 days, it is only logical that a feast is held to mark the end of the month. This is what Eid Al-Fitr is all about. Like Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr begins with the first sighting of the new moon, so most of the time, Muslims have to wait until the night before Eid to verify its date. If the new moon is not visible, the month lasts 30 days. The date changes annually on the Gregorian calendar and varies from country to country, depending on geographical location.

Though, in declaring the start of Eid, Muslim-majority countries depend on the testimonies of local moon sighters. The Judicial High Court then decides if Eid has arrived. When the sighting has been verified, Eid is declared on television, radio stations and mosques. The celebration of Eid Al-Fitr lasts one day, starting with the sighting of the new moon, which marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan and the beginning of the following month.

The first Eid Al-Fitr was celebrated in 624 CE by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions after their victory in the battle of Badar, a turning point in the prophets’ struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca during the early days of Islam. Inasmuch as all Muslims celebrate the festival, there are many doctrines and ways of celebrating it which are sociological and are of paramount interest and importance to sociologists and Anthropologists. However, the traditions of Eid Al-Fitr entail ‘Sawm’ ( fast), which is the practice of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Muslims believe that during Ramadan, the Qur’an text was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Fitr with “Salat Al Eid” (Eid prayers). There is no audible call to prayer for the Eid prayers. Muslims will gather in mosques or open spaces and offer two units of prayer–called “Rakat”. The prayers are followed by a sermon, in which the Imam asks for forgiveness, mercy, and peace for every being worldwide.

To further bolster the sociological social solidarity and love in Islam, which clarifies Durkheim’s postulation, the other key element of the Eid festival is giving money to the poor alias ‘Zakat al-Fitr’, sending Eid greetings and feasting with families. For many Muslims, Eid al-Fitr is a festival to show gratitude to Allah for the help and strength he gave them throughout the month of Ramadan to help them practice self-control. The phrase commonly used by Muslims as a greeting on this day is “Eid Mubarak”, which is Arabic for ‘blessed festival’.

Muslims begin Eid with the observance of the Eid congregational prayer, sometimes in the mosque but usually in an outdoor location. Before going for the Eid prayer, it’s encouraged to take a bath, wear the most befitting clothes, and look dignified for the celebration. On the way to the Eid Prayer, Muslims recite the words: Allah is great, Allah is great, Allah is great. There is no other God but Allah. Allah is great; Allah is great. To him belongs all praise. And after the Eid prayer, people gather to feast with their families and friends, where they get to savour the taste of various dishes.

Some even travel to their hometowns or home countries to celebrate with their extended families and rekindle the bond of kinship. There is a rich tradition of gift exchange during Eid. For example, it is customary to gift new clothes and shoes to children in Nigeria. Sometimes, the children receive money to buy sweets and snacks to enjoy with their friends and cousins. In western countries, however, children receive gifts instead of cash, and parents decorate their homes to create a mood of excitement for the family.

Finally, Eid is meant to celebrate the completion of spiritual duty and a time to bond and exchange hugs, kisses, and laughter with family, friends and the community. Each country has traditional foods, and sweets prepared ahead of Eid or on the morning of the first day. These foods range from special biscuits and bread to cakes and puddings. On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, voluntary fasting is not allowed as Muslims are encouraged to feast and celebrate the completion of a month of worship and abstinence from food.

Greetings for Eid also vary depending on the country and language. For instance, in Indonesia, Eid is called Lebaran, so Indonesians would say, “Selamat Lebaran”, which means Happy Eid. Other variations of Happy Eid are “Barka da Sallah” in Hausa, a Nigerian language. In addendum, with clothes being an essential marker of Eid, some people wear traditional clothes from their culture, while others pick out something new to wear. Eid is a time for every Muslim to share and express love, peace, and friendship worldwide and extend hands to their non-Muslim neighbours and friends during this festival.

Hassan Idris wrote from Kogi State via idrishassan035@gmail.com.

By Aisha M Auyo

You are married to me, not the kids.”

“I was here before the kids.”

“I come first and not the kids.”

“Your primary duty is to me and not the kids.”

How often do wives/mothers hear the above statements? Very often, of course. And to many, it’s a shame that husbands or fathers compete with their kids to get the attention of the woman of the house? Is it really?

