Local

By Uzair Adam Imam

Medical equipment worth N200 million was donoted to Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, in Ogun State, by one of the school’s alumni.

The alumnus identified as Dr. Tokunbo Ogunfemi, is a UK-based clinical scientist and lecturer at a university in London.

Ogunfemi stated that the donation was part of his efforts to give back to his alma mater.

He added that the medical instrument would allow students to gain practical knowledge in addition to theoretical aspects taught in class.

Ogunfemi was quoted to have said, “There are about 10 equipment and each is within the worth £ 23, 000. The other four set, is £20, 000, and the last set is about £15, 000. Like I said, I didn’t pay for any of them. I collected them from the hospital where I work.

“Twelve microscopes for malaria parasites; they can use it to detect if you have short blood; they can use it to test anemia, food poison, diabetes, low sugar etc.

“There is one for the detection of early cancer; there are also microscopes – for detection of microorganisms and microbes; there are instrument to check people with staphylococcus among others.

“All those instrument belong to them. They are in the range of N150 million to N200 million. I didn’t pay for it but, I used about N1.5 million to ship it.”

Ogunfemi was commended by the Chairman, Governing Council of the Polytechnic,  Dr  Veronica Ogbuagu, and the Rector, Dr Olusegun Aluko.

They disclosed that the donation was received during the council meeting to serve as honour to the donor.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Peoples Democratic Party in Zamfara State has accepted the rule by a Federal High Court and fixed Friday for a rerun of gubernatorial primary in the state.

The Daily Reality reported the train of crisis in the party that led the court to nullify the party’s governorship primary that produced Alh. Dauda Lawal Dare as a winner.

The court cited flagrant violation of party’s constitutional provisions and guidelines as reasons of invalidating the election, consequently, ruled the election be reruned.

Alhaji Ahmad Sani Kaura, the state chairman of the party, stated that preparations were on top gear for the peaceful conduct of the primary election in the state.

He said, “The Peoples Democratic Party is a law- abiding entity and we are complying with the court order to conduct a fresh primary election. The contestants remain the same, Alhaji Dauda Lawal Dare, Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, Wadatau Madawaki and Hafiz Nahuche.

“The national headquarters of our party has scheduled the rerun to hold on Friday, 23rd September, 2022. Officials from the headquarters are coming to Gusau to conduct a peaceful and acceptable election.

“As I’m talking to you, congresses are being held in wards to ensure gender compliance because part of what court said was that women were excluded from the delegate list. We are including them now,” he added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A man diligently taking care of a house meant for Muslim converts in Gwale LGA, Kano State, has opened up on the tough times the people are going through.

Malam Hassan Tela described to The Daily Reality how the Kano State Government had abandoned the house located at Hauren Wanki, Gwale LGA, without food and basic necessities for over 11 years amidst the biting economic hardship in Nigeria.

Hassan Tela said that the forsaken converts are now under the care of a few individuals who shoulder their responsibilities since the government had turned its back on them.

He stated that the house is under the Kano State Shari’ah Commission, founded by the former governor of the state, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, in his first tenure in 2004.

The Daily Reality gathered that during the Shekarau administration, the converts were well taken care of and had their foodstuffs provided every month, including soaps and detergents to wash their clothes.

The end of Shekarau’s tenure throws converts into a dilemma

However, the end of Shekarau’s term opened the door of hardship and hunger for these abandoned converts for over a decade, leaving them stranded and, sometimes, starved.

Tela said, “During Shekarau administration, the governor provided foodstuffs such as rice, beans, maize, yam and other items to the converts, including the pocket money.

“The government also sponsored the children to continue their studies from primary to tertiary institutions. Books, shoes, bags, and uniforms were also provided for them. Life then was smooth. I also had my N15,000 allowance every month.”

However, when Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso was elected as Kano state governor in 2011, he stopped the feeding and the allowance. Likewise, Governor Ganduje, whose administration has marked its 7th year.

Our reporters gathered that despite all the pleas by Tela and his Da’awa preaching colleagues, the government turned a deaf ear to the plight of the converts and those taking care of them. This development has forced many of the converts to drop out of school.

‘We sell our preaching bus to feed converts’ – Tela

“Because we cannot keep human beings without food, and the converts numbering thirty-seven, we had to sell our bus we used to go for preaching to sustain this activity.

“Some people that came to our rescue purchased a tricycle (Adaidaita Sahu) for us. After spending some years and the machine was old enough to work, because it broke down almost every day and we didn’t save anything because we used the money for our daily shopping, we had to sell it too to buy foodstuffs.

“In those days, when goods and services were cheap, N2500 was enough for me to do all the shopping, but now, I spend N5000, and we are still managing.

“But Alhamdulillah, the founding fathers of Hanan and Abu Hanifa schools, including the current deputy governor of Kano State and a few others, have lent us their helping hands.”

