₦airaland Forum

Senate rejects motion to release MASSOB leader

By John Alechenu and Oluwole Josiah, Abuja

Published: Thursday, 28 Jun 2007

A motion sponsored by Senator Uche Chukwumerije and 24 other Senators asking the Senate to request the release of the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Mr. Ralph Uwazurike, was on Wednesday rejected.

The rejection was sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Iyiola Omisore that the Senate could not comment on any matter in which a judicial decision was pending; in such a way that might affect the final out come of the matter.

He argued that the case of Uwazurike should not be compared to those of Gani Adams of the Odu‘a Peoples Congress and Mujahideen Asari Dokubo of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force because the two were granted bail by the court. Omisore said the Senate should not be seen to be usurping the powers of the judiciary.

Senator Olorunmimbe Mamora, in his contribution drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that the matter of that nature had been discussed before.

Contributing, Senator Abubakar Sodangi also called for the release of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and General Ishaya Bamaiyi and other detainees. He however said, the judiciary should be supported to achieve its goals. He suggested that the Senate should urge the judiciary to expedite action in the matter.

In his motion, Chukwumerije noted that reconciliation was a universally cherished weapon of resolving social conflicts in a democratic society.

He also said the tool had yielded positive results in numerous conflicts in the past. He had asked that the Senate consider the fact that the leaders of the OPC and the NDPVF were both granted bail adding that a resolution by the senate to urge the President to extend the gesture to the MASSOB leader would be a step in the right direction.

The motion also prayed that the Senate commend the Federal Government for its reconciliatory stance which was healthy for easing tension in the polity.

It also prayed that the Senate applaud Yar‘Adua‘s administration‘s placatory handling of volatile youth groups, as was evident in the release of Dokubo. It also urged youths to appreciate the supreme importance of peaceful mediation, reconciliation and conciliation in nursing the country’s renascent democratic culture to maturity.

Ruling on the point of order raised by Omisore, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark said, ”The question to ask here is, Is the case in court? Yes.

“I am aware that the case is in court. My personal advice is that his lawyers should go for bail. This is the highest law making body in the land, whatever decision we take will have effect on the system. I therefore uphold the point of order raised by Omisore,” he added.

Meanwhile, Chukwumerije has hinted that the motion seeking Uwazurike’s release will be represented. He said the motion had a lot of merit but was dismissed under the guise of subjudice.

Chukwumerije, who noted that he had respect for the wisdom of the Senate, said the response of the Senate to the motion was very unfortunate.

Protesters insist on trial of ex-governor Nnamani by EFCC

By Adelani Adepegba, Enugu

Published: Thursday, 28 Jun 2007

Protesters on Wednesday besieged the Enugu office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, demanding the prosecution of the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani.

The protesters, comprising mostly members of civil society groups, sacked state civil servants and commercial motorcyclists, said that Nnamani ought not to enjoy plea bargaining. They, therefore, asked the EFCC to immediately arrest the former governor and prosecute him in accordance with the law.

The protesters also insisted that those who were indicted along with Nnamani should be apprehended and prosecuted. Before arriving at the EFCC office, they had demonstrated through some streets in Enugu with placards, some of which read, ‘Nnamani is an enemy of Enugu State’ and ‘No to plea bargain option.’

A statement by the protesters said they were worried that a planned reception for the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu, and other federal legislators from the state was ‘a camouflage to receive and celebrate the indicted returnee ex-governor.’

The statement reads, “We have nothing against the cabal of morally bankrupt men and women engaging in their usual and familiar hollow ritual of social masturbation and celebration of emptiness.

“But we are constrained to blow the whistle on fraud for the benefit of credible elements from across Nigeria who may be cajoled or bamboozled into being part of this festival of the absurd or furthermore deceived into believing that it is in our people‘s culture to celebrate crimes and criminals on one side, and frauds and fraudsters on another.”

They also asked the EFCC to appoint credible and respected persons to manage the seized property of the former governor.

The EFCC South-East Zonal Director (Prosecution), Mr. Hyacinth Edozie, who addressed the protesters, said that the commission had not backed down on its desire to prosecute indicted former governors.

He added that the anti-graft agency had ‘not finished’ with Nnamani as his case was still receiving attention.

Edozie, who also explained that the commission had not entered into any deal with the indicted former governors, asked Nigerians to watch whether it would prosecute them or not.

He said, ”There are many ways to kill a rat and there is no way any person indicted by the EFCC will be allowed to go scot-free.

“What you people should do now is to be patient with us. We shall rise to the challenge and due process will be followed.”

The civil society groups included the Civil Liberties Organisation, the Centre for Democracy and Good Governance and the Tropical Watch.

Nnamani was in February 2007 arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegedly owning 172 houses. He is also facing money laundering charges brought against him by the EFCC.

Shortly before May 29, 2007, he travelled out of the country, thereby sparking off rumours that he had fled to avoid an arrest by the EFCC.

While abroad, the anti-corruption agency obtained a court order to freeze his foreign accounts and confiscate the 32 houses belonging to him.

Nnamani returned to the country this month and on Tuesday took an oath as a senator.

lol.

Ala – the earth-goddess, the spirit of fertility (of man and the productivity of the land).

Igwe – the sky-god. This god was not appealed to for rain however, that was the full-time profession of the rain-makers, Igbo tribesmen who were thought to be able to call and dismiss rain.

Imo miri – the spirit of the river. The Igbo believe that a big river has a spiritual aspect; it is forbidden to fish in such deified rivers.

Mbatuku– the spirit of wealth.

Agwo – a spirit envious of other’s wealth, always in need of servitors.

Aha njuku or Ifejioku – the yam spirit.

Ikoro – the drum spirit.

Ekwu – the hearth spirit, which is woman’s domestic spirit.

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Osu Caste In Igboland
By Jude Ossai

Gov. Chimaroke NnamaniGEOGRAPHICALLY, the Igbo people across the east of the River Niger occupy the forest belt area between the Cross River east of the Niger and Benin West of the Niger and between the Igala to the North and the Niger Delta region to the South. Professor Thurstan Shaw in his archaeological findings in Igbo-Ukwu, a town in the present Anambra State, revealed that some ancient Igbos settled in the area earlier than 9th century AD. This throws light on the origin of the Igbo people.


According to the late 20th century census, the population of Ndigbo stood at 27.1 million. The majority of Igbos are Christians, but some of them practise the indigenous traditional religion.The traditionalists believe in the earth goddess, deities and ancestral spirits and in a supreme being called Chukwu, Obasi, Chi (God). Just as the origin of the Igbos remains controversial among historians, the exact date the Osu caste system began in Igbo land is equally in dispute. In most indigenous Igbo communities, shrines where the family’s ancestral spirits resided and communed with the living, are maintained. This category of the deities is almost like institutions. The deities were attended to by highly respected priests and assistants who were engaged in serving the spiritual needs of visitors who come to commune with the shrines.


Records show that about six centuries ago, there was increase in the growth of powerful deities that led to the need for more hands in working at the shrines. The “indigenous monks” upon learning the act to worship the gods were just and erroneously labeled Osu, Ume, or Ohu arusi (slave of the deities/gods or shrines). The relic of the indigenous religions of the Igbo people called Osu caste system varied in names. It is referred to as Achi-Ebo in Nzam in Onitsha while in Nsukka area, it is known as Oruma. It is also called Nwani or Ohualusi at Agwu area. These names – Osu, Ume, Ohu, Oru, Ohu Ume, Omoni(Okpu Aja)–have the same connotation in Igboland.


Saturday Tribune investigations revealed that those referred to by the names mentioned are regarded as sub-human beings, the unclean class, or slaves by the people who called themselves Diala (free born). In a paper presented to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in August 2002 by one Victor Dike, titled: “Working globally against discrimination by work and descent”, he described the Osu caste system as a societal institution borne out of a primitive traditional belief system coloured by superstition and propagated by ignorance. The Osu, the author argued, is a people sacrificed to the gods in Igboland and they assist the high priest of the traditional religion to serve the deities or gods in their shrines.


