Sunday, 24 May 2020

COVID-19: BISHOP NWOKOLO TARGETS 5000 FAMILIES WITH 30 MILLlON RELIEF MATERIALS


CHIKE OJUKWU

Diocese on the Niger has donated food and relief materials, worth N30million to thousands of parishioners in the diocese, as part of palliatives to alleviate their hardship, due to lockdown arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Owen Nwokolo (PhD) said the diocese targetted about 5,000 families in the diocese, who are  facing financial difficulties,  as a result of restrictions by both Federal and State Governments.

Bishop Nwokolo who stated, this recently at the Bishop's Court in Onitsha, commercial city of Anambra State said the quarantine measures have impacted negatively on many families.

According to him, the restrictions are vital in tackling the pandemic, which has killed many people worldwide.

However the suspension of social and economic activities worsened poverty as many people cannot afford  three square meals.

Dr Nwokolo urged the church and kind-hearted Nigerians to support vulnerable people in society, especially in these trying times.


According to him such gestures will reduce hunger in the land and also curb crimes and youth restiveness.

Speaking shortly after the presentation, Ven Obi Ubaka, the Archdeacon of Onitsha Main Archdeaconry thanked the Bishop for the gesture, pledging that the priests would ensure that the targeted families are reached.

He prayed that God Almighty would bless the diocese and its endeavours.

Tuesday, 19 May 2020

Christian group warns IG, SE,SS govs over movement of almajiris.

ADEZE OJUKWU

A faith-based organization, under the aegis of Nigeria Christian Graduate fellowship (NCGF) has called on Southern governors and security operatives to beef up surveillance at borders, due to dangers posed by indiscriminate inter-state travels by unauthorised persons.

The group expressed worry about reported incidences of lorry-loads of  child beggars, called ‘almajiris’, intercepted  at  various parts of the zone by vigilante groups and task force personnel. This is against the backdrop of  recent police reports that, truck-loads of almajiri were nabbed at various areas in the zone.  

Northern Governors’ Forum(NGF) recently banned the almajiri system and commenced relocation of street kids to their various  states and communities, as part of efforts to curb coronavirus otherwise called COVID-19.

In an open letter to the Inspector General of Police(IGP) and governors of the South tagged: ‘Re-movement of human cargo from the North to South,’ the organization accused security operatives  of complicity and violation of inter-state restrictions. The statement, signed by the group’s National president, Prof  Charles Adisa and General Secretary, Mr Philip Nwaegeruo, expressed concerns that ‘some  individuals are disguising as goods in trucks and trooping from the North to the South, despite the lock-down by the Federal and State governments.

‘Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects  hiding as cargoes, were  able-bodied persons, generally categorized as almajiris being off-loaded surreptitiously, in  South East, South South and South West geo-political zones.’

‘Similar sinister migrations have also been reported in the Middle-Belt, including  Nasarawa States.   The real mission behind this illegality, in the wake of increasing spread of the deadly disease in many Northern states raises serious concerns,’ it noted.

According to the group,  these so-called almajiris, some of who tested positive or asymptomatic to covid-19 may escalate community transmissions in the south, where spread  has been minimal. They also pose security threats to the region, it noted saying, ‘whatever be the intention, the timing of this strange action is suspicious.

It is wrong and highly dangerous for people to disguise themselves as  livestock, folder and goods, just to migrate to other areas of the nation clandestinely,  against laid down regulations.’

‘One can not hide under the right to freedom of movement and settlement in any part of the country to endanger the lives of other people.’

The group alleged that ‘these illegal operations are taking place in the presence of security agencies, who have been deployed to ensure strict compliance with the social and economic laws.’ According to them there are several military and police checkpoints between Oturkpa Junction in Benue State and Iriebe in Rivers State, yet these infractions are going on particularly at night.

‘The same can be said of the western flank of the national highways, yet these illegal movements have continued unabated.’

It further observed that ‘in the last one week three interceptions took place along the eastern axis. A team of locals intercepted an Eastern bound luxurious bus with 60 travellers from the north at Obollo Afor axis. At the Lokpanta axis in Abia state a trailer load of close to 200 persons lodged between animals and foodstuffs  was intercepted. Less than 24 hours at the Abia state boundary with Akwa Ibom  at Ariam another human cargo in a Dangote truck was also intercepted. In each of these places there is a military road block.’

In one of the cases, the group alleged  ‘that the driver of the truck was said to have confessed that the police collected N4,000 from each of the passengers before  allowing to  pass. This is proof that the security agencies are colluding in the illegal movements.  Similar incursions into have also been spotted   around Lagos and Western axis.’

According to them, police reports have clearly shown that those arrested  confessed to have bribed security agencies. ‘They may not necessarily be almajiris or beggars looking for greener pastures as believed hence the need to probe and unmask the real motives and characters  behind this sudden migration from the north,’ it added.

They called  on ‘the Inspector-General Police and the GOC 82 Division, Enugu, of the Nigeria Army and their counter-parts to carry out proper investigations into these breaches and prosecute erring officials, in order to serve as a deterrent.

The Christian group  also urged Southern governors to improve surveillance in the region, by establishing an independent ad hoc security arrangement to forestall this illegal movement.

It noted that the safety of the region was being compromised and reminded the governors of their constitutional responsibility  to ensure security of lives and properties under their jurisdictions.’

‘Persons, packed in truck loads of   cargoes and secretly transported in the cover of the night are violating federal and state governments directives. They  cannot  claim that their rights to freedom of movement are being violated because they are  endangering the safety of others.’

The group urged all residents  to be vigilant and alert the authorities, if they observe suspicious activities in their communities. ‘We also urge community leaders and  Christian organizations to be alert over the recent development, considering widespread apprehensions over alleged plots by terrorists and Islamic extremists to invade the region.’

