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Nigeria @ 64: The One The World Troubles [OPINION]

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2024

By Suyi Ayodele

Eniayéndàmú (He whom the world is troubling) was born good. His birth was celebrated. Leaders all over the world gathered at his christening. The expectations of what the baby would be later in life were high. And the expectations were not misplaced.

Nature took care of Eniayéndàmú’s future from the cradle. Everything that should make life comfortable for him and his offspring was deposited in his backyard. To ensure that he attained the expectations of his parents and well wishers, God gave him good caregivers in his infancy. I mean men and women of honour who competed among themselves to give the best to the newborn baby. Those early caregivers were good economists in their own rights. They took advantage of the facilities and deposits in their immediate environments and turned around the living conditions of Eniayéndàmú.

In the West, Eniayéndàmú’s caregiver used cocoa proceeds to nurture him. The man up North relied on groundnut pyramids and prepared Eniayéndàmú’s future. His minder from the eastern side utilised proceeds from oil palm to attend to his needs and future. The Mid-West babysitter gave Eniayéndàmú. the best from rubber and oil palm. Life was good; life was abundant and Eniayéndàmú flourished.

The child grew in leaps and bounds. Nations came to him for help. Neighbours fought over one another to get his attention. He lent to international bodies. He had no need to borrow. Eniayéndàmú became prosperous. He had money and every other thing money could buy. He became an instant leader. His age mates waited on him. Nobody dared take any decision without his consent. He dictated the tunes, he set the pace. He was a darling of the world.

Along the line, something happened to Eniayéndàmú. His growth became stunted. Though he has all the features of an adult, Eniayéndàmú retains the frame of a toddler. The promising child has grey hairs in all the five places – head, ear, nose, armpit and pubic. But he is still crawling. Though he eats all edibles and cracks all bones, the adult-child has refused to walk. While all his age mates have developed, our beautiful child remains in one position. His bones are strong, but he is weak to stand up and walk. The one who was once a lender has now become the worst of all chronic debtors, finds it difficult to service his debts just as he owes the most inconceivable of all creditors.

How did Eniayéndàmú arrive at this ill-fated curve of his life? The simple answer is that the significance of his name came calling on him. A man is as good as his name. Names and their meanings are very important in our society. When a child is named Folórunsó (God watches over him), he is not expected to take silly risks like climbing a palm tree with a weak rope. The same way an Onaiwu (this one shall not die), who doesn’t know how to swim, is expected to avoid rivers. Trouble started with Eniayéndàmú, when he got rid of all his good infant minders and handed over the affairs of his life to locusts who came in the form of new babysitters.

While the world at large mourns the turn of events for Eniayéndàmú, his new caregivers are least bothered. While men of honour and goodwill agree that Eniayéndàmú deserves better treatment from his new minders than he gets, the victim itself shows no sign that he wants to get out of the woods. When the poor are content with poverty, it is difficult to preach prosperity to them. That is the lot of Eniayéndàmú.

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That is why at over six decades, Eniayéndàmú, with a beard that is as long as the tail of a monkey, crawls where his mates do marathons. Everything nature has deposited in him to make him great in life has turned out to be a curse. Every nourishment that would have allowed him to grow and compete with his contemporaries all over the world has been appropriated by his caregivers. This is why he remains prostrate amid wealth. His is a great calamity! And more calamitous is the fact that there is no hope of a better tomorrow as the worst of caregivers oversee Eniayéndàmú’s affairs at the moment.

