The disagreement between members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents and operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Onne Seaport, Rivers State, took a strange dimension on Tuesday when the agents placed a coffin at the gate of the Customs building during a protest.


The grouse of the agents was that the Customs Area Comptroller, Mr. Dan Ugo, allegedly established an illegal taskforce that had been extorting money from them.


The customs agents, numbering about 500, said the high duties imposed on them by the customs for goods to be released were outrageous and destroying business at the port.


They also complained of the opening of three gates at the seaport instead of one. The problem, according to one of the leaders of ANLCA, Mr. Uche Eloagu, was compounded by the alleged extortion of money from the agents. The protest, which began on Monday, continued till Tuesday.


When the protesters arrived at the gate of the Customs office on Tuesday, they brought a coffin that had the name of Ugo written on it and placed it at the gate of the command. The coffin was used to block the command’s only entrance and exit gate, a development which forced the area comptroller to stay indoor for several hours.


Apart from Ugo, who was held hostage as a result of the coffin outside his office main gate, some other customs officers were stranded in their offices for several hours.


Some top ranking officers of the Nigeria Police, the State Security Service and customs urged members of the communities in Onne to appeal to the protesters to remove the coffin.


But a youth leader in the community told the security operatives that the coffin could only be removed after some specific sacrifices were made. He warned that the consequence could be disastrous for whoever touched the coffin.


The man, who refused to identify himself, also said the sum of N500,000 must be deposited before the coffin would be removed from the gate. However, the customs officers, who were peeved over the development, did not buy the youth’s idea.


The protesters later left for their various destinations around 5.30pm, promising to come back the following morning with black garments.


They said the black garments and coffin were significant and targeted at Ugo, adding that it was a way of getting back at the customs officer for refusing to yield to their demands.


At about 7.50pm, a Hilux van loaded with armed naval ratings arrived the gate, shot intermittently into the air and removed the coffin.


The agents’ spokesman, Mr. Obinna Ugochukwu, told PUNCH METRO that they placed the coffin at the gate because Ugo called them cowards when they protested against the high charges, existence of illegal gates and illegal taskforce at the seaport.


Ugochukwu recalled that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, had directed that illegal taskforce at all seaports in the country should be disbanded, wondering why the Onne command still had taskforce.


Similarly, Mr. Uche Eloagu, who is a member of ANLCA, said the agents’ chapel Chairman, identified simply as Mr. Odili, had met with the hierarchy of the customs several times to resolve the problem of illegal charges but to no avail.


He said, “We are saying no to illegal charges and taskforce. The Federal Government should hear our cry, the Senate should hear our cry; the state government should hear our cry because we are talking about the problem of youth restiveness.


“These extortions have made most of the youth in this region jobless because almost all the importers that were supposed to be using Onne Port have gone to Lagos. Onne Seaport charges three times higher than what obtains in Lagos as far as the payment of duties and tariffs are concerned.”


He called on the government to investigate the activities of the heads of Customs command in Onne.


The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Eyo Inuekim, said, “If they (agents) burn down this place, the Nigerian government will lose and we will all lose too. We want to see how we can peacefully manage the situation.”


When asked to react to the allegation levelled against Ugo, Inuekim only promised to talk to the journalists later but did not come back until the naval operatives came to the scene to remove the coffin and disperse the crowd around 7.50pm.


Subsequent efforts made to get Inuekim to react to the allegations against the command were subtly rebuffed as he kept on asking for more time.
 

For thousands of southern Sudanese it was a night to stay out dancing to welcome the birth of their new nation. For people in the northern capital Khartoum it was a time of sadness mixed with defiance, Reuters reports.


South Sudan, where most follow Christian and traditional beliefs, became independent on Saturday after a January referendum agreed under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the Arab Muslim north.


While the south rejoiced at finally getting its freedom from the dominant north, for people in Khartoum the secession brought not only the loss of a third of the territory and much of the country’s oil resources but also a profound feeling of sadness.


“I am happy for their independence, and I believe that it will benefit them, and their future,” street artist Yaser Idriss said, sitting by a road near the Nile in the northern capital.


“At the same time however, I am sad at the fact that I feel like a part of me has been severed, contrary to my convictions,” he said.


Fellow artist Mohammed Maheyeddin agreed, wondering: “Are we going to be artistically split as well? Am I now able to draw a southern woman or not? Is she still a symbol of my heritage or not?”


“Today I drew a drawing I named ‘Separation’ which depicts a southern woman walking off into the distance, leaving behind all of her memories,” he said.


Others in Khartoum were defiant, insisting the north – where 80 percent of the 40 million Sudanese live – was a better place without the south with which it fought for too long.


“It’s the best solution for all that they became independent. We are too different, we have a different religion, a different culture,” said Saleh Ahmed Ali, a high school teacher.


“We dont want war,” he said, while behind him a dozen of northerners danced at a party organised by a Khartoum pro-secession group called “Just Peace Movement” to celebrate what they called the “real independence” of the north.


“Sudan’s unity was a mistake as history has proven. Now we can go our own way and don’t need to listen to the needs of the south,” said El-Tayyib Mustafa, the group’s head.


“The south, for example, did not want to call Khartoum an Arab capital. We are now free and don’t need to heed their calls and wishes,” he said.


With the call for midday prayer the dancing and music are suddenly interrupted as the group all disappear into a nearby mosque.

When three-year-old Daniel Okpah left home for school on June 24, 2011, he was full of life. His father, Meshach, bade him farewell. But Meshach did not have a premonition that it was the last time he would see his son, who clocked three on June 22.


Daniel left school after the closing hour but did not make it home. He fell into a gutter and drowned after a downpour in the Alakara area of Mushin in Lagos.


While Daniel’s parents have come to terms with the reality that they would not see their son again, they are saddened that all efforts to retrieve his corpse since then have proved abortive. His body was washed away by the flood.


Meshach told PUNCH METRO that Daniel was coming home from school when he slipped and fell into a big gutter, which immediately swept him away.


He said, “Daniel attended Alakara Nursery and Primary School, Mushin, with his seven-year-old brother, Samuel. They usually went to school and came back together because the school is just a stone’s throw from our home.


“On the fateful day, I was at work when a neighbour called me on the telephone, telling me to come home immediately. It dawned on me that something must have gone wrong as my neighbours refused to give me further information.


“On getting home, I saw a crowd gathered not too far from my house. They were all looking into the gutter as if they were searching for something.


“When I asked what was going on, I was told that Samuel and Daniel had fallen into the gutter. However, they were able to rescue only Samuel because he was wearing his school uniform and was easy to spot.


“However, after Samuel was rescued, he told the crowd that his three-year-old brother was also in the gutter but by then it was too late as the strong torrents had swept him away.”


PUNCH METRO learnt that Alakara Primary School, which most of the children in the area attend, lack adequate infrastructure and good security. This makes it easy for pupils to leave the school premises at will.