 

Monday, 18 May 2020

The uproar over almajiri deportation

Adeze OJUKWU

The uproar over the ban and deportation  of child beggars, popularly called ‘almajiris,’ by northern governors, reflects the ominous schism in the polity. The destitution among these street kids, vividly, depicts the worst violations of child rights globally.

The state of these urchins, mainly from the north, roaming and rummaging through dumps for food, is heart-rending. Hence the action of the Northern Nigerian Governors Forum(NGF) to proscribe the controversial system is widely hailed.

However the move has also received knocks, due to the exigencies of relocating them in these perilous times. Several efforts, by past administrations  to end the primitive institution, were crushed by powerful individuals, whose wards study abroad, allegedly. Such is the paradox of the Nigerian society, where indigent families are pushed to despicable conditions, under the guise of religion and tradition. This absurdity says much about the country,  with about nine million almajiris and 10 million out-of-school children, the highest number worldwide.

The  almajiri practice is blamed for  fuelling the nation’s huge number of street kids and criminalities. The current fireworks  and polarisation over this issue, along ethnic and religious fault lines, are untenable. Previous attempts to abolish several detestable customs, notably early and child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation(FGM), as well as discriminations against women and children, were foiled over similar dissensions.

In saner climes, young people are highly prized for their fragility and potentialities, as future leaders. They are not subjected to needless hardships, under the guise of  moral tutelage. But in Nigeria, the reverse is the norm. Societies that fail to invest in children’s education and welfare often face social instabilities.

Nigeria is currently inundated by terrorism, violence and  unemployment, due to insufficient investments in youth development.The fact that these boys are already trooping to the South, portrays the complexities of resettling them.

Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship(NCGF) said several truckloads of young beggars were ‘intercepted in  Enugu, Abia and Cross River states, by security forces and turned back.’  NCGF described the migration  as ‘suspicious and posed health and security dangers to the region.’

Yet, the House of Representatives has asked Federal Government to halt the evacuation, citing constitutional breaches and  transportation hazards. According to  them, the policy violated rights of  citizens to reside in any part of the country. The lower chamber also urged  the governors to  incorporate the kids in the Universal Basic and Technical Education(UBTE) programme, before scrapping the ancient  order.

However the state executives vowed not to rescind the action, as  thousands of them have already been profiled and  moved to their various states and local governments.

Certainly relevant state and federal agencies should, synergistically adopt a holistic template to arm them with adequate trainings and resources for a more secured future and  productive life. However initiatives that tend to relieve parents of their sacred duties to their children are often cumbersome. Government agencies should offer support services but not adorn the role of parenting.

Despite the merits of  American  policy on child removal from abusive parents, custody rights  in several  states and counties remain contentious.
Closer home, the almajiri Islamic education, which originated from the 11th century Kanem Borno empire, has become burdensome. Many believe the exercise ‘should have a human face or be suspended.’ For others ‘nothing can be as inhuman as neglect of one’s offspring.’

Even animals take care of their new-born.
‘It is not the right time to move them,’ others argue. But when is the right time?

With the current health crises, some believe they should reside in their present locations. This argument is somewhat spurious, because whether they are evacuated or not, their safety and livelihood remain precarious. Their squalid circumstances and nutritional deficiencies predispose them to  diseases and  dangers.

For how long will society cuddle a quaint practice, that neither serves its adherents nor society well. With the lock-down and economic restrictions, how will they survive on empty streets, bereft of alms givers. Should kids be pushed to the streets to fend for themselves?

It is immoral and anachronistic to abandon one’s offspring. Adults should take responsibility for their wards. Without proper education and skill acquisition, individuals  become a menace.

The era of indiscriminate breeding of children is gone. Such antiquated and reckless behaviours have no place in modern times. They  negate the principles of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC) and 2003 Child’s Rights Act (CRA).
According to United Nations  Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 11 northern states including  Kano and Katsina have not domesticated this legislation.

The agency said its ratification, is  crucial for boosting children’s welfare, in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will also protect them from exposure to exploitative labour, human trafficking and sex industry.

The present brouhaha, captures the insidiousness behind the philosophy of begging, as a way of life for both adults and minors. These reprehensible tenets that promote backwardness in the land call for urgent redress. The north  needs to acknowledge that it is time to  purge itself of cultures that perpetuate poverty and destitution  in the region.

Latest  National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report ranked the north, as the poorest region in the country. According to the 2019 Nigerian Living Standards Survey(NLSS) nine out of 10 poorest states, were from the north. Sokoto State topped the chart with 87.73 per cent poverty head count rate,  while Taraba and Jigawa posted 87.73 and 87.02 percent respectively.

This global catastrophe  offers a veritable opportunity to review the region’s impoverishment, in order to engender  rapid economic growth in the zone. Rapid development can be stimulated in the area, through promoting literacy, family planning, alternative energy supply, as well as securing credit facilities and premium markets for farmers and  rural dwellers.

No doubt, this epidemic has thrown up a new norm and exponential challenges  across nations. It is worse for the almajiris whose lot,  remains dark and dreary, as some of them have tested positive to the infection.

The financial disaster has indeed worsened their plight, parents are still impoverished, Social amenities remain scant. State governments do not seem well-positioned to  undertake their quandaries. With this dilemma, these kids may return to the streets.

It is a looming danger that must be averted and urgently too.

COVID-19: BISHOP NWOKOLO TARGETS 5000 FAMILIES WITH 30 MILLlON RELIEF MATERIALS

CHIKE OJUKWU Diocese on the Niger has donated food and relief materials, worth N30million to thousands of parishioners in the diocese, as...