Nigerian Newspapers
We pack dirt to feed, pay school fees –Physically challenged bridge sweepers
A cosmopolitan state has its challenges, one of which is keeping the streets, roads and pedestrian bridges clean.
In a state like Lagos, there is still a lot of negative attitude in terms of the disposal of waste.
This is why pedestrian bridges, walkways, major roads and streets are strewn with waste dropped by passersby and motorists.
One major sight on pedestrian bridges in Lagos is the presence of physically challenged men clearing dirt from the walkways at intervals.
In the scorching sun or while it is raining, they can be found sweeping pedestrian bridges dotting major roads in the state.
While sweeping, they pick alms dropped by sympathetic passersby. Some years ago, the Lagos Waste Management Authority absorbed them into its system and began paying them stipends.
Some of the sweepers, who shared their stories with Saturday PUNCH, gave tales of woe.
At Oshodi Bus Stop, a few of these disabled sweepers can be seen crawling on their buttocks from one end of the long pedestrian bridges to another, armed with short brooms as hundreds of feet pound the aisles.
Olayemi Ayoola told Saturday PUNCH he had been a bridge sweeper for three years.
“I hardly feel it anymore when the sun comes out. I see people rushing past me in the hot sun and feel uncomfortable. I just laugh because I don’t feel it anymore. I’m used to it,” the 35-year-old father of four said.
When our correspondent spoke with him, it was 7.30 am. He obviously lived nearby to have been able get to the bridge that early.
But surprisingly, Ayoola said, “I live in Sango (Ogun State). It is a long distance away. In order to get to this place as early as possible, I wake up before 5am and stay at the bus stop until I get a bus.
“Latest by 7am, I arrive here. I start work immediately. By 2pm, my work is done.”
He told our correspondent that all his children were in school and that the eldest was a Basic 7 pupil.
Ayoola is an amputee. His right leg is the only limb supporting him, apart from the walking stick he uses when he is done for the day and is going home.
Ayoola was not born with just one leg, as he told our correspondent that he had an accident.
He said, “In November 2005, I had an accident. I was a commercial bus driver at the time. I was doing well. I even owned the bus I was driving.
“The bus flipped over and my left leg was damaged. It had to be cut off. In 2010 when I realised that my family was suffering on account of my not being able to provide for them, I had to seek a way of putting food on the table, which was why I began sweeping bridges.”
While sweeping, Ayoola gets alms from magnanimous passersby. He said on a good day, he makes up to N1,000 in alms, most of which he saves for feeding and his children’s school expenses.
Ayoola holds just a primary school certificate but he has taken his fate in his hands and strives to provide for his family.
Like Ayoola, Shehu Mohammed has been sweeping bridges for three years also.
He lives at Alapere in Ketu area of Lagos.
Mohammed told Saturday PUNCH, “I leave home by 6am in order to resume work at 7am. I’m married and my children are quite happy that I can provide for them.
“I came to Lagos from Sokoto about five years ago. I was told there was plenty of work to do here and I could provide for my family. That was why I came to Lagos.”
The 32-year-old sweeper’s right arm is shrivelled. It is obvious that he sustained a nasty injury that rendered his arm useless.
“When I was eight, I was in our house in Sokoto when the building collapsed. One brick fell on my arm and I have not been able to use it since then.”
He too is married and has two children.
“I’m grateful to people in Lagos because I am able to send my children to school because of their alms. I make up to N1,500 per day sometimes,” he said.
Amisu Ibrahim, 36, is another sweeper from Katsina State.
He is also an amputee who got one of his legs cut off after a terrible road accident in Katsina in 2004.
He leaves his Agbado-Crossing home at 5am and crawls to a bus stop where he gets a ride to Oshodi.
Ibrahim did not conceal his joy when our correspondent asked how many children he had.
“I have three now. My wife just delivered our third child yesterday. I am very happy.”
Then he made a surprising announcement.
“I have two wives,” he said.
He told Saturday PUNCH one of his wives lives in his father’s house in Katsina while the second lives with him in Lagos.
Ibrahim told our correspondent that his two older children attend school and he keeps them happy with the money he made.
To affirm that, he said, “Walahi talahi, I’m not lying. I send my children to school. The money I make from alms here and the salary LAWMA pays me is what I use to send them to school.”