The spokesman for the Kudabar Community Development Association, Odi-Olowo Council Development Area, Mr. Ilari Ogun, said people in the community had gone to visit the school to find out why pupils were allowed to leave the school premises during downpour.


He said, “We went to the school and we discovered that security was very lax there. The school compound has become a thoroughfare as strangers come through the school to get to the next street.


“Also, the school’s fence is broken and touts come in there at midnight to sleep and carry out nefarious activities. In the morning, you will see stubs of cigarette and Indian hemp as well as condoms on the floor. This is the kind of school government has provided for our children.”


Ogun added that on that day, there was no one guarding the school gate and the pupils were allowed to go home when there were floods everywhere.


“It is their duty to guard the pupils and prevent them from leaving the school premises under unsafe circumstances. However, for some reasons, nobody was around on that day to monitor the pupils,” he said.


Members of the community, who spoke to our correspondent, attributed the huge flood in the area to a bad drainage system, adding that the problem started after a Chinese company, which the government had given a contract to repair the railway, tampered with the drainage channels.


In a petition addressed to the then Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire, dated September 15, 2010 and signed by the CDA Chairperson, Mrs. Sandra Alex-Oni, the community decried the deplorable state of the drainage in the area, especially on Kugbuyi Street.


“The drainage system is levelled with the road creating severe flooding in homes. During the rainy season, stagnant water is constant and all efforts to drain this water have failed,” the letter reads in part.


“The drainage channel was not done properly as the flow of water has been directed towards Bada Street, which is very wrong. Consequently, whenever it rains, the flood is always so intense that an adult could even drown,” a member of the community, who craved anonymity said.


Meshach hoped the death of his son would lead to positive changes in the community, adding that members of staff of the school had paid him a condolence visit.


When asked what efforts had been made to recover the body of his son, he said, “I think the strong torrent will have taken his body to the canal around Idi Araba. We’ll keep looking though.”


However, the Assistant Head Teacher, of the school, Mrs. Sherifat Omobola, said the school could not be held responsible for Daniel’s death because the incident occurred after school hours.


She said, “The area is always flooded whenever it rains. On that Friday, the school was flooded because of the rain. So, we waited for the rain to subside before guiding the pupils to dry land.


“Unfortunately, after escorting them to a safe place, Samuel and Daniel went somewhere else. It was on their way to the unknown place that they both slipped and fell on Agege Motor Road.


“Daniel lives on Daniel Street and we led him and his brother to Kugbuyi Street. So, what were they looking for on Agege Motor Road?”


Omobola added that on the said day, three other children who were not pupils of the school also fell into the gutter but were rescued by teachers from the school.


“It is very unfortunate that Daniel drowned. On that day, we rescued three other children. Even when we heard Daniel had drowned, we were at the scene trying our best to help and after the incident, we went to the home of the parents to commiserate with them,” she said.


Omobolanle also lamented the poor state of security in the area, which she said could easily affect the school in the event that violence broke out.

Two final year students of the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Ado-Ekiti – Temitope Adeniyi and Cosmos Betiku – who were arrested for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old pre-degree student of the Faculty of Education in the same university, have confessed to the crime.


The Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr. Mohammed Jimoh, who said this on Sunday, added that the suspects would be charged to court immediately investigation into the case was concluded.


The PPRO said the students’ fate would be determined by the court.


The police also advised ladies to always be weary of visiting those who they did not know, especially in secluded places.


Adeniyi and Betiku were said to have been arrested by officers from the Okeila Police Station following the report that they had raped the female student at their residence in Adehun area of Ado-Ekiti.


It was learnt that a friend of the victim had lured her to the house where she was allegedly raped by the two friends.


The victim was reported to have said one of the suspected rapists had snapped Nood photographs of her with his phone before, during and after molesting her.


Meanwhile, the Registrar of UNAD, Mr. Omojola Awosusi, has said three students were injured in the cult clash which disrupted examination in the university on Wednesday.


Awosusi, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday, said the students had been treated and discharged.

It was a day of rage in Lagos State on Sunday as a downpour that started at about 5am lasted throughout the day and left most of the major roads and streets flooded. The floods brought all economic, social and religious activities to a standstill as motorists had to ‘sail’ through flooded roads while pedestrians waded through shoulder-high rain water.


In most parts of the metropolis, panic-stricken residents whose homes had been slowly taken over by floods tried to salvage their possessions before abandoning their homes. In some cases, many abandoned their homes in haste and took refuge on roofs.


Alarmed by the volume of the floods, Lagos State officials issued advisory alerts in the afternoon, warning residents to stay off the roads. In a “Traffic Advisory,” the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, asked residents to stay indoors except it was “absolutely necessary” to venture out.


Opeifa’s advisory reads, “Due to heavy flooding occasioned by persistent rainfall previously predicted by the Nigerian Metrological Agency, sections of most Lagos roads are flooded. Motorists and road users are advised to stay off the roads except it is absolutely necessary. This advisory will be updated every hour.”





Distress alerts


But the alert had no calming effect on some residents from different parts of the state who posted distressed messages on social networking sites and broadcast warning messages to friends on Blackberry phones.


One Femi Ogunremi, in a BB message to one of our correspondents, writes, “Please call the authorities to send help to the people of Oke Odo area of Agege, by the canal. They are all on their roofs.”


At 9pm, a resident of Oregun, Ahmed Boulor, sent a distress SMS to THE PUNCH that many people were trapped behind Total Filing station in the area and that houses had been submerged in the flood.


“Please call the authorities to send help to the people of Oregun behind Total Filling station. They are all floating and their houses are flooded. Children are screaming, mothers are crying. To worsen it, they are in the dark and hoodlums are moving in,” Boulor’s message read.


In explaining the floods, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, who also issued an alert in the afternoon on Sunday, said the persistent rain, and the unusual rise in the water levels of both the Atlantic Ocean and the Lagoon caused the flooding.


Bello said, “Today’s downpour has been heavier than normal as the state government had earlier warned. It has been raining since 5am in many areas and it has not stopped.


“The water level has risen incredibly so that the channels that are meant to discharge water from the roads and drainages are completely locked because of the high tide and because both the Atlantic Ocean and Lagoon that receive water from our channels have risen more than usual.”


Bello appealed to residents to bear with the government, assuring them that the water would “gradually disappear.”


“Please be calm and do not panic. Once the rains subside, the water on the roads will gradually disappear. Our men are on the field working to manage this situation. Please endeavour to remain indoors as much as possible until the rain stops. Thank you for your understanding and please send this message to all your contacts,” he said.





Canoe operators


In the Surulere area of the metropolis, residents and stranded commuters paid N100 to canoe operators to move from one point to another.


A resident, Pastor Wale Dada, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that most roads in Surulere had been rendered impassable.


“The whole place has become impassable; it is unbelievable. The Karounwi canal is flooded and the bridge is submerged. Canoe operators collect N100 to carry people from one end of the place to the other.


