Lagos State Government has withheld the money donated to Mary Daniel, the Oshodi amputee hawker who recently went viral.
Daniel recently became a sensation after pictures of her selling water at Oshodi went viral on social media. Daniel in an interview, claimed she lost a leg in an accident that killed all other passengers, including her parents when she was a teenager. She also claimed to be fending for a baby and an aged grandmother. She said she had to drop out of school and hit the streets to make ends meet.
Her touching story prompted many Nigerians to donate money to the tune of N25 million to her bank account, which was made public. However, it has now been found that she did not lose her leg in an accident and neither is her father dead.
Daniel was exposed after those who staged her story started threatening that they would reveal the truth unless she gave them their share of the money.
Confirming the development, Lagos Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu said, “There were irregularities and lies in the account of her life she gave. It was discovered that contrary to her claim that her parents died during an accident that left her amputated, it was discovered that her father is very much alive and that she was amputated from birth.
It was also discovered that her presence in Oshodi was staged. Those working with her played on the intelligence of Nigerians to get donations for her. It came to light when the people started threatening her. She promised some N500,000 others different amounts and was planning to return to her home state when the information leaked.
I had to attach some policemen to her to prevent any attack on her when she went to the bank. We suspected those people might follow her but everything went well as they were not seen. Presently, the state government is preventing her from accessing the money. The government does not want a situation where it will become a trend for people to cook up stories, manipulate the people to get donations.”
Life in itself many say is a struggle to survive and to make your impact on humanity. This was the reason for Retson Tedheke to join the arm struggle against military incursion into the creeks of the Niger-Delta, the rich region whose communities remain ravaged by activities of oil exploration. A wealth whose value remains invisible in the communities where they are produced.
After many years in the creeks of the Niger Delta in arms struggle against the government, armed with economic sabotage, a struggle many militants believe is for the restoration of their community’s glory, Retson Tedheke has found a new lease of life in the peaceful and serene community of Ga’ate, in Nasarawa state, where his vision for a brighter Nigeria is helping him mobilize and motivate young Nigerians to build a sustainable future through the agricultural value chain.
As the rains prepare to begin for the year, Retson is in a hurry to get the green house done in record time for the production of vegetables and other temperate crops. In the midst of all these, his vision for one indivisible humanity, especially among Africans, remains very clear.
The Nigerian Farmers Group and Cooperative Society which sits on 1000 hectares of land 75 km from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, has in just 4 years become a model for how modern and organic agriculture can be practiced in Nigeria.
From land preparation, cultivation, planting/ breeding to harvesting and processing, the NFG assures the nation of food security.
More land preparation for all year round vegetable farm before the wet season commences.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, the farm is providing electricity to the community in addition to schools and a clinic in addition to a massive 500M cubic liters’ irrigation dam which also serves in the dry season.
The Farm is Sitting on a Dam With the Capacity for 500m Cubic Litres and Capable of over 100hectares Irrigation Farming.
With the diverse ethnic groups in the community, mutual respect for people and their beliefs form the basis of work ethics here.
Considering his family background, especially having a father who has attained the highest height in academic pursuits by becoming a professor, one wonders what attracted him to militancy in the creeks.
Some militants in the creeks of the Niger-Delta
An avid reader, with an enviable collection of books, Retson lives his African ideology daily.
“One of the biggest advantage and knowledge for the creeks is knowing that violence accomplishes nothing but builds more enemies I ran away from the creeks because I was going to be killed anyways.
“When we started from the creeks our insight was a revolution that was premised on liberating our people. But then all of us forgot that the revolution that was to free our people from the insanity of the oil industry in creating a western hegemony a process where the west still dominates but we become tools for the west in using our own people to furnish and build their own society at the expense of our own communities.
“Development is a function of arms struggle as it is a function of national growth. While arms struggle will give you the power of the gun, the national development will give you the power of ideology and a focus of national development and growth. So I got to that moment where I asked the question should we continue to use arms as a means of intimidation or we drop the arms and begin to think about our people but once you drop the arms and begin to think about your people, you create the enemies that do not want you to.”
