Idi Ape-Akobo Ojurin-Olorunda road is known to me as a resident for the past ten years now. The road is known for the horrible traffic hold-ups due to spontaneous increase in the population of the residents with corresponding increase in the volume of motorists. The last time the road was rehabilitated; it didn’t last for two years after two or three rainfalls destroyed the drainage and increased the pot-holes in every-five meters of the road. This could be as a result of shabby and inferior materials used by the contractors who I suspect were not properly contracted with the necessary bidding and procurement principles of international best standards. Most of these road contractors are mostly party loyalists or relations of the people in government and what we end up getting are low quality roads.
This idea of one-man-protest came immediately when I got back to the country almost after three years for a World Bank project with the Federal Ministry of Works on Governance and Accountability Action Plan (GAAP) concerning federal government roads. The traffic situation in Akobo still remains the same as I left it four years ago. It is always a great battle from Akobo Ojurin axis to get to General Gas bridge in order to link anywhere you may be heading to. It takes nothing less than two hours forty-five minutes to get through the traffic jam that under normal circumstances should take any motorist only ten minutes. This same case repeated itself on a particular Monday morning when I was going to board an early morning flight to Abuja from Ibadan airport for the project meeting but got stocked in this horrible traffic which made me settled for an afternoon flight that almost cost me double the price I should have paid for the morning flight and I eventually was late for what was the inauguration meeting for the project. Only God’s know how many innocent children and adults that get stock regularly in this traffic jam that have made them to continued to get late to their schools, working places, and appointments due to the negligence of those representatives voted that refused to take urgent action.
Meanwhile, I decided that something have to be done before going back to Spain. I picked the Christmas and New Year holidays to take a decisive action. I wrote and submitted an application letter to stage a one-man-on-the-spot-peaceful-protest on Friday, 27th 2013 to the Oyo State Police Commissioner and copied the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Akobo, The FRSC office at Eleyele and my lawyer. I was sent back to go and make three copies of the application letter when I got to the Police commissioner’s office as this was said to be the normal procedure. In less than ten minutes I came back with three copies of my appeal letter. The Officer-in-charge took the copies and returned a stamped copy to me a copy as evidence that the application was received. I went with a friend back to the Police Headquarters at Eleyele again on Tuesday 31st December 2013 for the approval; my lawyer also met us there. After some questions and answers section with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), he directed me to the Protocol sections where I was told that they are aware of the protest and will send some Police escort to take care of my protection as earlier before 6 am. The protest is arranged to start by 6am and end by 12mid-day to match to the Governor’s officer and deliver my appeal letter and have a press conference with the media. It was indeed another argument section when a written approval was not issue and the Police officer -in-charge refused to give me his telephone number so as to call to remind them again, a least a day before the protest. On Thursday, 2nd of January, 2014, I went back to the Police Headquarters at Eleyele to remind them personally but the same Officer-in -charge made me to believe with another Officer that just came to his office that all arrangement had being made for the protest the following day. It is my belief that the Nigerian Police is an important institution that cares for citizen welfare and protection, thus I didn’t have any reason to doubt them, I believed the fact that they said they had made necessary arrangements for the protest.
On the protest day Friday 3rd, I got to the venue at General Gas by few minutes past six o’clock in the morning and to my greatest surprise couldn’t see any Police escort/vehicle detached or sent from Eleyele Police headquarter as promised. Many questions came to my mind: Is it true that the Mission of the Nigerian Police is “to deliver qualitative and efficient security and law enforcement services to the citizens of Nigeria”? What is going to be my plight if some hoodlums come in large number to hijack this protest and start looting shops and destroying government property? Do I need to hire private security personnel for protection if there is Police? Is this the reason why I was not given a written approval and so that they can deny given me any approval if an ugly scene developed? Is this the reason why the Officer-in-charge refused to give me his telephone number? Why can’t the Officer that got my application letter with my telephone number boldly written on this paper call me to explain the situation? Do I need to give money to Police to protect me as a citizen? Did my going to Police headquarters a day before the protest to remind the authority count? What kind of Policing are we running in Nigeria for God’s sake? Can’t our leaders do things with integrity and responsibility in this country after 54 years of Independence and 100 years of the country existence/amalgamation? This system can get somebody mad-that is the reason why people are over-stressed everywhere. I was fuming with anger while at the same time pasting the placards. I said to myself that I have all right as a citizen of this country to stage a protest. I then called my lawyer to inform him about this shocking and embarrassing development. I refused to let this lapses disturb my voluntary protest to represent the voices of my co-residents. I knew that I am fighting a right case to save my people from the horrible traffic hold-ups and pot-holes.
Meanwhile, I had my protest with large numbers of residents and motorists given their consent and support for the protest. I heard the saying that dualization of the road has been over-due. Some were even asking thanking me and asking when and which day are we starting the dualization of the road. Few hoodlums passed by and made some unprintable words. Few of government officers and politicians were cornered by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State {BCOS) for interview on the Akobo road issue. Despite a Traffic warden presence at the same junction I was staging my peaceful protest, the traffic was almost the same-slow-pace since around 6:30am that eventually start the protest till 12 noon when leaving for Governor’s office.
