NGOs

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kano State Network of Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) recently organized an event to foster dialogue on the critical importance of strategic investments in youth as a pathway to sustainable development in Kano State.

The event took place on Thursday at the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) in Nassarawa GRA, Kano. It was titled “Investing in Our Youth: Strategic Pathways for Sustainable Development in Kano State.” It saw the attendance of many important personalities.

Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi, the Chairman of the Steering Committee of KANET, emphasized that the event is part of their commitment to youth development in the state.

Speakers presented papers on key issues surrounding youth development and the potential benefits of meaningful investment in young people in the state.

Zainab Nasir Ahmad, the Executive Director of the Youth Society for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases & Social Vices (YOSPIS), addressed the menace of youth irresponsibility posed by drug abuse and lack of education. 

Presenting her paper titled “The Situation of Youth in Kano State and Neglect in Investing in Their Future,” Zainab lamented the reluctance to solve local problems, adding that she is currently writing a book about the menace.

She highlighted that the lack of access to capital, limited job opportunities for graduates, and substance abuse contribute to the deterioration of youth and hinder their development in the state. 

Zainab stated, “Again, poor parenting and lack of supervision also contribute to hindering youth development. However, it looks like we are not ready to address our problems because some parents are also into drug abuse.”

She urged government intervention through law enforcement and establishing youth initiatives to address these issues.

Hauwa Muhammad, the Chairman of the Kano State Children Parliament, also decried the menace of child labour that hinders children from pursuing their studies and sometimes results in them becoming victims of rape and maltreatment. 

Hauwa urged the Kano state government to support families and households by providing a sustainable minimum income to ensure financial barriers do not prevent children from going to school and unveiling their talents.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Bayero University, Kano (BUK), in collaboration with the Civil Society Action Coalition for All (CSACEFA), organised a one-day capacity-building training on education budget tracking and analysis.

The event, titled “Education Budget Tracking and Analysis Tools”, took place at the Centre for Gender Studies, Bayero University, on Sunday.

One of the organisers, the President of the Kano State Accountability Forum on Education, Professor Muhammad Bello Shitu, said the purpose of the event was to enlight people on issues related to the education budget.

Professor Shitu stated that their intention was to help “the practitioners and civil society actors to have knowledge and skills of budget analysis as well as budget tracking.”

Also speaking after the event, Dr Auwal Halilu lamented the rising number of out-of-school children in Kano State in recent times.

He stated that “However, with the coming of the new government, which claims to top education on their priority list, we are hopeful that things will change,” he added.

Dr Halilu added that the issue of the rising number of out-of-school children in Kano state, which reached over 1.4 million, is alarming and should be addressed instantly.

The event had converged many educationalists, social and political analysts, as well as civil society activists who came from all walks of Kano to grace the event.

Bello Hussein Adoto

The signing of the Mental Health Bill into law presents a renewed imperative to rewrite the mental health narrative in Nigeria. Here is how Nigeria can do better.

‘All diseases are equal, but some are more equal than others’. Although Nigeria is not George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the country has a glaring disparity in the kinds of diseases it considers a priority, but the recent signing of the Mental Health Bill into law can help us to rewrite the narrative.

At the mention of infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, or non-infectious diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, one could point to tangible, nationwide, and sustained initiatives to promote public health and reduce their impact on individuals and communities. But very few such initiatives are available, if any, for anxiety, depression, or Alzheimer’s disease. 

While anxiety and depression do not kill as regularly as untreated malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension – diseases that received far more attention, these mental illnesses are nonetheless deadly.

Anxiety and depression, for instance, reduce our quality of life and living, undermining our productive capacity, while depression increases a person’s risk of suicide. This reality makes diseases that affect moods and behaviour as relevant as those that affect tissues and organ systems.

Mental health disorders are a huge challenge in Nigeria. A recent report puts the number of people living with one mental illness or the other in the country at 60 million. According to a World Health Organization report, Nigeria has more than seven million people living with depression. This value doubles the number of people living with depression in South Africa and Ghana combined. A similar story plays out in the estimate for people with anxiety in the continent.

Nevertheless, the signing of the Mental Health Bill offers a renewed imperative for stakeholders to harness the several opportunities that could rewrite the narrative of mental health in the country.

The first opportunity is an extensive network of primary, albeit underfunded and underutilized, healthcare centres across the country. Nigeria has more than 33,000 primary health centres with a potential capacity to provide mental health first aid services to Nigerians. The government can expand these facilities to provide mental health care services.

