On Friday, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs declared Sunday 24th May 2020 as the first day of Shawwal 1441 after Hijrah, which is Eid-el-fitr day.
According to a statement signed by Sambo Wali Jinaidu, the chairman advisory committee on religious affairs Sultanate council, the national moon sighting committee did not receive any report from the various moon sighting committees across the county confirming the sighting of the new moon of Shawwal 1441AH on Friday 22nd of May 2020
However, in her effort to contain the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, has ordered the suspension of the annual congregational prayer on Eid-grounds across the FCT.
In a statement released by the administration, signed by the chief press secretary to the Minister, Anthony Ogunleye, FCTA disclosed that the action is in tandem with the guidelines by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and one of the strategic efforts to curtail the spread of the virus in the FCT.
“This is in tandem with the guidelines, issued by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, that all places of worship in the FCT and other high-risk states of the Federation should remain closed during the recently extended period of lockdown”
The administration added that it had held a meeting with the League of FCT Imams and Christian leaders and the decision was unanimously agreed on
“In order to achieve this objective of enforcing these guidelines, meetings were held earlier between the Administration and leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the League of FCT Imams”.
“The meeting acknowledged that the primary concern of all leaders and public officials was to save lives. In view of this common goal, the leaders of the religious organisations have agreed to work towards the eventual opening up of worship places at a time to be determined by the Presidential Task Force, based on medical advice”, the statement reads.
Usual Eid-el Fitr
Eid al-Fitr is an Arabic phrase which means “Festival of Breaking the Fast” which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to mark the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities.
As Muslims prepare for the end of Ramadan, this year’s celebration will be unusual as no account of Islamic history shows any precedent of such
According to a real-time dashboard by LivePopulation, as at the time of filing this report, Nigeria has a total population of 18,428,427 of which 50 per cent of it (9,302,669) are Muslims.
Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Cross River branch has raised concerns over recent possible coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths in the state, demanding that the state government puts more effort in scaling up the level of preparedness and containment of the deadly virus.
The group stated that it had received several reports from the Surveillance and Epidemiology unit indicating that delay in some post-mortem sample collections has led to the rising number of death of suspected cases of COVID-19 in the state.
These views were expressed in a press statement signed by the Chairman of the Association, Agam Ayurk and the Secretary, Dr Ezoke Epoke, and released on May 22.
The Association disclosed that the state has carried out only seven tests of COVID-19, stating that it accounts for the zero record of cases and places in Cross River as the state with the second least testing of COVID-19 in the country.
NMA therefore urged the state government to consider a coordinated and expanded surveillance response and team, adding that it will be effective in the prevention and containment of the virus.
It disclosed that as of May 21, samples collected and tested so far were all from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar (UCTH), it thus asked if UCTH is the only hospital with patients fitting criterion for testing.
“Is it only UCTH that has patients that meet the criteria for sample collection? What happened to patients who may have visited the various Primary Health Care Facilities, General Hospitals and Private Hospitals across the State that may have satisfied the criteria for testing?,” the Association asked in the press statement.
While it commended the state government for its effort to prevent importation of the virus into the state, the Association submitted that the lack of a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) designated Molecular Laboratory Testing Centre in the state is worrisome and poses risk in the management of COVID-19.
According to the group, the NCDC Laboratory catchment for coronavirus testing for Cross River State is at Irrua, Edo State, a distance of 447.9km (7h 50min) from Calabar.
It recommended that NCDC change the testing centre of Cross River State from Irrua to Abakaliki, stating that Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State has a testing centre that is 188.9km (3h 17min) from Calabar.
It added that NCDC should fully accredit Dr Lawrence Memorial Hospital which is a Bio-Safety Level Three (BSL-3) laboratory and UCTH, Calabar for COVID-19 testing.
Currently, Nigeria has 7261 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 35 states, as at the time of filing this report.
Cross River is yet to record a single case of the virus.
ON a Sunday morning, the pews at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, Olunlade, Ilorin, Kwara State are empty and also the car park. The sounds of hymns from the congregants could not be heard or the noise from the feet of children running around in Sunday school.
For a church whose core mission revolves around preaching from house to house, the onslaught of COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus has disrupted their mode of worship.
With the government’s ban on movement to halt the spread of the virus, that part of their religious obligations is no longer possible at least until the threat of COVID-19 is a distant reality.
Live services at the congregation have been replaced with virtual services on Zoom, an online video streaming service and the usual hugs and handshakes amongst members after a service, a part of their social construct has been substituted with brief nods on screen.
Ibiniyi Timothy, a member of the congregation says their mode of worship has taken a new meaning as the outbreak of the disease has introduced several changes into their services.
“We have switched to meetings online through Zoom but you can’t compare that interaction with face to face meetings which restricts the way we interact with each other in the past. Though the world headquarters have paid for a full subscription at Zoom which accommodates 300 people for each meeting. It is not the same,” he said.
This virtual service takes place twice a week but several members cannot engage with the service because they cannot afford data or do not have access to the internet.
“So the financially stable members of our congregation usually contribute money for those who can’t afford to buy data while those who don’t have access to the internet will have to join their neighbours who have access so far it’s been challenging,” he said.
For the first time in Nigeria for over 50 years, churches were locked up for more than a six week period, creating a major social disruption in a country where eight in ten adults attend a weekly worship service which is ranked highest in the world according to a 2018 data analysis obtained from Washington-based Pew Research Center.
From pews to cyber views
On Monday, Nigeria had recorded 5,959 confirmed coronavirus cases and 182 deaths which had seen an increase in the rate of infections to 852 cases per day.