There is another oral tale coloured by misconception, saying how a man who was chosen by a community was eventually picked to perform the task of serving the gods. The descendants of the man from that day inherited the status of Osu. Further checks show that many Igbo people, nowadays, shy away from discussing the obnoxious traditional belief largely due to the fact that the system has not only outlived its usefulness but is also uncivil. Indeed, the Osu caste system, which is a form of discrimination, has caused inter-communal clashes and wars between the Osu and the Diala in Igboland. For instance, the people of Umuode in Nkanu-East Local Government Area of Enugu State, who were said to be descendants of the Osu, are being treated as second class citizens.

Sadly enough, victims of the Osu caste system, even those at high places, appear to be helpless, as they have no legal recourse in Igboland. It was gathered that in Oruku community made up of three clans, namely, Umuode, Umuchiani and Onuogowu, the people of Umuode have limited social interaction with the rest of the community because of their ascribed Osu status. In fact, the system involves inequality of movement and choice of residence, inequality in the right of peaceful association, marriage and establishing a family. An incident that occurred at Oruku community in 1995 was barbaric enough to attract attention to the area as youths from two clans in the area that claimed to be freeborn disrupted the reception organized in honour of a world acclaimed professor of robotic engineering, Bath Nnaji, who flew into the country from United States to take up an exalted ministerial position as the Secretary of Science and Technology under the Chief Ernest Shonekon interim government.


Investigations revealed that the two villages at Oruku community do not inter-marry with people of Umuode. It was learnt that irrespective of Osu’s social status in the community, the local churches hardly appoint them to the positions of responsibility. A staff of the Federal Ministry of Information, Enugu who preferred anonymity told ST that the degree of ostracism is so high in Oruku that the state government had to build a separate area for the victims, adding that any person from freeborn villages that talks or greets a person from Umuode clan stands to pay a fine as much as N1,000.

To further highlight the savage practice of Osu caste system, the people of Umuode create their own market quite different from the Eke Oruku market, owned exclusively by Umuchiani and Onuogowo clans. Comrade Njoku Emeka, a law student at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC) and founder of Change Initiative Agent, a non-governmental organization in Enugu, said “if we try to relate the issue pertaining to caste system to contemporary Nigeria, it seems as if it is drift or disparity between what the constitution says and peoples custom. “In Igboland, the Osu caste system has come to stay in the sense that it is silent. It operates within the sub-conscious of the people. It operates within the people willingly and it is not pronounced. You do not see it or touch it”


Citing an instance in Imo State , specifically in Isi Ala Mbano of the state, Emeka said “It is evident that they do not inter-marry even as they live together as neighbours. So, the worrisome aspect of it all is their conjugal rejection. Some go as far as claiming ownership over the Osus. It is common to hear of “Ndia bu ndi Osu anyi” meaning these are our own slaves. He disclosed that the freeborn see the Osus as property that should be owned, adding that the implication is that the people referred to as Osu in Igboland do not attain “Ezeship”, that is kingship, in some parts of Igboland.


Findings revealed that in Amufie village in Enugu Ezike, Enugu State, an Osu is not allowed to ascend the throne of an “Onyishi” a position kept sacred for the eldest man in the community. In Alor Agu community near Nsukka, also in Enugu State, a deity called “Adere’ is feared by the people as the god is said to be powerful. To appease the deity, “offending person or family offers animals including human beings to the gods” willingly. Three years ago, a woman evangelist (now deceased) took it as a task to destroy some shrines in Nsukka area with a view to putting to an end the worship of idols in the land. The lady, whose name was simply given as Ngozi Aro, reportedly died in the struggle.


Historical records also have it that late Nnamdi Azikiwe fought vehemently against the Osu caste system as he told members of the defunct Eastern House of Assembly on March 20, 1956 that, “it is devilish and most uncharitable to brand any human being with a label of inferiority, due to the accidents of history”. While seconding the motion for the second reading of the abolition of the Osu caste system, the late Owelle of Onitsha noted, “The objects and reasons for the bill are humanitarian and altruistic.” According to Zik, “The bill seeks to abolish the Osu system and its allied practices including the Oru or Ohu system, to prescribe punishment for their continued practice, and to remove certain social disabilities caused by the enforcement of the Osu and its allied system.

“I will not join in the encouragement of a system of society where one stratum can superciliously claim to be descended from the best brain and would therefore consign the others to a scrap heap of their own invention and ostracize them socially”, he added. But, why has Osu caste system continued to exist in Igboland despite the fact that it was abolished by the Zik government? Are the proponents of the Osu caste ignorant of the Abolition of Slavery Act of 1806 and the Magna Carta of 1215? To non-Igbos, the story that an Igbo stock is treated as a social pariah in Igboland sounds strange, particularly in the 21st century. Even during the late Dr Sam Mbakwe government in Imo State, the civilian regime of Nigeria Peoples Party ( NPP) banned the Osu caste system but the law did not prevent the existence of the savage custom.

Defiant as some could be, a spinster from Enugu State, who simply gave her name as Nkechi, said she would never marry an Osu even at gun point, stressing that she preferred remaining single to living with an Osu as husband and wife. “I do not care if I remain single all my life instead of me marrying an Osu. I cannot stand the humiliation in my village. No matter how wealthy an Osu could be, I will not marry him. It is an abomination in my village to go out with Osu as friends, how much more to talk of going to the altar with him”, she stated. As a matter of fact, eastern government at various times in the past had tried to use legislation and sometimes, coercion, to abolish the Osu caste system. Apart from the Mbakwe regime, late Air Commodore Emeka Omeruah while serving as the military governor of old Anambra State moved against the Efuru deities in Ukehe in Igbo-etiti Local Government Area, destroying the shrines with bulldozer.

But the irony of it all is that the people referred to as Osu flourish in business and politics to the extent that some of them occupy exalted positions in government as governors, commissioners and permanent secretaries, to mention but a few. Interestingly, in Arochukwu, the traditional base of the slave merchants of the old, the issue of Osu caste system is not well pronounced as both the Amadis (freeborn) and the non-Amadis (settlers) inter-marry and live together. Mr. Chris Oji, a journalist, said that Aros, however, only allow Amadis to be in-charge of their ancestral deity at Arochukwu known as “Ibinukpabi” otherwise called “Long juju” by the white man.

According to Oji, the Aros during the slave trade went into the evil forest at Arochukwu to “liberate” the Osus who were thrown away to die for alleged capital offence. They were subsequently sold into slavery. “ The intelligent ones were sent back to their communities and planted as surrogates to serve the interest of the Aros, especially in slave trading. Today, the Aros are scattered all over the eastern states and even beyond the Igbo enclave”, he added. ST learnt that many traditional rulers in Igbo land also shy away from discussing openly the issue of Osu caste system as they regard it as a matter that could create disaffection in their domains.

A paramount ruler in Enugu-Ezike, Igwe Simeon Itodo, who did not talk much on the caste system, told ST that Osu system should be rejected and cast to the dust bin of history as all men are equal before God. Barrister Celestine Abugu, a law teacher at the University of Abuja, wondered why wherever issues of segregation around the world are discussed at international level, the Osu caste system in Igboland is never mentioned. Abugu who hails from Amachalla, Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-eze Local Government Area of Enugu State, described the Osu caste system as not only dehumanizing but outdated and should be discarded by every right thinking member of the society.

Will the indigenous traditionalists allow the Osu caste system give room to a civilized way of life? The Igbo traditional beliefs, no doubt, have some positive influence on the culture and social lives of the people, but, the truth is that Ndigbo needs a rebirth in this millennium.

The Osu Caste System

Leo Igwe

The Osu caste system is an obnoxious practice among the Igbos -in Nigeria-which has refused to go away despite the impact of Christianity, modern education and civilization, and the human rights culture. In this piece, I will argue that the Osu discrimination is an outdated tradition with no basis for its continued practice and observance in the contemporary Igbo society.

Traditionally, there are two classes of people in Igboland – the Nwadiala and the Osu. The Nwadiala literally meaning ‘sons of the soil’ are the freeborn. They are the masters. While the Osu are the slaves, the strangers, the outcasts and the untouchables. Chinua Achebe in his well-known book, No Longer At Ease asks: What is this thing called Osu? He answers: “Our fathers in their darkness and ignorance called an innocent man Osu, a thing given to the idols, and thereafter he became an outcast, and his children, and his children’s children forever” The Osu are treated as inferior human beings in a state of permanent and irreversible disability. They are subjected to various forms of abuse and discrimination. The Osu are made to live separately from the freeborn. In most cases they reside very close to shrines and marketplaces. The Osu are not allowed to dance, drink, hold hands, associate or have sexual relations with Nwadiala. They are not allowed to break kola nuts at meetings. No Osu can pour libation or pray to God on behalf of a freeborn at any community gathering. It is believed that such prayers will bring calamity and misfortune.