“You know that the Akerele road is undergoing construction; that place is impassable. Adeniran Ogunsanya is a no-go area right now. The situation is terribly bad.”


One of our correspondents who resides in Alapere, Ketu, said, “Most parts of this place (Alapere) is flooded; our own place is a bit better because it is located on high ground, but the whole estate is flooded. A car in our compound is almost completely submerged in flood. Most people are trying to salvage what they have in their houses in this place,” he said.





Agony of residents


A motorist in Ijeshatedo in Itire Local Council Development Area, Mr. Abayomi Ogunremi, said the water level in the area had reached his car’s bonnet.


“The whole area is covered with water. In most places, you cannot see where the road is and where the drains are. Everywhere is under water. Until the government takes decisive steps to address the flooding in the state, anybody who values his life should not leave his house when such rain falls,” Ogunremi said.


At Agric Junction in Ikorodu, a motorist told one of our correspondents that motorists spent an average of two hours before they could pass through the flooded area.


“It was a terrible situation. The traffic situation came to a standstill as no vehicle was moving. Confusion became the order of the day. Apart from the road, most houses near the road were submerged in flood and residents were helpless,” the motorist said.


At the Ketu end of the Ikorodu Road, motorists were caught up in heavy traffic and hundreds of passengers were seen at bus stops waiting for buses that never came. A motorist, who identified himself simply as Kayode, told one of our correspondents that the flood was unprecedented.


He said that as a result of the heavy traffic, some commercial bus drivers had veered into the dedicated lane for Bus Rapid Transit, thereby creating greater confusion on the road.


The residents of Akoka, Afolabi Brown, Adeyinka, Osijo, Funmilayo Onoronke, Bello and Obadiah streets, and parts of Community Road, were the worst hit in Yaba.


One of the residents, who was at work during the rain, got a call from his wife, asking him to return home because their apartment had been taken over by flood.


At Jibowu, Herbert Macaulay and Murtala Mohammed roads, many motorists abandoned their vehicles in the floods as vehicles broke down, clogged the road and made movement impossible. Two popular motor parks, Chisco Motors and Ifesinachi motor parks at Jibowu, were heavily flooded also.


At Iyana Ipaja, Orisumbare, Alebiosu, Jimoh streets were seriously flooded as the areas lacked drainage channels. Many worshippers in Orisumbare were unable to reach their churches.





Man drowns in Ketu


One Pastor Emma, told THE PUNCH that the flooding of the area had assumed a worrisome dimension.


“The last time it rained heavily like this, a woman with a baby strapped to her back was carried away by the flood. There are no drains and the roads are death traps. Then, government started constructing channels but they had abandoned it since last year,” he said.


A resident of Bariga, who identified himself as Chukwuemeka, said that the floods covered houses and that the canal which links Somolu, Fola Agoro, Pedro and other adjoining streets in the area overflowed.


At Abule Egba and the old toll-gate end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, there was light flooding but heavy a traffic at Abule Egba junction.


Motorists driving away from the rain also caused traffic jam at the old toll gate.


A motorist, Abayomi Oluseun, said that people were running away from the flood at Casso Bus stop on the expressway.


“The water is rising, and everybody knows that once it rises, it will swallow cars, let alone human beings,” Oluseun said.


Mr. Raheem Bello, who lives on Lagos Island, told one of our correspondents that many residents of the Island could not get out of their houses due to the severity of the rain.


He said, “That probably saved the day, because traffic was light. But there was flooding everywhere. However, once there is reduction in the rain, the floods will subside; once it increases, the flood will rise too.”


Another Lagosian, who gave her name as Tunrayo said on the telephone that she had to sleep over at her in-laws’ house in Egbeda, where she was on a visit.


“The rain is just too much. Everywhere is flooded. The traffic is now unbearable and I do not think I can go home today. I am planning to sleep over and I will leave for work tomorrow morning. I know that the traffic in Apapa where I work will be so terrible now,” Tunrayo lamented.


An employee of a five-star hotel in the highbrow Victoria Island, one Ogungbe, who also spoke to one of our correspondents, said the rain disrupted vehicular movement and commercial activities in the area.


“You need to see this flood. There is a big flood at a junction in Oniru Estate, just before you approach Shoprite. The disaster made it difficult to get access to various linking roads. Even though we have a staff bus to convey us (the staff) out of this place, I do not know if the vehicle will be able to pass through the flood. We may have to wait until it subsides,” he said.


At Ketu, the body of an unidentified male was found in a gutter on Ikosi Road.


An eyewitness, who identified himself as Moroof, said the motionless body was presumed dead by bystanders who were too scared to retrieve the body.


“Around 6.30pm, I saw some people staring into the gutter. When I went closer, I saw the body of a man who is believed to have been drowned today. The situation in this area is worrisome. Government must do something about it fast because anytime it rains, the flooding is usually strong,” Moroof said.

A 35-year-old youth leader has been gunned down on his hospital bed at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Asaba, Delta State. Two female nurses who attempted to stop the hoodlums were also shot. Other patients and workers in the ward scampered for safety even as fear engulfed the entire hospital for several hours throughout the night.

The unidentified blood thirsty hoodlums were said to be in mobile police uniform and, according to an eyewitness, they stormed the private ward where the victim was admitted for ulcer ailment and shot him twice on his chest at close range.

Daily Sun gathered that during the operation the assassins fired several gunshots to scare people away before heading for the ward.
Hospital sources said no fewer than two nurses were seriously injured and were now receiving medical attention at the intensive care unit of the hospital.
The slain patient, Mr. Richard Odili who was president general of Utchi Community Youths in Ndokwa East of the state based in Kwale, a neighbouring community, was admitted into the ward on June 29 for medical attention.
In another account, the patient was said to have absconded from his community after he was paid large sum of money for the development of his community by one of the oil companies located in the area.

According to findings, the gangsters entered the ward at about 8.30pm, had some few moments discussion with the patient over an undisclosed matter before pumping hot lead into him at close range. The patient was reported to have slumped immediately and before help could reach him, he had died.

It was gathered that two of the assassins first entered into the ward and made an enquiry, after which they retreated only to return in company with others to accomplish their mission before escaping through an exit door.
At the hospital yesterday, there was calm in the wards but the Managing Director of the centre, Dr. Leo Erhumwunse declined to speak on the tragic incident, saying “the matter is now with the police who came here to investigate.”
The victim’s blood smear was still visible on the floor where he finally fell as he staggered outside with the bullet wound.
A member of the Odili family, Patrick, said his brother was on admission to treat poison related sickness, which had defiled treatment elsewhere.

According to him, he was not aware if Richard, an oil dealer, had any problem with his associates or friends.
He said the Nissan Extra Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) his late brother parked within the hospital was nowhere to be found as he awaited the authority to brief the family on the incident.
Confirming the incident yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer ASP Charles Muka said investigation was in progress.