Despite, a nationwide curfew imposed from 8.00 p.m. to 6.00 pm where people were compelled to wear face masks in public including the ban on travel between states.
Nigeria which boasts of an estimated Christian population of 80 million with about half of the population members of the pentecostal churches, the lockdown has seen increased activity of churches on various online streaming services compared to the past as the church has moved to the internet to connect with their audience.
The move by the churches to adapt to these changes was orchestrated by the outbreak of COVID-19.
According to the Global Digital January report, Nigeria has 69.2 million mobile phone connections which account for 83 per cent of an estimated population of 200 million. About 85.49 million Nigerians have access to the internet while 27 million are active social media users.
Most churches in the country have a common similarity which is its sound system. Music played at high volume is a familiar feature especially on Sunday services or during all-night services.
The noise can be intolerable for those who are not used to it and for those who live or work nearby but at St John the Baptist Cathedral Catholic Church, Gboko, in Benue State there has been an eerie silence since the lockdown was announced with the church was under lock and keys.
Odaikwu Idoko, a member of the church told The ICIR that since there were no sermons several parishioners were stranded as for weeks and considered the period a holiday.
“It was considered a holiday for everyone since we do not stream the mass conducted at the cathedral online there was no way we could attend mass so we had prayed in our own ways at home,” he said.
Kehinde Ajibola who attends Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, in Mararaba, Nassarawa State has not been able to able to attend any service in his church since the lockdown was announced so he resorts to studying the church’s Sunday school manual to fulfil his religious obligations.
“I’ve not been able to attend a regular service in my church since the lockdown it very odd for me because attending church has been a habitual activity for me since I was a kid. I’ve been doing it all my life and to suddenly have that experience taken from you is a shock,” he said.
Online traffic on the rise
In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, churches in Nigeria expanded their digital presence, accepting offerings online, streaming sermons on social media and hosting group meetings through video chat.
Muhammed Rudman, CEO of Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, iXPN, in a report, stated that daily internet traffic and data usage in Nigeria had increased by 10 per cent which he attributed to growing online activities during the lockdown.
“We started noticing an increase like a week ago, about 10 per cent increase in traffic. As more people start learning online, we expect the traffic to be much higher,” he said.
Some families created an atmosphere of a church at home by dressing up in their Sunday outfits to sing, preach and take “offerings” from the rest of the family to give to their church.
Anna Oboh, a member of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, MFM, South West region, district 6 located in Ibadan said they performed Sunday services choosing a preacher and also taking offerings.
“On Sundays, we perform a version of a church service appointing someone to preach, another to take exhortation and also take offerings,” she said.
However, the catholic church had not fully embraced the technology of virtual reality as hundreds of parishioners could not participate in the church’s rites of confession, offerings and the eucharist.
Patrick Alumuku, a priest who also doubles as Director of Communications at the Abuja Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, explained to The ICIR said every rite associated with the celebration of mass (service) not physically conducted was spiritually represented.
“The Catholic liturgy is divided into two parts the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the eucharist but the word which is the sermon takes prominence over every other aspect of the liturgy but long before now the church has a tradition of what is called the absence of physical rites reserved for sick people or incapacitated who were exempted on the basis of reciting a special prayer to that effect,” he said.
He said the Abuja Catholic archdiocese was able to make use of its television station, Catholic Television Network ramp up over 200,000 viewers to it’s Sunday masses across different parts of the world.
“We did not conduct masses on social media because we had a television station but the major challenge was getting people to get free to air decoders to participate in the mass. Though, we were able to get 200,000 viewers watching from different parts of the world which is a remarkable landmark for us,” he said.
Chidebere Afoaku, 31-year-old crack cocaine and heroin addict, was looking for a quick fix as she swaddled her four-day-old baby, Kaosiso, in her arms, walking the streets of Abuja on April 25, when she was arrested by officers of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria’s anti-trafficking agency.
Set to find some cash, Afoaku strolled into His Grace Pavilion Estate, located in the Apo area of Abuja, several miles from where she called home.
With her underweight, sickly baby in her arms, the new mother sought to whip up sympathy as she began the day’s quest to find money.
Luckily, a family took pity on her and the child and gave her some food items. Rather than return home, the young mother hid the food items at a nearby place, and returned to beg for alms.
Not so lucky the second time, someone in the neighbourhood alerted the police and she was arrested.
According to Emeh Magnus, head of NAPTIP’s Rapid Response Squad (N-RRS) in Abuja, Afoaku was picked up because she was using her baby to beg for alms, which contravenes Section 5 of the Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015.
Upon interrogation, it was found that she is the actual mother of the child and had planned on using the proceeds from street begging to purchase narcotics.
Her admission reflected her struggle with hard drugs since 2016 when she was first introduced to it by her boyfriend.
Right after secondary school, before she fell off track, Afoaku struggled to gain admission into the university but it never deterred her from her ultimate goal of making quick money.
According to Calista,Afoaku’s elder sister, she was always seeking means to make it big and endlessly searched for ways to get rich quick.
For a short while, she got lucky. She got a job with a foreigner as a secretary and began earning N50,000 monthly but she wanted more. She relocated to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from Kano, with an ambitious mindset and wasted no time in finding a way to get all she wanted.
However, her goals changed the moment she started using drugs.
Calista recalls that it started as a simple indulgence – a hit once in a while before it graduated into a full-blown addiction. By then Afoaku, who was living in a single bedroom apartment in Wuse, Zone 7, with a friend, started selling her properties to fund her cravings.
Afoaku would spend N16,000 per dose on crack cocaine and, sometimes, settle for a half dose at N8,000 on days she could not afford more.
Her addiction problem grew worse with time.