Today is October 1. Exactly 64 years ago, the British Union Jack was lowered for the Nigerian Flag of green-white-green to be hoisted. In our elementary classes, we were told that the two green stripes on our Flag stand for the “natural wealth of the country.” The white stripe, our General Studies teachers said, represents “peace and unity.” Fantastic concepts by the first set of caregivers. Nigeria is indeed blessed with natural resources. We have no reason to be poor. But the late Primate of Anglican Communion, Bishop Abiodun Adetiloye, explained why we are poor amid wealth. He said God gave us locusts as leaders to manage our resources. Locusts, by nature, don’t leave anything to harvest on the field! This is why our leaders upon leaders pillage our natural resources to no end

The designer of our National Flag, Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi, added the white stripe in the middle as a symbol of “peace and unity. The old man died on August 29, 2023, at the ripe age of 87. He witnessed 63 years of birthday anniversaries of the nation he helped to nurture. I don’t know if the man was happy seeing how the peace and unity he conceived in his design became our albatross; how Nigerians of all tribes were turned against one another by leaders who only thrive in disunity, chaos and insecurity. Nigeria is 64 years old today, we can ask how many of us are at peace and how united are we as a nation? At 64, the Nation question, which formed part of our secondary school debates and symposia about 40 years ago remains unresolved. A friend told me that there are only two tribes: the good and the bad people. But in Nigeria of today, we still think along the argument of which region or ethnic group is domineering or short-changed. The world has indeed troubled us!

How did we get here? How did we allow the present locusts in power at all levels of our political administration, divide us such that the poor in the land cannot come together to chart a new plan for Nigeria? How did we arrive at this terrible juncture such that when those who stole the nation blind come visiting with their palliatives, we gather in our thousands to hail them? How do we explain that while Herbert Macaulay established the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons (NCNC) in 1944, which later changed National convention of Nigerian Citizens, and appointed Nnamdi Azikiwe as his Secretary-General and deputy, but today, an Okechukwu Mbanefo cannot become a councillor in Kosofe Local Government? And how an Obajusigbe Adeyemi cannot own a shop in Upper Iweka, Onitsha, Anambra State? Why is it that the same North where the late Ahmadu Bello appointed a Sunday Awoniyi of Mopa, Kogi State, as his Private Secretary, can no longer tolerate an Adewale Ibiyemi as a clerical officer in Sokoto Civil Service Commission?

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Today, our present eaters of vegetation would gather in stadiums across the state capitals and local government headquarters to take the National Salute in celebration of our independence. In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, our new husband, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would mount the rostrum while members of the nation’s Armed Forces would march past to give him the traditional National Salute. In Government Houses and various banquet halls, there would be wining and dining, dancing and clinking of glasses. Various event centres would be decorated, and balloons would be inflated to give an ambience of a nation in joyous mood. A look across those cosmetic environments, poverty, squalor and deprivation walk on all fours.

On the highways, amidst the celebrations, Nigerians would be kidnapped in their hundreds. In villages across the North-East and North-West, thousands of peasant farmers would be attacked and killed by bandits. In Benue, Plateau and Niger States, this very day of independence, villagers and other ordinary citizens would be at the mercy of terrorists, bandits and cattle rustlers. In the South-West countryside, felonious herdsmen would make meat of farmers on their farms. But in the FCT and all state capitals, our unfeeling caregivers would hug and backslap one another, mouthing “happy independence.” But why has this sordid fate befallen Eniayéndàmú’?

The fault is not entirely our leaders’. Our misfortune as a nation is a shared one – the leaders and the led are guilty. How many Nigerians have summoned the courage to question their political leaders? How many of us have the courage to interrogate how a man who could barely feed his family suddenly turned a multi-millionaire in less than six months after he was appointed as a minister, or commissioner, or elected as a senator or a member of a state House of Assembly? Who defends these figures if not the same poor masses? I have come to realise that most Nigerians lament and condemn their leaders only when they are not benefiting directly from the largesse stolen from our collective patrimony. Once their kinsmen are in power, and bits of the national cake drop for them to pick, most Nigerians don’t care. Once it is our son, we build a wall of protection round him.