As the bulk of the 95,000 fresh graduates mobilised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the compulsory one year service to the nation began arriving at NYSC orientation camps which opened across the country yesterday, July 5, it is, indeed, apt for Nigerians to pause a moment and consider the task before these young Nigerians who are being called to serve the nation at this difficult time in our national history.

2011 Batch B corps members are beginning their service year at a time when many have started questioning the necessity for continuation of the scheme. Indeed, if there was ever a time when a large number of Nigerians felt that the scheme ought to be scrapped or restructured to address its noticeable challenges, it is now.

Still fresh from the callous murder of 10 youth corps members in Bauchi during the April post-election; the loss of four more to an accident on their way to Enugu from Plateau State a fortnight ago; the reported murder of another two by armed robbers in a banking hall last week; continuing bombings and killings in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Abuja and other places in the Northern part of the country, it is clear that the compulsory national service has become an assignment that is not for the lily-livered.

Already, there are reports of some graduates opting out of the service out of fear of the places they were posted to for their primary assignment. Although this is against the provisions of the law setting up the scheme, it is an understandable reaction to the growing spate of insecurity in the country, which security agencies have so far mostly been confronting with assurances of their resolve to ensure “security” of the people.

This fear of being deployed to the North has, this time, gone beyond individuals to educational institutions. At least one university, the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state, which lost a graduate in the post-election murders in Bauchi, has asked the management of the NYSC not to post its graduates to the Northern part of the country.

The university, in a statement by its Principal Assistant Registrar, Information, Protocol and Public Relations, Mr. Sola Imoru, said the university decided to cry out because of fears expressed by students and members of the institution’s alumni association on the sporadic bombings, killing and other forms of violence in Bauchi, Borno, Plateau, Yobe and other states. The university says corps members should be allowed to serve in their respective regions.

It is, therefore, important for the government to put in place unassailable security arrangements, not only for the members, but all Nigerians. Restiveness in the country, especially in the North, must be dealt with if the region is to continue enjoying the services of youth corps members.
The challenges facing the scheme are, however, multi-various. Beyond the fears over security and the call in many quarters for youth corps members to be allowed to serve in their regions, is the need for comprehensive overhauling of many aspects of the programme.

It is clear, for example, that the allowances paid to the corps members have long been overtaken by inflation and the harsh economic realities of today. They are long overdue for a review. It is surprising that all corps members are paid a flat rate of N1,500 for transportation to their places of primary assignment. Even those posted from one end of the country to the other, such as from Imo state to Borno or any of the states in the North, receive N1,500 for the journey. And, even that amount is only refunded when the graduates get to the camp. It is not paid upfront, thereby leaving many indigent in a quandary on how to source funds for the journey.

Should a country that truly cares for its youths pay a young person traveling to distant and unfamiliar parts of the country N1,500 transportation allowance when it will cost no less than N4,000 to N5,000 to undertake the journey?
And, the fact of the matter is that many of these graduates are truly indigent. Many are the hopes of their families. N1,500 transport fares paid to corps members for transportation should be increased to at least N5,000. Even such N5,000 cannot meet any logistics challenge on the journey, such as the breakdown of the vehicle, feeding or any health challenge that may arise.

Corps members are paid a bicycle allowance of N1,000 for local transportation. Let arrangements be made to increase it, if not for this batch, for future corpers.
Worst of all, youth corps members are paid a monthly allowance of N9,500 a month. For young men and women living so far away from their homes and natural environments, N9,500 is grossly inadequate, either for feeding, transportation or to take care of their health challenges. N9,500, for God’s sake, amounts to less than N2,500 per week!

How exactly is anyone supposed to feed, transport, house himself and take care of medical exigencies where he has no family member with less than N2,500 a week? It is true NYSC regulations say employers of corps members should accommodate them and pay an allowance for their transportation. We all know this is not the case in most organizations to which corpers are deployed. Some organisations, including some state governments pay only N3,000 monthly to corps members. Most organisations, especially in the South West, do not provide accommodation for the youths, thereby, leaving them to find wherever they can to live during the period.
It is very sad that many housemaids earn far more than youth corps members, some of who are doctors, engineers and accountants today.

In fact, in a place like Lagos, no one dares offer the most illiterate driver N9,500 as salary.
If drivers cannot, therefore, take a monthly salary of N9,500, why pay such a miserly sum to youth corps members? The allowances of the corps members should be increased. Luckily, increase in the national minimum wage to N18,000 was promised by the Jonathan administration on May 1, 2010, Labour day, last year. Since then, it has not been implemented.

Let the government go ahead and implement it. If there is anything that is delaying it, then let the corpers’ allowances be increased while work continues on the minimum wage issue.
It does not make sense to pay graduates amounts that are not paid to cleaners and you expect them to be patriotic. In this regard, some of the corpers who chose to return to Bauchi after escaping the post-poll violence deserve to be praised. These ones are putting their lives at risk in the service of their nation!

One other critical thing that many state governments should look into is the issue of upgrading their orientation camps. Many orientation camps do not have electricity at all. They rely only on generators that are put on only for a few hours a day. Some hostels used as camps have broken doors and windows, thereby exposing the corps members to avoidable problems. Some of the hostels lack toilet facilities. Corps members in at least two states that I know have to wake up in the thick of the night to take their bath away from the prying eyes of others. They go to toilet in the bushes surrounding the camps. This is not good at all. Governors should be able to provide a better welcoming environment for the youths who are essentially their guests. These are all issues that need to be addressed. I believe the NYSC needs to be better funded and properly monitored to ensure that funds allocated for the orientation periods are judiciously utilised.

The one-day a week Community Development (CD) that corps members participate in also needs to be rejigged. The truth is that very little community service is being done these days. In addition, local government staff need to be properly motivated and guided on the appropriate attitude to corpers.

In addition, workers of the NYSC involved in the camping experience need to be motivated to do their job. It is not easy for any worker to be in the uncomfortable camp environment for almost three months in every given year. i.e. 3 weeks each for each of the three batches of corps members mobilised every year!
Here is wishing the Batch B 2011 corps members a fruitful and safe service year. Let them remember the essence of the programme: Service to fatherland but be watchful for their safety too. Ajuwaya!

Many Nigerian households may be in for a hard time as the prices of some soup ingredients have increased by over 100 per cent in recent weeks due to flooding in some parts of the country.


The situation has forced many housewives to adopt different survival strategies to cope with the escalating prices in view of fixed food allowances.


An investigation by our correspondent revealed that flooding in some key food producing states, particularly in the North, was largely responsible for the latest rise in the prices of major food items across the country.


The prices of tomato, pepper and other soup ingredients, it was gathered, started shooting up in June, which incidentally witnessed heavy rainfall in most parts of the country.


The number of lorries that convey the ingredients to Lagos and other parts of the country has considerably reduced, thereby leading to the scarcity of items like different varieties of pepper, tomato and onion.