Once, she was dating a certain Martin who cared deeply about her. He reportedly gave her N1.8 million to purchase a car. Within a few weeks of receiving the money, Afoaku could not account for it. At another time, she started dating a certain Tope who was ready to settle down with her. However, he found out about her addiction and broke off the relationship.
Sometime in 2018, Afoaku moved in with Calista and for a few days acted like she had come off the addiction, until she started selling some of her sister’s property to buy drugs.
It started with small household items like a blender and, eventually, Calista noticed that her gas cylinders and cooker were missing from the house. It then occurred to her that her sister was exchanging the items for drugs.
In the same period, Calista found someone who recommended a rehab facility in Lagos where her sister could be treated and then she began saving money to travel to the southwestern state.
As they prepared to go to the rehab facility, Afoaku absconded, only to be found weeks later sleeping at a hotel with a new boyfriend, Ogbonna.
Unfortunately for Afoaku, her new found love, Ogbonna, was a drug dealer and a recently convicted felon who is presently cooling his heels in prison. However, before getting arrested for armed robbery and drug dealing, the young man was her plug.
Theirs was a hopeless love, founded on the streets of a crack cocaine-induced reality.
The affair resulted in few pregnancies but with incessant intake of cocaine and heroin, the babies kept dying and Ogbonna would call crying to her sister about losing yet another child.
“Many times, she would call me with news that she had gotten pregnant but the baby had died,” Calista told The ICIR.
Afoaku lost at least two children before she finally birthed Kaosiso.
Baby Kaosiso was the only child that survived the first few days and, shortly after being born, became a money making tool for its mother.
There was no means to reach Afoaku who hasn’t been seen since she was released from NAPTIP office. It was gathered that she exchanged her mobile phone for some cash and only reaches out to her sister with different numbers once in a while.
According to Calista, the last time she heard from her sister was over a month ago when she called to share her plans of relocating to Owerri.
“She told me she needs money to move to Owerri, that she’s still doing drugs because she has access to it here in Abuja. She told me that it will be hard for her to get it in Owerri and that’s why she wants to move there,” Calista told The ICIR in an interview.
Pandemic baby
Born on Saturday, April 18, Kaosiso was born while the world battled a pandemic – now with a record of 5621infected persons in Nigeria alone, the novel coronavirus has claimed over 170 lives in the country and over 313,000 people globally, as at the time of filing this report.
In the FCT (where Kaosiso was born), the lockdown order imposed by President Muhammadu Buhari to curb the spread of COVID-19 was in full effect; restricting movement and resulting in bans on most activities. But not street begging for Afoaku, who was quick to introduce her new-born child to the business.
Uncared for, the little baby was exposed to rain, sun and other extreme weather conditions as his mother begged for alms.
By the time Afoaku was arrested with her child, baby Kaosiso was near death.
Baby Kaosisochukwu captured on April 27 after being rescued from mother.
Rescued by Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF), a non-governmental organisation focused on dealing with issues of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV), the little baby was taken to the Federal Staff Hospital, Jabi, but was refused admission due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
In search for help, DNF contacted Wanda Adu Foundation, an NGO which focuses on helping vulnerable women and children. The founder, Wandadaku Adu, reached out to a doctor friend (Ernest) who directed that they take the child to Federal Staff Hospital, Gwarinpa.
At the Gwarinpa hospital, they were again refused admission and told the hospital doesn’t treat “preterm” babies because they lack the facilities and equipment to treat such children.
Preterm is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed. And, being underweight, Kaosiso was assumed to be a preterm baby.
However, with Dr. Ernest’s influence and pleadings, the baby was admitted to the hospital at about 9 PM on April 27.
Upon admission, baby Koasiso was diagnosed with jaundice. Many newborns, according to Healthline, have some kind of jaundice and bilirubin levels that rise above 5 mg/dL within the first few days after birth, due to the stress of birth.
“After a test was carried out, it was discovered that Kaosiso’s jaundice level was at 13.3 mg/dL – an alarming level”, Wanda described to The ICIR as she narrated the incident that commanded her next decision.
Kaosiso’s medical report from the Federal Staff Hospital, Gwarinpa. CREDIT: Wanda Adu
Beside having jaundice, Kaosiso who before being admitted to the hospital lived with his aunt, Calista, after his mother was arrested, was evidently neglected.
Wanda recalls the baby had blisters around his diaper area and she could make out when last the child had a bath or a diaper change.
“At the hospital, when the baby was put in the machine for a test, he started crying and I heard Calista tell the baby to shut up, else she would slap him. I quickly rebuked her but I also knew the baby couldn’t survive with his aunt,” Wanda said.
Moved to tears, Wanda decided to provide absolute care for the child.
With the help of DNF and Wanda, the baby was treated and spent a week recovering in the hospital.
As Koasiso began breathing newness of life and gradually recuperated, Wanda worked out legal details of becoming the sole care provider for the child for two years before it was agreed that he would be taken to his grandmother, Afoaku’s mother in Kano.
As a struggling single mother herself, Wanda, relied on the goodness of her heart and the generosity of her Facebook followers, to whom she shared the story of Kaosiso, to donate some food and clothing items for the baby.
According to Wanda, several donations in the form of money, diapers, baby food and milk poured in from all corners and she was reminded of the pleasant side of human nature.
Currently, Kaosiso is completely healed and receiving care with Wanda, who looks to own a shelter in the future where she can care for vulnerable children.
Road to redemption
Now only a month old, Kaosiso looks different from his first day on earth. However, he still struggles to fit into clothing for his age, being underweight.
At first glance, his deeply pigmented lips strike a note of worry on how life must have been while he was in his mother’s womb, but he has managed to adopt a calm nature that reflects an inner strength, probably drawn from his name, Kaosisochukwu, meaning God’s will in Igbo.
