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Balogun Market: Traders react to shift in resumption date after yuletide
There has been mixed reactions from Balogun Market traders, over the shift in the resumption date for business activities after the Dec. 24 closure of the market for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The caretaker management committee inaugurated in December to manage the multi-billion Naira complex, had shifted the resumption date from Jan. 4 to Jan. 11, citing insecurity.
However, some of the traders, who spoke to journalists in Lagos, on Sunday, said that the shift was uncalled for; while others viewed it as a welcome development.
Chief Oscar Odogwu, Balogun Market Presidential hopeful in the yet to be conducted election, said that it was a ploy by the committee to stay longer in office than required.
Odogwu, who is the Chief Executive Office of Fragrance World Ltd, described the lockdown of the market for a week, after the Christmas and the New Year break, as “sinister”.
“This is unfriendly to those of us that are daily income earners that have just returned from the yuletide after heavy spending, with empty purse.
“We are the owners of the market; and we are aware that they want to alter the sequence of the build-up to the election, in order to stay beyond their time,” he said.
Mr Sunday Ozonwadi, who also expressed misgivings over the shift in dates, said that some of the traders had goods that were time-bound and the additional week may cause those items to go bad and inflict losses on the owners.
“I am watching and observing with keen interest the ongoing activities of the the so-called caretaker committee. It’s obvious that no far reaching consultation has been reached so far on the part of both the committee and the stakeholders.
“The primary objective of any such interim management is to return the system back to the track of democracy and rule of law, and not lord themselves over us,” Ozonwadi said.
He said that the only thing people expected of the committee was a road map for democratic election, within the time frame allotted to them, and that any other intentions would be rejected by the people.
The current situation whereby thugs were recruited into factions at the complex was a time bomb, that was capable of sinking the place, he added, while calling on all aspirants to play by the rules so as to avoid chaos.
Since the shift in the resumption date has to do with tackling insecurity in the market, there was nothing bad with it, Mrs Ngozi Agbasi said.
Agbasi, a campaign team member for one of the Presidential aspirants, added that it would amount to maladministration if the committee sensed danger and not do something to check it.
Mr Tobis Omoele, another trader, said that those that entrusted the management of the market to the committee knew that, they were capable.
“If staying at home for a week will bring peace to the place so be it, and anything that will take us back to the dark days of blood letting because of elections should be discarded,” he said.
Reacting, Hon. Leonard Ogbonnia, Secretary of the committee, described the allegations made against the committee as unfounded, stressing that they represented opinions of those sponsored by others who did not want the progress of the market.
Ogbonnia, added that the committee was doing everything within its powers to bring lasting peace to the place, and hand over to elected executives within record time.
The committee was mandated to conduct elections that would usher in new executives within a specified time frame.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Hajiya Salamatu Ahmed as the new Executive Secretary of the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB).
Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
In the statement made available to newsmen by Muhammed Ahmed, Director, Communications, HOCSF office, Yemi-Esan also handed over appointment letter to the new Executive Secretary.
She said Ahmed’s appointment was sequel to terminal leave embarked upon by the former Executive Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Mairiga, ahead of the expiration of his four-year tenure in September.
While congratulating the new appointee, the HOCSF charged her to leverage on the wealth of experience garnered over the years, towards ensuring the full realisation of the Board’s core mandate.
Before her new appointment, Hajiya Ahmed was the Board’s Director of Operations of the FGSHLB.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says it registered 63 deaths and 2102 suspected cases in the ongoing cholera epidemic across the country.
The Director-General of the centre, Dr Jide Idris, said this during a news conference on the cholera situation on Tuesday in Abuja.
cholera is a severe diarrheal illness caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, and has remained a significant health challenge, especially in regions with inadequate sanitation and clean water.
It is, therefore, advisable to understand the disease transmission mechanism so as to curb its spread.
Idris said that as at June 30, Nigeria recorded 2,102 suspected cholera cases and 63 deaths across 33 states and 122 local government areas, with a case fatality rate of 3.0 per cent
The NCDC boss said that the top 10 affected states are Lagos, Bayelsa, Abia, Zamfara, Bauchi, Katsina, Cross River, Ebonyi, Rivers, and Delta, with seven of these being in the south.
He said that the National Cholera Multisectoral Emergency Operation Centre (EOC), activated for this crisis, comprised subject matter experts who coordinate the response, ensuring effective resource mobilisation, surveillance, case management, and community engagement.
He said that the measures aim to enhance diagnostic capacity, treatment, and public awareness.
According to him, there are key prevention and response activities initiated by the agency.
“Such activities include assessments in 22 hotspot states, distribution of medical supplies, technical support, training programmes and public health advisories,” he said.
The NCDC boss said that in spite of strong political support and efforts, challenges like open defecation, inadequate toilet facilities, poor water and sanitation, waste management issues, and weak regulatory practices persisted.