A human rights group outlined the atrocities meted out against the Osu in Igboland. They include: ‘parents administering poison to their children, disinheritance, ostracism, organized attack, heaping harvest offering separately in churches, denial membership in social clubs, violent disruption of marriage ceremonies, denial of chieftaincy titles, deprivation of property and expulsion of wives etc.”

The Osu caste discrimination is very pronounced in the area of marriage. An Osu cannot marry a freeborn. The belief is that any freeborn that marries an Osu defiles the family. So freeborn families are always up in arms against any of their members who wants to marry an Osu. They go to any length to scuttle the plan. Because of the Osu factor, marriages in Igboland are preceded by investigations-elders on both sides travel to native villages to find out the social status of the other party. And if it is found that one of them is an Osu, the plan would be automatically abandoned. Many marriage plans have been aborted, and in fact some married couples have been forced to divorce because of the Osu factor. Chinua Achebe also noted this in his book. When Okonkwo learns that his son wants to marry Clara, an Osu. Okonkwo says: “ Osu is like a leprosy in the minds of my people. I beg of you my son not to bring the mark of shame and leprosy into your family. If you do, your children and your children’s children will curse you and your memory… You will bring sorrow on your head and on the heads of your children.”

But there have been several efforts and initiatives to eradicate this harmful tradition. In 1956, the government of the then Eastern Nigeria passed a law abolishing the Osu caste system. The law freed and discharged anybody called Osu including the children born to such a person. It declared the practice unlawful – and a crime punishable by law. But unfortunately, 50 years after the enactment of this legislation, nobody has been prosecuted or convicted for breaking the law. At best what the legislation has achieved is to drive the practice underground. Also many religious leaders and traditional rulers have spoken out against the practice. Recently Eze Enyeribe Onuoha, the traditional ruler of Umuchieze autonomous community in Imo State urged his community members to abandon the practice. He said: “discrimination against Osus is irrational, illegal, unjust and archaic and opposed to human rights. It is one Umuchieze(Igbo) tradition that should immediately be abolished.”

But statements and declarations like this are not uncommon. But they have always fallen on deaf ears among the Igbo people most of whom think that cultural norms are sacrosanct and should not be tampered with. So the belief in and practice of Osu caste system continue to wax strong in Igboland. In 1997, a person alleged to be an Osu was made a chief in a community in Imo State. But six months later, the community was engulfed in a crisis. And when the case was brought to the court, the presiding judge noted that though the abolition of Osu caste system was in the statute, it was an unenforceable law. The chief was dethroned so that peace would reign in the community.

And not too long ago I met a lady in a friend’s house in Lagos. I was told that she was engaged to a young man from Imo State. And months later I learnt that the marriage plan had been abandoned because the lady was said to be an Osu. There have been several instances like that where young men and women of Igbo extraction have suffered heartbreaks and emotional traumas as a result of this cultural disease. And now the question is, why is it that this cultural practice has refused to go away even among educated Igbos. The reason is not far fetched. The practice of Osu caste system is hinged on religion, supernaturalism and theism. And Igbos are deeply religious and theistic people. Osu are regarded as unclean or untouchable because they are (alleged to be) dedicated to the gods. So it is the dedication to the gods that makes the Osu status a condition of permanent and irreversible disability and stigma.

So this cruel custom will not be eradicated until Igbos begin to realize that gods are imaginary beings, not objective entities. Igbos need to understand that deities and spirits are mental constructs used to control and organize the society at the infancy of the human race. And today that humanity has come of age. Because if one does not believe that the gods and spirits are real, then the idea of treating someone as unclean or untouchable because the person is dedicated to any deity does not make sense at all. Even for the god-believing Igbos, the practice is out rightly baseless. Because most Igbos are Christians and do not profess any belief in the traditional gods to which the Osu were (alleged to be) dedicated. So, it is both sensible and appropriate that all Igbos - believers and non-believers alike renounce and abandon this abhorrent, inhuman and despicable practice. Politically, state authorities must get Igbo communities and associations to remove provisions in their constitution that bar Osu from contesting elections or receiving traditional titles. Legally, the courts must begin to enforce the law abolishing the Osu caste system. And the Nigerian state must rise up to its duty of protecting and defending the humanity, dignity and equal rights of all citizens irrespective of their sex, ethnic origin, religion, belief or birth status.

Most importantly Igbos must begin to envision a new society where people can live and interact, marry and be married, elect and be elected, without division, distinction, discrimination on the basis of Osu or Nwadiala. Hence I want to use this opportunity to appeal to my people-ndi Igbo: Please let’s strive to remove this mark of leprosy and shame from the face of our culture and society.

_____

About the author: Leo Igwe is director of the Centre for Inquiry in Nigeria. He can be reached at nskepticleo@yahoo.com.

KWENU! Our culture, our future

The osu system revisited



CHINEDU MADUABUM

Onicha_Ado – Nigeria

c_maduabum@yahoo.com





Monday, September 1, 2003



“When people cherish some set of values and do not feel any threat to them, they experience well-being. When they cherish values but do feel them to be threatened, they experience a crisis – either as a personal trouble or as a public issue.”



- C. Wright Mills



INTRODUCTION
The Osu system in Igboland is one of the most thought-provoking concepts in the Igbo cosmological philosophies. Among the critics of this caste are those who have been seriously affected by the institution on one hand and the Christian world on the other hand. One Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Anene Mmuo described osu as an “odious institution.” He went forth to stress that its death would be of “special advantage for the Igbo people.” The practice has even attracted international concerns and critics. On August 29th 2001, the Human Right Watch issued a report on Global Caste Discrimination; the Osu case as practiced in Nigeria among the Igbo was particularly mentioned.



Among individuals, majority of who are abroad, there is a great concern of whether Osu are descendants of slaves as a result of the slave trade. Others wonder whether they are people who ate human flesh or those who intermarried with the colonial masters. All these summed up to the many controversies and misrepresentation of the concept in Igboland. The answers many will like to know are: What the concept is all about? What is its origin, advantages, and disadvantages? Is there any remedy for those already affected? Thus the purpose of this article is to examine critically these controversies and misrepresentations and possibly to correct the wrong impressions surrounding the concept.



THE CONCEPT
The idea of having an assistant or assistants in any given social work condition is very obvious. The role of special assistants and/or attendants to a manager or president is highly inevitable in contemporary business/government sectors. This aspect of having assistant and/or attendants cannot be avoided because it has its root from the miniature common wealth from which the larger society is built -- the family. Cooks, cleaners, nannies, to mention but a few, are all household attendants. A more appropriate example is in Christendom, where a person will have to dedicate his entire life to the services of his church. In Catholicism, we have priests and reverend sisters and even those called “Brothers.” These people are not expected to work elsewhere but depend and rely solely on the gifts given to them by those who in turn benefit from their services. It applies in all other denominations. It is these ideas of having to dedicate oneself to the services of a church or a god, like the case of Alusi in Igboland that the Igbo called Osu. The Alusi concept is a means of social control to the Igbo, just as Christianity is today with respect to moral life of the people.



The Osu were regarded as the “untouchables,” in the sense that you do not kill them or marry them or even defile them. This is because they belong to the gods and are the children of the gods. It becomes the responsibility of the gods to retaliate in any form, in the situation where Osu is affected by any of the above-mentioned. It was indeed a protective custody during the era of the slave trade. Thus there was a need for people to dedicate themselves voluntarily to a shrine for the same purpose.



THE LIKELY ORIGIN
“It is not a general belief that God exists but there is a general notion of the existence of God,” so says Dr. Amaechi Chizota. This general notion is largely drawn from Biblical records. The Bible is today one of the most widely read books in the world. More than half of the world’s population believes in what is written in it, more especially in the Christian world. We have seen what the Osu concept is all about. In the Bible, we read that God chose Israel as his people and Jerusalem his abode. He divided Israel into twelve tribes. Among these twelve, as recorded in the book of Numbers chapter 8, the Levites were consecrated to serve as priests. They were dedicated for the purpose and till date, the Levites are regarded as priests unto the Most High. I wonder, whether there can be any other definition, given unto this ritual performed to the Levites if not to simply call them “Osu Chukwu” (priest of the Most High). This is the likely origin of the Osu concept; and, the Igbo being Hebrews themselves, carried this concept along with them wherever they settled.