Sellers of the items in some of the markets visited by our correspondent between Friday and Monday said that they had to make do with small quantities of the produce conveyed by mini-buses.


Some of the traders at the Mile 12 Market attributed the increase in prices to heavy rainfall and the resultant floods, which had washed away large quantities of ripe crops before they could be harvested from the farms.


Apart from the flood problems, our correspondent also gathered that the high cost of transportation also contributed to the escalating prices of the ingredients.


The situation, according to traders, is being exacerbated by extortion at the many police checkpoints on the way to Lagos, in addition to the activities of tax collectors.


A big basket of tomatoes at the Mile 12 Market, which cost N6,000 in April, now sells for N11,000, an 83 per cent increase.


The survey by our correspondent also showed that a big basket of tatashe (pepper), which now sells for N15,000, on the average, sold for N7,000 throughout the second quarter of the year. This represents a 114 per cent increase.


Similarly, atarodo, another variety of pepper, which sold for N3,000 a basket some months back, is now being sold for N6,000, representing an increase of 100 per cent. However, the price of onion only rose by 31 per cent, from N6,500 to N8,500 within the same period.


A pepper seller at Mile 12, Mr. Omotayo Lawal, who confirmed the adjustment in the prices of the ingredients, attributed the development to the recent heavy rainfall across the country, adding that farmers were afraid to cultivate new crops because they recorded heavy losses as a result of flooding.


He also said that the high prices were as a result of the difficulties being encountered by dealers in transporting the items from the farms to major cities like Lagos, where they were heavily consumed.


Lawal said, “Transporters with big lorries from various sources have also refused to travel down to Lagos because of the fear of spending all their profits on the roads.


“Some of them, who manage to bring the ingredients, have to cover the buses so that policemen and tax collectors will not know what they are carrying. Look at me now; I can only afford to sell only one ingredient. This will continue until the prices of the other ingredients come down, maybe after the raining season.”


“I don’t even want to know the cost; I have to sell at any price they bring in order to earn a living and feed my family,” another pepper seller, who simply identified himself as Semiu, said.


An onion seller, Alhaji Mohammad Aliyu, said that apart from the flooding problem, old onion bulbs were usually expensive at this time, adding that the price would come down when new ones started coming out.


Meanwhile, consumers are now adopting different methods to cope with the situation.


Many households now buy little quantities of fresh ingredients and combine them with dried pepper and packaged tomatoes in cans.


A businesswoman, Mrs. Nike Olatunji, said that the situation was getting unbearable, adding, “It has not been easy, especially having to manage the monthly allowance every time. I have to do a lot of explanation to convince my husband to increase the food allowance.


“So, when I cannot afford fresh tomatoes, I buy tin tomatoes; and when I cannot afford fresh atarodo, I go for dried pepper.”

The Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan, Prof. Femi Olokesusi, on Tuesday warned that two million Lagos residents risked being submerged by the Atlantic ocean.


Olokesusi said this in Ibadan while presenting a paper entitled, ‘Lagos: The Challenges and Opportunities of an emerging African mega city.’


The NISER chief said the catastrophe could only be stopped if proper environmental checks were carried out.


“As a coastal city, vulnerability will increase in intensity of storms and storm surges will exacerbate infrastructure problems,” he said at the July edition of the NISER seminar series.


Olokesusi, whose disclosure was from a UN-Habitat sponsored study which spanned five years of data collection (2005 to 2010), said flooding was among the major environmental problems which had persisted in Lagos in spite of government’s efforts.


He said while Lagos was gradually emerging as a mega city, there were still some challenges to be overcome before the city could claim the title.


On the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change, he said there was rapid land conversion in the city which had been taking place on more vulnerable land.


The land, he said, included flood-prone areas and coastal locations.


Olokesusi further said that the pre-historic ecology of the city had been tremendously modified and was now human-dominated.


Apart from this, he said pollution was a menace, adding that there was the urgent need to control this through the application of proper technologies.


“The second dimension is that of acquiring the technology and developing appropriate legal framework, institutions and human capacity to bring the pollutants to acceptable levels that conform to international standards,’’ Olokesusi said.

The National Universities Commission on Monday appealed to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities not to carry out their threat to embark on a nationwide strike.


The commission, said through its Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okogie, that it was holding dialogue with ASUU and therefore urged its members to exercise patience with the federal government.


Okogie, spoke shortly after the resumption of the re-appointed Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i in Abuja


He, however, said ASUU was justified to threaten to go on strike.


Okojie explained that everything was on course to ensure the speedy process of signing into law, the agreements between the government and ASUU to avert any industrial crises.


He said, “Unions have a right to agitate. Our own is to go to where we think those problems could be solved. We have been in touch with chairmen of Senate and House committee on Education. They are very active on it.


“These things you don’t do it over-night. But the issue of retirement age, there was one individual bill and the other one was a general bill, we crossed a lot of bridges.


“If we have waited this long, what am saying is that there is no need to really go on strike. I don’t think they would go on strike. I am in touch with them.


“Even if they are threatening, we will appeal to them. Honestly, I agree they really have a need to worry, because if it were me, I would worry too, but government has a way of doing its things. It has to go through the normal processes.”


The Executive Secretary who spoke on behalf of other chief executives of paratstatals in the Education ministry, also applauded the minister’s reappointment.


He said, “With her coming back we are going to start from where we stopped. If it were a fresh person, he will start going round for familiarisation from one parastatatal to another. She has been on the ground.


“She has a whole lot of four years to turn around this sector. We have seen what she was able to achieve within a period of one year.”

 
Tragedy struck in Oleyo area, Odo-Ona Elewe in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State yesterday as no fewer than five persons were feared trapped when a two-storey building under construction collapsed.

Four persons also sustained injury and are currently receiving treatment in hospitals.

Eyewitness told Daily Sun that the building caved in at about 10.00am, trapping some workers, while a few others who were outside at the time of the collapse, escaped with bruises.

Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Oyo State Fire Service and sympathisers were seen working at rescuing those trapped in the debris.

However, there was little they could do, as there were no equipment to clear the debris. A man simply identified as Baba Ibeji who was one of those trapped was later rescued by the team.

Amidst songs of thanksgiving, Baba Ibeji told those who were at the scene that some of his colleagues were still trapped.
Rescue workers had difficult time controlling the crowd of sympathisers who besieged the scene of the incident.

Former Oyo State Governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, and the state chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria on Monday disagreed over the decision of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to sack all members of staff of the Oyo State Road Traffic Management Authority.


While Alao-Akala described the development as the beginning of the serial disengagement of civil servants to pave the way for the payment of the minimum wage, the ACN claimed that the step was one of the government’s moves to wipe away the “last traces of profligacy, cronyism and favouritism” that the former governor inflicted on the state.


Alao-Akala, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, said the mass sacking of the 262 traffic officers last Friday fell within the state policy to reduce the over 30,000 strong workers in the state to the barest minimum.