The Edo State governorship election took place on September 21. The results were announced, and a winner declared on September 22. With all that we witnessed while the exercise lasted, many elites still hail the outcome. To some, it would not matter how it happened “as long as Governor Obaseki did not produce his successor from his own political party.” To many, the election was about settling age-long personal scores and how the winner emerged is immaterial. I asked a hitherto old ‘human rights activist’, who played a major role in the electioneering, how he felt about the outcome. In all sincerity, he said that he was “personally scandalised”. Then he added a caveat: “But I am happy that Obaseki has been taught a lesson he will never forget.” I probed further if his being “scandalised” and being “happy” are not too sharp opposites. He simply said: “My brother, this is politics.” Yeah, it is all about politics. I learnt long ago that an average Nigerian keeps his morality and decency in a locked safe while venturing into politics, those virtues are not needed in that sector! Little wonder our Eniayéndàmú is still crawling at 64. No nation with the mentality of “anything goes in politics” can ever develop.

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Because “anything goes in politics”, our leaders steal us blind and give us palliatives to assuage our hunger. A friend, on his Facebook page, while summing up the Edo governorship election, said that prostitutes are far ahead of an average Nigerian voter in intelligence. He explained that while a prostitute charges her customers each time they come knocking at her door, the Nigerian voters charge politicians only once in four years. This is why people collect as low as N10,000 to vote for a particular candidate or political party. How do we explain a man who bought fuel at N1,200 per litre, drove his car to a voting centre on the election day and changed his mind about the party and candidate he had left his house to vote for because another political party handed him N10,000. The money he collected can only fetch him 8.3 litres of fuel at N1, 200/litre! Who would he blame if the one he voted for did not perform in office?

On July 29, 2024, Sokoto-based Islamic scholar, Sheik Bello Yabo, stunned the entire nation when he announced that at a meeting with President Tinubu, the President told his audience that he bought the presidential seat in 2023. Sheik Yabo, who met with the president alongside other traditional rulers, when Tinubu made the disclosure, said this of the President: “Tinubu has really impressed me. He invited all the traditional rulers from the North, West and East and told them humbly that ‘I bought this seat I’m on with money’.” The clergyman described what the President said as “naked truth” and descended on those who sold their votes in the 2023 presidential election as those who “have eaten the spaghetti and macaroni you have been given to vote, and now it is finished; it is all over. So, what next?”. He has no kind advice for the vote sellers as he counsels them to wait for 2027 to, if they like, “collect his money again and vote for him, and I assure you, you will remain in pain, that’s all.”

It is only in Nigeria that a President could come out to say that he bought the Presidency, and nothing would happen to him. “Naked”, as the ‘truth’ in President Tinubu’s statement might appear to be, how many of us have the courage to tell him that vote buying, or “seat buying” is not part of our electoral law; that it is purely criminal to engage in that kind of a venture? Can’t we all now see why this government is transactional in all ramifications? The elders of my place say whatever wares one spends money to procure must equally fetch one money (Ojà tí a bá fi owó rà, owó la fi ńpa). If Tinubu bought the seat, would he be wrong if he tries to recoup his investment? And who is that businessman who would not want good ROI (Return-On-Investment)? This is another reason why Eniayéndàmú has refused to take his first wobbling steps. When voters sell their votes, they should not expect anything good from the buyers they assisted to get to power.

Nigeria is in a mess today; that is a fact. It is not even a new one for that matter. The world has indeed troubled us through the locusts who took over after we got rid of the founding fathers of the nation either by killing them or preventing the best of them from attaining the highest office in the land. A nation which writes the epitaph: “The Best President Nigeria Never Had”, on the tombstone of its best cannot but crawl at 64! The world has indeed troubled us; hence we lament: Eniayéndàmú. Who do we turn to for help? My native intelligence tells me that the solution lies in the full complement of the name, Eniayéndàmú. It says: Eniayéndàmú ò ye kí ò dàmú ara è (He whom the world is troubling should endeavour not to trouble himself). May the masses one day borrow themselves sense!