The centres have community health officers (CHOs), community health extension workers (CHEWs), registered nurses, and midwives. Specialists can train these non-specialist healthcare workers to provide basic mental healthcare services nationwide, especially in rural areas, in a task-sharing, task-shifting policy.

Nigeria has applied this policy to provide malaria and family health services, and a 2015 study shows that integrating mental health into primary healthcare in Nigeria could follow a similar model. Such integration will buffer the shortage of mental health specialists in the country and improve care coverage for underserved populations.

Secondly, the digital era is here. Digital channels such as social media, webinars, SMS, and tools such as smartphones and software, provide an exciting, affordable, and sustainable opportunity to reach many people. The government could harness these channels to support non-specialist care delivery, educate the public about the fundamentals of mental health, reduce ignorance about mental health, and eliminate the stigma and dangerous practices associated with mental health disorders in the country.

Beyond helping to raise awareness, the government and other relevant stakeholders should harness digital channels to deliver e-health to people with mental health disorders and bypass the barriers to accessing traditional care. Such digital interventions have been shown to improve mental illnesses among students and could be helpful in care delivery to a larger population.

A third opportunity is the existence of non-governmental organizations, such as the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) and Asido Foundation, that champion mental health causes in the country.

NGOs are paramount to health promotion because they supplement public efforts to promote health. Some NGOs operate helplines for mental first aid; others, like the Asido foundation, run the Unashamed campaign to increase mental health awareness and reduce stigma in the country. The government can partner with these NGOs to sensitize the public and provide the much-needed care and support that millions of Nigerians need.

Finally, a special insurance package should be instituted for people with mental health disorders, so they can access essential care without worrying about the cost. Awareness about health insurance has increased over the years, and more Nigerians are enrolling in their numbers. The number of enrollees in the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme [(NHIS), mow National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)] has nearly doubled between 2007 and 2013. Stakeholders can expand current social health insurance packages for insurance owners to include mental health conditions and give Nigerians a new lease to access proper mental health care whenever needed.

Bello Hussein Adoto, a researcher, writer, and journalist, writes via bellohussein210@gmail.com.

By Habibu Maaruf Abdu

21 Kano-based Non-Governmental Organisations have organised interactive sessions with the aspirants for Kano state gubernatorial position ahead of the forthcoming 2023 elections. The two-day event took place on the 9th and 10th of November 2022 at the Babale Suite conference hall in Kano.

Convened by Dr Aminu Magashi Garba, the interactive sessions allowed the candidates to share their campaign blueprint with the NGO community and have a dialogue with them on critical thematic areas such as; Health, Education, Environment, Commerce and Industry, Agriculture, Technology, Women and Youth Development, among others.

Sessions with PRP candidate Salihu Tanko Yakasai and Bala Muhammad Gwagwarwa of SDP were held on the first day.

The second day saw sessions with ADC’s Mal. Ibrahim Khalil, LP’s Engr. Bashir I. Bashir, and ADP’s Sha’aban Sharada.

It was said that plans are on the ground to organise sessions with other major contenders, such as the NNPP, APC and PDP candidates, in the coming days.

Recall that the Kano Civil Society Organizations and Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) held similar sessions with the candidates a few weeks ago.

By Yasira Muhammad Bello 

Since the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) went on strike from the first week of their warning strike in February, I have been busy with my literary activities, busy schedules and many other things.

In the first three months, I was engaged with an empowerment program called EGMA and EGRA (Feed and Read program for Almajiri’s) taking place all over Nigeria under different NGOs. Luckily, I got to be on the supervising committee under the Halimafactor community initiative (HFCI).

During this period, ASUU extended their warning strike, allowing me to continue my empowerment program skills.

Spending time with the Almajiri’s teaching them, feeding them and interacting with them gave me an instinct that ASUU has done me a favour because it’s a splendid opportunity to be with them and see their understanding of English and Mathematics.

I feel that it’s a considerable achievement and fulfilment. However, right on track before the completion of the program, I heard that ASUU would soon call off the strike (maybe or maybe not).

Alongside I saw another fantastic and golden opportunity; the NGO I am volunteering with will host training for Photography and Videography in collaboration with ITF/NECA. Immediately after I saw the form, I decided to participate since photography was my hobby and passion, and it would be another huge achievement during the ASUU strike. So I registered free and was screened and interviewed. So luckily for me, I got hitched up and selected to participate.