The problem presently is the fact that many people who are affected by this concept were as result of an involuntary inclusion into the system as a form of protection against slave traders. This happened as early as the time of the arrival of the missionaries and the trans-Atlantic slave trade.



SLAVE TRADE AND THE OSU SYSTEM

Prior to the arrival of the missionaries, the Igbo society was harmonious, highly centred on theocentricism (a society that is centred in God, not materialism). Their arrival marked the beginning of acculturation in Igboland and Africa as a whole. The destruction of Igbo society was the best weapon towards ensuring that Ndiigbo are completely separated from their society. Thus the Alusi and Osu concepts were quickly interpreted to resemble the devil’s culture. It worked, but it was very difficult to completely dissociate Ndiigbo from the concept then, as is the case today. Even then, the idea and belief that “i gaghi emetu ihe bu nke arusi aka” (one does not touch that which belongs to the gods) persisted as a guiding statement to all those who sought refuge in the shrine in order to avoid being taken into slavery. This mix-up happened in the cause of the slave trade and, perhaps, it is interesting to know that those who sought this refuge were originally of the diala status or umudiala (sons of the soil). So the slave trade was highly responsible for the involuntary dedication into the Osu system in Igbo land.



It is very important to note here that Osu are not slaves. Slaves or oru, as it is called in Igbo, constituted from prisoners of war (POW) or someone bought from the slave market. It is also important to note that a slave was once diala until his capture and cannot by any means become diala in the land in which he is a captive. In the case of Osu, he is diala or even amadi (a noble of man of means) who has merely dedicated his life to the god of the land.



He is separated and restricted from certain cultural, political, and socioeconomic activities, just as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, so as to concentrate on the service, to which he has been called. They were very proud of their job, just as any other person was proud of whatever role he was performing in the village. The Osu and Oru (untouchables and slaves) cannot be the same as they are separated by meaning and reality. Another important question to be cleared is whether Osu are outcasts, as is generally believed.



THE OUTCAST ISSUE

One very fundamental impression that must be corrected about Osu is the general notion that they are outcast. This is one of the “suicidal” statements that were associated with the system by the missionaries and, to date, many people still refer to them as outcasts. Outcast is someone who has been driven away from home, from friend, or from society. (See Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary.) The definition is not by any means associated with the osu concept. If they are outcast, then I will draw the conclusion that Catholic priests who have so dedicated their lives to the services of the Church are outcasts; the Levites who were consecrated and separated as Osu Chukwu are also outcasts. Or, do you think otherwise? Words like these have given people very wrong meaning of osu.



The Osu concept is everywhere in Igboland and just about everywhere worldwide. I am pleading to Ndiigbo at home and abroad to correct this impression that has rocked our society. The major problem is whether there is a solution for those people whose forefathers, for fear of slavery, involuntarily assumed the Osu status.



RITUAL REMEDY

There is no doubt that those forefathers who for fear of slavery assumed the involuntary dedication into the osu set-up, affected many people as a result. Most of these people have left Igboland for good. Those who managed to return cannot bear the embarrassment they receive from their fellow kinsmen. This has left many to take up other nationalities. The disadvantages associated with this concept are obvious. Apart from the above mentioned, there is the general belief that if you happen to marry someone who is Osu, there is bound to be some mysterious deaths in the family. It is like the case in the Bible where Uzzah (2 Sam. 6: 7 - touched the Ark of Covenant and was killed instantly because he was not Osu. Many homes in Igboland have witnessed such cases and many are still witnessing similar experience.



It is now very difficult to tell osu by facial or other physical appearance. This has made it more complex. There is this prevailing thinking that cases such as suicide murder and ritual killings in the society were probably carried out by some of those who are Osu. It had been part of their almost daily life in the shrine; so carrying out such activities will be of no side effect to them. It is now a social problem in Igbo land. The good news is that there is indeed a remedy for this involuntary inclusion into the caste. Even those who voluntarily joined the caste can still have the status ritual reversed. For those who may not know, the Osu initiation can be reversed; it is a reversible reality in Agu-Ukwu Nri, the religious hometown of Ndiigbo. All you need to do is to perform the required rites and rituals for it to be reversed. By so doing you would have been fully and completely separated from any tie that had bonded you with the god at initiation. The rate of ritual killings can be reduced in our society if those who have been affected are cleansed and fully integrated into the society.



CONCLUSION

The Osu concept has been a case of debate both at the local and international level. Majority are of the opinion that the system should be abolished. To eradicate the system will be complex because it has taken a more advanced formats. Even with Christianity as the order of the day in Igboland, the Osu concept continues to exist. Of course the practise is left with those who are truly dedicated to its cause. But it has left the system unnoticed and very few people discuss it. It does not mean there are no Alusi and Osu in Igboland after the old order. But the fact is that it is going to be very difficult for the old version of Alusi to be restored as a dominant means of social control again.



What many people have failed to understand or see is the advanced or civilized nature this concept has taken in present day society. In Christianity, democracy and capitalism, the system is fully at work. A graduate who decides to become a civil servant, works all his life, marries and retires as a servant to the civil society. A man who decided to do the service of God is separated from the “world,” consecrated, and dedicated to the said service. To discuss about the eradication of the system in Igboland is not really the issue; the issue is: Will the concept be eradicated knowing fully well that it has been westernised? This is just for you to think about class systems and stratification of Western society.




www.kwenu.com:

MEND are after the foreigners,while this guys are after their own people.

Fashola submits commissioners’ list to Assembly
By Kemi Obasola
Published: Wednesday, 27 Jun 2007
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has submitted a comprehensive list of those tipped to be commissioners in the state to the House of Assem

Lagos State Governor elect, Babatunde Raji Fashola

The list obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday, had 21 people tipped as commissioners while 16 were proposed as Special Advisers.

The comprehensive list includes Mr. Rotimi Agunsoye, Mr. Dele Onabokun, Mr. Lanre Balogun, Dr. Muiz Banire, Mr. Jide Sanwoolu, Prof. Bamidele Badejo and Mr. Rotimi Oyekan.

Others are Mr. Ademola Adeniji-Adele, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Mr. Enoch Ajibosho, Mrs. Orelope Adefulire, Dr. Jide Idris, Dr. Femi Hamzat, Mr. Supo Sasore, Mr. Tunde Balogun, Mr. Ben Akabueze, Mr. Adeniyi Oyemade, Mr. Adesegun Oniru and Dr. Tola Kasali.

Those proposed to be Special Advisers include Mr. Paul Kalejaye, Mr. Jimoh Ajao, Mr. Sesan Olanrewaju, Mr. Femi Adebanjo, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, Dr. Elijah Adewale, Mr. Dolapo Badru, and Mr. Ganiyu Johnson.

Others are Mr. Toyin Hamzat, Mr. Olalekan Ifemade, Mr. Ademola Kuye, Mr. Olusola Oworu-Moses, Mr. Ade Ipaye, Mr. Afolabi Kofo-Abayomi, Mr. Abdul-Lateef Abdul-Hakeem, Mr. Oyinlomo Danmole and Mr. Sunny Ajose.

Thugs injure 20 protesting Oyo civil servants
By AKEEB ALARAPE, Ibadan
Wednesday, June 27, 2007.

At least, 20 striking civil servants in Oyo State, who embarked on peaceful protest to further buttress their grievances, on Tuesday got a dose of violence that has become second nature to the people of the state, as street urchins unleashed violence on their procession.
The workers commenced a full scale indefinite strike to protest the decison of the
new government in the state, led by Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala to cut their minimum pay from N9,400 to N6,500.

After a congress at their state headquarters located at American Quarters, Agodi Gate,
the workers, in their thousands, embarked on a peaceful protest march to the state Secretariat
through NTA Road and the Government House Road.

But on their return journey on the same route, according to the State Secretary of the Nigerian
Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Olu Abiola, some hoodlums attacked the peaceful procession and in the process 20 of the aggrieved workers were inflicted with varying degree of injuries while two sustained knee dislocation.