News

Gbaboyor’s Allegations Against Otuaro Baseless, Malicious — PAP Office

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Editor

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has described the recent allegations made by Mr Jude Gbaboyor against the Administrator of the Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, as baseless and malicious.

In a video circulating on Facebook, which he purportedly recorded in the United States, Gbaboyor levelled grave and unfounded accusations against Dr Otuaro, including claims of murder, ritualism, and kidnapping.

Reacting to the video, in a statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, Mr Igoniko Oduma, on Monday, stated that the video in which he called for the Administrator’s removal, “represents yet another desperate attempt by Gbaboyor to defame Otuaro’s character and undermine the credible work of the Programme.”

The statement added that “Gbaboyor now a fugitive committed the crimes of cyberstalking among others and decided to flee the country to evade arrest and prosecution.”

The statement emphasized that the said Gbaboyor was dismissed from the PAP due to his “unacceptable conduct some years back and should be discountenanced by the reading public.”

The statement reads, ‘’This is not the first time Gbaboyor has made outrageous and unsubstantiated claims against the PAP boss. His persistent campaign of calumny prompted the PAP Administrator to formally petition relevant security agencies, citing cyberstalking and criminal intimidation.

“When invited by the Nigeria Police Force to answer questions regarding these spurious allegations, Gbaboyor fled the country, effectively making himself a fugitive from justice.

‘’It is instructive to note that Gbaboyor’s relentless attacks on Dr Otuaro began only after the Administrator rejected his request for reinstatement at the Amnesty Office, from which he was previously dismissed several years ago due to his lack of character.

“Having failed to ingratiate himself with the PAP leadership and secure reemployment through proper channels, Gbaboyor has resorted to character assassination and the dissemination of false information.

‘’Particularly troubling is Gbaboyor’s appeal to the President of the United States to interfere in what is purely a personal matter under local jurisdiction. This represents a profound insult to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a misguided attempt to internationalise personal grievances.

‘’The Presidential Amnesty Programme urges members of the public to disregard these irresponsible acts and baseless allegations in their entirety. If Gbaboyor genuinely believes in the veracity of his claims, he should demonstrate the courage of his convictions by returning to Nigeria to substantiate them before the appropriate authorities and courts of law.

‘’Instead, his flight from lawful police invitation and subsequent attacks from abroad reveal the true nature of his campaign: a calculated effort to malign a public servant from the safety of foreign shores, beyond the immediate reach of Nigerian law enforcement.

‘’Under Dr Dennis Otuaro’s leadership, the Presidential Amnesty Programme has remained focused on its mandate of fostering sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta region. The Programme will not be distracted by spurious allegations from misguided and individuals pursuing personal vendettas.

‘’The Presidential Amnesty Programme reaffirms its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law and will continue to pursue all legal remedies available to protect the integrity and reputation of the Administrator and the agency.”

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OPINION] General Christopher Musa: Lessons And Warnings

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Editor

By Lasisi Olagunju

Better a child is confirmed dead than a child is unaccounted for. I am not sure we remember that about 250 pupils of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri village in Niger State, remain in captivity. They’ve been with their abductors since November 21 without Nigeria losing a day’s sleep. And we say Donald Trump was wrong to say we are “a disgraced country.”

Anguish, helplessness and despair are not pleasant words to describe the state of anyone; but they perfectly fit the conditions of the parents of the missing kids. One distraught father told the BBC: “If they (the bandits) hear you speak about them, before you know it they’ll come for you. They’ll come to your house and drag you into the bush… I feel so bitter, and my wife hasn’t eaten for days… We are not happy at all. We need someone who will help us and take action.”

So, who will help them? Some of the kids, mere five-year-olds, sleep and wake up there in the bush; they must be wondering why they have to be in someone’s ‘prison’ while the country appears to have moved on. It is terrible.