It’s difficult for us – converts

Some of the converts that spoke to The Daily Reality have voiced a passionate plea to the government to come to their aid.

A convert, Aisha Hassan, pleaded with the government to come to their aid, saying, “Sometimes we would wake up, and we have no money to shop.”

A convert, Ummu-Salma Musa, said, “Some of us are in school, but we don’t have reading materials such as books and bags, and we also need some clothes to wear.”

Another convert who identified herself as Hafsat, and has completed her diploma programme, said, “We really face many challenges including lack of soaps, detergents, slippers and sandals for our younger ones going to primary and secondary schools. We also hope to further our education.”

Aisha Danjuma said, “We also need to learn some skills as some of us are not going to school.”

When contacted, the Director Public Enlightenment of Kano State Shari’ah Commission, Malam Aminu Musa, said he could not comment on the allegations.

He said, “I know of the issue. But as of now, honestly speaking, I cannot say anything about it. In addition, there have been changes and appointments in the commission, and I am one of those appointed that assumed duty on Monday.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The residence of a former Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, late Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano, has been acquired by the state government for the establishment of meseum and center for research.

The meseum would be named after him; Yusuf Maitama Sule Centre for the Advancement of Democratic Politics and Good Governance.

Muhammad Garba, the state commissioner for Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, 21st September, 2022 said the construction work had already commenced.

He said, “The initial contract sum for the project put at N621, 604, 295.89 million would be in two phases consisting of a museum and the main centre, beginning with the construction of the museum.”

He added that the effort was to preserve treasured culture and history of Kano people for future generations, research works and tourism.

He further stated that the center was expected to be engaged in capacity building documentation and digitisation of the cultural heritage of Kano people among others.

By Aisar Fagge & Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Following days of torrential downpour, floods have submerged many Jigawa communities and have killed scores and rendered many homeless in the Northwestern State.

Jigawa State is at the epicenter of climate crisis in the country owing to incessant rainfall in the state. This has caused dams and rivers to break their banks and destroy bridges, roads hospitals and several homes.

Over 100 people have been reported to have died as a result of the flood and thousands of people have been displaced. Farms and lifestocks are also not safe from the overwhelming effect of the flood.

Auyo, Hadeija , Ringim, Dutse, Gwaram, and Birnin Kudu Local Government Areas of the state are the most devasted by the flood.

The State Emergency Management, SEMA, through its Head, Sani Ya’u has disclosed that the government is doing everything to mitigate the effects of the flood on the affected communities.

However, the response to the humanitarian crisis by the government and civil society organizations have been said to be abysmal.

Mal. Naziru Chobal who spoke to The Daily Reality from Hadejia said only few villages are above water level and the government is doing very little in addressing the menacing flood. He also said governments of neighbouring states like Kano and Katsina have not taken any step to help salvage the situation.

“There was adhan [prayer calling] at 12: 00 am [which signifies emergency situation] and people in hundreds came out to block the embankment that broke. It’s scary. I was in the water carrying sand bags and the water level was up to the waist. I was scared because I don’t know how to swim.”

“The water level is high that you can’t cross any bridge, you’re not sure if there’s one. Especially Kafin Hausa to Auyo, Hadejia – Gamayin,” he said.

Commenting on the extent of the damage in Auyo, Naziru added, “In Auyo, their hospital, police station, INEC office are all flooded.”

The people displaced by the flood in Auyo and Hadejia are seeking shelter in a primary schools as the government is yet to commence evacuation of the victims. The villagers spend most of their time making sand bags to create embarkment to stop the water from entering the towns.

Of the things the flooded people needed the most according to Naziru are: sand, working tools, food, clothes, medicine, volunteers, etc.

By Muhammad Aminu

A Magistrate Court number 30 in Zungeru road Kano has ordered a Chinese immigrant, Geng Quangrong, to be remanded in Kurmawa Medium Security Custodial Center.

The Nigeria Police has charged Geng Quangrong for culpable homicide under section 221 of the penal code for killing his former girlfriend.

However, Magistrate Hanif Sanusi Ciroma ordered that the accused be returned to the custodial facility as the Court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the case.

Geng is being accused of tresspassing and murdering 23-year old Ummulkulthum Buhari in Janbulo area on Friday night.

The deceased and accused were said to have been dating before the relationship turned sour.

Prosecution Counsel Barr Khalifa Auwal Hashim has requested the Court to return the accused to the Facility since it had no jurisdiction pending the legal advisory from the Kano State ministry of justice.

The Margistrate Court therefore ordered that the accused to be remanded at the custodial facility till 13th October, 2022 for rearraingement in a court with a jurisdiction.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo has updated the country on the security situation in Anambra State.

Soludo who spoke on Channels Television on Sunday said the security situation in the state has improved in the last three months. He disclosed that the criminals tormenting the state are being identified and arrested .