Kaosiso gradually recuperating CREDIT: Wanda Adu
In his new life, he has a newfound love for sleeping and according to Wanda, a special liking for his bath time. Unlike most babies, Kaosiso doesn’t cry much. He would only let out a shout of frustration when hungry, or to alert whoever was listening that he was up from a nap.
For him, life has only just begun but not without more hurdles to cross.
As he grows, he would have to fight or accept the truth about his mother who is still battling addiction. Having been exposed to crack cocaine and heroin as a fetus, Kaosiso’s growth and survival is still largely tied to his mother.
In a report published on by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (United States), it was stated that research has shown that exposure to cocaine during fetal development may lead to a deficit in some children.
“These include behavior problems (e.g., difficulties with self-regulation) and deficits in some aspects of cognitive performance, information processing, and sustained attention to tasks—abilities that are important for the realization of a child’s full potential,” the report read.
Another report points out that, when a fetus is exposed to cocaine in the womb, it can “cause significant central nervous system problems that may not be seen until the child is older.
“These effects may include problems with attention and behavioral self-control. Delays in learning, slower growth rate, language difficulties and in some cases, a need for special education in school.”
While the tide seems set against Kaosiso, his refuge in Wanda is a blessing.
Wanda Adu – Founder of Wanda Adu Foundation CREDIT: Wanda Adu
Driven by a passion to better the lives of vulnerable women and children, Wanda stands as a symbol of redemption for Kaosiso and many children like him.
Drug abuse in Nigeria
According to the results of the National Drug Use Survey released in January 2019, the number of high-risk drug users in Nigeria has estimated at 14.4 per cent or 14.3 million people aged between 15 and 64 years.
Ranging from the use of cannabis, the most popular drug, opioids, and non-medical use of prescription drugs such as codeine and tramadol, to injecting high-risk substances, the drug use level in the country is at an alarming rate.
In a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC), it was stated that an estimated global illicit manufacture of cocaine reached an all-time high of 1,976 tons in 2017, representing an increase of 25 per cent in the previous year.
With such indices and limited availability of drug counselling and treatment services around the country, health crises resulting from substance abuse prevail nationwide, and even worse during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Abuja.
According to officer Magnus, cases like that of Afoaku are not isolated.
“Afoaku is not an isolated case resulting from drug use. Several cases of spousal battery currently in the unit have colouration of drug abuse and the lockdown exposed these drug related crimes.” Magnus told The ICIR in a phone interview.
Editor’s note: Some names have been changed to protect identities of individuals.
A NON-GOVERNMENTAL initiative, Suicide Is No Solution (SINS) has commenced an anti-suicide campaign as a means to help curb suicide in Nigeria.
Series of advocacy activities put together by the group with a view to dissuading people from committing suicide includes interactive events and counseling support to highlight the increasing tide of deaths by suicide amongst Nigerians and provide professional support to would-be victims.
The initiative launched by the group on Thursday also revealed that a team of mental health practitioners, religious leaders, social workers and volunteers have joined hands to support the cause in order to achieve its objective.
Idy Toye-Arulogun the project team leader, stated that the SINS initiative is a coordinated response to the increase in rate of deaths caused by suicide in Nigeria.
She said the key task of the SINS campaign is to significantly reduce the rate of deaths by suicide in Nigeria through a strong public enlightenment and advocacy campaign that discourages people from killing themselves.
She added that every 40 seconds one person dies by suicide in the world and Nigeria currently the 15th position in the world suicide ranking.
Hence, there is a strong need to intensify the campaign against suicide, especially given the psychological effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Toye-Arulogun further noted that the SINS campaign encompasses multi-media communication messages for exposure in both traditional and new media platforms, a helpline and professional counseling support structure to engage members of the public going through distress and depression.
She said the group is hopeful that the SINS intervention will contribute to the mental well being of Nigerians and ultimately reduce deaths by suicide through various engagements.
According to experts Suicide is the second leading cause of death especially among the youth.
But the Nigerian government has not prioritise any form of intervention programme to prevent the trend.
For instance, there are fewer than 500 psychiatrists nationwide to take care of over 200 million people.
Europe on the other hand has 13 programmes, America has eight, Western Pacific has five, South East Asia has two programmes while Africa has no intervention programmes.
Some of the advocacy messages being promoted include: “Don’t let the stumble on the road be the end of your journey; Every setback is a set up for a comeback, don’t give up; Life is full of options, suicide is no option; If you need help or know someone who does, call our helpline: 07041000466.”
THE Federal Government and some state governors have disagreed about restrictions on social gathering as some governors have allowed religious gatherings against the directive.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha reportedly said on Thursday that some state governors could be endangering lives of the vulnerables to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Governors are also advised on the decision taken by some of their colleagues to permit large gatherings as such decisions could inadvertently endanger the elderly, the sick and those with underlying factors during such gatherings,” he said.
He said that ban on social gatherings of more than 20 people has not been lifted hence government should enforce compliance.
“The strong advisory from the PTF is that large gatherings beyond 20 persons remain prohibited and should be adhered to,” he stated.
“Particularly, I underscore the need for the governors to provide personal and strong leadership, carry the policy of community ownership to the grass-roots and create deeper awareness,” Mustapha said.
Mustapha said following the inauguration of an Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19 by the House of Representatives, the PTF would engage with the committee to ensure compliance to efforts to curb the virus.
As at the time of filing this report, 12 state governments have lifted ban on religious gatherings.
Among the states are Cross River and Kogi states which are yet to record any case of COVID-19.