Abiola told Daily Sun that the attack on his members was carried out in the full glare of policemen and officials of the State Security Services (SSS) attached to the workers based on an earlier letter of notification sent to the security agencies regarding the procession.
"The procession started around 11 'o'clock when we moved from the union secretariat to the Main Gate to the NTA via the Government House Road to the State Secretariat.

The workers were actively guided by the leadership of the TUC and the NLC not to constitute a nuisance on the road.
"At the Government Secretariat, we just took a decoy around the Roundabout and moved back to the congress. It was in the process of returning to the congress through the same route we went that we started receiving stones, cudgel, missiles, guns, broken bottles and pebbles from different directions allegedly by men of the road transport workers union.

"Very unfortunately, it happened before the very eyes of the police, who were on our escort and the SSS officials. They saw everything. How peaceful or rowdy it was and how we were attacked. It was an unprovoked attack.

It was an undeserved attack. It was an embarrassment. In fact, for the first time, I believe the newspapers report that Oyo State is really under a siege and it is unfortunate," Abiola stated.
But while confirming the attack on the protesting workers, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the state, Mr Olu Akinmoladun, an Assistant Superintedent of Police (ASP), said the workers were
the ones that provoked the attack by the hoodlums.

According to Akinmoladun, some of the workers entered an office belonging to the transport workers union (NURTW) and started abusing the factional leader of the union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (Tokyo), a development he said infuriated the suspected thugs and which they reacted to.

"It is true they (workers) wrote us and we gave them police escort. But they caused the crisis. They entered an office of the NURTW and started abusing Tokyo. That was the genesis of the whole thing," Akinmoladun stated.

However, the state government has condemned the attack on the labour leaders saying it would not allow "anybody to foist violence on the peace loving people of Oyo State based on the disagreement between government and labour over the wage increase brought about during the last minute of Senator Ladoja’s administration."

In a statement issued by the governor's Special Adviser on Public Communication, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the government said that it was ready to handle the face-off with the workers maturedly and with "deeper understanding."

"The issue is being handled maturedly and in a civilised manner by government and government abhors any manner of violence that comes in the wake of this labour issue. Whether this is the work of fifth columnists or unprovoked attacked by either of the parties, government will descend heavily on any group that wants to turn Oyo State into a battle field," the statement said.

Meanwhile activities of government have been crippled by the strike embarked upon by the civil servants. A visit to the state-owned Adeoyo State Hospital, Oluyoro, Tuesday showed that most patients in the hospital have been hurriedly discharged while only three Caesarian operation patients were on admission and receiving "humanitarian attention." All schools in the state have also been closed down while the seat of government, Secretariat, Agodi, was a ghost of itself despite the swearing in ceremony of new commissioners and Special Advisers performed by Governor Alao-Akala.

Yuguda uncovers N5bn fraud in Bauchi LGs
Ishola Michael, Bauchi - 26.06.2007

The committee set up by the Bauchi State governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, to look into the affairs of all the 20 local government areas in the state has uncovered a N5 billion fraud perpetrated between 2000 and April 2007.


Submitting an interim report of the investigations, chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Sule, declared that it was found out that the Department for Local Government siphoned the money under the guise of security votes and other contingencies, which, he said, emanated from the department on behalf of the councils.


He added that his committee also discovered that the local government councils did not know how their allocations were disbursed as they only made do with whatever they were allocated by the state government under the joint account they operated.


The committee, according to Sule, could not trace any record of how the security funds were spent by the councils despite the fact that they were said to have received the allocation for that purpose while no receipts were available to substantiate the claim.


He also declared that in the course of its investigation, his committee uncovered another fraud of N2.8 billion said to have been expended on the purchase of motorcycles and bicycles for staff of the local governments.

:p

100 Nigerian doctors to return from Cuba
By Our Reporter - 26.06.2007

ONE hundred Nigerian doctors are to graduate from Cuban medical schools and return to Nigeria in August.

The Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Elio Olivia, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja that the students had been studying in Cuba for the past seven years.


He said it had always been the policy of the Cuban government to train people in different fields, especially in the medical profession.


“Nigerian medical students are graduating this August and they are very happy about it,’’ he said.


The ambassador said despite limitations brought about by decades of economic sanctions by the United States, Cuba had sent doctors to 70 countries.


Olivia said Cuba had also provided modest amount of scholarship to some Nigerians in careers such as engineering, sports, telecommunications and agriculture.


On sports, he said about eight Nigerians had benefited from Cuban scholarships with two more to be trained in Physical Education at the Cuban International Sports Institute.


“They are trained as trainers so that when they come back to Nigeria, they can train others from their wealth of knowledge and experience,’’ he said.


Olivia said although Cuba had a population of 11 million, it had emerged as the 10th best in the Olympics.

Ava Cement: Igbinedion’s parting gift

Chief Lucky Igbinedion (bending),
ex-governor of Edo State, with Chinese
investors, when he laid the foundation
of Ava Cement Company in Akoko Edo
Local Government Area of the state. Uchechukwu Olisah writes on the ongoing construction work of a cement company in a remote village in Edo State and its likely economic benefits to the community and the state in general.

A major industrial revolution is underway in Edo State. This is courtesy of the ongoing construction of 2500 tons per day clinker cement factory and two by 10MW captive gas turbine power plant as well as associated facilities in the sleepy, hilly and rusty village of Egbigere in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.


The cement factory is the outcome of a joint commitment, which the Edo State Government during the administration of the immediate past governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, entered into with the New Era Group of China in 2005.


The evaluation report of the Edo State Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals informed the establishment of the cement factory through its consultants on limestone and gypsum deposits in Edo North Senatorial District of the state. It is estimated that there are 6.4 billion tons of limestone and 526 million tons of gypsum deposits in the North of the state.


Besides, principal raw materials such as clay, shale and gypsum, which are needed for the manufacture of cement, are found in Warrake, a town close to the site of the cement factory.


Going by the joint letter of commitment it signed with the Chinese investors, the Edo State government assisted with feasibility studies, particularly in the area of data and local research, mineral surveys, all regulatory approvals, compensations to community, ownership documentation for land/site, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) studies, local cost of feasibility studies and contribution of 15 per cent of the financial aspect of the project.


To underline the seriousness attached to the project and in order to complete some of the activities, especially the feasibility studies necessary for the taking off of the construction of the factory, which goes by the operational name Ava Cement, the Chinese consortium financing and executing the project visited the factory location, mineral sites, different stakeholders in Edo State and indeed Nigeria on four occasions.


In addition, a 12-man delegation from China worked with the local technical committee set up by the Edo State Government and two consultant professors from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, for six months to gather data and prepare the pro-forma feasibility studies. The Louyoung Cement Research Institute, China, put the final feasibility study for the project together.


With the completion of all pre-contract signing activities and the acceptance of the feasibility study by all stakeholders, the Chinese investors offered a proposal for project development, financing and ownership. The result was the signing of a firm investment contract by all stakeholders on 1st November 2006 in Beijing, China.


So, the stakeholders mandated New Era Engineering Corporation to carry out an Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning (EPC) of a 2500 ton per day cement plant to be established in two phases with power plants, which would be fuelled by natural gas.


Other associated facilities that will come on stream with the Ava Cement project are a modern office complex, 150 units housing estate with clinics, shopping mall, community centre, water treatment equipment and the renovation of the Edo State Government moribund Ojirami Water works and dam.


Moreover, all the raw materials needed for the operations of the factory will be obtained from Edo North axis of the state, where the limestone will be mined within a perimeter of four kilometres from the factory premises. Ava Cement is expected to sell both bagged and bulky cement to buyers.


The construction and eventual take off of production by the company are expected to give rise to the growth of ancillary services, as packaging materials would be bought locally from bag manufacturers.


Indeed, the feasibility study, according to the stakeholders, which include the Edo State Government and the China No.17 Metallurgical Construction Company Limited, referred to as 17MCC-financier and contractor of the cement plant, shows that excess capacity still exists in the bag manufacturing industry, otherwise investors would have set up a plant for making bags.


Questions have been raised as to the project’s financial health. But the stakeholders have been quick to explain that the pro-forma financial statements and the financial analysis show that all indicators, including internal finance profit rate among others are sound and the project has the strong wherewithal to service debts, make good returns to the investors and resist risk.