He added said that the impact of climate change and flooding exacerbated the cholera situation in the country.
He said that there were efforts to continue to combat the outbreak, with a focus on improving hygiene practices, enforcing public health laws, and enhancing healthcare workers’ capacity at state and local levels.
“Only 123 (16 per cent) of 774 LGAs in Nigeria are open defeacation free. With Jigawa as the only open defeacation free state in Nigeria. More than 48 million Nigerians practice open defecation.
“Inadequate toilet facilities and existing ones even in many government facilities not well maintained. Inadequate Safe water and poor sanitation,” he said.
According to him, 11 per cent of schools, six per cent of health facilities, four per cent of motor parks and markets, have access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services.
He listed its causes to include poor waste management practices, poor food, environmental and personal hygiene practices., capacity gap among health care workers at the state and LGA levels.
“Weak regulation on construction of soak away and bore holes (some sunk close to water source and bore holes sunk in wrong location).
“Inadequate Implementation and enforcement of public nuisance law and other relevant public health laws.
“Inadequate capacity at State level – delayed disease reporting and response action. Capacity gap among health care workers at the state and LGA levels.
“Also, poor regulation of food vendor and commercial water supply on hygiene, weak regulation on sighting of boreholes and well, which are close to sewage or toilets pathways,” he said.
He said that low knowledge and practice of basic hygiene such as hand washing and effect of climate change and flood was also a major cause of cholera.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, said that the cholera outbreak in the country came as a stark reminder that when the country failed to prioritise environmental sanitation, public health would be jeopardised and economy would be affected.
“Nigeria is experiencing the adverse impact of climate change as evidenced by the shift in seasons, rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events like floods, droughts and heat waves with undeniable health consequences,” Salako said.
According to him, the combination of climate change and poor sanitation, without doubt, poses a double jeopardy to the health of the planet and all creatures on it.
NAN recalls that public health experts have suggested comprehensive strategy to combat the cholera outbreak.
The experts also called for improved sanitation, access to safe water, proper hygiene, and better living conditions to address this recurrent and predictable loss of lives.
They advocated for the classification of cholera as a neglected tropical disease.
Cholera, a virulent but treatable disease, causes 2.9 million cases and 95,000 deaths annually worldwide.
Proper management keeps mortality under one percent, but it can rise to 60 percent if untreated.
Historically, cholera has shaped public health, from John Snow’s 1854 London outbreak response to the development of life-saving oral rehydration therapy by Hemendra Nath Chatterjee in 1953.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commenced building emergency shelters across the nine Niger Delta states to aid flood victims.
The states are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.
Dr Samual Ogbuku, the Managing Director of NDDC, disclosed this at a one-day workshop in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, focusing on implementing a regional flood disaster emergency response strategy.
He said that the Niger Delta was faced with an existential threat due to climate change, which could potentially devastate the region and have an enormous social-economic impact.
“Hence, the commission is currently building multi-purpose emergency shelters across the Niger Delta to provide assistance to flood victims.
“These emergency shelters, designed to accommodate over 1,000 people, will serve as a temporary refuge during flood emergencies,” he said.
Ogbuku disclosed that the facility in each of the states would be equipped with essential amenities such as school, hospital, cafeteria, police post, and recreation centre.
“When completed, these emergency shelters will provide temporary accommodation and necessary services to communities during emergencies.
“We realised that displaced people often seek refuge in school buildings during floods, forcing schools to suspend academic activities at great cost,” he stressed.
The managing director said that the workshop, focused on enhancing resilience in mitigating flood disasters in the region, underscored NDDC’s commitment to addressing the challenge.
According to him, the flood mitigation was crucial, given the region’s topography and proximity to water bodies that made it susceptible to frequent flooding.
“Coastal and riverine communities, situated in low-lying areas, are at significant risk, with data showing over 100 fatalities between January 2021 and April 2023 due to flooding.
“As we approach the peak of the rainy season, urgent measures are necessary to minimise flood impact, with collaboration among organisations and communities essential in this effort,” he said.
Ogbuku urged for partnership with the local communities, state governments, non-governmental organisations and international partners to tackle the disaster.
Mr Onuoha Obeka, Director of Environmental Control and Protection at NDDC, said that the workshop served as a platform for sharing knowledge, understanding best practices and adopting innovative strategies.
He emphasised that the adoption of innovative strategies would strengthen emergency response mechanisms for sustainable recovery post-flood disasters.
“Installing water level gauges and sensors strategically around river systems will provide early flood warning.
“These early warning will facilitate the timely evacuation of people before considerable havoc is done,” he said.
On his part, Prof. Andrew Obafemi, former National President of the Nigeria Cartographic Association, stressed the importance of sharing information and data to reduce flooding effects.
He recommenced the Niger Delta Environmental Survey plan as a crucial project to develop a reliable data bank for addressing flooding in the NDDC states.
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