Bauch, Ebonyi, Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Gombe, Taraba, Anambra, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Zamfara states have permitted religious gathering ahead of Eid-il-Fitr celebration.
FINANCE minister Zainab Ahmed has said Nigeria would soon go into a recession.
But the federal government is trying to make sure it is shallow so that Nigeria can quickly come out of it by 2021, she added.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s economy could shrink as much as 8.9 per cent in 2020 in a worst-case scenario.
This would be a deeper recession than what was forecast after oil prices sink due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But with a stimulus, the contraction could be kept to just 0.59 per cent, the minister said.
The pandemic and oil price plunge have not only hit growth but also dented the country’s main source of income, creating large financing needs and weakening the naira.
Ahmed said, “Nigeria’s first-quarter revenue from crude sales was 940.9 billion Naira, missing its target by 31 per cent due to the oil price crash.”
“Nigeria has $72.04 million in its oil savings account as of May 21, compared to $325 million in November,” she added.
According to worldometers as of 22 May 2020 Nigeria recorded 7,016 cases, 211 death and 1907 total cases recovered.
A World Bank director in attendance during the meeting said the Bank was planning a package for immediate economic relief for Nigeria.
Nigeria’s finance minister said the proposal was worth $1.5 billion and intended for Nigeria’s states to provide relief at sub-national level and hopefully to be disbursed by September.
THE Director General of the NCDC Chikwe Ihekwuazu, on Thursday has disclosed that the agency has changed its discharge criteria, from 2 negative tests 24-48 hours apart, to a single negative test.
Chikwe, speaking at the PTF’s daily briefing, said this is a pragmatic decision, because there has been too much pressure on Isolation facilities.
He said the idea was as a result of most of the initial negative tests that have been followed by a second negative tests.
The NCDC boss added that the centre was constantly learning, looking at emerging science and adapting as time goes on.
Chikwe also said there was no other disease as far as he could remember that they have had to learn so much about so quickly, other than Coronavirus.
MANY elderly persons in rural communities are not fully informed about the pandemic or how to protect themselves from it.
“I thought it was a curse from God to destroy everybody” – says one of the elderly rights holders of the project on curtailing elder abuse in 11 communities in Enugu State, being implemented by Dewdrop Foundation and Centre for Gender Economics Africa.
Considering the importance of mental health to the wellbeing of older persons, prior to the nationwide lockdown occasioned by the COVID 19 pandemic, we were engaging not less than 900 elders from 11 communities in Enugu State, whom we fondly call Seenagers (i.e. Senior Teenagers or persons aged 60 years and above), in social activities through safe spaces (Seenagers Associations) where they speak to issues of concern to them. The meetings also helped reintegrate the elders into their communities as valued members. This gave them dignity, hope, and confidence.
Among these elders are men and women who had survived various forms of abuse – physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse in the hands of their family members, domestic workers, their caregivers, neighbours, strangers or friends to the family. Their monthly Seenagers’ meetings were opportunities for them to mingle with their mates and receive other health-related attention. Unfortunately, these meetings can no longer continue and many of the elders have expressed their sadness about this.
Suzanna, one of the Seenagers aged 75 years, who can no longer go out to socialize with her peers said, “I am not happy that the meetings cannot continue for the time being. I always looked forward to them because they gave us so much joy and we felt like human beings again – our voices were being heard and it gave us dignity because many young people of these days have no respect for the elders.”
Although social activities are among the best ways to stimulate the mental health of the elderly, doctors advise that contact with elderly persons be reduced during this COVID-19 pandemic period, as a way of preventing them from getting infected. Some geriatric doctors have advised that the best way to maintain contact with the elderly is through technology. While this suggestion may suit a few educated populations of elders with internet access, the greater questions are ‘How can the health messages be passed on to illiterate or semi-literate aged men and women in the hard-to-reach communities and villages? How do they receive adequate care in these uncertain times?’ The villages are where we find the largest numbers of elderly persons. About 64 per cent of Nigeria’s population live in rural communities, and the people who have died from COVID-19 so far are mostly older people from 55 years and over (The Cable Nigeria).
By the 2nd week of May 2020, data from the National Centre for Disease Control (NACA) on the ‘Current Breakdown on COVID-19 in Nigeria by Age and Gender and Deaths’, showed that at least 44 deaths were recorded across the country for persons aged 0-50 years whereas not less than 90 people had died among those aged 51 and above. The coronavirus is the worst public health crisis to have hit the world in a century and older persons are more susceptible to the virus than any other age group. Medical experts have maintained that older adults are at significant risk because of many ailments commonly associated with ageing. WHO statistics show that 95 per cent of Covid19 deaths are among persons from 60 years and above and more than 50 per cent of deaths globally occur in persons 80 years and above.
Indeed, the older generation is an endangered species facing a threat to their existence if thorough measures are not taken to ensure their health and wellbeing are catered to in the foreseeable future. Elderly persons are among the most marginalized groups in Nigeria; yet, there is no law on comprehensive social welfare and security for them. Across the world and in Nigeria, there has been a significant increase in domestic abuse while under lockdown. The elderly currently face the intersecting threat of domestic abuse and neglect as a result of the lockdown where they stay at home with their abusers.
The coronavirus is the silent killer that we cannot see. We are currently utilising innovative ways to sensitise elderly persons, and their caregivers, in Enugu State on safety and preventive measures.
However, we cannot achieve this alone. It is therefore important that all aid and assistance being provided in the rural and urban areas by development workers, caregivers, family members and the State or Federal Governments, should take into account the various needs of the elderly, who in most cases, are left out of development plans when crises erupt.