At the cement factory’s foundation laying ceremony on 17 May 2007, the then governor, Igbinedion, said the people of Akoko Edo are lucky to have the factory sited in their locality. He advised the people of the local government area to seize the opportunities, particularly those of employment and others, which are economic and commercial in nature, being created by the location of the factory in their area.


Igbinedion had emphasised that for them to fully utilise such opportunities, youths in the locality must be educated so that they can not just be employable but also function meaningfully in the broad spectrum of activities to be set off by the Ava Cement Company’s eventual commencement of full operations. Igbinedion explained that he had no doubt in his mind that the new administration in the state will give the Chinese investors the support they need.


Also speaking on the occasion, a representative of the Chinese investors, Mr. Su Nelson, assured that the project as envisioned would be completed within two years, and that among their objectives is the need to give a boost to Nigeria’s economic development.
: Igbinedion’s parting gift

Chief Lucky Igbinedion (bending),
ex-governor of Edo State, with Chinese
investors, when he laid the foundation
of Ava Cement Company in Akoko Edo
Local Government Area of the state. Uchechukwu Olisah writes on the ongoing construction work of a cement company in a remote village in Edo State and its likely economic benefits to the community and the state in general.

A major industrial revolution is underway in Edo State. This is courtesy of the ongoing construction of 2500 tons per day clinker cement factory and two by 10MW captive gas turbine power plant as well as associated facilities in the sleepy, hilly and rusty village of Egbigere in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.


The cement factory is the outcome of a joint commitment, which the Edo State Government during the administration of the immediate past governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, entered into with the New Era Group of China in 2005.


The evaluation report of the Edo State Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals informed the establishment of the cement factory through its consultants on limestone and gypsum deposits in Edo North Senatorial District of the state. It is estimated that there are 6.4 billion tons of limestone and 526 million tons of gypsum deposits in the North of the state.


Besides, principal raw materials such as clay, shale and gypsum, which are needed for the manufacture of cement, are found in Warrake, a town close to the site of the cement factory.


Going by the joint letter of commitment it signed with the Chinese investors, the Edo State government assisted with feasibility studies, particularly in the area of data and local research, mineral surveys, all regulatory approvals, compensations to community, ownership documentation for land/site, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) studies, local cost of feasibility studies and contribution of 15 per cent of the financial aspect of the project.


To underline the seriousness attached to the project and in order to complete some of the activities, especially the feasibility studies necessary for the taking off of the construction of the factory, which goes by the operational name Ava Cement, the Chinese consortium financing and executing the project visited the factory location, mineral sites, different stakeholders in Edo State and indeed Nigeria on four occasions.


In addition, a 12-man delegation from China worked with the local technical committee set up by the Edo State Government and two consultant professors from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, for six months to gather data and prepare the pro-forma feasibility studies. The Louyoung Cement Research Institute, China, put the final feasibility study for the project together.


With the completion of all pre-contract signing activities and the acceptance of the feasibility study by all stakeholders, the Chinese investors offered a proposal for project development, financing and ownership. The result was the signing of a firm investment contract by all stakeholders on 1st November 2006 in Beijing, China.


So, the stakeholders mandated New Era Engineering Corporation to carry out an Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning (EPC) of a 2500 ton per day cement plant to be established in two phases with power plants, which would be fuelled by natural gas.


Other associated facilities that will come on stream with the Ava Cement project are a modern office complex, 150 units housing estate with clinics, shopping mall, community centre, water treatment equipment and the renovation of the Edo State Government moribund Ojirami Water works and dam.


Moreover, all the raw materials needed for the operations of the factory will be obtained from Edo North axis of the state, where the limestone will be mined within a perimeter of four kilometres from the factory premises. Ava Cement is expected to sell both bagged and bulky cement to buyers.


The construction and eventual take off of production by the company are expected to give rise to the growth of ancillary services, as packaging materials would be bought locally from bag manufacturers.


Indeed, the feasibility study, according to the stakeholders, which include the Edo State Government and the China No.17 Metallurgical Construction Company Limited, referred to as 17MCC-financier and contractor of the cement plant, shows that excess capacity still exists in the bag manufacturing industry, otherwise investors would have set up a plant for making bags.


Questions have been raised as to the project’s financial health. But the stakeholders have been quick to explain that the pro-forma financial statements and the financial analysis show that all indicators, including internal finance profit rate among others are sound and the project has the strong wherewithal to service debts, make good returns to the investors and resist risk.


At the cement factory’s foundation laying ceremony on 17 May 2007, the then governor, Igbinedion, said the people of Akoko Edo are lucky to have the factory sited in their locality. He advised the people of the local government area to seize the opportunities, particularly those of employment and others, which are economic and commercial in nature, being created by the location of the factory in their area.


Igbinedion had emphasised that for them to fully utilise such opportunities, youths in the locality must be educated so that they can not just be employable but also function meaningfully in the broad spectrum of activities to be set off by the Ava Cement Company’s eventual commencement of full operations. Igbinedion explained that he had no doubt in his mind that the new administration in the state will give the Chinese investors the support they need.


Also speaking on the occasion, a representative of the Chinese investors, Mr. Su Nelson, assured that the project as envisioned would be completed within two years, and that among their objectives is the need to give a boost to Nigeria’s economic development.

Ava Cement: Igbinedion’s parting gift

Chief Lucky Igbinedion (bending),
ex-governor of Edo State, with Chinese
investors, when he laid the foundation
of Ava Cement Company in Akoko Edo
Local Government Area of the state. Uchechukwu Olisah writes on the ongoing construction work of a cement company in a remote village in Edo State and its likely economic benefits to the community and the state in general.

A major industrial revolution is underway in Edo State. This is courtesy of the ongoing construction of 2500 tons per day clinker cement factory and two by 10MW captive gas turbine power plant as well as associated facilities in the sleepy, hilly and rusty village of Egbigere in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of the state.


The cement factory is the outcome of a joint commitment, which the Edo State Government during the administration of the immediate past governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, entered into with the New Era Group of China in 2005.


The evaluation report of the Edo State Ministry of Environment and Solid Minerals informed the establishment of the cement factory through its consultants on limestone and gypsum deposits in Edo North Senatorial District of the state. It is estimated that there are 6.4 billion tons of limestone and 526 million tons of gypsum deposits in the North of the state.


Besides, principal raw materials such as clay, shale and gypsum, which are needed for the manufacture of cement, are found in Warrake, a town close to the site of the cement factory.


Going by the joint letter of commitment it signed with the Chinese investors, the Edo State government assisted with feasibility studies, particularly in the area of data and local research, mineral surveys, all regulatory approvals, compensations to community, ownership documentation for land/site, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) studies, local cost of feasibility studies and contribution of 15 per cent of the financial aspect of the project.


To underline the seriousness attached to the project and in order to complete some of the activities, especially the feasibility studies necessary for the taking off of the construction of the factory, which goes by the operational name Ava Cement, the Chinese consortium financing and executing the project visited the factory location, mineral sites, different stakeholders in Edo State and indeed Nigeria on four occasions.


In addition, a 12-man delegation from China worked with the local technical committee set up by the Edo State Government and two consultant professors from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, for six months to gather data and prepare the pro-forma feasibility studies. The Louyoung Cement Research Institute, China, put the final feasibility study for the project together.


With the completion of all pre-contract signing activities and the acceptance of the feasibility study by all stakeholders, the Chinese investors offered a proposal for project development, financing and ownership. The result was the signing of a firm investment contract by all stakeholders on 1st November 2006 in Beijing, China.


So, the stakeholders mandated New Era Engineering Corporation to carry out an Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning (EPC) of a 2500 ton per day cement plant to be established in two phases with power plants, which would be fuelled by natural gas.


Other associated facilities that will come on stream with the Ava Cement project are a modern office complex, 150 units housing estate with clinics, shopping mall, community centre, water treatment equipment and the renovation of the Edo State Government moribund Ojirami Water works and dam.


Moreover, all the raw materials needed for the operations of the factory will be obtained from Edo North axis of the state, where the limestone will be mined within a perimeter of four kilometres from the factory premises. Ava Cement is expected to sell both bagged and bulky cement to buyers.


