Kwara State

By Uzair Adam 

A devastating boat accident has reportedly claimed the lives of 27 passengers in Kwara State. 

The victims were said to be returning from a market trip in neighbouring Niger State when the incident occurred three days ago.

Eyewitnesses and a survivor of the mishap blamed the tragedy on overloading and a sudden heavy storm that struck at night. 

The boat, according to sources, was built to carry about 100 people but often ferries up to 300 passengers during both dry and rainy seasons.

This latest mishap comes just seven months after over 100 villagers died in a similar incident in the Gbajibo community, Kaiama Local Government Area.

Chairman of Kaiama LGA, Abdullah Danladi, confirmed the incident and led a government delegation to sympathise with the bereaved families. 

He warned that the government would no longer tolerate the recurring loss of lives on local waterways and revealed plans to establish a committee to enforce the use of life jackets and ban nighttime boat operations.

Also responding to the tragedy, the Emir of Kaiama, His Royal Highness Muazu Umar, vowed to step up awareness campaigns aimed at promoting safe practices among boat operators and passengers.

By Muhammadu Sabiu
 
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Ilorin have apprehended 13 Chinese nationals for illegal mining activities in Kwara State.
 
The EFCC revealed this via a statement on its social media handles on Friday evening.
 
According to the anti-graft body, “the offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983.”
 
This paper understands that the suspects, who include a female and 12 males, were detained on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the Government Reserved Area, G.R.A. Ilorin, after obtaining reliable information about their unlawful activities, which included illegal mining and failure to pay royalties to the Federal Government as required by law.
 
The EFFC’s statement further reads, “Prior to their arrest, discrete investigations on the activities of illegal mining operators in Kwara State revealed that the operators have different illegal mining sites in almost all the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Kwara State Government has reduced workdays to three days for the state public servants. 

The Chief Press Security, Office of the Head of Service, Murtala Atoyebi, revealed the development in a press statement on Monday. 

According to Mr Atoyebi, the action became necessary owing to the need to put measures in place to cushion the effect of the removal of fuel subsidy on workers in the state.

Part of the statement reads:

“The State Head of Service, Mrs Susan Modupe Oluwole announced today that the State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has directed that the workdays be reduced from five days to three days per week for every worker.

“Mrs Oluwole directed all Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the State to immediately work out a format indicating the alternating work days for each worker under them.

The Head of Service however, warned the workers not to abuse the magnanimity of the Governor, stressing that the regular monitoring of MDAs by her office would be intensified to ensure strict compliance.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

A patient in Ilorin has met with a sad fate when one Ayodele Joseph, the Chief Medical Director of Ayodele Hospital, sedated and raped her iside the hopital.

A police report revealed that Dr. Ayodele sedated the patient and eventually raped her without her consent.

It added that the doctor sedated the patient and raped her when she went to the hospital for medical treatment.

Ayodele was arraigned on a two-count charge of act of gross indecency and rape, contrary to sections 285 and 283 of the penal code.

The Daily Reality, through the police report, learned that the victim, who fell under the doctor’s trap, is also a professional nurse.

“Investigation into the matter however led to the recovery of the video recording containing sexual action of the defendant on the victim while medical text also confirmed that the said nurse was assaulted and raped”, the charge sheet disclosed.

Gbenga Ayeni, the prosecutor, informed the court of the gravity of the offence and the motion attached to the police report, which sought to remand the suspect.

The court granted Ayeni’s prayer for remand while the matter was adjourned to May 18th, 2023.

By Uzair Adam Imam and Muhammad Sabi’u

A Chief Medical Director of Kaiama General Hospital, Dr. Adio Adebowale, was arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend and one other lady in Kwara State.

A statement issued and signed by the state police command PRO, Ajayi Okasanmi, disclosed this on Sunday in Ilorin.

The suspect was arrested in Edo and had confessed the killing of his girlfriend, Ifeoluwa, who declared missing in Table area of Ilorin in 2021.

”The investigation led the team to Kaiama general hospital where the suspect worked as the Chief Medical Director.

“The suspect’s office was forced opened and a decomposing corpse of an unidentified female body was found buried in a shallow grave,” the spokesperson said.

Further search to his office led to the discovery of another decomposing corpse of missing Nafisat Halidu in a trash can.

“Based on the commissioner’s directive, investigation into the case began and that the Police worked on an information based on the arrest of one Dr Adio Adebowale in Edo,” the statement added.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

A former minister of sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has blamed the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) for the mess and hardship in the country.

Abdullahi tackled the party, saying only persons with love for suffering will vote for APC in the forthcoming elections of 2023.

The former minister is the PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara Central. He said this while speaking with journalists in Ilorin.

He stated, “You have to have a love for suffering to even consider voting for APC again after how they have ruined this country.

