Ramadan: We depend on N900 to feed – Family of 9 Husband earns N800 daily, wife N3,000 monthly as maid
The story of a 52-year-old Malam Hassan Isa, a nail-cutter, is that of resilience, contentment, persistence and tenacity. For over 17 years, Isa has lived in a makeshift home, enduring the scorching sun, sandstorms and rainy seasons that most times make the house inhabitable.
On Monday when Daily Trust Saturday visited Isa and his family of 10, one could see in him the quest to provide for the family but the economic hardship is weighing him down.
Despite being resolute, Isa, who has made a living through nail-cutting business in the last 40 years, now struggles to provide one square meal for his wife and 9 children to break their Ramadan fast.
Our correspondent, who spent hours during the visit, observed how the family lived on his average earning of between N800 and N900 to break their fast daily.
Isa said they sometimes slept on empty stomachs, narrating how they spent three days without food.
“I only make N800 or N900 per day; I rarely get more than that. The highest amount I earned in this business was N1,600 if I was lucky. I charge only N100 per person.
“However, some days I would go out and won’t make any money because not everyone wants my services every day. On such days, my family and I would go to bed on empty stomachs,” he said.
Sitting on a block under the scorching sun without any tree to provide shed in the compound, Ali said they sometimes lived on the goodwill of their neighbours to break their fast in mosques.
“When neighbours bring food to the mosques, we go there to break our fast. But we give thanks to God almighty; every job has its challenges,” he added.
In the makeshift home, which is made of iron rod, convenience/latrine made from woods and supported by the iron rods with tattered mosquito net, one does not need to be told that they live in abject poverty.
Isa said the plot of land on which he built his makeshift home was given to him by a Good Samaritan, adding that he has lived in 13 different places; and should the owner of the plot ask for it, he would have to find another place.
Wife earns N,3000 monthly as maid
Isa has been married to Bilkisa for 27 years, during which they have been
Malam Isa’a compound
Mal. Hassan Isa rendering his service to a customer
Mal. Hassan and some of his family members
through thick and thin. To support the family, his wife works as a maid in people’s houses and earns between N2,000 and N3,000 per month.
“I go to people’s houses to wash dishes and sweep their floors. I spend four to five hours a day and earn between N2,000 and N3,000 per month. And I have to go to those houses by foot,” she explained.
She, however, gave thanks to God for their lives.
On what they go through during the period of heat as their house is made of iron rods, she said, “We have to endure it by pouring water on ourselves until evening.”
Bilkisa wished she had a small business to assist her husband, saying they hardly
Malam Hassan Isa’s delipidated latrine had enough to eat. She, however, thanked God for the nail-cutting business her husband is doing the maid job she has.
Sharing how she manages her little children when they cry for food, she said, “I usually put a pot on fire to make them stop crying until they sleep off.”
She said it was always difficult to pacify her youngest child, Amira, who is three years old. “Whenever she cries for food, if I have a token, we will buy something for her and tell the others to be patient.
“I bring burnt or scorched food I collect from people’s pots and leftovers to my kids, just to subside their hunger.
“During the rainy season, water passes through the holes in our makeshift home and we have to endure the discomfort of pouring it out of our rooms until the rain stops,” she said.
Mr and Mrs Isa called on the federal and state governments to assist smallscale business owners who are struggling to make a living by providing funds and skills training to ease their hardship.
‘I couldn’t afford N900 for mother’s medication, N200 PTA levy for children’
Isa also said he was faced with more serious challenges as he could not afford N900 for his mother’s ailment, N200 for his children’s education, as well as money to sponsor her grown up daughters that are due for marriage.
He recounted how his relatives called him about his mother’s ailment but he did not have the money needed for treatment. He had to call an old friend to assist him in taking care of the medication and promised to repay him later.
“Yesterday, I received another call from home, requesting assistance. Sadly, I had nothing to give and we could not conclude the conversation before the line went off. Perhaps they had exhausted their credit and I was unable to return their call,” he lamented.
Isa said although he was able to enroll his children in public schools in the local government, he has not been finding life easy to take care of their needs.
“I have been struggling to pay their N200 PTA levy because I have not been able to get it in the past two weeks. And I have two daughters who are due for marriage, but I have no means to marry them off.
“I have never had N20,000 of my own in my entire life, but I do not know what the future holds. I believe that God who made me will never forget me,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu on January 12 ordered the suspension of all programmes being implemented by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) for six weeks. The four programmes administered by NSIPA are N-Power Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and Home-Grown School Feeding Programme. Nine weeks after the suspension, the school feeding programme, among other programmes, has yet to resume. In this interview, Senior Special Assistant to the President on school feeding, Dr Yetunde Adeniji, gives insights on what Nigerians should expect from the new and improved home grown school feeding programme to be re-launched soon.