The construction and eventual take off of production by the company are expected to give rise to the growth of ancillary services, as packaging materials would be bought locally from bag manufacturers.


Indeed, the feasibility study, according to the stakeholders, which include the Edo State Government and the China No.17 Metallurgical Construction Company Limited, referred to as 17MCC-financier and contractor of the cement plant, shows that excess capacity still exists in the bag manufacturing industry, otherwise investors would have set up a plant for making bags.


Questions have been raised as to the project’s financial health. But the stakeholders have been quick to explain that the pro-forma financial statements and the financial analysis show that all indicators, including internal finance profit rate among others are sound and the project has the strong wherewithal to service debts, make good returns to the investors and resist risk.


At the cement factory’s foundation laying ceremony on 17 May 2007, the then governor, Igbinedion, said the people of Akoko Edo are lucky to have the factory sited in their locality. He advised the people of the local government area to seize the opportunities, particularly those of employment and others, which are economic and commercial in nature, being created by the location of the factory in their area.


Igbinedion had emphasised that for them to fully utilise such opportunities, youths in the locality must be educated so that they can not just be employable but also function meaningfully in the broad spectrum of activities to be set off by the Ava Cement Company’s eventual commencement of full operations. Igbinedion explained that he had no doubt in his mind that the new administration in the state will give the Chinese investors the support they need.


Also speaking on the occasion, a representative of the Chinese investors, Mr. Su Nelson, assured that the project as envisioned would be completed within two years, and that among their objectives is the need to give a boost to Nigeria’s economic development.

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   Nigeria: State leads in child trafficking and prostitution
Date:
10/08/2006

Organisation:
Allafrica.com

Resource type:
Members news

Author:
Okon Bassey.

Akwa Ibom State is now leading in human trafficking and child labour, beating Benin to the second place.

Executive Secretary, National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Barrister Carol Ndaguba, identified the type of trafficking in AkwaIbom State to include, internal trafficking for sexual exploitation, child trafficking for labour exploitation and child abuse.

Ndaguba said this at a sensitisation workshop in human trafficking, organised by the Ministry of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, yesterday.

She said statistics from Uyo zonal office of NAPTIP alone showed that out of 104 victims rescued in the last quarter of the year, 53 were from Akwa Ibom state.

"It is sad that most of the Akwa Ibom girls rescued were used for prostitution in Lagos, and that most of the brothels in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Calabar are habited by young girls from Akwa Ibom State," she said.

Delivering a paper on the Importance of Education in Human Trafficking and Child Labour, as part of programmes to mark three years of NAPTIP, Ndagua noted that the victims and the young girls in the trafficking and prostitution business in Akwa Ibom state were predominant from Oron, Mbo, Eket, Esit Eket, Ibesikpo and Uyo local government areas just to mention a few.

According to him, most of the victims in NAPTIP, Uyo zonal office do not have formal education up to the University/ Polytechnic level, adding, "most of them are primary or secondary school drop outs".

She tasked all stakeholders on the fight against human trafficking, child labour, child trafficking and abuse to unite as one so as to fight the battle with verve in all the local government areas of Akwa Ibom state.

Mrs. Ndaguba also called on all the council chairmen and their spouse in the state to partner with NAPTIPto carry out sensitization programs on the evils of human trafficking in the society. "We equally need state government, ministries, corporate bodies, oil companies, NGOs, FBOs, CBOs, schools and the mass media to educate our people that we can no longer pretend that human trafficking is not in Akwa Ibom state neither can we continue to over look girls/children who are the future (mothers) of our country being exploited and abused", she declared.

The Minister of Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Senator Lawan Gana Guba had earlier noted that the porous borders and desperately poor economic conditions in West Africa pushed young persons to migrate to neighbouring countries in search of greener pastures.

"The negative effects of poverty, exacerbated by political instability and mismanagement of the economy in the past have had the consequence of human right violations, in the form of an increasing number of children of both sexes, able bodied men and women being forced into bondage by traffickers, organized in complex international networks", the Minister stressed.

He said, to a greater degree, all ECOWAS member states are affected by this heinous crime, particularly trafficking for forced labour and sex industry which caused the authority of Heads of states and governments of ECOWAS to adopt a Plan of Action against trafficking in person in 2001.

In the action plan, he said member states were expected to put in place effective legal and enforcement framework to penalize the enforcement the traffickers, sanction individual and organizations involved in trafficking, protect the victims, promote child friendly procedures with a view to securing testimonies that will aid the clampdown on their activities.

He expressed delight that through the ECOWAS Plan of Action, the sub-region is achieving desired results with a high number of repatriation, arrests, and rehabilitation of victims and their reintegration.

The Minister commended the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation, a non-governmental organization for demonstrating full commitment to the cause of eradication human trafficking and child labour in the country and urged every Nigerian to join hands with NAPEIP in the campaign against the heinous crime and its total eradication.


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Last updated 10/08/2006 07:34:42

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The Life of a Street Child


This child is receiving care from SSN and CRARN


Why does the problem of street children exist in Nigeria?


The phenomenon of street children in Nigeria results mainly from family breakdown, which in turn is linked to polygamy. In an increasingly individualistic society, such children quickly learn to survive on their own and in the process are othen exploited through child labour and trafficking. Many take to the streets for refuge. Key factors that push children onto the streets include marital problems or instability in the home, poverty, hunger, insecurity, abuse and violence from parents, displacement caused by clashes in the community, insufficient parental care, death of one or both parents, inadequate family income, unemployment of one or both parents, lack of (or limited) opportunities in education, abandonment by parents, housing difficulties, drug use by children, and peer influence.



A current estimate of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS in Nigeria puts the figure at 700,000. As a consequence many children will be orphaned, and no substantial provision is available to them.



In Akwa Ibom state (where the Stepping Stones School is situated) the problem of street children is made considerably worse by the deeply ingrained belief in witchcraft. Many of these children are branded as 'witches' or 'wizards' by churches and then cast out onto the street by their parents. On the street the stigma of being a 'witch' is likely to lead to regular beatings and very little help from anyone.



What is Stepping Stones Nigeria doing to help these children?



Our work is driven by the desire to help some of Nigeria's many disadvantaged children. We will do this by ensuring that 40% of the places at the Stepping Stones School are for street children and orphans. Our scolarships will not only provide these children with a high standard of education but will also provide them with their uniforms, books and transport.



Another crucial aspect of our work is to focus on the provision of vocational skills to each child. We believe that vocational skills training is of great value to children who have been traumatised and who have often dropped out of formal education. the training of skills such as computing, carpentry and farming will allow the children to possess the skills needed to find work on leaving the school. This will form a very important part of the social re-integration programme that we will implement with the assistance of CRARN.



We believe that it is also our responsibility to offer care and support for these children outside of school life. In order to do this we are working in partnership with the NGO, Childs Rights and rehabilitation Network (CRARN). At the moment our funds are extremely limited, but we hope that in future we will be able to assist CRARN with the building of housing units, provision of food and capacity raising. An important task to foucs on in the coming years will be lobbying governemnt to provide facilities for street children. This is an area that CRARN already have experience in and one that with the assistance of Stepping Stones Nigeria they will be able to make a real difference in.



Udoh's Story



Udoh (below) is one of the children at the CRARN childrens camp. His story is typical of many of those in the camp. Heres his story:



" I was often in trouble at home and my parents, brothers and sisters often beat me and told me that I was a wizard. One day my parents left me alone at home and i ate some food that was on the pot. When they came back and discovered this they were very mad and they dragged me to the forest to burn me. On the way we heard voices so they ran.

I ran away to the market at Eket where I slept underneath the stalls. Many people asked me if I was a wizard. One day some youths came and told me that if I didn't confess to being a wizard they would kill me. I confessed so they beat me and beat me. I hated it at the market. One day Sam (the president of CRARN) came and took me back to the camp. I like it here at least I have food and shelter".



Udoh's case is similar to many of the cases of the children at the camp. What makes his case unique is that at some point during Udoh's regular beatings both of his humerus bones have been broken. One has decayed so badly that it has now breached the skin and protrudes from his arm. The wound was slowly going septic and he used to have to keep the flies away by wrapping it in toilet paper. CRARN last took the boy to hospital in November 2005 but couldn't continue the treatment due to their lack of funds.