“If not for the way things are, nobody should even be talking about APC again after the mess they have brought to the country. The next election is going to be the PDP and any other party but APC.”

According to him, the party has failed the country in all development indices. Meanwhile, Nigerians must be careful not to return it to power across all levels.

By Fatima Usman

Kogi State is one of the abundantly blessed states in Nigeria regarding natural and human resources and other things. Carved out of the old Kwara and Benue states, Kogi was created on 27th August 1991 by the then former president, Ibrahim Badamasi, alongside eight other states, including Delta, Edo, Abia Osun, Taraba states, etc. The state capital, Lokoja, is an ancient historical town that once served as Nigeria’s colonial administrative headquarters.

The birth of the new state was a reunion of a people who had shared history and had co-existed as one polity for over seven decades before being severed by the 1976 states creation exercise.

Kogi, among other states, has the most extensive mineral resources in Nigeria. These minerals resources, including coal, iron ore, dolomite, feldspar, tar, bauxite, and limestone, can serve as a source of income to the state and Nigeria as a whole only if utilised well. These alone can bring foreigners to the country for investment and serve as a tour state. It can also help eradicate poverty and create job opportunities for the people of the state and Nigeria.

Ajaokuta Steel Company alone can create millions of job opportunities for the youths, yet the government is not paying attention to it. Instead, they keep investing in another man’s land while ours dies.

Let’s not even talk about the rivers Niger and Benue, the two largest rivers in West Africa; their meeting point is in Lokoja, Kogi State.

The main aim is to make it a pleasurable delight to visitors, both foreign and local, thus boosting the tourism industry, economy, and social interaction in the state. But what have we done to it? Nothing. The government abandons it and never pays attention to it.

Sadly, Kogi politicians do not see that we have things that can make the state a better place, where people can talk about, and where people will come to search for greener pastures yet abandon them.

Those folks instead prefer to invest in other states and countries. All they know is to build hotels and filling stations all over the state, while most of them die after two to five years of operation. That happens because Kogi people depend only on salary and sometimes on percentage. Nobody is coming from other states or countries for any business meeting.

A state can be developed and have people coming after it only if it has good infrastructure, good roads, a standard manufacturing company, and other business activities. Without all these things, nobody will be interested in coming here.

Kogi state happened to be a state where people only depends on a salary after every 30 days of the month, which is not supposed to be.

We have other states who don’t have what we have, yet they are doing well. Their states have good roads, production companies that provide jobs for their citizens and even those who go there for greener pastures.

For Kogi state to be a better place, we have to appreciate what we have and utilise it well so that people don’t have to wait for white-collar jobs or wait for a stipend every month end before they can feed or live a better life.

Fatima Usman is a 300 level student of mass communication at IBB University, Lapai. She can be reached via usmanfatima499@gmail.com.

By Ibraheem Abdullateef

Praises may not come often. But the impact will always be felt – wherever it is being made. 

On the heels of the above, I write to the leadership of the Nigerian senate to commend them for conducting investigations into the N400 billion National Primary Health Centre projects awarded during the tenure of President Olusegun Obasanjo 2006 but were abandoned for strange reasons by the contractors. 

The administration initiated the National Primary Health Centre to deepen access to quality and affordable healthcare facilities for the less privileged at the local levels. It was originally conceived to build in each of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria a sixty (60) bed-capacity primary health centres; complemented with a three-bed flat; doctors quarters, ambulance, drugs; and other basic hospital equipment. 

To prosecute the projects, the federal government deducted monies from the excess crude account of all the 774 LGAs every month until the budgeted funds required for the project was realised. Despite that, little or no notable jobs have been done 15 years after. The majority of the projects have not been started, while many are simply abandoned to waste across the country. I wail at this culture of abandonment, sleaze, corruption, and wickedness to humankind. 

The consequences of this suspected case of breach of contract, diversion, and misappropriation of public funds are far-reaching on national health. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cited by the Journal of Global Health Report, the Maternal Mortality Ratio in Nigeria is 814 per 100,000 live births in 2020. It accounted for about 20 % of the global maternal deaths. The malaria figures are as grim, if not worse. The World Malaria report 2021 revealed over 50 million cases and 207,000 deaths annually. It means that the giant of Africa accounts for at least 27% of malaria deaths worldwide. 

Findings from global health reports linked the high mortality rates and malaria cases to delay in seeking maternal healthcare, delay in locating medical facilities, and low-quality healthcare services for the patients. It is safe to conclude that the full implementation and execution of the National Primary Health Centre project would have improved accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality care services in all the 774 LGAs in the country. As they were not handled well, it might have cost the nation over 7 million lives, mainly women, infants, and young adults. 