Well, one may say, “aren’t you lucky to have your husband and kids fight over you?” But no, that is far from being lucky. The woman in this context is thrown into a state of dilemma, confusion and psychological trauma.

Husbands should be able to save their wives from this heartache and trauma by being more considerate and appreciative of the wives-cum-mothers’ indispensable roles in the family.

The moment a child is born into the world, a mother’s duties commence. In the first days of its existence, an infant is more feeble and helpless than any other living creature. They are unable to minister to their own needs. But to meet this weakness and incapacity on the part of the infant, God has implanted in the mother’s heart a yearning affection for her offspring. No one can understand so well or ever so ready to meet the needs of a child as a mother.

Nevertheless, having said all these, let’s pause and ask ourselves, “is it appropriate for a mother to make her kids her first care in a bid to fulfilling her duties?’ No. Her whole time should not be spent attending to the kids’ needs at the expense of her husband’s. However, it is necessary that reasonable time should be spent so that the kids could have the comfort and happiness they deserve.

It is, therefore, imperative to stress that husbands SHOULD NOT be neglected; neither should they be substituted for their kids.

One of the purposes of marriage is companionship and a man is expected to find this in his wife. As the wife becomes overly involved with and attached to her kids, she falls short of fulfilling this purpose towards her husband.

When this happens, the man feels lonely and loses his best friend, who is supposed to be his wife. He then becomes vulnerable to outside temptations. Will you, therefore, blame a man for reacting to this?

When a woman places her kids above her husband, her action tells him that she loves the kids more than him. This should not be so. Instead, make your husband feel important and know how much you value him.

 Alternatively, instead of treating him as a second-class citizen in his own home, why not treat him as one of your children. After all, the legendary French fashion designer Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (CoCo Chanel) rightly said, “As long as you know men are like children, you know everything!”

Wives/mothers, be wise. But I must admit, it’s easier said than done!

Aisha Musa Auyo is a Doctorate researcher in Educational Psychology, a mother of three, a Home Maker, caterer and parenting/ relationship coach.

By Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr. J) 

It is heartbreaking and horrible that in a country that operates democracy, a nearby house is turned into a medicine store, and no matter the condition of a patient, they can’t be treated in the maternity when it’s raining. Windstorms blew off the roof some time ago. This has been the condition the people of the Komi community found themselves in for a long time despite reports that the gory images of the worn-out structure of the maternity have been submitted to the relevant authorities.

The 22-year-old maternity with a 6442 target population has been in deplorable condition for about 7-8 years.  Owls and other birds made their nests in its ceiling before the damage worsened to the extent that they had no option but to vacate. The staff in the structure reportedly killed two puff adder snakes.  The maternity clinic was built in 2000 by the then Funakaye Local Government Chairman Alhaji Abubakar Abubakar BD to ease people’s lives.

Not more than a month ago, the price of 25 litres jerrican of water skyrocketed from 100 naira – which has been viewed as expensive to any subsistent farmer – to 250 naira forcing many people to sleep on empty stomachs and animals stood thirstily. Until the rain became steady, the rain-softened earth dams retained some water, and the community breathed a sigh of relief from the cancerous lack of drinking water.

As part of their contribution towards curtailing the damages before it went beyond control, every civil servant in the community was tasked with a sum of one thousand naira monthly, which was used in repairing damaged places for a couple of months.

What has been happening could be viewed as an infringement of the right to health guaranteed in chapter 2, section 17, subsection 3(d) of the 1999 Federal Republic of Nigeria constitution. Under the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, the  ‘Right to Health’ has been guaranteed.

Also, it has been accorded recognition by many international treaties in which Nigeria is part and parcel. These include the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination (CEFD), the convention on the rights of the Child (CRC), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) among others.

It is high time the government came to the rescue of this community. Likewise, non Governmental Organizations and well-to-do individuals should, for a matter of help, come to their aid too.

Muhammad Rabiu Jibrin (Mr J) wrote from Gombe via muhammadrabiujibrin@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Over 3.1 million children would receive supplements against malaria, while 2.8 million children would be dewormed, the Kano state commissioner for Health, Dr Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, said.

