News

Exclusive :Seven Women Rejected My Marriage Proposal – Polio Survivor

Published

3 years ago

July 2, 2021

Even though he grew up knowing himself as a polio survivor – the predicament he has been managing for 48 years – Mr Bashir Idris isn’t deterred from reflecting on his unpleasant experience at every slight opportunity.

Born hale and hearty five decades ago, Idris’ dream of becoming a Soldier was cut short when he contacted the polio disease at the tender age of two.

“I was told I contacted polio when I was just two years old, now I’m 50 years old, meaning I have been battling with this condition for 48 years, how I wish there was an awareness campaign about polio immunization like this then, I love to be a Soldier or medical Doctor, now I am a Carpenter, but in everything we give thanks to almighty Allah”, Idris explained.

Sitting on bare floor and smiling beckoningly to get the attention of crowd who came to catch a glimpse of the just concluded rally of polio immunization plus days at Agadasawa, Yola and Madatai settlements in Kano Municipal Area Council, members of Journalist Against Polio (JAP) observed the 50 years old Idris’ conspicuous enthusiasm to share his experience so as to serve as deterrent to other parents.

When approached for comment, Idris energetically narrated how his several attempts to marry a Woman of his choice without polio disease hit a brick wall as seven women rejected his marriage proposal due to the polio stigmatization and their belief that the disease is hereditary, hence they were skeptical about giving the green light to his proposal.

“I attempted to marry a woman without polio disease on several occasions, about seven ladies ran away because of stigmatization. Then, they believed if they marry a polio survivor, there is the possibility of them giving birth to a child with polio disease (smiling), now we thank God that such myth is fading away, but that doesn’t change the fact that polio did not allow me to marry a woman of my choice” he spoke further.

Idris is however urging Parents and Guardians in Kano to release their wards of less than five years for Polio Immunization so as to spare them of such avoidable lifetime bitter experience.

We Don’t Want Our Members to Increase Anymore – Chairman Polio Survivors

Meanwhile, the dream of most organizations is to increase their membership base, but on the flip side, the reverse is the case for the Polio Survivors Association as its mandate is to get rid of new members to avoid the spread of the highly tasking and challenging virus.

“We decided to join this rally to tell the general public about the challenges we are facing and the need for them to embrace polio vaccine for their wards so that they will not end up like us, enough is enough, we don’t want our members to increase anymore” Yahaya A Yahaya, Chairman of Polio Survivors Association in Kano Municipal posited.

Yahaya lamented how his members are being segregated and marginalized even when they are qualified for a certain position in the society due to their difficulty.

“I was a three years old when I got polio disease, how I wish they gave me polio vaccine then because being a cripple person is not easy in Nigeria, we are being marginalized anywhere we go, no equal opportunity, you know contacting polio disease is a lifetime experience that you wouldn’t wish your enemy” he stated.

Speaking with JAP Correspondents at the rally conducted simultaneously in four zones including Bichi, Gwale, Tofa and Nasarawa, the Nasarawa Zonal Health Educator, Haladu Muhammed said the essence of the campaign was to draw the residents’ attention to the importance of the polio immunization considering the fact that some settlements in the affected zones experienced a pocket of noncompliance during the last Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) which was conducted in this year January.

Nigeria Must Not Relax Despite Polio Free Status – Official

On his part, a Local Immunization Officer of Nasarawa Local Government Area, Sani Abdul Sani Mai Nagge described the turn out of the exercise as very impressive. He assured that the targeted population of 165,085 in the LGA will be immunized during the four days campaign.

“Of course, the immunization of the target population is achievable because before the implementation of this house to house, we had conducted 2 days DOPV, going from one street to another, for example, motor parks, markets, busy streets, we used to visit them before this four days campaign and during the period, we immunized over 50, 000 children and we have over 237 teams going from one house to another and there are 108 special teams visiting markets, schools and other strategic places, so we can easily cover the targeted population”

Nigeria was certified polio free in July 2020, asked why the need for the continued polio immunization exercise after attaining the feat, Sani Mai Nagge however said “after the declaration of polio free in Nigeria, even you yourself, can you tell me how many children were born from that time to now and how many were supposed to be vaccinated? We must not relax just like that and allow the virus to resurface again in the country”

Kano State Government is targeting over three million under five years old children for special immunization this month, with over 3.9 million doses of polio vaccines, the move aimed at ensuring that every child in the State is safe against the virus.