It is “’Bout time this town had a new sheriff”, a law enforcer says in ‘High Plains Drifter’, a 1973 film that is about retributive justice, about criminals getting what they deserve; about a crime-wracked town that sounds almost like Lagos – it is Lago. The new sheriff is ‘The Stranger’ who brought precision guns, “reversals and exposures” and swept the town clean of crime and criminals. Read the text – it reads like Nigeria. And there is apparently a new sheriff in the Nigerian town. He is said to be Christopher Musa, smooth-talking, clean-shaven, debonair and handsome. But how far can he go?

“Be careful. You’re a man who makes people afraid, and that’s dangerous.” Sarah Belding says in the film above. Nothing should rattle a battle-tested General, yet Christopher Musa, the new minister of defence, must feel more than a flicker of awe at the sheer tumult of the welcome he has received so far. He must be even more afraid of the character of the system that has hired him. To help parents such as the quoted above, Musa has been drafted from retirement. But, what he is joining is no war council; it is a cruise party; the ship he has just boarded is not a warship built for battle against criminals. It is a yacht, a vessel for leisure, for politics, for power, and for wealth.

The man came highly recommended with very rare national acceptability. I’ve always believed that history rewards competence and exposes pretenders. If I say that your next position is encased in your present performance, I will be right. I look at the new Minister of Defence, General Musa. The whole world marked his script as our Chief of Defence Staff and said he passed. I do not have access to the marking scheme, but what I know is that the man is very fortunate. He has a sweet tongue and a good head but he has also worked hard to earn the epaulettes that light the path of his active engagements.

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Every feat and office has its witnesses. Julius Caesar did not become Rome’s most powerful figure by bribing consuls and senators and sowing discord in opposition forces. He worked positively hard in his journey of service. He was a General who solved problems. And a leader who solves problems becomes naturally indispensable. That is why Musa had to come back so soon after Nigeria retired him.

I cannot remember any appointment made by this president that has universal appeal and endorsement as we’ve seen with Christopher Musa’s. From the initial speculation to the announcement, to his Senate appearance and screening, the man suffered neither darts nor missiles. Even the fissures and factions of Nigeria spared him the usual smears. Everyone, everywhere owned him. He appeared (appears) loved by all.

A General will always earn the loyalty of his troops if they see and feel in him personal courage, discipline, and strategic clarity. Caesar did not directly lobby for leadership; his results made Rome accept his destiny. History says his rise was built on an extraordinary record in the Gallic Wars (58–50 BCE). In that war he subdued the major tribes of Gaul, captured numerous fortified towns, and brought almost the entire region covering much of what is today France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, Italy, and Germany under Roman rule. By transforming Rome’s power Caesar transformed his own political destiny. History adds that he, as a General, displayed extraordinary engineering genius by building a bridge across the Rhine in just ten days and by leading two bold expeditions to Britain. The Roman General accomplished these feats and stunned Europe; his competence imposed him on his world.

Musa was sworn in on Thursday to pursue his own destiny; his hours started counting almost immediately. There is an experience of leisure and luxury called honeymoon. Every English word possesses a history, its etymology. The history of ‘honeymoon’ is rooted in medieval times when newlyweds shared a honey-fermented drink called mead for a moon cycle (a month of thirty days). It was a rite of fortune steeped in symbolism and was believed to usher the couple into a union blessed with good fortune, sweetness, and fertility. For today’s many newlyweds, rich or poor, honeymoon is “a cachet of distinction” which they all insist they must enjoy. But this beautiful bride, Musa, cannot have a honeymoon. I hope he knows. Accepting to be defence minister of Nigeria at this point is the same as accepting to fetch hot coal with one’s bare palm. With his two palms, and with all his faculties perfect, the new minister went for Nigeria’s smoldering balls of embers. What he accepted is a hot plate. You don’t go that far and still think you can pause and rest. He cannot.