But Ibrahim’s expression changed suddenly.
He said, “If I tell you that I have not been paid in the last three months, you may not believe me but it’s true. I travelled for 10 days sometime ago, and because the man who supervises us came and did not see me at work, I was not paid.
“I’ve not been paid for three months since then. There is another man, a Yoruba man who sweeps the other side of the bridge. He is crippled but does not come to work every day, yet, he is paid regularly.
“I told the man that even if I’m not paid, I will continue to come here and do this work. The goodwill of people and God’s help will sustain me.”
Indeed, as he spoke, people passing by dropped money on his lap; N20, N50, N100. Ibrahim was happy.
“Sometimes, I get lucky and someone comes along and drops a N500 note. This kind of money greatly helps in paying my rent and the upkeep of my family. If I go home today with N800, the sum of N500 out of that goes to my wife. I keep the rest for transport,” he said.
On the pedestrian bridge at Anthony Bus Stop, 34-year-old Samson Onasanya, who has been sweeping the bridge for six years, told Saturday PUNCH he was happy doing so.
Onasanya said, “They give us alms but at least we don’t have to beg for them. People give us money in appreciation of what we do for the society.
“Just imagine what this bridge will look like in a day if we don’t sweep it. Look at the heap of refuse I’m already sweeping this morning. Tomorrow morning, there will be as much refuse again.
“I’m happy I am where I am because my family is happy. My children are happy because I am not a beggar. I work and provide for them.”
At Ketu Bus Stop, the busy pedestrian bridge owes it clean nature to Saheed Olayinka, 40.
Crawling on the his hand and buttocks as he uses his right hand to sweep the pedestrian bridge, he explained his daily routine to Saturday PUNCH.
“I leave Opebi where I live at 6am and get here before 7am. I work until 2pm and go home,” he said.
He goes about his work with gusto and words of appreciation as passersby drops alms at his feet.
The Ogun State-born cripple said he was introduced to the job by a friend and had never had any regret.
Olayinka said, “Even though some people look down on us as if we are not human beings, I’m happy with what I do. It can really be terrible sometimes. I use my hands to park faeces sometimes on this bridge just to keep it clean.
“Many who look down on us just don’t know the kind of work we are doing to the society. But we are also thankful to the government for giving us stipends. There are many beggars on the streets but at least ours is different. We are able to make our families happy.”
Olayinka’s skin, like other sweepers our correspondent encountered, looked blackened on account of the sun they are exposed to on the job.
“I don’t feel the sun much. No matter how intense the sun is, I don’t leave my work. If it starts raining, I simply spread my big umbrella and crawl under it until it subsides,” he said.
Olayinka, a father of four, said three of his children are in school.
Like the others, he is able to send them to school through the alms he gets from kind people and the stipend LAWMA pays him.
“I became crippled when I was still a child. I did not go beyond primary school level but I’m not sad at all about my situation. I’m happy I’m one of those who keep Lagos clean,” he said.
A physically challenged sweeper, who identified himself as Saheed, was the one who introduced Olayinka to the job. He shuttles between Ketu and the pedestrian bridge at Ikeja.
The state government pays these bridge sweepers N10,000 monthly but even though this is does not seem to be adequate for their upkeep, they are full of praises for LAWMA.
The agency’s spokesperson, Shade Kadiri, said there was no immediate plan to increase the monthly stipend of the sweepers.
She said, “The idea of paying the stipend is to take them off begging and put them to use in service to the community. I cannot rule out an increment of the stipend though.
“The idea is that because they are physically challenged does not mean they cannot earn a decent living. Part of the welfare package we have put in place for them include medical treatment. They also have access to loans which we deduct at very small amounts. You have to understand that some of them already have a vocation before getting involved in sweeping bridges.
“Our hope is that after the few hours of sweeping, they can go back to the vocation which the loans are supposed to enhance.”
When our correspondent took up the case of Ibrahim who complained that he had not been paid for three months with her, she promised that the matter would be looked into as soon as possible.
However, one thing our correspondent noticed about these physically challenged sweepers is that they were upbeat about their situation. Talking to them was a great experience as they showed no sign of depression.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: Punch Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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