The statement dismissed as frivolous the excuse of lack of due process in the employment of the traffic officers, saying that the employment exercise went through strict adherence to civil service employment regulation.


The statement reads, “The (employment) exercise began in October last year, with written and oral examination of over 20,000 candidates, out of which only 262 were finally employed in March this year.


“The exercise was conducted at The Polytechnic, Ibadan with Masters, First Degree, HND and School Certificate holders in attendance.”


Alao-Akala said that to have thrown hundreds of able-bodied and qualified young men and women, who earn a paltry N9m per month collectively back into the labour market, was callous.


But the ACN, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Mathew Oyedokun, alleged that Alao-Akala, went shopping for those it called “flotsam and jetsams”, most of whom possessed neither requisite credentials nor experience in previous handling of such an agency.


The party said the Ajimobi government would not, in the name of keeping to “an inept tradition of favouritism” retain those who would drag the administration down to the level that the previous government left the office.


Oyedokun said the Ajimobi government had asked those, who possessed requisite qualifications in the disbanded agency, to re-apply as the Ajimobi government was prepared to reconstitute ORTMA with due consideration for competence, experience and possession of wherewithal to do the job.


“The Ajimobi government, when the new ORTMA is constituted, will show the whole world how an effective, efficient and result-oriented agency like ORTMA could be run,” Oyedokun said.


He said the Ajimobi government was not intent on sacking any worker in the state but would employ more, while stating that it would not pander to “base sentiments of political party, cronies, illicit liaisons and associates” as the Alao-Akala government did in its recruitment exercises.

Human rights activist, Mr. Amitolu Shittu, yesterday, threatened to lead a protest march to the palace of the court-deposed Ataoja of Osogboland, Alhaji Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji, if the monarch failed to comply with court ruling that nullified his appointment.

An Osogbo High Court, presided over by Justice Oyejide Falola, had, on Monday, reaffirmed the February 18 judgment of Justice Yinka Aderibigbe, which nullified the selection and appointment of Oyetunji as the Ataoja of Osogboland.
The court, following the February judgment ordered the embattled monarch to vacate the throne as his appointment did not follow due process.

Yesterday, at a press briefing held at his Powerline office, Amitolu, who is also the Coordinator, Campaign for Democracy and Rights of the People (CDRP), urged both Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Solomon Olusegun, to effect the court order or face the wrath of the people. Amitolu maintained that the deposed monarch had contravened the order of the court by his refusal to leave the throne, saying that righteousness and justice must be allowed to reign in the town.

According to him, since Oyetunji did not appeal against the judgment he had no moral justification to continue to occupy the throne more than 72 hours after the court order.“We are marching on the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo tomorrow (today) to ensure the rule of law is respected. We shall flush out all the rats in the palace and all those disobeying the court order. We want the police to carry out their responsibility by enforcing the law and if they fail we will help them to implement the law. We are empowered by the Constitution to do so.

“He sought to be a party in the case instituted and he was denied. The court has declared that Osogbo has no Oba. He has no right to appeal because the court has faulted the process that produced him and the law frowns at those who undermine our Constitution.

“He is seeing himself as being above the law and the law is no respecter of anybody. Jimoh (Oyetunji) has ceased to be our Oba. We are going to demonstrate tomorrow and we will force open the palace and eject all the rats there. The Constitution empowers us to do so. We should encourage democracy to flourish in the country,” Amitolu stated.
He challenged Governor Aregbesola to justify his commitment to the rule of law and justice, adding ‘Aregbesola, as a product of the rule of law should not pretend or ignore the responsibility of implementing the order of the High Court. He should come out from his shell and declare either for or against.

In the Monday ruling, the court declared Oyetunji as an impostor, whose appointment was illegal, and contradicted the laid down rules and traditions of Osogbo as regard the appointment of a substantive traditional ruler of the town.

Immediate past governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel yesterday reacted to the allegation that he mortgaged the state, explaining that what he did was in the interest of her people.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun had last Tuesday while addressing traditional rulers in the state alleged that his predecessor in office mortgaged the state through concession and illegal sales of lands and other property belonging to the state.
A press statement released yesterday by the former information commissioner in the state, Mr. Sina Kawonise, Daniel, said, “we affirm that the concession of all the non-performing government companies and ventures were done in the best interest of the state and in line with best practices under the Private Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement.’’

According to him, “the concession ventures were not bringing in any money to the state and were essentially drain pipes. We chose the concession arrangement rather than outright sale as many states have done to preserve our common patrimony and ensure a win-win situation for the state.”

On the three Gateway Hotels across the state, which were concessioned for 25 years each, Daniel said the hotels could not meet the objectives for which they were set up and there was a need to reconsider government funding.
“To achieve this, the OGD administration opted to involve private investors in the management and or ownership of the hotels. Both due diligence and due process were followed all through the transactions.”

The former governor stated that the move was intended to, among other objectives, ensure efficient management of the ventures and generation of higher returns and employment for the teeming populace of the state and ultimately partner with the private sector to drive sustainable development in the economic sector.’’
Daniel added that other concessions that were carried out followed the same pattern.

“We affirm that the concession option is what is prevailing everywhere as it has been found out with verifiable evidence that commercial ventures handled by government rarely thrive.” He said that was what informed the divestment of the Federal Government from its ownership of NICON NOGA Hotel, the MM2 local airport concession for 36 years, among others. According to the statement, “Even in Lagos State where Governor Amosun’s godfathers hold sway, the Lekki Expressway was concessioned at most ridiculous terms for 30 years!

“It was in the light of the soundness of the concession imperative that the Federal Government, by an Act of the National Assembly, set up the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). Oh, who will rouse the new power people in Ogun State from the slumber of their economic illiteracy?”

While urging Amosun to face squarely the business of governance, Daniel said, “instead of charting the way forward, he laboured endlessly to blame the last administration for everything under the sun and deliberately twisted facts to prepare the people for his soon-to-be unfolded hidden agenda.’’

On Thursday, residents in the Surulere area of Lagos and its environs scooped kerosene from a tanker laden with 33,000 litres of the product, which fell at the Costain Roundabout on Lagos Mainland, resulting in a heavy traffic.



Eyewitnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria that the accident, which occurred at about 2.30 p.m. was caused by a break failure.



They said the driver, who was speeding, lost control while negotiating the roundabout.



Hundreds of people, including school children and artisans, swooped on the tanker to scoop kerosene.



However, another eyewitness, Mrs. Taira Aikigbe, told PUNCH METRO that the incident occurred when the tanker, which was on a high speed, lost control and skidded off the road. It later fell on its side by the roadside, giving a deafening sound.



She noted that the driver and two passengers, who were in the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and came out of the tanker unaided. No life was lost in the incident.



The residents, traders and passersby, who also witnessed the accident, ran for their lives thinking that the tanker was transporting petrol, which might explode in flames. But they returned when they realised it was kerosene.