It wasn’t an easy-going job waking up as early as possible to be there at the training venue from (9:00 am to 3:00 pm). Sometimes it went beyond the closing time. Still, I kept going by putting my unending effort and strengthening my mind and soul for the task full option.

Right on the way, some of my co-trainees got tired and left, but I did not give up. On the contrary, I struggled every morning for the task ahead. Gradually, they say, an elephant can fly. Of course, it did.

The three consecutive months weren’t easy, but with all the hardships and criticism, I strived for it to be independent and stand out from other women of my age who think that women don’t have room in photography. Independence is my most cherished and number one value.

All of a sudden, it ended with a great one-week entrepreneurship class. Wow, it’s a massive point for me in 2022 and during the ASUU strike. The classes ended just a week ago (on Friday). I am now a certified photographer and videographer.

From last week to today, not up to a week, I have been doing nothing but staying at home. I feel like I have been idle for a year without doing anything. It’s a big step back to my dear independent life. Since the Federal Government is not ready to dialogue with ASUU, and ASUU aren’t prepared and willing to call off the strike, I wouldn’t hesitate to call myself to strike hard for my independent and entrepreneurial habits and morals.

This is just a brief account of my struggle during the period of ASUU. I decided to share this story with all my comrades at university and outside campus, especially my dear girls sitting idle at home doing nothing and expecting everything. If Nigeria cannot do it for us, let’s grow to be responsible and do it ourselves. With or without school, my 2022 agenda is almost fulfilled.

Be independent; you must overcome all the challenges and critics before you get to the root you want to grab in life.

I was criticized to the extent that I was thinking of backing down, but I decided not to. I learnt a life lesson that we can never do without criticism. When they criticize and talk about you, this shows that you are getting somewhere high. Believe me; many people are praying and hoping to be in your constant point. It’s their praying point, but you might not know. I refused to be trapped down doing nothing.

Yasira Muhammad Bello is a 100L student of Science Laboratory Technology, Gombe State University. She is an entrepreneur, writer, poetess, photographer, videographer, and spoken word artist. She sent this via misseerahbello@gmail.com.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

The fight against corruption should not be left in the hands of the government and their agencies alone because of their apparent weaknesses. A lot of corrupt practices are taking place undetected by public anti-corruption agencies.

Prof. Ismail M. Zango, the Director of Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Studies, Bayero University, Kano (Mambayya House), made the above statement while speaking to The Daily Reality at a “One-Day Review Workshop of Civil Society Anti-Corruption Networks in the North-West Zone” organized by the centre.

Speaking about the time the centre started organizing workshops on the fight against corruption, Prof. Zango said:

“In 2018, the centre received a grant from MacArthur Foundation to engage faith-based organizations to actively participate in the crusade against corruption. And since then, we have worked with a number of CSOs and NGOs from different parts of Nigeria. So that was the first phase.”

Commenting about the achievement recorded by the campaign so far, the director said:

“The major success was that we were able to work with religious organizations. We invite Muslim and Christian clerics to enlighten them about the role they can play in fighting corruption using their pulpits through their sermons. We have also established anti-corruption clubs in secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions.”

“Government alone cannot fight corruption. But if you have civil society; if you have faith organizations; if you have community-based organizations all of them working together, the only thing that remains is to inculcate in them the culture of transparency and accountability,” he added.

There was a round-table discussion and Q & A session where leaders of selected CSOs from the North-West zone were given 10 minutes to report their activities and some of the challenges they faced.

Some of the “citizens” [members of CSO] blame donors for forcing them to do their bidding while others disagreed, stating that the problem was from the CSOs for selfishness, lack of transparency, accountability and being unethical in some deals.

Zahra’u Ahmad from Kebbi objected, pointing out that “Donors are not the problem, CSOs are. So if a donor comes to you with a project that goes contrary to your religious and traditional norms and values, just say no to his money. Another problem is we see these organizations like ours, which is wrong. These organizations belong to the community.”

While giving the vote of thanks, the Deputy Director, Research and Documentation, Dr Samaila Suleiman Yandaki, tasked the CSOs to be innovative in their fight against corruption by not solely relying on budget monitoring as indicated in their reports.

Some leaders of the CSOs presented papers that attracted questions, observations and commendations.