Whatever he says or has said will be used to judge him. And he has been talking: He says he won’t negotiate with bandits: “No negotiations with any criminal, because those things compromise security. If you negotiate with them, they will never abide by it. It is just a monetary tactic, what they do is try to buy more time to acquire more arms, and then they will come out again. We have seen it repeatedly,” he said. The man insists that bandits are traitorous criminals, they do not want peace: “Terrorists are enemies of Nigeria; they have no respect for human life. We are going to go after them fully, working together with all security agencies…”

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Absurd Wars, Absurd Lords

General Musa will not negotiate with terrorists but the forces he will meet on the battlefield here are more than the bandits, Boko Haram and their brother terrorists. He knows there are powerful people who profess negotiation because bandits are their brothers. A war against bandits is against such men of means.

Musa needs the support of his appointers to deliver. This is where I pity him. His makers may have already achieved their aim: respite from Donald Trump and his troublesome band, home and abroad. In other words, the positive review which the president has got from the new minister’s choice may have been the end the system wanted; nothing more. I may be wrong; if I am wrong here I will be happy. US-based Professor Moses Ochonu put it more elegantly in a Facebook post: “While having a competent and uncompromised defense minister helps, the problem ultimately is not about who is the minister. Rather, it is whether there’s the political will, unsoiled by political and electoral calculation, to go after the terrorists, and whether the Tinubu government is willing to humbly admit that its non-kinetic counterterrorism strategy has not only failed but has emboldened the terrorists, and is, as a result, ready to move to a more offensive posture.” Musa should read this again as he prepares for this phase of his life and career.

The new minister can talk, and he has been talking. Musa wants Nigeria fenced round to combat terror. He said: “Border management is very critical. We have had countries that because of the level of insecurity in their country had to fence their borders. Pakistan fenced 1,350 kilometers of border with Afghanistan; that was the only time they had peace. Saudi Arabia and Iraq, 1,400 km border, is completely fenced.” Geography says Nigeria’s total boundary stretches roughly 4,047 km by land and 853 km along its coastline, giving it an approximate total perimeter of about 4,900 km. Now, let me ask Musa: Which of our own neighbours is our own Afghanistan? The truth is that we are the Afghanistan of Africa. We, not our neighbours, are the danger to be fenced off. The new minister and his team can change our story and our status. They won’t do that with weird ideas like border fencing which is potentially another project etched in the image of an elephant painted white.

But, then, I wonder where the fencing idea came from. The intelligent General from Southern Kaduna has probably forgotten that Boko Haram in the North-East started as a Nigerian start-up. The group has essentially remained a Nigerian brand exporting abhorrence to Chad, Niger, Cameroon, even Benin.

Again, has Musa, the gadfly, forgotten that banditry in the North-West has its roots in the historical tension between the Hausa and the Fulani? Did he listen to a recent interview by the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, where he admitted that banditry and terrorism in northern Nigeria is self-inflicted? For the records, Bashir Dalhatu said: “We have fifteen million out-of-school children roaming the streets. If we had taken care of that, it would not have gotten out of hand.” The General should read Dalhatu’s lips and ask himself what a fence would do to prevent the multi-million idle hands from becoming the devil’s workshop. A fence will be as useless as a door locked against the enemy within.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:OPINION: Kukah And A Nation Of Marabouts

The Musa that I watched on TV has no deficit of education. Leadership has never been an accident of luck. Those who attained it worked for it; the best among them are the truly educated ones. Because of his apparent good education, this Musa is not like the one at the gate whispering peace to bandits. His voice has been very shrill against the enemy, but he needs more than his voice to win this war. The enemy is not the Wall of Jericho. He should fight criminals and battle those who excuse their crimes.

The man has a model to copy in legendary British Iron lady, Margaret Thatcher who had the IRA extremists to pummel almost four decades ago. In the midst of “The Troubles” and their bombs, Thatcher reminded her country that: “Crime and violence injure not only the victim, but all of us, by spreading fear and making the streets no-go areas for decent people…To be soft on crime is to betray the law-abiding citizen. And to make excuses for the criminal is to offer incentives to dishonesty and violence. Crime flourishes in a culture of excuses…” Thatcher did not just talk and go to bed; she followed her talk with concrete actions and degraded the enemy.