The Commissioner disclosed that there would be childhood immunization for about 68,135 children, adding that antenatal services would also be provided.

Tsanyawa stated this during a media briefing ahead of the exercise, which begins on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.

He noted that the Kano State Government had identified about 12 million children to receive the seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention for July to October 2022 in the 44 government areas of the state.

The Daily Reality learned that the previous exercise conducted in January 2022 recorded huge success with Vitamin A coverage of more than 88 per cent.

In his words, Tsanyawa added, “the aim was to prevent uncomplicated and similar proportion of severe malaria incidences amongst the age group.”

“We are integrating the two exercises, although the MNCHW is a week-long event conducted twice every year.”

“It has a high impact on low-cost interventions offered to pregnant women and children below the age of five to increase coverage level of preventive and curative health indicators,” Tsanyawa stated.

By Aisar Fagge

African countries have received over 90 million donations of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to ensure Africans are adequately vaccinated, but inadequate information and lack of transparency and accountability caused a serious problem.

The Vaccine and Essential Drugs Associate of Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Khadija Hamid Bobboyi, disclosed this in a webinar organised by AHBN on Thursday, June 30, 2022, to acquaint Media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with necessary information on procurement, delivery and distribution of the vaccine in Africa.

Mrs Bobboyi noted that developed countries, multilateral organisations and corporations have supported Africa at different phases in terms of the supply of the vaccine that ravaged the world.

She revealed that COVAX and African Vaccines Acquisition Trust, alongside other partners, have made vaccines available to African countries.

She stated: “Africa is getting free donations of vaccines and support from the international community; availability of multiple sources of COVID-19 vaccine and at a subsidised rate.

“African Union and Partners have established AVAT to augment donations from the international donor community.”

“African Civil Society Organizations and the populace hardly know or understand the procurement and delivery mechanisms. There is a paucity of information, weak transparent processes which make it difficult to hold governments and their donors to account.”

The AHBN officer, however, decried that there is an uneven distribution of the vaccines among African countries while many donors donate near-expired vaccines with short notice that African countries may not be prepared for its safe keeping.

“Multiple mechanisms may pose a problem because some countries may receive more and others less without proper analysis of which country is in more need of the vaccines. The majority of the donations to date have been ad hoc, provided with little notice and short shelf lives and become expired,” she added.

She described the webinar as “an attempt to begin to change the narrative and empower African Civil Society Organizations, media and the populace with information and promote greater and meaningful participation in the affairs of Africa and COVID-19.”

She finally called on the donors and partners to key in countries’ priorities in their donations, saying, “donations from COVAX and AVAT to African countries must be made in a way that allows countries to effectively mobilise domestic resources in support of rollout vaccination and enables long-term planning to increase coverage rates.”

The convener of the webinar, Dr Aminu Magashi, who is the founder of several NGOs such as AHBN, CHR, and YOSPIS, assured that this kind of webinar would continuously be organised regularly to sensitise media practitioners and Civil Society Organizations on their roles in holding governments accountable on the procurement, delivery and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

The participants of the webinar who came from different countries were drawn from media organisations, CSOs and the general public, who were educated on the processes of vaccine acquisition and distribution.

By Murtala Uba Mohammed (PhD)

In recognition of the importance of environment to human life, the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) sets aside 5th day of every June as the World Environment Day (WED). This year, the world celebrated 50th WED with a theme “Only One Earth”. If everything, this theme was the first theme of the WED and also it signified the importance of protecting the planet earth. Since man has no any other place to call his home other than the earth, it is binding on him to safeguard its sanctity and ensure its sustenance, as well as to do everything possible to maintain its health status.

The planet earth which came into existence some billions of years back, was in a harmonious state with respect to its chemical and biological elements. Although, volcanic eruption and other natural occurrences such as falling of asteroids that occurred in the past, might have induced some modifications to it as the state is always being checked through planet’s self-regulating mechanism, recycling, replenishing and adaptation.

Man’s dominance of the planet which began with his emergence some 200,000 years ago through the current epoch of Anthropocene has made the most significant footprint on the earth. At the early stage, human beings started living in a small number; lived a simple life (without access to any tool) through hunting and gathering things, before man later multiplied (reaching billions) and acquired new technologies to exploit nature to suit his purposes. Through waves of revolutions in agriculture, urbanization, industrialization and information, environment received so much impact from human who introduces, transforms, modifies, hastens many processes and terminates many.