Sagir Ibrahim
It’s been over nine weeks since the school feeding programme was suspended alongside other social investment programmes by the NSIPA. What’s the update?
Government is looking to ensure that the school feeding programme goes well. And what you see as delay is actually government ensuring that all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed. Government wants sustainability within the programme and we cannot rush into anything.
We have to ensure that the policy that would come up would be reviewed properly and whatever changes will be made to the programme will be for the betterment of the country and communities that will benefit from the programme.
As it is, nothing good comes easy. Things take time. And in order for something to be sustainable, you have to plan it well. And that is what the president wants. He wants a situation where when the programme kicks off, it will kick off bigger, better and larger without any constraints or issues.
So, it’s not an intentional delay. It is to ensure that it is perfect.
Despite its shortfalls, data shows the NHGSF significantly improved enrollment of primary pupils across Nigeria, thereby reducing the number of out-ofschool children. What improved modalities should we expect to build on its success figure?
One of the things we’re going to deploy this time around would be technology. We are going to ensure that technology plays a huge part in home-grown school feeding programme. And this would enable us to have real time data.
We will ensure that states that will be imputed on the dashboard or whichever system we would finally agree on would be able to see what is being given to these kids, real time, real data. We also want to ensure that the health and safety measures are top notch. Health and safety inspectors would be on ground to give adequate report on whatever is going on in those locations or in those schools. We’d be able to communicate better, and also have an avenue for individuals, parents, especially of those kids, to see what is been given to their children. They would be able to send messages to most of the platforms concerning the quality of the food. So, there’ll be an opportunity for feedback, and from those feedback mechanisms, we can improve.
It’s a whole new dimension coming this time around.
Since assuming office you’ve visited a number of states, meeting with key stakeholders. What are some of the peculiarities found in these states and how will they be incorporated to have a robust school feeding programme?
We’re still basically on tour. We’re still going to states. We haven’t covered half yet, but we’re getting there. And for the states that we have visited, we’ve been able to identify some of the issues that are associated with the programme in those states that are peculiar. What happens in state ‘A’ might not happen in state ‘B’. What you feed children in the north might not be what you feed kids in the south. There’s a difference in that aspect. So, you have to put into consideration the terrain, culture and the people themselves.
As it is, each state understands their peculiarities, but so far so good. Most states we have been to have been able to identify their problems. They’ve been able to identify the issues they have and they have been noted.
Most importantly, what we’re trying to do this time around is to give a sense of responsibility to the local government. The local government, which is the grassroots itself, has to take ownership of this programme because it is actually meant for them. So, if there is no ownership, then how do you quantify a lot of things within the programme itself? Where’s the feedback mechanism?
We’ve been going to the grassroots, talking to key stakeholders, religious leaders, the emirs, and explaining to them that the programme is for them. It’s for their children. So, there’s a sense of ownership that has to be taken at that level. If anything is wrong, they have to be the ones to take responsibility. And that is how we can have sustainability of the programme across board.
The programme had initially pegged the cost of a plate of meal at N70 per pupil. With the current realities, give us an insight on the new calculation.
As it is right now, the Minister of Finance, Mr Wale Edun, is working tirelessly to ensure that the policies as regards this programme comes out perfect. Not only in the school feeding programme, but in most of the other programmes that has to do with the NSIP, he’s ensuring that most of the problems are addressed. Alongside the other coordinating ministers; Minister of Budget and Planning, Minister of Youth, Minister of Health, Minister of Communications, they understand what they have to do. So, you have these eggheads coming together to ensure that these programmes are done properly and all these issues addressed.
I can’t tell you that there is a figure right now. But irrespective of that, we would succeed.
Corruption and lack of transparency contributed to what led the programme to be suspended, what measures are being considered to prevent a repeat?
Mr President is passionate about this programme. He’s passionate about children, and he’s ensuring that no stones are left unturned. As it is, we are working with other development partners to ensure transparency.
What the president wants is to ensure that every child is fed with a nutritious meal once a day. Technology will play a huge part and we will be monitoring the programme to ensure that there’s transparency from A to Z. And when you have people from different backgrounds being a part of a particular process, you can be rest assured that the programme itself would be secured. It will be hitch free, and there would be transparency and accountability because you’re working with people who would have to give reports at one point or the other, and everything has to be documented.
We’d also be working with people from different ministries, who are knowledgeable about the programme. We have people from the health sector, as well as from humanitarian and education sectors. These people will come together to ensure that there is transparency. We are also working with development partners and NGOs, so it’s a collective assignment.