Nneka Acholonu Egbuna is the Assistant Programme Coordinator at Dewdrop Foundation
In August 2019, the Nigerian Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari declared a partial land border closure in order to halt the importation of food among other goods. The smuggling of rice – Nigeria’s staple food – remains business as usual despite the restriction order by the president. Investigative journalist Gabriel Ogunjobi went undercover between March 12 and 17 to expose the schemes of smugglers operating across the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
It was midday on March 12, Monday, popularly nicknamed ‘J-Boy’, a swift, street-smart motorcyclist flapped his cow-skinned, portable bag at the front of his motorcycle, ready to fire on.
J-Boy was not just a good rider, but also a great accomplice with the Kogi-born Mohammed Muktar, who is adept in the business of smuggling foreign rice from Benin Republic to Nigeria.
Street-smart Monday a.ka. ‘J-Boy’, a bike rider who makes a living as foreign rice carrier
It should ordinarily be a difficult task to dare travel out of the country with no valid proof of identity but it is more herculean to smuggle bags of foreign rice under the nose of men of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) – especially at this time when the borders are shut. But none of these security agents could stop Mohammed, a notorious smuggler, and his accomplices.
So, when Mohammed gave J-Boy a nod to ride on, the latter took the cue at once. “No qualms,” he said, bravely and gravely.
On his Bajaj motorcycle, he carried Mohammed and the reporter – and zoomed off, travelling the terrible roads that connect Towe de l’arrondissement (meaning ‘town’) in Benin Republic, from Nigeria – starting from Igan Alade road – Yewa North, Ogun State.
An undercover expedition into the world of smugglers
As we sped off on the crude terrain, I quickly expressed my anxiety about the dangerous journey we had just commenced. But my co-travellers, who knew how the system works told me to calm down, assuring me of safety and success in the journey.
However, the smugglers had no idea that I was a journalist working under cover. I had earlier presented myself to Mohammed as a newbie, who would love to invest in the smuggling of foreign rice from Benin Republic to Nigeria. However, before putting my money on the line, I told him I needed to experience how smugglers outsmart Nigeria’s security agents. I needed to gauge the risk involved in the business into which I was venturing.
Before finally crossing the Nigerian border to Benin Republic, we travelled through Igan Alade, one of the communities on the borderline of Ogun State and Towe, a neighbouring town at the French-speaking Republic of Benin – bypassing a police station at Igan Alade, an NSCDC Divisional Headquarters at Tata community, a Nigeria Customs Area Command at the Ijoun community, and at least seven checkpoints manned by different security agents.
Throughout my round trip to observe the smuggling expedition, I noticed that none of the officers at any of these checkpoints – usually barricaded with bamboo across two sides of the roads – was particularly interested in stopping any smuggling activity.
Instead, the officers greeted us with flashes of smiles and sometimes, hand-waves.
To clear foreign rice out of Benin Republic only costs N200, Rice retailer claims
As at 4:15 p.m., when we arrived at Towe, Coronavirus, the most ravaging pandemic of the century, was just beginning to take a toll on rice prices in Benin Republic.
Before then, a dollar was exchanged for N360/366 at Bureau De Change market, but it suddenly rose to between N405 and N420 that morning. The naira crash immediately influenced the price of foreign rice.
Twenty-four hours ago, a bag of rice was sold at N9,000 at any retailer’s outlet in Benin. It was already N10,200 on the morning of March 12.
“Your currency has no market value in our country yet you have too many greedy officers on the road,” said Mme (Ms.) Ramantou Akiyemi, a rice retailer, to spite Nigeria’s currency value.
A signpost in Benin Republic, near Towe
“When you are going back, our officers will clear you with just N200 – and that’s all! – no matter the numbers of bags of rice you carry on a bike. But, on your land, the taxes are overbearing.”
In a sudden plot-twist, Mohammed came up with a masterplan as this time around he was able to buy just about five bags.
Smugglers’ mafia tactics
“It isn’t worth it to waste any money on the road since it is just five bags I am now buying. Let’s make a booking today and come back to carry them,” Mohammed said, gradually unfolding how he intended to evade all securities without paying a dime.
He would later reveal that his usual scale of rice smuggling ranges from five to ten bikes, noting that each bike would carry around 10 to 15 bags at once – depending on how strong the rider is to control the wheel. Paying bribes on the road doesn’t bug him, but, for just five bags, there is a smarter way to cut the cost.
In the world of smugglers, four codified words are employed for communication – ‘settlement’, ‘booking’, ‘lead’ and ‘informant’. They typify how conveniently smugglers operate day in and out – before and after the federal government invoked a restrictive policy on borders.
Rice smuggler on the run
‘Settlement’ is the bribe of N1,000 at every checkpoint minus the police’s. This is so because the policemen at Igan Alade junction are ‘booked’ before any trip. Customs officers and soldiers will only collect bribe when they catch traders with illegal goods. With the police, the rule is different. Smugglers must disclose their mission ahead of their journey. That’s why theirs is called ‘booking’.
Four codes in rice smuggling
Apart from the bribe-taking security agents, it is usually a lucky day for the likes of J-Boy who risk their lives to smuggle rice. So, their charge is not open for negotiation: it’s a flat rate of N2,500 per bag to anywhere in Igan Alade.
Talk of the backbone machinery in smuggling, you think of the ‘Lead’. Through a hell-hole smuggling, the Lead runs ahead – like two miles – on his bike, looking unsuspecting but vigilant to a fault. He makes the settlements that will be required at each of the checkpoints. Also intermittently, he calls the actual carrier to keep track of their adventure or warn once he sights anyone parading suspiciously. The smugglers know their gangs and can easily spot one who does not belong to the clique. That enemy the Lead is looking out for is called ‘informant’.
