Month: April 2024

Some residents of Gwagwalada Area Council, FCT, say hike in collection prices by local waste collectors, popularly known as baban bolas, has forced them to adopt alternative means of disposing their wastes.

The residents, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, said because of hardship in the country they had no option than to be more creative in their waste disposal efforts.

They, however, acknowledged that their wasted disposal options may have negative implications for their health.

According to them, they are left with no other option than to do things their own way, including dumping refuse indiscriminately instead of paying high amount to the waste collectors.

Mrs Eunice Nwafor, a resident of Phase 3, said that she has resorted to burning her waste instead of patronising the baban bola.

She said that the size of waste she usually disposed with between N200 to N300 was costs N600 to N700.

‘These baban bolas are now becoming very expensive and I ca
nnot continue to patronise them.

‘I have resorted to burning my waste instead of paying so high on weekly basis to dispose them. It might not be the best on the environment and my health but I have no other choice,’ she said.

Ms Hannatu Isiaka, a resident of Old Kutunku, said that she disposes her waste herself, adding that she does not need the services of the baban bola.

‘I used to gather my waste and throw it on any dumpsite I see around me or most times when it is raining I will pour the waste inside the gutter in front of my house and the rain will carry it away.

‘Although my way of waste disposal is not good to the environment, I have no choice but to dispose mine the way that I am doing,’ she told NAN.

Isiaka urged the government to provide waste collection bins at designated places where residents could dump their waste for proper evacuation.

Mrs Olabisi Adegbenga, a resident of Compensation Layout, said the absence of officially designated waste collectors in Gwagwalada has increased the demand
for the services of baban bolas.

This, she said, made them to increase the prices of waste collection.

She said the prices of these services have continued to increase overtime, adding that initially to empty a large bucket of dirt which was between N150 to N250 now costs as high as N400 to N500.

She said to empty a small dustbin basket which previously was between N50 to N70 is presently as high as N150 to N200.

‘Since there is no government waste evacuation vehicle, we have to make do with what is available.

‘Although it is not the best choice because of the mode of disposing these waste and its effect on sanitation,’ she said.

Mr Usman Adamu, a local waste collector said the continuous increase in the prices of foodstuffs and current hardship in the country has forced him to increase the cost of his services.

Adamu said the services he renders to residents is his only means of livelihood, adding that he would continue to increase his prices as prices of other things continue to soar.

‘Some of my cu
stomers no longer patronise me; some of them now dispose their waste by themselves while others burn their waste.

‘ I will reduce my prices when cost of foodstuffs reduces in the market,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

KEETMANSHOOP: Farmers in the Berseba constituency recently received sheep and goat rams worth N.dollars 125 000 to help improve the quality of their livestock.

The donation was handed over under the Berseba Constituency Ram Project, by Berseba constituency councillor, Jeremias Goeieman.

Goeieman in his remarks at the event said the project aims to change the quality of animals by having quality rams so that animals can be sold at better prices, to allow farmers to venture into the selling of rams themselves and to enable the farmers to take their best breed to mini-shows.

The farmers also received training on animal health, feeding and nutrition, production cycle and record keeping from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform.

He urged the 25 beneficiaries to start regarding farming as a business and not just as a generational hobby where they do it because their parents were doing it.

‘I implore you to take utmost care of your rams, let them rest and breed. You received training and I am sure
this training will guide you on how to take care of your rams, appreciate the assistance you received and encourage others to follow suit,’ he said.

Among the rams that were donated were five meat master rams, two Kalahari reds and 17 Boer goat rams.

A beneficiary, Aletta Cloete applauded the government and the constituency office for coming up with the project noting that: ‘As communal farmers we wish to improve the quality of our livestock, but the finances are not always available to buy a good breeder. We are therefore very grateful for the opportunity granted to us, in helping us improve our farming. We thank our leaders for making this possible.’

Cloete urged other beneficiaries to join hands and take the project further by starting a new project in the communal area that would help other farmers who did not benefit, improve their livestock quality.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

ONDANGWA: The Ondonga Traditional Authority will host the 2024 annual Omagongo Festival at Onambango Palace in the Oshana region on 25 May.