Our new minister needs good Nigerians to succeed and he already has them. If he will keep them, he must be felt more in action rather than in words. A billion words are mere hot air, they can’t fill a basket. Everyone knows this. Policies and actions that terminate banditry and terrorism are what will sustain his name and legacy of heroism. He will achieve that only when he fences off bloodline politics and treats crime as crime.

I go back to Thatcher. To our president and his minister, I recommend the words of the Iron Lady uttered on October 12, 1990 (35 years ago). She told her Conservative Party that “crime is not a sickness to be cured; it is a temptation to be resisted, a threat to be deterred, and an evil to be punished.”

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Maternal Mortality: MMS Tackling Scourge —Bauchi Women Testify

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

Editor

Some women in Bauchi state have testified that the introduction of the Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) during antenatal care was a life saving medication reducing maternal mortality rate in the state.

Some of the women spoke with newsmen on Monday while the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Bauchi Field Office led some journalists to observe the level of acceptance and testimonies from them.

According to them, the intake of the MMS has eliminated all sorts of fatigue, weaknesses and sickness that accompanied pregnancy making them feel less worried about the delivery day.

A 26-year old Maryam Musa with nine months pregnancy, who explained that she initially felt reluctant taking the MMS drug due to its size and colour, said the acceptance of the drugs had greatly helped her and the pregnancy.

“This is my first time having a baby and I’ve been taking MMS along with folic acid but the MMS is very effective because before I started using, I did fall sick but after the medication everything stopped.

“I can feel the baby moving in my belly and I do all my house chores myself and I’m calling on all pregnant women to register for antenatal care because it’s very important to you as a mother and the baby,” she said.

She advised women who collect money from their husband, lying that the drugs were sold to them to desist, adding that their well-being and that of their baby should be their top priority.

Also, a first time physically challenged pregnant woman, Khadija Mai-Auduga who spoke through an interpreter, said even since she started taking the Multiple Micronutrient Supplements twice daily as prescribed, she hadn’t complained of anything so far.

Mai-Auduga, who explained that her husband is also physically challenged, said he has been supportive of her antenatal care and the intake of the MMS because they wanted to have a healthy child.

A mother of six Aisha Usman who acknowledged that she hadn’t taken the MMS before except during her last birth, said the baby came out differently from others.

“I’ve never taken the MMS drugs until this last baby and I really enjoyed myself. The baby came out differently from the rest of the children. She is very healthy .

“I’m calling on all pregnant women to be taking that MMS because it’s very important for you, the mother and the baby.

“In fact the last one I had was a stillborn baby because I didn’t take any drug but this one came with no complication at all thanks to the MMS,” she said.

Auwa Adamu, Head of facility,
Primary Healthcare Centre Kofar Ran, also referred to as Urban Maternity explained that those pregnant women without a trace of anemia were administered MMS only.

“For those that have mild and moderate anemia, we give them the MMS plus the folic acid while we normally refer those with severe anemia for further management,” said Adamu.

She said that the impact of MMS has been excellent as mothers have been looking more healthier and the babies delivered at the centre have been looking healthier as well.

Speaking with newsmen, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Board (BSPHDB) said the MMS contained 13 mineral elements plus two folic acids geared to ensure that mothers got all the energy, vitality, and supplements needed for herself and her baby.

These supplements, he said, are capable of reducing maternal mortality, anemia which is also one of the causes of maternal mortality.

Philomena Irene, Nutrition Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, said that 134,280 bottles of MMS were provided to Bauchi State through UNICEF as part of the scale-up with support from the Kirk Foundation and training of the Health and community workers by Gates Foundation.

She added that UNICEF would continue to ensure that MMS is integrated into routine antenatal care, train frontline health workers and supervisors on counselling, side-effect management and adherence support.