“No space in Anambra will accommodate these criminals. Of course, they are known criminals. They come from homes, have parents, relatives and have people from the villages and so on. But thank goodness, people are now coming forward with information about their identities.

“And that’s how we have been picking them. We are pursuing them vigorously. We have this lead whether this was an orchestrated or pinpoint attack and all kinds of theories as to why this happened.

“I can bet you, it won’t be too long before we get them. We are not relenting one minute.” Soludo stated

The unknown gunmen are reputed for maiming, killing civilians and attacking government offices.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Several reports from Zamfara State have indicated that the remains of a notorious bandits warlord, Bello Turji, was not among the 37 terrorists naturalised by the Nigerian Air Force on Saturday, September 17, 2022.

The Daily Reality recalls that the military personnel have bombed the bandits’ hideout. Although Turji escaped, he was reported to have been badly injured while 37 of his loyalists were killed.

Turji is an infamous bandits’ warlord that controls a large gang. He has been leading attacks in Zamfara and some other parts of the northwestern part of the country.

Zamfara is one of the epicentres of the insurgence of banditry and kidnapping. The development has thrown many of the residents into hardship and affected businesses and many other activities in the state.

Governor Bello Matawalle of the state had asked residents to take up arms and defend themselves in his effort to end the rising insecurity and attacks in the state.

The Governor was also reported to have raised community protection guards, which he empowered with over 7000 guns. However, the attacks continue.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Public school teachers in Kano State have decried the way the state Ministry of Education allegedly extorts money from them amidst biting economic hardship in Nigeria.

A fresh secondary school teacher with NCE earns an estimated monthly salary of N32,000, an amount that cannot buy a bag of rice which is sold at N48,000, while degree holders take home N42,000 monthly.

The teachers, who clamoured for government intervention, alleged that the ministry forced them to pay a certain amount of money anytime their wallets ran low.

They described the unjustified way of imposition of tax on them as a new form of slavery.

The Daily Really gathered that the ministry recently asked the teachers to pay N2,500 each for mandatory computer training. They said even teachers who studied and taught computer science in schools could not escape the recent extortion.

However, one of the teachers, who preferred anonymity, confided in our reporter that that was not the first time the ministry allegedly extorted them.

He said, “This is not the first time we were asked to pay such kind of money. Just in July, a few days before Eid, all teachers in Kano were asked to pay N500 each.

“None of us dared to ask what the money was for. But we later realized that the money was just shared among a few selfish individuals,” the teacher said.

Another teacher, Sulaiman Muhammad, revealed that that was the third time he was forced to pay such an amount of money.

Muhammad said, “We paid N1,000 sometime around January to February. In July also, we paid N500 each and, now, N2,500.”

Ishaq Abdulfatah (not his real name) called on the government to look into the menace with a view to bringing it to an end, adding that “we are all frustrated with the development.”

He said, “Everyone knows about the economic hardship in Nigeria and what the masses are going through. We are struggling to survive on our low-level income.

“But sadly enough, these people extort money unjustifiably from us. Government should do something about it.”

Another teacher said, “On Monday, a delegation from the zonal office came to our school and told us about the computer training. They said every one of us must pay that money.

“He even said if we like, we shouldn’t go for the training. But what is more important is to pay the money. This surprised me very much.”

However, when contacted, Kano State Ministry of Education spokesperson Aliyu Yusuf told our reporter that the ministry was not aware of the alleged extortion.

He said, “I came to know about this development just now. But since you talked about secondary school teachers, I think you should go to Kano State Secondary Schools Management Board (KSSSMB) for further inquiries.”

But, in what appeared surprising to many, the KSSSBM Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Baba, also claimed to be unaware of the development.

He said, “The only thing I know is the N1,000 that was initially collected was for ID cards. Apart from that, we didn’t collect any money from any teacher.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

A 52-year-old man who raped and impregnated his 18-year-old daughter wept for mercy as Ikeja Special Offences Court sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment on Thursday.

The convict identified as Akin Isaac knelt down in tears to plea with the court for mercy, saying he had an aged mother to look after.

During the court sitting, the prosecutor said that the defendant had started having intercourse with his 18-year-old daughter while she was six years old.

The Daily Reality recalls how police in Ogun State had arrested a 46-year-old Olusegun Oluwole for allegedly raping his 17-year-old daughter on weekends.

His arrest followed a complaint lodged at Ibara police station in Abeokuta by the man’s owned daughter (name withheld).

This was disclosed in a statement Sunday by the state Police Spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi.

Oyeyemi said the father forcefully raped his own daughter and threatened to kill her if she dared to tell anyone about the incident.

He stated that, “the girl said while she was sleeping in their one room apartment at Amolaso area of Abeokuta, on a night, her father, having observed that others were fast asleep suddenly grabbed her and forcefully had sex with her.

“On interrogation, the father of six, who confessed to the crime pleaded for forgiveness, claiming not knowing what came over him when he committed the crime,” Oyeyemi said.