The fear of informants…
As fearless as Mohammed appeared in countenance, he admitted that informants were his nightmare in the business.
He cursed them anytime he mentioned them. They just parade bushes on the border, and make a call to the Customs patrol squad the moment a smuggler is sighted, he told the reporter.
‘They may see you mapping plans and just keep trailing you without raising suspicion. They are the unfortunate people in this work. They don’t want us to prosper and for that they will never prosper too. I fear them,” he quipped, dropping a missile of rebuke for his anonymous foes.
FUN FACTS- Mohammed Muktar wore this very shirt for over three days. He is evasive to the securities but informant is his nightmare
It can be a bad day for the informants because sometimes they risk being hacked down, as I heard from J-Boy in one of my interactions with the smugglers.
“Sometimes, if we notice the same unfamiliar person keeps us on a bike, we can challenge him. On some tough days, we use charm and cutlass on them.”
From that point onward, I made up my mind never to be mistaken for an informant. Such misfortune will certainly jeopardise my assignment, or endanger my life.
How smugglers boycott security agents from Benin Republic to Igan Alade
N1,000 bribe to smuggle in five bags of foreign rice
At dusk of Friday, March 13, in Igan Alade, the reporter retired to Mohammed’s makeshift home. Interestingly, the shelter was less than a mile from the police station around the old post office in the border community.
After finalising arrangements with a police officer usually identified as Officer Sunday (also from Kogi, like Mohammed), we agreed that Saturday would be the day to witness how to evade all security agents manning the porous borders with five bags of rice.
(Picture 7: ‘It’s time for strategic planning between Mohammed and Officer Sunday, ahead of Saturday’s rice smuggling)
Mohammed made a bid for a new team of smugglers’ bike riders – J-Boy was no longer in the team. What made their resume more convincing was beyond just being brothers; they spoke French and they were vastly acquainted with all short-cuts.
That was Mohammed’s masterplan from day one.
The only activity this second time in Towe, which is rice mounting on a bike, was as swift as it can be.
The two brothers rode fearlessly into the thick bushes, darting into all possible corners. A few times, we were trapped in the mud and at another time, it was the hurdles of crossing a bridge anchored by planks that broke the sweats for us. In total, our perilous crisscrossing lasted almost three hours within Igbo nla village known as Ile Komi.
Afterwards, we arrived in Idi Ori in Tata, a residential settlement in between Igan Alade and Ijoun communities.
The fetish fortification of rice smugglers
Baba Seun’s hut at Idi Ori in Tata This is where Ogun Smuggler’s Power Lives
Palpable fear enveloped me after bursting into Baba Seun’s hut at Idi Ori from Ile Komi bushes. That was Mohammed’s hideout and storehouse upon return from every Benin trip. Interestingly, the storehouse is just at the backyard of NSCDC Ketu Headquarters – a stone’s throw away.
Baba Seun, a herbalist, had no comely face to behold and so was his dreadful vicinity. By one side of his house was hung skull of a dog and on the ground was clotted-blood, with a littering bird’s feathers.
Next to this was an isolated hut, his power-room for consultations. I was not allowed in. I only peeped to see plain-white garments, small pods suspended to the roof, calabash flattened to the wall and the kinds of costumes I only see in Yoruba movies. It was a frightful sight.
After the long trip on Saturday, I briefly opted out of the field. With the five bags of rice in the hideout, Mohammed could not venture on another expedition.
By Tuesday, March 17, Baba Seun had fortified the region where he kept the smuggled rice before our return.
“You should have told me earlier before coming here. They are not yet ready for carriage. Anyone who steps into that place or speaks a word while carrying will slump and die,” he said.
A double-check on my confidence level flashed zero at this point. His enchantment on the surrounding was intended for enemies in case they burst in on them. They would die!
Now that we were there, it would take the herbalist around one hour to remove the spells.
Near the hidden bags of rice was a pot of herbs, with puffing smoke beneath. As long as the smoke remains alive there, no one dared talk, except to carry the rice to the open and pack for transport.
After the exercise, I was soon prepared for the final-leg of my covert operation. Next expedition would be from Idi Ori to Igbogila, another community ahead and then to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
But, there was just one unavoidable huddle to beat, and that is the police security checkpoint.
The checkpoint was at the market front of Igan Alade and by the very left was a bush-path leading to Igbogila.
Mohammed is seen giving Police officer bribe to transport smuggled foreign rice
With the quick call ‘go! go!’ like a parade commandant, we followed the cue of Officer Sunday to forge ahead. This time, Mohammed had hopped down from the bike and was already by the side of the police officer, enclosing one thousand naira to his left hand. With the five bags of rice, we were now off to Igbogila
N1,000 was all it costs!
At around 4:30 p.m on Tuesday, March 17, I alongside two rice transporters, were already on the way from Igan Alade to Igbogila – two Ogun communities tucked in-between the border of Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Thanks to Officer Sunday of the Police station branch at Igan Alade.
It’s time for strategic planning between Mohammed and Officer Sunday, ahead of Saturday’s rice smuggling
The reporter was no longer apprehensive of any difficulty on the way. After all, N1,000 was all it took to buy the protection of a corrupt Nigerian Police officer who allowed us to drive past border communities with smuggled rice worth N51,000.
At Igbogila, Kazeem Olakolade, a rice transporter in his 50s had been recommended to us. Popular for his shrewdness, he hoards smuggled rice in his house.
His mantra read like these:
“There are places I do not cross to carry ‘Oja’ (the local parlance for foreign rice) no matter the money you offer to pay me – like Igan Alade, Ijoun. That’s the region for some boys’ business and I can’t trespass. But, from here to Abeokuta, they know me.”