Consequently, with the recent development, environment started to react as earth begins to witness unusual, unfamiliar and difficult to predict events. Issues such as rise in temperature, air pollution, ice melt, flood, tropical storms, drought, desertification, soil desiccation, groundwater depletion and more intensified earth tremors and quakes become regular visitors to the planet. Also noticed is the extinction and disappearance of many species and habitats as well as emergence and re-emergence of new diseases. The main drivers of this change as explained by Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) are changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasion of alien species. All these are linked to human activities in the field of agriculture, mining, building of settlements and industries.

Although the drivers may not be sporadic as far as their nature and magnitude, their consequences are ubiquitous. The most vulnerable to the impact are the weaker members of human society and species such as the developing countries due to their poverty and underdevelopment status; the children and women because of their powerlessness and dependency; the disabled and people with special needs; and above all, the none human part of the environment (plants, animals and abiotic components) who may not have the human intellect and know-how (for example) to run for their safety.

At global level, efforts are made through changing and adapting more cleaner energy sources such as solar and hydro, as against the use of fossil fuel based energy which is harmful to the ecosystem and equally contributing to carbon accumulation into the atmosphere; switching to green technology through recycling of resource and producing environmentally friendly technologies and product; better and less environmentally damaging agriculture such as zero tillage, less to zero acreage farming, control grazing, integrated organic farming; as well as changing to green engineering, climate smart engineering among many other things. Rehabilitation, reclamation and restoring the damaged ecosystems are also receiving priorities through such projects such as Great Green Wall.

In spite of this effort at global level, we need to look inward and see what we are doing/can do at local level to help in solving the global problems while at the same time addressing our local issues. The population, particularly those in rural areas should be empowered through knowledge and economy to embrace changes in the areas of sustainable climate, smart agricultural practice, afford better technologies and change to clean energy. With current economic shock, low income, and high cost of accessing cleaner energy sources such as solar, we are indirectly encouraging Nigerias’ poor to continue using wood fuel and inflict more damages to our fragile ecosystem. When farmers are left at the mercy of nature, doing little to nothing to subsidize them or improve market price of their goods, the agricultural output will remain low and the demand for more land will continue leading to destruction of forest and reserves. Only when farmers are getting sufficient income, they will save enough and be able to send their children to school. This will address the current rural-urban drift which is making it difficult for city administration.

Environmental planning is one area we need to do a lot in Nigeria. Respect for nature and natural world is very fundamental. City folks should have access to open spaces, recreational areas and parks. Our built brown ecosystem should be sandwiched with grassy greenish and watery bluish ones to achieve harmony. Presence of all living things is fundamental to the environment. Cities soundscape should be a blended one, with presence of both manmade and natural (such as birds, insects and reptiles) sounds. Workability should be encouraged for both health improvement of resident and for carbon off-scaling in our urban area. We also need to revive and improve our local technologies and architectural designs to make it environmentally friendly.

Health and safety of residents should be given a priority. While, sharing the moment of grief in Kano State, as over 200 residents inhaled unknown gas and ended up in hospital, we hope such things will not happen again. The state recently faces problem of water scarcity particularly in the metropolis where a 25 litre water container cost between 60 to 100 Naira. This has implication on health and sanitation of the populace who are now taking water whose quality is highly questionable. The state should do more on water provisioning and supply. Water policy should also be implemented in order to check the current rampant proliferation of boreholes whose future implication is likely a doom.

In a nutshell, WED is a good time to reflect and ponder. It is time to think more about environment, make it healthy and support its sustainability. It is a moment for all hands to be on deck to achieve sustainable development where a balance will be achieved between built and natural ecosystem. All stakeholders including the policy makers, the professionals and media have roles to play in this endeavour. It is right to advocate for a healthy and sustainable environment.

Murtala teaches Geography at Bayero University and can be reached via his email, murtalamuhammadu@gmail.com

By Muhammad Aminu

A fatal accident has claimed the lives of six (6) persons on their way to Hadejia in Jigawa State after conveying a bride to her matrimonial home on Sunday.