News

Frontfoot Media to host its 5th Media Audit Reporting workshop in Gombe

Published

9 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

By Asile Abel,Jos

FrontFoot Media Initiative has concluded plans to hold the fifth edition of its Audit Reporting Training programme for journalists to be hosted in Gombe State.

Statement by the Front Foot Media Initiative Training Coordinator Mr Chido Nwakanma said previous trainings were held in Benin, Awka, Abuja, and Lagos state.

He added that, FrontFoot Media Initiative will hold the training under the auspices of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and the sponsorship of the MacArthur Foundation.

Mr Emeka Izeze, a director of FrontFoot Media, said “The Gombe programme will feature participants not only from Gombe but also from the neighbouring states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Plateau, and Taraba, a testament to the inclusivity and reach of Front Foot’s training initiatives. We look forward to training about 40 media personnel, each of whom plays a crucial role in our media landscape.”

Adding to the statement, Gombe State Governor, Muhammed Inuwa Yahaya would address participants in line with his agenda of openness and accountability.

Frontfoot Media Initiative also announced that Mr Ismaila Zakari, a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, an Internal Auditor of Premium Pensions Abuja, and an ICAN Fellow, will lead the training supported by Mr Yusuf Doma, a Fellow of ICAN and Internal Auditor at Premium Pensions Abuja. Their expertise and guidance will ensure a high-quality learning experience for all participants.

The media and capacity building NGO described the programme as “a flagship capacity development programme of FrontFoot Media Initiative. It is a Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project.

“In this effort, FrontFoot teams, accompanied by experts in the field, work in pre-selected states where they conduct free training for journalists. Participants learn how and where to locate the relevant reports, interpret the material, and write engaging news stories and features that enlighten, stimulate, and empower the electorate, and discourage impunity.” the statement added.

News

Babangida’s Military Contemporary, Lt. General Garba Duba, Passes On at 82

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

A military contemporary of Nigeria’s former military President, Lieutenant General Garba Duba, has died.

General Garba Duba died at the age of 82. A native of Kontagora, Niger State, Duba held several positions during his military career, including serving as Governor of Bauchi State in 1978 and as Governor of Sokoto State during Buhari’s regime.

An impeccable source told NIGERIAN TRACKER that the funeral prayer for the late Duba was held today, Friday, after Jumuat prayer at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Governor Muhammad Umar Bago of Niger State and legislators from the state attended the funeral prayer.

He joined the army as a Cadet Officer at the Nigerian Military Training College Zaria in 1962, presumably a course mate of Ibrahim Babangida. At the beginning of his career, he was at the Indian Military Academy. Duba was one of the northern officers who participated in the Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 which led to the death of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. During the Nigeria Civil War, he was a Captain, commanding a squadron of armored vehicles. As military governor of Bauchi state, he provided infrastructure in the form of residential accommodation and offices, including secretariats for the newly-created 16 local government areas.

In 1993, he retired from the military and went into private businesses where he held positions like chairman, New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC), chairman of SGI Nigeria Limited, director in First Bank of Nigeria, non-executive director of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and chairman of the board of Leadway pension fund.

News

ECOWAS Parliament to hold Second Extraordinary Session in Kano

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

All arrangements have been concluded for the Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be held in Kano, Nigeria.

The Second Extraordinary Session, according to the ECOWAS Parliament, will be held at the Bristol Hotel in Kano, the Commercial Centre of the country, between the 20th and 25th May, 2024.

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, attended the inaugural session of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament held on April 4, this year.

The Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Barau I Jibrin, emerged as the First Deputy Speaker of the assembly during the inauguration.

The event, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, will attract parliamentarians from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’ Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Republic of Togo.

The ECOWAS Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, is one of the institutions of the ECOWAS. It is the Assembly of Peoples of the Community, serving as a forum of dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of the people of West Africa to promote integration.

In a statement signed by special adviser to Senate President on Media and publicity Ismail Mudassir said the ECOWAS Parliament which was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS revised treaty of 1993, is composed of 115 seats.