“And, for your information, I don’t tell customers about my itinerary. You can’t follow me too. When I get to Abeokuta, I will be the one to call you. Just get my money ready,” he declared.
A few minutes after 6pm on Tuesday, we are at his place with the five bags of rice. The reporter would no longer be able to track how it gets to the final destination. Olakolade’s charge for the transportation from Igbogila to Abeokuta is N3,000 per bag which means he will make a total of N15,000 from the trip.
Mohammed was reluctant to pay that much but he made an effort to justify it.
‘It’s that much because I also settle too many operatives on the road. In this business, one cannot afford to be frugal otherwise you are doomed.’
So far, one or two things are now established: that high-level smuggling still thrives in Ogun State through borders and also that the efforts of some serious-minded Customs officers are sabotaged by a few greedy lots. The reporter can only testify to that of the Police (Officer Sunday in particular) which he witnessed.
Incidentally, on Saturday, May 14, the Customs operatives of the National Border drill intercepted some smugglers at Imasayi town in Yewa North Local Government during an anti-smuggling operation.
A Customs officer eventually died during the operation that turned violent between officers and smugglers and the neighboring towns experienced a few days of unrest over the bloody clash.
The spokesman for the Ogun State Command of NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada told this reporter that investigation has been initiated after one of the suspects was arrested.
Against all odds, foreign rice landed in Abeokuta
Because of the recent crisis, one did not expect Olakolade to successfully transport the ‘exhibit’ from Igbogila, less than five kilometers away from Imasayi, down to Abeokuta in spite of a recent bloody clash on that route.
But at around 12:30 pm on Thursday, March 19, he called us to say five bags of foreign rice are now in Abeokuta.
All it costs to smuggle five bags of rice
Between Igbogila and Ita-Oshin at Abeokuta, there are at least five checkpoints usually manned by officers of the Nigerian Customs, Importers Association of Nigeria (IMAN), Army and Police, but he does not pay a dime by himself.
His mode of operation is similar to that of other smugglers I had interacted with during the course of this undercover assignment.
His Lead, according to the foreign rice transporter, drove ahead to settle all security men at the checkpoints and monitored his distance through intermittent phone calls.
‘This is why I insisted that you shouldn’t call me during the trip to help my own concentration on the road’, he said.
Mohammed is about to make it big?
Throughout days spent with him, Mohammed was high-spirited about how fortune will soon smile on him.
As soon he got through with my deal, he revealed his travel agenda to Akwa Ibom for a crucial deal with an ex-customs boss and the current Commissioner of Works in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ephraim Inyang-Eyen.
“The current commissioner of works in Akwa Ibom, Ephraim Inyang, has fixed me up for an appointment. He wants to give me a letter personally signed by him that will ease my passage across any border in Nigeria”, says Mohammed.
“He was a top Customs officer before he joined politics. Once I get that signed letter, I am getting a huge loan for this job. That is my target and not all these petty smuggling anymore.”
The letter, according to him, will detail a request for 30 truckloads of foreign rice for the purpose of the politician’s constituency relief project.
Mr. Ephraim Inyang-Eyen was in the 1990s the Assistant Superintendent of Customs. He rose to become the Special Assistant to the Operations Commander, Apapa before his retirement.
However, when confronted with Mohammed’s claims, Inyang-Eyen denied them, saying he had never met the smuggler. Upon showing him Mohammed’s picture for identification, he denied knowing him.
“What will be my gain to issue a letter to a criminal to smuggle rice especially when I am no longer in Customs Service?” he first queried before saying “it is fraud! I don’t know that man from anywhere. I have never met him before, not even during the governor’s burial as he claimed.”
Mohammed, in a telephone conversation on May 4, however continued to express high hopes about his meeting with the former Custom boss, saying he missed the previous appointment because of the lockdown in the country.
But his allegation could not be confirmed since he is yet to obtain the letter he spoke about.
“Border complexity, limited resources are our biggest problems” – Customs PRO
Despite federal government’s lockdown imposed on the nation’ capital, Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states, Abdullahi Maiwada, the Public Relations Officer for the Ogun State Command of NCS, in an interview with the reporter, stated that about 2,ooo bags of 50kg rice were confiscated from cross-border smugglers in Ogun State alone in April.
He, however, admitted to the challenges of border porosity, partly blaming it on limited resources.
‘Despite working in the most complex terrain in terms of the geography and porosity of the border, we are among the best NCS Commands in the country. We can not bring a total end to smuggling but our responsibility is to suppress the activities’, the NCS’ spokesman said.
‘Aside from the seven approved routes of movement of goods and persons in Ogun state, there are over a 100 unapproved routes these smugglers navigate to carry out their illicit business.
‘We just have to manage our limited resources to achieve the desired aim’, he added.
Maiwada briefly established that there are internal mechanisms to discipline erring operatives caught conniving with smugglers while smugglers apprehended with accomplices are left to the judiciary to prosecute.
This, sometimes, does not happen as the latest arrest made is a chief smuggler within Ogun borders who has a past record of arrest by NCS Ogun Command, Maiwada revealed.
Unequivocally, Maiwada’s assertions confirmed two clogs in the wheels for Ogun State Command of NCS. The first is that ‘Ile Komi’ where Mohammed’s team had taken me through from Benin Republic and Igbokofi town in Yewa North LGA may continue to be strongholds of smuggling except security operatives are deployed to man the routes.
Another is that, until NCS is legally empowered to prosecute any accomplice in smuggling, including security operatives and the local residents in border communities, smuggling would continue to thrive.
**This investigation was done with the support of International Centre for Investigative Reporting, ICIR.