Retson, together with a few friends, obtained a credit facility with which they started on a small scale. Over time they have integrated the project into a farm community where everything is produced.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo inspecting the Ga’ate Gold rice produced on the farm
“Nigeria is 200 million in population and counting they need to feed; they need to sleep in shelters they need to have water. It is now beyond the population but the component of the economy capable of sustaining that population” he says.
In the last few years, Nigeria has suffered devastations from conflict between indigenous farmers and migrating herders, leaving a death toll of unimaginable proportion, as a result of struggles for greener grazing areas in the central and southern states, as the Sahel region continues to dry up due to desertification. Retson’s farm has become a model for ranging, with the addition of Frisian bulls and crossing with the local breeds, there will no longer be need for herders to graze openly.
Ranching: Some Holstein Friesian bulls acquired on the farm for the purpose of cross breeding
Agriculture according to Retson has always been the foundation of real national development and economy globally. On the calls for restructuring giving the myriads of issues in Nigeria, he thinks it is all about implementing workable solutions and not dancing to the gallery.
The hydroponic plant on the facility has made it possible for grasses to be grown for the animals within 7 days, mostly from grains gotten from the farm.
Today, the farm has moved from just an idea to a reality, where dreams of many young Nigerians are being realised. Adamu Ga’ate who doubles as a staff of the farm as well as the liaison between the farms and the community with the help of Retson has secured admission into the university where he hopes to equate his experience, passion and career. And so is the story of many others working to make a decent living on the farms.
Peter Ogbeide shows how yams are preserved traditionally at the barn
As Nigeria’s population expands, the need to focus more on ventures such as farming has become imperative. More importantly, when young minds are positively engaged, it is difficult for politicians and anarchists to rent their minds for sinister motives.
“Nnamdi Kanu, Sunday Igboho, Shekau and the rest dominate the minds of many because we have chosen to focus more on petty bigoted sentimentalism, parochial sentimentalism. Think about it… how is my ethnicity going to put food on the table? You want your own country fine and good, you want to secede fine, but what is the guarantee that those your politicians stealing your money in Nigeria would not do same in your new country?
For Retson, life is continuously under construction and the time to stop isn’t just yet.
A video has been released of a student kidnapped and pregnant by bandits who was abducted alongside 38 other students in March from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State.
It happened between April 5 and April 8, bandits released 10 of the abducted students, leaving 29 of them in captivity.
There is apprehension in the Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, following the shooting of two soldiers and a civilian at a checkpoint. The incident happened on Monday night. It was learnt that unidentified gunmen shot the 2 soldiers and the civilian at a checkpoint in the Timber Junction place, at the state, Vanguard reports. Those injured as a consequence of the episode were rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment while the deceased had been deposited at the hospital.
It was gathered that the sufferers were attacked around 8.48 pm along the guns of the soldiers were allegedly removed.
After the assault, other soldiers at the checkpoint fled into the bush for safety. An origin from the community told Vanguard that the gunmen arrived at the checkpoint in a bus and since the army men stopped them to search them, they opened fire on them.
According to him, the situation drove Amasiri and Afikpo towns into a state of panic, as sailors, particularly petty traders hurriedly packed their merchandise and went home.
“It is a really sad situation. They stated suspected gunmen came to the checkpoint at Timber Shade (boundary Ehugbo and Amasiri) from the snowy bus.”As usual, it appeared that the military was assessing them and all of a sudden, they opened fire. Two of the army men, a woman and man, died. Others hurried away.”The area is as silent as the graveyard. These adjoining villages used to be quite busy and people here are farmers and traders. However, the moment that happened, people started going home. Nobody is observed outside as I talk to you. Every area is calm. There is fear here now. The world is about to finish,” the source said.
The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari has Accepted the Updating of This Marhai Forest Reserve, at Wamba Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, to a National park.