Moreover, by the time I got to the Governor’s office, the number one citizen of Oyo State was about going out for Jumat service and was told to drop my appeal letter at room No 37 and that the issue will be looked into as soon as possible. The letter also appeal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi to take urgent action on Akobo road dualization, to rehabilitate the joining roads, and make provision for Side-Walks (Foot-path for pedestrians), Bus-Stop and drainage mechanism. I later addressed the media that include NTA, BCOS, FRSC, NANS, Punch Newspaper reporter and other new generation FM radio reporters. The protest was indeed successful as the State Commissioner responsible for the construction of roads was interviewed that very day and he promised that the road will be dualized this year and that the Budget has taken care of the road.
Adewale T Akande, a resident of Akobo, Ibadan and road traffic safety consultant based in Spain. adewale_akande@hotmail.com 08125896631 (Nigeria) +34600877296 (Spain)
Hanoi (AFP) - Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in Vietnam early Monday, meteorologists said, days after it left thousands feared dead and widespread devastation in the Philippines.
The US Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) said in an update at 2100 GMT the storm "is currently making landfall" approximately 100 miles (160 kilometres) east south-east of the capital Hanoi.
The storm, which had weakened significantly since scything through the Philippines over the weekend, made landfall with sustained winds of 75 miles (120 kilometres) per hour, said the JTWC, a joint US Navy and Air Force task force located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
More than 600,000 people were evacuated on the weekend as Haiyan bore down on Vietnam.
Residents of Hanoi were braced for heavy rains and flooding, while tens of thousands of people in coastal areas were ordered to take shelter.
"We have evacuated more than 174,000 households, which is equivalent to more than 600,000 people," said an official report by Vietnam's flood and storm control department.
The storm changed course on Sunday, prompting further mass evacuations of about 52,000 people in northern provinces by the coast.
"People must bring enough food and necessities for three days.... Those who do not move voluntarily will be forced," online newspaper VNExpress said, adding all boats have been ordered back to shore.
The Red Cross said Haiyan's changed path meant that "the disaster area could be enlarged from nine provinces to as many as 15", stretching the country's resources.
Many of the capital's residents were rushing to stock up on food and water before the storm hit.
"I ran to the supermarket to buy instant noodles, vegetables and meat for the family," said office worker Nguyen Thi Uyen, 33.
"There was not much left on the shelves.... People are worried, buying food to last them for a few days."
All schools were ordered shut in the capital Monday and extra police were dispatched to redirect traffic in flood-prone areas.
In the northern port city of Hai Phong, also facing heavy rain and flooding, residents voiced frustration with official preparations.
"The city only warned us about the typhoon very late.... They were too slow in advising people to prepare," Nguyen Hung Nam, 70, told AFP.
Many of the estimated 200,000 people evacuated in four south-central provinces initially thought to be in the storm's path have been allowed to go back to their homes, according to the government's website.
Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall in Vietnam[/caption]Haiyan "has tracked north-northwestward at 15 knots (17 mph, 28 kph) over the past six hours," the JTWC said on its website.
The storm was forecast to continue moving north before turning northeast and dissipating rapidly.
The weather system -- one of the most intense typhoons on record when it tore into the Philippines -- weakened over the South China Sea.
In Vietnam, at least five people reportedly died while preparing to escape the typhoon, the Vietnamese government website said.
By lunchtime on Sunday the typhoon had swept across Vietnam's Con Co island, 30 kilometres off the coast of central Quang Tri province, the Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.
"All 250 people on the island including residents and soldiers were evacuated to underground shelters where there is enough food for several days," it said, adding the storm brought three-metre (10-foot) waves.
Central Vietnam has recently been hit by two other typhoons -- Wutip and Nari, both category-one storms -- which flooded roads, damaged sea dykes and tore the roofs off hundreds of thousands of houses.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/typhoon-haiyan-makes-landfall-vietnam-222556629.html
Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria)[/caption]The Executive Secretary of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP-Nigeria), Dr Abia Nzelu, has called on all stakeholders to commit adequate resources towards the acquisition of Mobile Cancer Centres (MCCs) across the country to facilitate cancer prevention through screening and early treatment at the grassroots.
She made this statement in Lagos while reacting to the recent deaths of some Nigerian public figures who were victims of the dreaded but preventable disease, cancer. These include: Prof Omo Omoruyi, the former Director- General of the Centre for Democratic Studies, who died of prostate cancer on the 13th of October, 2013; Mustapha Amego popularly known as Funky Mallam, one of Nigerian’s foremost entertainers and Former President of Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), who died of colon cancer on the 24th of October, 2013 and Vice Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, Former Governor of Ondo and Lagos States, former Chief of Naval Staff and former Chief of Defence Staff and President of Nigerian’s Chamber of Shipping who died of throat cancer on the 28th of October, 2013.
Dr Nzelu lamented that although all these three prominent Nigerians received treatment in the United States of America, they did not survive because of late detection. According to her, this fact should serve as a wake-up call to all Nigerians to support the move to make facilities for early detection and treatment available to all Nigerians.
In her own submission, the Convener of the CECP-Nigeria, Mrs. Margaret Rose Adetutu Adeleke, decried the way in which wealthy Nigerians have to travel abroad for cancer diagnosis and treatment and stated that such facilities should be available to all Nigerians, whether rich or poor, within the country.
She therefore enjoined families, friends, colleagues and associates of the departed Nigerians to donate Mobile Cancer Centres (MCCs) in their memory as a way of stemming the tide of avoidable deaths through cancer and other common diseases in Nigeria.
It will be recalled that on the 25th of February, 2013, the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP Nigeria) which is co-promoted by the core bodies of the organized private sector, adopted as its focal cause the campaign to take cancer prevention to the grassroots through the acquisition of 37 Mobile Cancer Centres (MCCs) at the cost of 95 million naira each.