Just some additions...
Recently, I was made aware of the concept of preventive Health Care, advocated
for societies where there's a crisis in the Health sector as we have in Igalaland.
Can we as a group activate awareness campaign to drive preventive Health Care and
ensure our people have less cause to visit these clinics... mosquitoe nets, exercise,
use of condoms, nutrition, boiling drinking water/filter if possible, basic sanitation etc, etc
Ufedo can create Posters with specific message. In doing this, we should be able to
partner with relevant organisations eg NACA etc, etc.
Can the Local Govts paint medicine stores in a particular colour to distingusih sellers of
Original drugs vs fakes????? Could be sign boards etc, that people may look out for when
they want to buy genuine drugs etc.
Can Ufedo work with Igala Medical students Association, either ABU, Jos, KSU, to run health
programmes in Igalaland on target dates.
Is there a Theatre Arts Dept at KSU? Can the students there put together a drama/play on
staying healthy and we transmit that across the state.
My suggestion would be review all the ideas put foward by this Adhoc team and agree 1 or 2
and really drive implementation.
Thanks.
Arome
Oga Arome,
That was a masterstroke, you have motivated us all to put on our thinking caps. I pray Umaru’s government would remember Igala land in the scheme of things in reality too.
Agriculture is it, with the kind of land mass that we have and the fact that it has historically been the mainstay of our economy, if we can have the an initiative like the AADP that we had in the past then we would be there. I have consistently maintained in recent times that AADP AND KSU remains the key government institutions that have had very profound effect on Igala land development wise.
- A fertilizer blending plant is desirable since the complaints has been that the land is not fertile anymore.
- Improved seedlings which would translate to increase yield.
- Mechanized farming too can be encouraged by way of having tractors to be hired by individuals and co – operative societies.
- Establishment of a Micro Finance bank to let our people access funds easily.
- Educating our people on the need for them function as a group by way of co – operative societies rather than going it alone.
- Massive deployment of extension services to pass on new techniques of farming to our people.
- Massive rehabilitation of feeder roads to make for the movement of the produce to major markets like Anyigba, Abocho.
- We can even invite Zimbabwean farmers like Kwara State did with the attendant benefits of employment for our people and also transfer of modern farming techniques.
- Poultry and fish farming too should be encouraged.
- Irrigation farming can be introduced passing through Bagaji in Omala,Ibaji e.t.c.all year round farming is a possibility.
- Selected youths can be sent to Israel or Songhai centre In Benin Republic to be trained.
Finally, I am in agreement with Chogu’s suggestion that positions on the way forward to vision 2020 be articulated by willing individuals at the Ofakaga meeting and collated into a working document that would help us engage and lobby our leaders both at the National , State and Local levels.
Brethren,
For obvious reasons, i think, we should put Education at the fron Burner in the proposed
"Igala Development Charter." In doing so, we should have the followings at the backs of our minds:
(A) Topical Issues
1. What is the present state of the educational sector in Igala land?(Of course we know this
to be in a very poor state).
2. What are those percieved wrongs in the educational sector in our land that need to be
corrected?
3. Do we have condusive learning environments in our land in favour of our children
(structures, furniture etc etc)?
4. Establishment of mini-computer/ IT Training Centers in each of the 9 LGAs in Igala land.
5. To what extent is the vicious circle of povery in our land an impediment to the academic
pursuits of our children(No doubt, this is acute....... we may therefore, have to call for a
free system of education from the Primary to the Tertiary levels of education in IG land.
6. Training and Re-Training of Teachers to meet the challenges of the ever changing learning
environment.
7 Establishment of an Igala National Library
8. Establishment of LG Educational Foundations in the 19 LGAs in IG land..
(B) Sensitisation:
There is need to sensitise the people back home regarding the need to speak in one voice
in favour of Educational Development as the Cardinal need of the Igala Nation. Like Josep Addison would have it " Education is a companion which no crime can destroy,. Education
develops the mind. It opens the mind to boundless possibilities of the human being. The developed world is the result of a developed mind, the mind which sees possibilities because it has been liberated from the shackles of ignorance."
The future development and upliftment of the Igala land therefore lies in the educational development of its citizenry.
We should also sensitise our people to the effect that both the gilr and the boy child are entitled to equal educational developments. The girl-child should therefore be allowed to acquire as much education as the boy instead of any early marriage.
(C) Authonomous Body:
This initiative of the Federal Government should be run by a commission(Igala Education Commission?) independent of the existing ministry of education. The body shall have freedom of action and decision making to enable its operators perform at optimal levels
(D) Targets:
The body to run the initiative,shall be given bi-annual targets during which their performances shall be evaluated. Persons that would do such evalutions shall not be members of the commission but independent persons selected from this group from time to time. The reports from such an exercise, shall be reviewed by the national executive of this group for further decisions.
(E)Office Location:
Since the initiative shall be in favour of Igala land, the commission shall have its headquarters located in Igala land(Anyigba) . This way, the operators will be able to reach out to the nooks and cranies of Igala land in its drive towards achieving its set targets.
(G) Funding:
The commission should be such that it can recieve its funds directly from the Federal Ministry of education and/or from direct allocation from the Federal Government as the case may be. This way, the bottlenecks at the state's Ministry of Education and the commission will therefore be better placed to carry out its functions effectivelly.
Writing in a hurry...... Pls come up with Action plans to enable us compose the needed
handbook on "Igala Development Charter"
Rgds,
David Abutu
--- On Tue, 25/11/08, Okeme, David
From: Okeme, David
Subject: [IgalaProject] Congratulations. .. Igalaland is now included on 14 Point Agenda!!!!
To: IgalaProject@ yahoogroups. com
Date: Tuesday, 25 November, 2008, 9:40 AM
For once, let's pretend Yar Adua has fallen in love, deep love with Igalaland, and people....
He has decided to include Igalaland in the 14 points agenda (whatever that means...).
To facilitate it, he has asked this Honourable House for a proposal - what is that
single project that may be done to transform Igala land by 2013..., in 5 years.
What would be our inputs???
a) The obvious. Education. Thanks to the work of the education committee.
a) Not so obvious. Which network/artery of roads that if constructed can generate commercial
heat that will propel the local economy.
c) Is it agriculture? ?? Do we bring back AADP style project???? Do we send 50 Igala Youths to
Isreal to learn specific agric skills and arrange financing to start such projects in Igalaland?
d) Is it energy??? Coal etc? Do we ask for 15% derivation?? ?
f) Do we reactivate failed industries: Okaba, Idah Sanitary Ware, Acharu Oil Mills etc, etc....
g) Do we appoint more Igala sons into govt - knowing such slots would go again to the usual people
or their sons/cronies? ??
How do we rank these priorities, if the list is this long... and more.
As we evolve as a group, we should be able to articulate a need agenda, which we can make into
a small pamphlet and may use to engage, solicit, lobby and even confront our leaders with, so that
development efforts would be concentrated and sustained to good effect.
This work can only start now, that we have collectively built Igalaproject into a dynamic team.
Great and welldone to all. Now is the time to move to the next level. And we need the active engagement
of all in this phase.
If we all agree, then we can start working on the Igala Development Charter....
Arome
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