With the assistance of Stepping Stones fantastic supporters, the required funds have now been raised and Udoh is now on the road to recovery.




For a deeper insight into the complex problem of Child Witchcraft in Africa click here to read Save the Children's latest report on the issue: The Invention of Child Witches - Well recommended!




NEWSFLASH: Akwa Ibom State has highest rate of child trafficking in Nigeria

Click here for more on the plight of street children in West Africa - Almundos




he Life of a Street Child

This child is receiving care from SSN and CRARN .

Why does the problem of street children exist in Nigeria?


The phenomenon of street children in Nigeria results mainly from family breakdown, which in turn is linked to polygamy. In an increasingly individualistic society, such children quickly learn to survive on their own and in the process are othen exploited through child labour and trafficking. Many take to the streets for refuge. Key factors that push children onto the streets include marital problems or instability in the home, poverty, hunger, insecurity, abuse and violence from parents, displacement caused by clashes in the community, insufficient parental care, death of one or both parents, inadequate family income, unemployment of one or both parents, lack of (or limited) opportunities in education, abandonment by parents, housing difficulties, drug use by children, and peer influence.



A current estimate of children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS in Nigeria puts the figure at 700,000. As a consequence many children will be orphaned, and no substantial provision is available to them.



In Akwa Ibom state (where the Stepping Stones School is situated) the problem of street children is made considerably worse by the deeply ingrained belief in witchcraft. Many of these children are branded as 'witches' or 'wizards' by churches and then cast out onto the street by their parents. On the street the stigma of being a 'witch' is likely to lead to regular beatings and very little help from anyone.



What is Stepping Stones Nigeria doing to help these children?



Our work is driven by the desire to help some of Nigeria's many disadvantaged children. We will do this by ensuring that 40% of the places at the Stepping Stones School are for street children and orphans. Our scolarships will not only provide these children with a high standard of education but will also provide them with their uniforms, books and transport.



Another crucial aspect of our work is to focus on the provision of vocational skills to each child. We believe that vocational skills training is of great value to children who have been traumatised and who have often dropped out of formal education. the training of skills such as computing, carpentry and farming will allow the children to possess the skills needed to find work on leaving the school. This will form a very important part of the social re-integration programme that we will implement with the assistance of CRARN.



We believe that it is also our responsibility to offer care and support for these children outside of school life. In order to do this we are working in partnership with the NGO, Childs Rights and rehabilitation Network (CRARN). At the moment our funds are extremely limited, but we hope that in future we will be able to assist CRARN with the building of housing units, provision of food and capacity raising. An important task to foucs on in the coming years will be lobbying governemnt to provide facilities for street children. This is an area that CRARN already have experience in and one that with the assistance of Stepping Stones Nigeria they will be able to make a real difference in.



Udoh's Story



Udoh (below) is one of the children at the CRARN childrens camp. His story is typical of many of those in the camp. Heres his story:



" I was often in trouble at home and my parents, brothers and sisters often beat me and told me that I was a wizard. One day my parents left me alone at home and i ate some food that was on the pot. When they came back and discovered this they were very mad and they dragged me to the forest to burn me. On the way we heard voices so they ran.

I ran away to the market at Eket where I slept underneath the stalls. Many people asked me if I was a wizard. One day some youths came and told me that if I didn't confess to being a wizard they would kill me. I confessed so they beat me and beat me. I hated it at the market. One day Sam (the president of CRARN) came and took me back to the camp. I like it here at least I have food and shelter".



Udoh's case is similar to many of the cases of the children at the camp. What makes his case unique is that at some point during Udoh's regular beatings both of his humerus bones have been broken. One has decayed so badly that it has now breached the skin and protrudes from his arm. The wound was slowly going septic and he used to have to keep the flies away by wrapping it in toilet paper. CRARN last took the boy to hospital in November 2005 but couldn't continue the treatment due to their lack of funds.

With the assistance of Stepping Stones fantastic supporters, the required funds have now been raised and Udoh is now on the road to recovery.


For a deeper insight into the complex problem of Child Witchcraft in Africa click here to read Save the Children's latest report on the issue: The Invention of Child Witches - Well recommended! .


NEWSFLASH: Akwa Ibom State has highest rate of child trafficking in Nigeria

Click here for more on the plight of street children in West Africa - Almundos

you are defending your people,at the same time pointing fingers at others.

;d ;d ;d

Fake drugs: NAFDAC reopens Onitsha drug market
•Bans ex-market leaders, others
By GEOFFREY ANYANWU, Awka
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 
•Prof. Dora Akunyili

Traders at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market (Onitsha drug market), who were out of business for four months following the closure by National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), could not hold their joy on Monday as the agency re-opened the market conditionally.

NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Dora Akunyili, had hardly finished announcing the re-opening of the market, when the traders jumped and shouted at the top of their voices for joy, singing praises of Governor Peter Obi who made it possible.

Onitsha Bridge Head Market was closed on March 6, 2007 over fake and counterfeit drugs. After screening of the market, NAFDAC removed and publicly destroyed 104 truckloads of fake, counterfeit, expired, banned and smuggled drugs worth over N6.5 billion from the market.

The re-opening of the market, Akunyili said became necessary following the commitment of the state governor, Mr. Obi, who she said had, on getting the Supreme Court judgment that reinstated him, called her and pleaded to fulfill every condition that would get the market reopened.
She said: "Your governor, Mr. Peter Obi, a man of his words, has guaranteed that he will ensure that all the conditions are met. This has given us the incentive to reopen the market. Another major reason we are reopening the market is that we are mindful of the suffering of the few genuine traders who have been caught up in the mess caused by criminals in their midst".

The NAFDAC bos, however, gave the agency’s immediate and long terms conditions for the reopening of the market, which include the setting up of an eight-man caretaker committee made up of credible people to oversee the affairs of the market for one year before an election would be held; and a letter of undertaking to be signed by them.

NAFDAC also demanded a commitment by the new caretaker committee to hand over to it the eight members of the board of trustees and eradication committee or former officials of the market union, OPPMDU, who either refused to honour its invitation or absconded half-way during interrogation.

She further said: "Following our interviews, interrogations and other findings, which seriously indicted some people, NAFDAC outright bans the following categories of people from owning any shop or operating inside the Bridge Head Drug Market: all erstwhile members of Alphonsus Onyejiaku-led board of trustees (excluding William Anyaoha) of OPPMDU, all erstwhile members of the Josephat Eli-led eradication committee of OPPMDU, all members of OPPMDU who have held the office of chairman/president or Secretary of OPPMDU since 2002."

Also, Akunyili announced 26 names who she described as kingpins of faking and counterfeiting and owners of shops that are generally responsible for the monumental mess in the market, who she said were also banned from operating in the market, adding: "They are given 48 hours to remove all their belongings from the shops, and thereafter never to transact any business in the drug market again".
On the long term, she said that the market should be walled to provide for only three entrances or outlets for both vehicular and pedestrian movements.

The agency, she further said, demanded the complete redesigning or restraining of the shops, including the possible collapsing of many shops into one to ventilate and make them suitable for the storage of drugs; adding that ultimate solution was for the state to map out a virgin land and build a modern drug mart that would be registered by PCN, supervised by pharmacists and monitored by NAFDAC.
She therefore, directed all the traders to enter their stalls and bring out all expired drugs and voluntarily and immediately hand them over to NAFDAC officials, noting that if any expired drug is found in any shop afterward the owner would be sanctioned.

Also addressing the traders, Governor Obi, who earlier held about three hours closed-door meeting with Akunyili in his office, said he had since resuming duties been on the neck of NAFDAC for the reopening of the market. He thanked the agency for believing in him, promising not to let it down.
He, however, warned that the state government would not hesitate to pull down any market in the state where fake drugs are found and revoke the document of land on which the market is built.

Obi promised to see to the building of the modern drug market, just as he promised to inaugurate the caretaker committee.
One of the traders, Mr. Obi Nwosu, commended the governor for intervening in the matter and getting NAFDAC to reopen the market, noting that the traders suffered a great deal in the four months they were out of business.
He also urged the new caretaker committee to ensure that NAFDAC directives were carried to the letter, so that business in the place would run without hitches.

Ijaw Phrase Englsh Meaning Dialect
bietebe keme ama miengha no man is an island mein .

:d