The victims were returning to Hadejia after they conveyed a relative-bride to her matrimonial home in Yalleman town. Jigawa State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Lawan Adamu, said in a statement that a black Lexus vehicle somersaulted when its tyres busted abruptly and the driver lost control.

“The accident involved a motor vehicle, Lexus, black in colour with Reg No. AAA 153 EA, driven by one Habib Habib Tall ‘M’, age 30yrs of Yalleman Quarters, Kaugama LGA. The car carried eight (8) passengers who conveyed the bride from Hadejia to Yalleman.

“On reaching Gidan Sugar, on their way back to Hadejia, while on motion, both the rear and front tyres were removed, and the driver lost control, the vehicle somersaulted and swarmed by the roadside, the statement noted.

According to the Police Spokesman, only two persons survived the accident, while a doctor confirmed the others dead.

He said: “Six persons were confirmed and certified dead by a medical doctor while receiving treatment. They are; Baba Rabi’a Aliyu ‘f’ age 50yrs; Ummi Abubakar ‘f’ age 30yrs; Aisha Soja ‘f’ age 27yrs; Radiya Turaki ‘f’ age 3yrs; Kabir Sani ‘m’ age 2 and a half yrs, all of Wunti Quarters Hadejia LGA; and Habib Habib Tall ‘m’ age 30yrs of Yalleman Quarters, Kaugama LGA.”

He said the remains of the deceased had been released to their relatives for burial arrangements. He said the survivors are on admission receiving treatment at Hadejia General Hospital.

He further advised motorists to be checking their vehicle’s tyres, brakes and other essential parts before embarking on any journey.

The Police, therefore, cautioned drivers to avoid overloading, overspeeding, using hard drugs, alcohol and on a night journey to avert fatal accidents on roads.

By Muhammad Aminu

No fewer than three (3) persons had been killed, and 2,250 residences were destroyed by flooding and windstorm in Kano in June.

The Executive Secretary, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Saleh Jili, told journalists in Kano as his agency is poised to face the challenge during the rainy season.

Dr Jiji also confirmed that five LGAs in the state were affected.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had predicted that there would be flooding in 32 States of the federation this rainy season. According to the Secretary who attributed the calamity to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse in waterways and drains, said the affected Local Government Areas are Rano, Kibiya, Doguwa, Dambatta and Kiru.

He, therefore, urged residents to desist from such bad practices to avert a recurrence of such disasters, just as he pledged his Agency’s preparedness to respond to emergency situations, carrying the people along in the process.

“On June 9, the Agency organised a stakeholders conference to brainstorm on disaster risk reduction and disaster management.

“We sensitised religious leaders and heads of communities in the five emirates on how to manage heavy rainfall that was predicted by NiMet. We also used the media, markets and other gatherings to sensitise the residents on the need to ensure easy flow of water in their places,” he said.

He said that Kano State has commenced planning ahead of anticipated 2022 rainy season flooding in many parts of the state.

He said the State has started stockpiling relief materials in response to the NIMET’s prediction about the possibility of more flooding.

According to Dr Jiji, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is on alert in case of any emergency situation. The state also designated places to serve as temporary shelters for those to be displaced by the anticipated disasters.

Pundits attribute the frequent occurrence of flooding in urban and rural communities to the unwholesome habit of building structures on waterways, as well as dumping Refuse in drains.

On his part, the Territorial Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency in Kano, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, assured that his Agency was prepared to respond to any situation, adding that there were enough relief materials in stock.

He stated that although there were many factors responsible, blockage of waterways by residents was a major factor, hence the need for a change of attitude.

Kabiru Getso, Kano State Commissioner for Environment, said the government had been engaging in the evacuation of Refuse as part of its “Keep Kano Clean” campaign.

“So far, more than 70,000 linear meters of drains have been de-silted, and more than 1,600 strips of silted materials have been evacuated from drains”, he revealed.

Getso also revealed that the state had submitted the ‘State Pollution Control Bill’ to the state House of Assembly, which had passed through the second reading.

“If passed, the state will have laws criminalising environmental offences such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse and other forms of environmental pollution,” he said.