As I said earlier, there has to be a sense of ownership from the grassroots, because the people at the grassroots level will ensure that this programme goes well within their communities because they don’t want to fail. Everybody has to come together, even the private sector, to ensure that it goes well.
What we’re aiming at is not for today, it’s not for after the dispensation of this government. We’re talking about many years to come. It should run itself.
What other messages would you like to add?
In order to achieve greatness in a society or in a community, people have to come together, irrespective of political or ideological differences, tribe, religion, to ensure that our nation is great. And one of the things that we can do together is to ensure the wellbeing of our children.
There are a lot of out-of-school children, and the president is concerned about that. That’s the reason why he just appointed a new Executive Secretary for the Almajiri and out-of-school children.
Mr President wants a situation where every child will be off the streets and back into the classrooms. Giving them a healthy meal will also ensure that. It’s a long road, but it can be done.
President Asiwaju is capable of ensuring that we achieve greatness. I believe that things would change, and we’re working towards it. Very soon, a lot of things will start to turn around.
The Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria is currently embroiled in multi-faceted crises, surprising many observers, given the country’s volatile political landscape and the success recorded by the party in the 2023 general elections.
But these new rounds of crises have a historical background as leadership crises have been with the party since 2020.
The incumbent national chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dan Nwanyanwu, a lawyer, concluded his terms as the national chairman of the LP and handed over to the late Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam in October 2014.
The death of Alhaji Abdulsalam in December 2020 resulted in a crisis as party leaders scrambled to emerge as the new national chairman. However, this was managed and resolved, eventually culminating in the emergence of Julius Abure as acting and eventually the subsisting national chairman of the party. Before his emergence as chairman in 2021, he was a national legal adviser and national secretary.
A former deputy national chairman of the party, Chief Calistus Okafor, however, challenged Abure after he claimed to be the authentic national chairman of the party by virtue of his position.
The LP, founded in 2002 by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), was previously known as the Party for Social Democracy (PSD) before formally changing to its current name the following year after the 2003 general elections.
But apart from producing Olusegun Mimiko as the governor of Ekiti State in 2009, the party has had moderate success. This, however, changed on May 27, 2022 when a former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, joined the party with members of his Obidient Movement shortly after he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a bid to contest the 2023 presidential election.
With this influx of new members, the party enjoyed unprecedented success in the 2023 elections, coming in third in the presidential election and winning a handful of federal and state legislative seats, as well as the governorship seat in Abia State.
But with this newfound fame came a new round of crisis for the party. Trouble started for the party soon after the 2023 general elections when some members under the leadership of Alhaji Lamidi Apapa and Abayomi Arabambi accused the national chairman, Abure, of mismanaging the party’s funds.
Abure was accused of running the affairs of the party like a personal estate, a charge Abure denied. This led to the factionalisation of the party.
The Abure-Apapa feud went from courts to some states of the federation, with accusations and counteraccusations on who had the genuine interest of the party at heart and who was its genuine leader.
The crisis was, however, resolved in favour of Abure after court declarations and the massive support he enjoyed among majority of the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) of the party.
In one of the decisive court judgements on the LP crisis, Justice Hamma Barka of the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo State, read
Labour Party Chairman, Julius Abure
the decision of the court in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, confirming Abure as LP chairman.
The judgement vacated an order of April 5, 2023 by Justice Hamza Muazu, which restrained Abure from parading himself as the LP chairman. The High Court order was a fallout of a suit filed by the Chief Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the party.
Treasurer accuses chairman of financial impropriety
As the dust was settling down on the Apapa legal tussle and the party was trying to chart a new way forward, the now suspended national treasurer of the party, Mrs Oluchi Oparah, in February this year, accused the party chairman of financial impropriety, demanding that Abure accounts for the party’s funds of over N3.5billion being the proceeds of the sale of forms and other fundraisers for the 2023 general elections.
However, Abure, in a response signed by the national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated that Mrs Oparah was being sponsored to tarnish the party’s image and she would be referred to the disciplinary committee of the party for appropriate actions, which later resulted in her suspension for six months.
While the party’s NWC quickly dropped the sledgehammer on Mrs Oparah, its presidential candidate and leader, Peter Obi, demanded a thorough investigation of the allegation against the party chairman.
Abure arrested in Benin
On February 21, a combined force of armed policemen and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) arrested the embattled Abure in Benin, Edo State.
Two of the members of the National Working Committee had confirmed the development to the Daily Trust in Abuja.
Abure was reportedly arrested on the allegation of attempted murder, among other infractions.
The arrest followed a petition by a former LP youth leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia, who was expelled in the wake of the crisis rocking the party in 2023.
Reacting to the development, the party’s national spokesman, Ifoh, claimed that the