Conservator-General and Chief Executive Officer, National Park Services, NPS, Ibrahim Goni, revealed that while on a courtesy call to the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, in the Government House, at Lafia that the State Capital.
Goni further revealed that President Buhari declared the updating of another 9 kinds of wood reservations throughout the nation, from the 23 previously asked.
“I am seeing Your Excellency, to communicate for you, the President’s acceptance for the updating of this Marhai forest book to some national park,” he said.
Based on Goni, in 2013, the Nasarawa State government, along with other 22 nations, asked for the updating of this Marhai forest book, after which President Buhari accepted the updating of ten forest reserves throughout the nation.
Directive
The Conservator-General clarified that “the acceptance came with a presidential directive for the National Park Services to participate the states that were armed, to install modalities for its smooth handling and take more of their new federal parks”
Goni equally asked for the immediate setting up of a deadline, involving representatives from the State Government, to fine-tune modalities such as the handing over the Marhai Forest Reserve into the NPS.
The Governor explained; “Since its beginning, his government was encouraging the Farin Ruwa tourism abilities, together with the State government building the 15-km Sisin Baki/ Farin Ruwa street to open the region.”
Governor Sule equally valued the NPS because of its recommendations and also for recognising these concealed resources belonging to the nation.
“because this government came in, we’ve been doing everything possible to market which park…We have encouraged many characters, such as a delegation headed by the Minister of Information, Tourism, and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to come along and endeavour the playground,” the Governor noted.
Governor Sule was optimistic that its transformation into a national park, the Marhai Forest Reserve, will surely lead to additional national parks in the nation due to its natural endowment, particularly attracting tourists.
He expressed confidence that at the end of the afternoon, host communities throughout the park, could be beneficial concerning employment, amongst others.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has warned citizens against travelling to countries that are documenting the third wave of their COVID-19 pandemic.
The states that are currently documenting a third wave of the pandemic are India, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.
The National Incident Manager (NIM) of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Dr Mukhtar Muhammad, disclosed this at the media briefing from the committee on Monday.
He said, “While we continue to reopen the economy, we must also know about the happenings around the world. Mr Chairman (Boss Mustapha) along with the Honourable Minister of Health (Osagie Ehanire) have made reference to particular incidents in India, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa.
“We sympathise with those of those countries [India, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey] because it is actually a very stressful time, especially for India that’s recording more than 300,000 cases each day and recording within 2,000 deaths.
“India is a prime destination for health tourism for Nigeria. We are aware that many Nigerians prefer to journey — to go to India but today… we urge Nigerians to restrict all travels to only essential travels, especially to these affected countries.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Yobe state government has undertaken Covid-19 House-to-House risk communication awareness to over 90,000 residents of the state in an effort to curb the spread of the deadly Corona virus disease in the state.
Mr. Muhammad Shafiq, WHO Emergency Manager, Health Emergencies Programme, represented by Doctor Ibrahim Salisu, a Public Health Officer revealed that it was intended to sensitize the larger populace of the society who may not have access to information through the mainstream and social media.
“We are working closely with the Yobe state Ministry of health to meet the covid-19 response across all the pillars, in addition to the ongoing risk communication programme such as radio and television jingles and motorist campaigns”.
“We have also deployed teams of community health champions who are working to improve community sensitization in the second wave of the pandemic. In the last one month alone, we have reached out to more than 90,000 people with covid-19 prevention messages” he said.
According to Mr. Shafiq, WHO is also providing the necessary technical support for the state government in health system strengthening so as to mitigate the challenges of covid-19 pandemic.
The World Health Organization is currently undertaking the strengthening of the state’s surveillance system and has donated 400,000 Information Education Materials, built capacity of health workers on Gender Based Violence, trained doctors on covid-19 clinical management, supplied assorted drugs and provided psycho-social support for covid-19 survivors.
Yobe state which recorded its covid-19 index case on April 30, 2020, now has 390 confirmed cases with 9 deaths across its 17 local government councils as at Sunday, April 25, 2021.