NAN reports that the large presence of people struggling to scoop kerosene blocked the road, causing the traffic to snarl up to Eko Bridge, Carter Bridge, Funsho Williams Avenue and Moshood Abiola Road.



A man, who was seen filling some jerrycans and buckets with his children, said. “This must be a gift from God at this time when kerosene is scarce and costly.”



A woman also beckoned on other residents to come out and fill their containers.










 
 
 
 
 

A middle aged man has allegedly killed his 65-year-old mother at Orerokpe,a town in Delta state.


Similarly, another young man reportedly stabbed his brother to death at Sapele, also in Delta State.


The state Police Public Relations Officer , Mr. Charles Muka, who confirmed the two incidents, said the police had already commenced investigation into the two cases.


Eyewitnesses told journalists that a young man from Okwejegba Village, Orerokpe, had a misunderstanding with his mother, Margaret Uyuayefe.


The son allegedly hit the woman on her head following a quarrel.


The impact of the block allegedly used in hitting the mother led to her death.


The mother was rushed to a nearby clinic for treatment but as she was being transferred to Sapele General Hospital, she died.


The PPRO said, “the corpse of the woman has been deposited at Orerokpe General Hospital while the scene of crime has been visited.”


He, however, said the suspect was yet to be arrested.


On the second murder case,the PPRO explained, “On June 25, 2011, two brothers had a misunderstanding over money which resulted to a fight, following which the brother (name withheld) stabbed Kelly ( his sibling) in his stomach with a knife.


“Kelly died at the Central Hospital Sapele while undergoing treatment but the suspect was promptly arrested and detained,” the PPRO added.

Health officials are battling to control cholera outbreaks which have left no fewer than 15 people dead in Plateau and Gombe states.


The Plateau State Ministry of Health said over 300 cases had been reported in the state alone with 10 people reported to have died from the epidemic.


The Director of Primary Health care Development Agency in the ministry, Dr. Elias Pede, told journalists in Jos on Wednesday that Bassa, Jos North, and Shendam Local Government Areas of the state were hit the most.


Pede explained that since the outbreak was noticed early last month, the number of deaths had increased, while more patients were being admitted in various hospitals in the state.


He said the outbreaks were partly caused by the eating habits of the people and advised them to be more careful.


“People should be mindful of their eating habit this time because it is a disease that comes from what you eat. And in case of stooling and excessive vomiting, patients should be given oral rehydration therapy and rushed to the nearest hospital for early cure,” Pede said. He added that residents in the state should wash their foods, especially fruits, before eating.


At the Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos, a nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that in just one night, about 15 people, suspected to have been affected, were admitted


In Gombe, officials said the epidemic had claimed five lives – in Nafada and Funakaye Local Government areas.


The epidemiologist in-charge of Preventive Health Service in Gombe State Ministry of Health, Dr. Abubakar Joshua, told the News Agency of Nigeria that tests had confirmed the outbreak of the disease.


Joshua said the ministry received reports of the outbreak of gastro-enteritis from Bajoga town in Funakaye Local Government Area on June 15 and from Nafada town of Nafada Local Government Area on June 23, with a total of 104 recorded cases.


Joshua said three deaths were recorded in Nafada and two in Bajoga.


According to him, the ministry has dispatched medical staff to the affected areas with drugs to control the situation and prevent the spread of the disease.

The accord between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Accord Party (AP) for a working parliamentary relationship in Oyo State may have collapsed with Tuesday’s election of the remaining principal officers of the State House of Assembly.

The result of the election, which saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clinching three of the posts, including deputy chief whip, minority leader and the party’s whip in the House, saw AP getting only the position of party whip in the Assembly in addition to the deputy speakership it earlier netted when the going was good with its former ally, which has 13 elected members to PDP’s 12 and AP’s seven in the 32-man Assembly.

The ACN swept the remaining offices of majority leader, chief whip, chairman, Parliamentary Council and the party’s whip. The outcome of Tuesday’s sitting confirmed speculations of a breakdown of the ACN – AP pact and a new romance with the PDP. It also signalled an apparent disapproval by the party of perceived unilateral agreement the state governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi struck with the leader of the AP, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, over the sharing of offices in the new government in the state.

Playing the beautiful bride, the AP, which was also being wooed by ACN’s arch-rival, PDP, had demanded two ministerial portfolio and 20 per cent board appointments as well as headship and membership of at least four out of the yet-to-be-reconstituted 33 interim local government management committees as conditions for supporting and helping to stabilize the new government in the state, particularly through the parliament. The AP was reported to have particularly specified Ibadan North-east, Ona Ara, Egbeda and Lagelu local governments as its preferences.

Ajimobi, Daily Sun learnt, agreed to these concessions, which, according to sources, did not go down well with a section of his party, which considered the demands “outrageous.” Before they fell apart, however, the two parties- ACN and AP had agreed to produce the speaker and deputy speaker respectively, which was firmed up at the inaugural sitting of the House on June 7. Sources said the PDP, which had been courting the AP, felt betrayed by the latter’s alliance with the ruling party.

It then capitalized on the perceived cracks in the ACN-AP relationship by entering into talks with the ACN.
Tuesday’s election of other parliamentary officers, which saw it compensated with three posts and left the AP in the cold, is seen as the result of the new deal hatched by the ACN establishment. The heavy security cover that attended the session on the fateful day was said to have been informed by security reports that some AP members planned to storm and disrupt the proceedings in the House. As a result, many journalists and members of the public were barred by security agents, who screened everyone going into the legislative chamber.

As it were, the fate of AP’s man, Olaniyan Babatunde as deputy speaker might be hanging in the balance. An authoritative party source told Daily Sun: “With 13 people working with 12 against seven, it’s obvious his days are numbered. They can wake up any day and remove him.”

It is, however, uncertain if the governor would accept the new arrangement.

The Embassy of the United States in Nigeria has said that the law of supply and demand as well as poor planning by some Nigerians are largely responsible for what appears to be a delay in the issuance of its visas.


The embassy also stated that the number of Nigerians seeking visas outweighed what it had the capacity to deal with on a daily basis.


The US consular chief in Nigeria, Stephen Frahm, gave the explanation at a media briefing in Abuja, on Wednesday.


He said there was no deliberate policy to turn down applicants who had a genuine reason to go the United States.


Frahn explained that a diplomatic Note Verbale obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would not confer on the holder an immediate approval for a visa to be issued.


According to him, a person or group of persons seeking to go to the US to transact an official business on behalf of government would be required to obtain a certain kind of visa, which like every other, must comply with the US immigration laws.


He said, “Just submitting a Note Verbale does not change those requirements.”


Frahn said that in Abuja alone, the Embassy had in view 40,000 applications for this year.


He also said 6,700 student visas (representing 67 per cent) were approved for Nigerian students last year, making it the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa.


In response to questions on whether there was a deliberate “refusal” policy targeted at genuine Nigerians wishing to travel to the US, he said, “In Nigeria, there is a greater number of applications than we have the ability to process. Abuja can only deal with 200 applications and Lagos, between 350-400, that’s about 600 per day. Nigerians should plan ahead of time, say six months.”


He also said the possession of a valid US visa does not permission to stay in the US.


“The procedures (involved) are based on the activities you are engaged in, in the US. Even at that, a visa is not a permission to be in the US, but a permission to go to the US. So, just to have a visa does not mean that part is guaranteed.


“So, the inspector or immigration officer at the point of entry has to determine. The check is whether the activity you are engaged in is consistent with the US law,” he said.

According to Opportunity in Crisis Joint publication by UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNESCO, UNFPA, ILO, WHO and The World Bank presents data on adolescents and HIV for the first time, every day, an estimated 2500 young people are newly infected with HIV.

While HIV prevalence has declined slightly among young people, young women and adolescent girls face a disproportionately high risk of infection due to biological vulnerability, social inequality and exclusion.

Opportunity in Crisis: Preventing HIV from early adolescence to young adulthood, presents data on HIV infections among young people and highlights the risks adolescents face as they transition to adulthood. The report identifies factors that elevate their risk of infection as well as opportunities to strengthen prevention services and challenge harmful social practices.

“For many young people HIV infection is the result of neglect, exclusion, and violations that occur with the knowledge of families, communities, social and political leaders. This report urges leaders at all levels to build a chain of prevention to keep adolescents and young people informed, protected and healthy,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “UNICEF is committed to this cause. We must protect the second decade of life, so that the journey from childhood to adulthood is not derailed by HIV – a journey that is especially fraught for girls and young women.”

According to the report, people aged 15-24 accounted for 41 per cent of new infections among adults over the age of 15 in 2009. Worldwide, an estimated 5 million (4.3 million to 5.9 million) young people in that age group were living with HIV in 2009. Among the 10 to 19 year age group, new data shows, an estimated 2 million adolescents (1.8 million to 2.4 million) are living with HIV. Most of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, most are women, and most do not know their status. Globally young women make up more than 60 per cent of all young people living with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa that rate jumps to 72 per cent.

“Our success with improving access to antiretrovirals means more young people are surviving with HIV, but many are still unaware of their status,” said World Health Organization Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan. “WHO is committed to helping improve adolescents’ access to HIV testing and counseling and to making sure that health services address their needs for prevention, treatment, care and support.”
Early adolescence is a window of opportunity to intervene, before most youth become segxwally active and harmful gender and social norms that elevate the risk of HIV infection are established. Communities,

leaders and young people all have a role to play in changing the behaviours that place young people at risk and creating an environment where they may thrive. In southern Africa, for example where HIV infections are high in older age groups, sex with multiple partners and age-disparate relationships are fuelling HIV transmission among young people, particularly young women.

But progress can be made. Community-led efforts to change such norms have been effective in communities in Tanzania, where the image of men seeking relations with younger women and girls was effectively turned into an image of ridicule. “As the report says, too many adolescent girls become pregnant before they are ready, and have children while they are still children themselves,” said UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin.

“This puts their own health and their children’s health at risk and limits their opportunities and potential. To achieve the MDGs, it’s absolutely critical to improve access to comprehensive segxwality education and integrated reproductive health services, including family planning and male and female condoms. Evidence shows that segxwal and reproductive health information and services do not lead to more frequent segxwal relations or high-risk behavior, but rather to fewer unintended pregnancies, reduced HIV infections and better health.”

Certain high-risk behaviours – such as early segxwal debut, pregnancy and drug use – are all signs of things going wrong in the environment of the young adolescent, and may be associated with violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Yet social protection systems that are HIV-sensitive can contribute to the financial security of vulnerable families, improve access to health and social services and ensure that services are delivered to marginalized youths.

“The world desperately needs new HIV prevention strategies; for every two people who receive life-saving AIDS treatment, another five become newly infected, which is an impossible situation for many poor countries and their communities,” says the World Bank’s Managing Director, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin. “Existing prevention strategies have had limited success, so we have to look for creative new approaches to reverse the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These must address people’s very basic needs for education, economic security, inclusion, dignity, and human rights. These issues are particularly crucial when we consider the health and well-being of adolescent girls, mothers and children, and socially marginalized groups.”

Family members, teachers, community leaders have a role to play in setting norms for responsible behaviour, and in advocating for the full range of services needed for young people to stay healthy. Indeed, reducing the level of HIV incidence requires not one single intervention, but a continuum of prevention that provides information, support and services throughout the life cycle. Yet many adolescents lack access to basic HIV and prevention information, commodities and testing services.

“Young people need to have access to comprehensive knowledge and services in order to make safe choices about their health and relationships”, said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova. “We are fully committed to this effort, leading the evidence-based push to scale up segxwality education and supporting the different needs of young people as they transition from early adolescence to adulthood. We must work together to ensure that all young people, especially girls and vulnerable populations, receive the education, support and protection necessary for preventing HIV and promoting their overall well-being”, she added.

Worldwide many young people driven by economic duress, exploitation, social exclusion and lack of family support turn to commercial sex and injecting drug use. They face an extremely high risk of infection as well as general stigma and discrimination for engaging in such behaviors. The very same young people most often lack access to HIV prevention and protection services.

For national HIV responses to be effective, governments need to address the underlying problems of poverty, exclusion and gender inequality that threaten the health of future generations. Using equity as a guidepost helps to ensure those hardest to reach are not last in line, and that services are available to them and used by them.

“Nearly one of every two new adult HIV infections occurs among 15 to 24 year olds. The ILO Recommendation on HIV and AIDS and the World of Work calls for a special focus on young people in national policies and programmes on HIV and AIDS and highlights the role of education and training systems and youth employment programmes and services as critical channels for mainstreaming information about HIV,” said Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO). “Already young people often bear a disproportionate share of the burden of unemployment, underemployment and poverty, a situation aggravated by the global recession.

We must enable young people to realize their full potential. Their strength is the strength of communities, societies and economies.” As the report points out, there are opportunities to use proven prevention strategies in all epidemic contexts. In countries with generalized epidemics there are opportunities to encourage healthy attitudes and behaviours, ensure greater gender equality and allow protection to become the new norm.

In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the same social norms that tolerate domestic violence also prevent women from refusing unwanted segxwal advances, negotiating safe sex, or criticizing a male partner’s infidelity – all of which threatens the goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation. And in countries with low-level and concentrated epidemics, where HIV infections among youth are driven by injecting drug use, sex work, or male to male sex, there are opportunities to reshape the legal and social milieu that compounds vulnerability and to empower young people with knowledge, prevention services and health care.

“Young people are not only tomorrow’s leaders, they are the leaders of today,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “If young people are empowered to protect themselves against HIV, they can lead us to an HIV free generation.”