It is good this has not been made to pass yet. Upon the motion by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe of Kwara central and the adoption of the resolution of an investigation by the senate a fortnight ago, some of the unscrupulous contractors have started works on the abandoned projects. In Ilorin South Local Government Area, one of the LGAs making up Kwara Central, work has resumed at the site, and some of the equipment are being returned. But will that be enough to compensate for the delay in the last 15 years? Who are these people? What would be the price of justice? 

I urge the media, the civil society groups, and the security agencies to aid the outstanding Senator Oloriegbe and the 9th senate’s bid for justice and probity. 

Kwara Central Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe’s alarm shows uncommon bravery, patriotism, and excellent knowledge of the industry as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health. This should propel investigations into the case deep and thorough. The conclusion of this issue is weighty. One, it would stimulate healthcare services across the country. Two, it may grant due punishment or sanctions to wrongdoers, setting a template for future conduct. The third point is that it may lead to a review, introduction or implementation of stricter laws and processes, including the roles of the ministries and agencies, in bidding and drawing funds for projects. 

Looking at the history of Nigerian politics, I am aware that this is hard to pull off. But it is not impossible. Leaders are elected to make hard, cracking decisions in the interest of the people and nation. The nation, especially the Nigerian youths, is happy with this step and are proud of the 9th senate. We urge them to go all out for justice in the larger interest of the nation. Here is our word of courage. 

Ibraheem Abdullateef is the Kwara Central Representative in the Nigerian Youth Parliament 5th Assembly. He tweets via @_ibraheemlateef

By Muhammad Abdurrahman

Muslim students of Baptist High School, Ijagbo in Oyun Local Government of Kwara State, who were protesting for the right to use hijab were reportedly attacked by hoodlums and security agents yesterday, Thursday, 3rd February 2022. Four people were allegedly injured while one has been hospitalised.

As usual, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has reacted to the incident by condemning the attack on the protesting students.

MURIC’s condemnation was contained in a statement issued by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on the afternoon of Thursday, 3^rd February 2022.

MURIC said:

“Muslim students of Baptist High School, Ijagbo in Oyun Local Government of Kwara State, who were protesting for the right to use hijab were reportedly attacked by hoodlums and security agents today, Thursday, 3^rd February 2022. Four people were allegedly injured while one has been hospitalised.

“Although it was rumoured that one person was killed, we prefer to be silent over that until we receive more details from our Kwara branch (https://tribuneonlineng.com/police-nscdc-quell-hijab-protest-in-kwara/; https://www.ekohotblog.com/2022/02/03/breaking-hijab-many-injured-as-peaceful-protest-turns-violent-in-kwara-photos/). We will update our statement immediately we have a full report.

“We strongly condemn this attack on innocent and underaged children. It is irresponsible, barbaric and inhuman. The protesting girls were not violent. It was a peaceful protest and a peaceful protest is a legitimate tool for the expression of grievances, particularly when it is peaceful.

“MURIC singles out the principal of the school for insubordination, willful disobedience and disrespect for constituted authority. This is in view of his high-handedness and his refusal to recognise the state government’s circular which approved the use of hijab.

“In the meantime, and in the interest of peace, we make the following demands:

1.     The school must be shut down immediately to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

2.     The school principal must be summoned to the Ministry of Education to personally collect his quarry letter for insubordination, willful disobedience and disregard for constituted authority.

3.     The school principal must be suspended with immediate effect.

4.     Government should decide other disciplinary action or actions to be taken against the school principal for disobeying the government’s circular which approved the use of hijab.

5.     A probe must be instituted into the circumstances surrounding the commotion.

6.     All those injured should be treated at the expense of the state government.

7.     In case of death from injuries sustained during the attack, full compensation should be paid to the parents of the victim or victims.

8.     Expenses incurred by the government in handling this case should be deducted from the principal’s gratuity on his retirement.

9.     The state government should add its identity to the names of all schools in the state, e.g. Oyun Baptist High School should become ‘Oyun Government Baptist High School’.

By Ahmed Zakaria

With the recent agitations for “Yoruba Nation” and “Middlebelt”, it is pertinent for Kwara State indigenes to review their relationships with other groups, narrate their stories by themselves and resist all efforts at manipulations of the narratives.

Some raucous voices have always taken it upon themselves to categorise Kwara State where it suits their tribal, political, religious and sentimental inclinations without considering the choice of the state’s indigenes.

Just because the Yoruba language is the Lingua Franca in Kwara doesn’t separate Kwara from the northern states. But, that does not also mean only Yorubas reside in Kwara, or only they “own” Kwara, as there are many other tribes, like Nupes, Barubas, Kanuri, Fulani,

Some people wrongfully assume the scale to be a Northern State is being above River Niger, which is absurd and wholly superficial and unwarranted.

Others use Hausa or Fulfulde language as a yardstick for grouping northern and southern states, which is also fallacious. A lot of people in northern Nigeria do not speak Hausa or Fulfulde.

Others use religion as a criterion, which is also untrue. For example, many communities in northern Nigeria have large populations of Muslims, Christians, and worshippers of traditional religions. Most recently, agitators of the “Middlebelt” have used religion as a basis for dividing northern Nigeria. 

With the recent agitations in the South West for “Oduduwa Republic”, many people encourage Kwara Yorubas and even Kogi Yorubas to join the struggle. They claim they will regret being part of the North or be oppressed by the “Northerners” or that they won’t gain anything from the North. Many other things they enjoy saying without knowing the repercussions of what they are saying or putting into consideration the emotions of others while saying it.

It is all due to utter historical ignorance. It is highly offensive to assume Kwarans are Northerners by chance or are “Northerners” for the benefit of what they “gain” from the “North”. 

Kwarans are unfortunately projected as “power-hungry” folks, making them seem all their decisions are guided by the love of money, power or recognition, which is wrong, untrue, and humiliating. 

Adding more salt to injury is to assume that other “Northerners” will “oppress” Kwarans or take away their “rights” or “resources”. It is more painful and mischievous. Nothing as such exists in the dictionary of the good people of Kwara State. It is a lack of understanding of the historical relevance of the current nomenclature of Kwara State that leads to all these unfortunate and insincere utterances and views.

No one can take away the “rights” of Kwarans or “resources”. We are focused on what “we” can sincerely offer this nation and region and not what this nation or the North can offer us. We do not discuss our “rights” when we haven’t discharged the “obligations” upon us.

The people in Kwara State have a strong ideological and religious association with  Northern Nigeria, which is stronger than mere tribal and geographical relationships.

Those who wish to project Kwarans as unclear of where they belong or are lost, looking for an identity, or seeking acceptance are deceiving themselves, not Kwarans. They deny the obvious. 

Many Kwarans welcomed the news of the raid on Sunday Igboho’s house and the arrest of his criminal associates for their effrontery towards Kwara State heroes and monuments.

They employed their propaganda machines to tarnish the good image of Kwara as well as to portray them in a negative light. They rubbished our traditional institutions and had the audacity to instruct their foot soldiers to be insulting Our Royal Father, the Emir of Ilorin.  

He thought the hooliganism and thuggish behaviour he exhibited in Oyo State could be condoned and replicated in Kwara State. He does not know the bonds that bind the people of Kwara are more robust than what people like him could ever break. Many sacrifices were made to build, foster, and develop these bonds and brotherhood, but his followers kept praising him till he met his Waterloo.

No true son of Kwara will support the criminal attitudes of Igboho. That is why some people believe that most people causing trouble and tribalism today in Kwara State are not true sons of Kwara. No true son of Kwara will support the disrespect meted on the state by Igboho and his propaganda machines.

It is harrowing and highly disappointing to paint Kwarans as people without an identity, just like it is a blatant lie to assume Kwarans don’t know their identity; that was what Igboho worked extremely hard at achieving.

It is unfortunate to assume Kwarans don’t know where they belong to or are looking for love and affection from any people or group of people. But, on the contrary, Kwarans respect everybody and bear no grudge towards anyone.

The mere thought of what Igboho represents is distasteful, extremely humiliating, and deeply heartbreaking. Kwarans are not troublesome; they are warm-blooded, unlike their counterparts in other parts of the country. 

That is the opportunity Igboho seized and the reason he dared to insult, belittle, humiliate, and threaten Kwarans. Yet, he dared not threaten Kano, Sokoto, or Borno in the same fashion he threatened Kwara.

Those supporting Igboho’s antics, methods, styles, and methodology do not and will never represent Kwarans. The attacks on our Emir and traditional institutions even made us more united behind our Emir despite all our differences.

Igboho consistently portrays hatred for those he terms the “Fulanis”, but we all in Kwara State fall under that category. He has been blinded by deep-seated tribalism and hatred that he views all of us in Kwara State as Fulanis and “Eru Fulanis” to the extent that it is absolutely impossible to convince his myopic mind that not all people in Kwara are Fulani and that Yorubas, Nupes, Barubas, and Fulanis live side by side, peacefully since the time of Shehu Alimi, that’s two centuries ago.

We thank the swift intervention of the DSS in tackling the menace and criminal activities of Igboho and his cohorts, for if the government hadn’t intervened, other non-state actors would definitely spring into action to counter his illegal activities and unguarded utterances against Kwara State. He and tribalists like him are not welcome in Kwara State. 

May ALLAH bless Kwara State and the whole of Nigeria, amin.

Ahmad Zakariyah writes from Kwara State. He can be reached via ahmadzakariyah@gmail.com.