This will be the second time that the Ondonga Traditional Authority will be hosting the Omagongo Festival since its inception in 2001.

In a media statement on Monday, Chairperson of the 2024 Omagongo Festival Organizing Committee Nahas Angula said every year, the festival is hosted on a rotational basis by the eight Northern Traditional Authorities to celebrate the Marula fruit harvest.

Last year, the festival was held by the Ombalantu Traditional Authority at the Ohamautsi village in the Omusati Region.

‘The event serves as a platform to celebrate Aawambo culture and foster unity amongst the Namibian people. Every year, the leader and the Traditional Authority of the community selected that year hosts the Omagongo Festival,’ he said.

He added that the public also forms part of the two-day festival, often attended by the country’s President and various leaders at tra
ditional, political, business and community levels.

Angula further indicated that the event holds significance as it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2015.

This year’s Omagongo Festival is dedicated to forging unity amongst various Namibian cultures and being deliberate about cultural preservation by including the youth, he concluded.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security is defending a matter in which a taxi driver from Walvis Bay is suing Government for unlawful arrest, saying that the man was resisting instructions from police officers.

The ministry in its heads of argument filed in the Windhoek High Court on Tuesday, alleges that the man, Samuel Iiyambo, who is demanding N.dollars 500 000 from the government, caused a motor vehicle accident in August 2021, when he drove over a pedestrian in Wallis Bay before transporting the victim to the hospital.

‘A police officer on duty, one Johnny Hamukanda, approached Iiyambo and noticed that he was intoxicated, after which Iiyambo resisted to blow into the breathalyser alcohol test three times,’ the ministry said.

Meanwhile, Iiyambo insists that he was wrongfully and unlawfully arrested and detained for two consecutive months with no reasonable grounds. When the breathalyser was administered to him, the results were negative all three times, he stressed.

‘F
urther as a result of the wrongful arrest and subsequent detention, the plaintiff was maliciously prosecuted without prima facie evidence for the charges preferred against him. This is evidenced by the fact that on 31 January 2022, the State withdrew the matter against the plaintiff due to insufficient evidence against him,’ Iiyambo’s particulars of claim read.

He is demanding compensation for physical and emotional pain, discomfort, temporary loss of amenities, psychological damage and injury to his dignity and reputation.

The trial commenced on Tuesday before Acting Judge Beatrix de Jager. Salomon Kanyemba represents Iiyambo, while Government Attorney Lindrowski Tibinyane appears for the ministry.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency

OPUWO: Swapo Party coordinator for the Kunene Region, Julius Kaujova expressed optimism that the ruling party will win a two-thirds majority in the Presidential and National Assembly (NA) elections set for November 2024.

The upcoming elections will be decisive in determining the strength of Namibia’s political parties, as new presidential candidates are added, and Kaujova believes the ruling party has a good chance of obtaining a two-third majority following the successful launch of its regional and door-to-door campaign at Opuwo over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Kaujova confirmed to Nampa that the ruling party’s regional campaign tactics to canvass support for its candidate and NA members had been officially launched two days ago.

He told this agency in an interview that Swapo organised a successful rally over the weekend, which included a late independence celebration and the welcoming of 40 new members from other political parties.

According to Kaujova, Swapo has fielded an adequate candidate, who enjoys t
he support of the majority, and hence the two-thirds majority is almost certain to be retained.

‘We are certain that Swapo will get the two-third majority. We have the proper candidate, who is popular and supported by people from various political parties. We are shifting the narrative to show that women can be leaders, and we feel that comrade Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is capable of leading this country,’ Kaujova said.

According to Kaujova, having more than two-thirds of the vote validates Swapo’s dominance and reinforces the concept of the powerful Swapo among followers and sympathisers, as well as the people’s faith in the party.

Kaujova stated that the governing party announced the regional campaign over the weekend through its regional leaders, with the approval of the national leaders assigned to Kunene; Jenelly Matundu, Uahekua Herunga and Modestus Amutse.

‘This campaign involves the door-to-door campaign and village-to-village visitation to canvass as much support as we can for the upcoming elections
,’ he added.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency