Azuigbe Bridge at Umuezeokoha in Benue Igbo.By Okechukwu Okonjo
Gone are the days where we don’t know where Igboid communities are hidden. I have now put Anioma and them on the map for future reference. They are in 4 local government areas of Benue State namely Ado, Oju, Okpoku and Obi, all in Benue State. These are ethnic Igbo. These are known as the Umuezeokoha people. Some people were speaking about Igbo trying to annex other people’s land, but look at how sizable amount of Igbo were cut off and place in the North as northern communities.
Presumably some people hoped that the Umuezeokoha people will lose their identity as is happening with some Ikwerre people in Rivers State. Umuezeokoha community is in the present Benue state and comprises of over 300 villages of Igbo speaking areas. Ado, Oju, Okpoku and Obi are local government areas that are part of the newly proposed Apa state that, which the Idoma have been calling for.
Inikiri Ichari, one of the market in Benue Igbo serving the Umuezeokoha community
Apa state must be obtained and added to the SE in the interest of unifying the peoples with their kith and kin in the SE.
There are over one million of them spread across four local government areas of Benue State. You can find them in Ado, Oju, Okpoku and Obi, all in Benue State. They are ethnic Igbos. Before the Nigerian civil war, they lived a happy and meaningful life, mingling freely with their kith and kin in the state. But today, things have fallen apart.
Instead of the joyful songs, they were used to, they now sing dirges. The Benue Igbos who are called by the name Umuezeokoha are not happy that they have been neglected for a long time now by successive governments, federal, state or local, and they are blaming this on their ethnic origin and the fact that they are in the wrong state.
Interestingly, the people share the same Benue South Senatorial Constituency with Senate President, David Mark. Though Igbos , the Umuezeokoha Community, due perhaps to accident of history, are found in Benue State instead of Ebonyi State , being the closest Igbo state where their kinsmen, the Ezza Ezekuna kindred are found.
According to the President, Benue Igbo Union, Mr. Nweke Cedrick Ifeanyi, his people are wallowing in poverty and neglect and are often denied democracy dividends, including obtaining local government identification letters for employment in and outside the state. Historical background of Igbos in Benue Mr. Nweke said the Igbos in Benue State; particularly those in Ado, Oju, Okpoku and Obi Local Government Areas were in existence before the advent of Christianity in Nigeria. But since then, he lamented, they have not been recognized by successive governments both at the state and federal levels in both Ebonyi and Benue states.
School constructed by the Missionaries in 1942 at Umuezeokoha in Benue.
“Although before the independence and the Nigerian civil war, which lasted for about three years, we used to experience government attention to the extent that the missionaries then established one local primary school at Umuezeokoha community which comprises over 300 villages of Igbo speaking areas that time. The school was generally accepted by our elders then and we did witness medical attention. “But since after the civil war, we in the entire 300 Igbo-speaking villages in Benue State have been dumped by the Nigerian government.
It is worse for those in Benue South Senatorial District. We have never experienced any government attention, let alone a project from the local, state and federal governments up till date.” The Igbo Union President also disclosed that a place with a population of over one million people has no designated political ward, no councillorship representative neither at the local government level nor at the state government level despite their voting population. He said even Senator David Mark and Governor Gabriel Suswan have been winning all their elections in the area.
Mr. Nweke also narrated how their children die in their large numbers because of lack of immunization, which he said they have never witnessed since the return of democracy. He also painted a gory picture of how they were swindled of N6,000 each for insecticide treated mosquito nets, which were given free to neighbouring communities by the federal government.
“We are lacking so many things, including a health centre, political ward, good roads, good water, and electricity. There is no salary earner in our place to the extent that the mosquito treated insecticide nets given freely by the federal government was sold to us at the rate of N6,000 each, some even paid without claiming it till date,” Nweke said.
“All our roads are narrow; we do not have any motorable road in our area at all, last time when we visited the local government chairmen and complained about the issue of selling mosquito nets to us, what they said was that the era of mosquito nets had come and gone. This attracted exchange of gazes, and the question whether we are still a part of this country. Imagine as we are in this dry season, we hardly see water to drink, wash and cook, talk less of taking bath. Before we see water to do something, one has to trek up to 30 kilometres to a place where there is unpurified dam water, but in this place, you must queue up in a line before it will get to your turn,” he said.
Another member of the community, Chief John Nwali also narrated the ordeal of the people in the hands of successive governments in the state, adding, “Sometimes we do lament whether we are different from other human beings created by God. Some of them that claim to be natives of the state mock us by telling us to wait to benefit from government only when the Biafran nation which we fought for comes into reality.”
“At times we nurse the idea of belonging to another country. In fact, if we are close to another country, we could have declared our intention to become their citizens, but this one we are in the midst of Nigeria, we speak Nigerian language, practice Nigerian culture and religion, in every election we vote and still we are treated with great scorn and neglect as if we do not exist. Yet, we have somebody like the Senate President, living in Abuja with our mandate.
Even in the last 2011 general election, I was the PDP Campaign Coordinator for Benue Igbo branch, but since that time till now, we are still in the same condition. We have been regarded as slaves in the country of our own. Even the only primary school that was built by the missionary before Independence is no more attracting government attention. The school is now in a sorry state. The only secondary school we have as of now is one at Saint Charles Catholic Church at Apa Ogbozu community, which was initiated by one Reverend Father.”
“We do not have anybody in the Benue State Government cabinet both in the local, state and in federal levels. We are all confused on what to do and where to go because we do not know when this indefinite discrimination will come to an end because even to the extent that the local government identification letters are no more being given to us any longer as Nigerian citizens.”
Chief Nwali also said that during rainy season, their people get drowned in water and disclosed that none of the streams, rivers and lakes has any bridge and lamented that during the last flood incident, they lost almost all their farm lands and every other thing they had laboured for.
“The political oppression which we have been subjected to is very serious. Even one of the biggest rivers we have has not attracted government attention, just to build a bridge across it. Last year, more than 20 people died while trying to cross the river for their normal daily business. We made so many efforts to visit our former Governor, Gabriel Suswan and our Senator, David Mark, to table our problem before them, but all to no avail.”
An octogenarian, Pa Nwankwo Alo said: “Our children have not been immunized over the years, let alone polio eradication programme. Our women do not even know what hospital is when they are pregnant because there are no hospitals to attend and yet we have up to 32 polling units. We have even called for more polling units because we are more than the present one but the government refused even as the national confab in 2014 came; there was nobody to speak for us.”
On the September 23, 2016, their umbrella organization, Benue Igbo Development Union – BIDU issued a press release:
WE ARE REAL INDIGENOUS IGBO:
Unequivocally, Benue Igbo people are not known as farm settlers, as some prominent Igbo men are going about broadcasting to the public that we are only settle here for sake of farming. Comprehensively, farming is our pride in relation to our kith and kin in Ebonyi state, namely :. Ezza, Izzi Effium and Ezzamgbo people. These people mentioned here are today the strength of Abakaliki political block and also the farming strength of Ebonyi people . For more than hundred years ago we have being in Benue state even, during the time of civil war Nigeria government used all her machinery against us in Benue here which later turn to futile and disgrace to them and still today we are pronouncing widely in popularity more than expected. Nigeria government, I think this is the right time to embrace justice and stop the political ostracism against the Benue Igbo. Although, we have being facing a lot of unexpected harassment but we are firmly assuring you people that no amount of political deprivation or subjugation will make us to deny our identity as Igbo speaking people of Benue state and we must forever remain resolute to achieve our political freedom….. People should stop misdirecting the public with messages full of deceit and shenanigans that we are farm settlers in Benue state. WE ARE REAL INDIGENOUS IGBO RESIDENT IN BENUE
Written by Okechukwu Okonjo on 13th October 2014 and edited by Ukachukwu Okorie
What has gone wrong with the YOUTHS, where are they and most important who are they? Certainly not these (Babas) on TV and Newspapers these days . These are not the Northern youths ! We know the Northern youths they are not different from other youths of the world.Youths reason differently and if you come to reason on it the Northern youths may identify themselves in some of the problems these hated BIAFRANS are fighting for. Is the YOUTH in the north better than the youth in the SOUTH or especially South East? No is the answer. Are the social and economic situations in the home of the average youth in the North better than that of his southern brother? NO ! Then why leave yourselves as tools and weapon in the hands of your ‘common enemy: the OLIGARCHY /BOURGEOIS RULING CLASS.
The same BOURGEOIS RULING CLASS are feed and empowering you wrongly with ‘unyouthful ‘and non progressive ideologies that only put you more into playing their tune,enriching and strengthening their grip on power and their legs on you head and mine . The same OLIGARCHY that has reduced the middle class to nothing polarised Nigeria between THE RICH AND THE VERY POOR using every sort of instrument like religion and tribal hatred to keep the poor and working class fighting while they continue to consolidate their gains and fortify their united class .A class that is so united and very nonreligious. Their real Gods are POWER & MONEY.
My dear YOUTHS Northern & Southern, these are the people we have to carry the WAR to and when I say war I do not mean violence, not on the poor Aboki selling suya in a corner in the south or that Inymiri (no insults intended) rendering all sort of services and production in the north. They will later introduce religion to it forgetting you are all children of the same God of Abraham and that they themselves preaching religious hate are the best of friends to your so called brother who is of their same class and who they no more perceive as a 'kafiri' just because of his class.
My dear YOUTHS open your eyes ;those BABAs with you on Television are no YOUTHS and are there to destroy your generation just for their selfish gains and to continue keeping all of us under perpetual slavery: they are our common enemies WAR them from the house . It is a class war and not Inymiri vs Aboki nor Christians vs Muslims. Those people have one religion: their CLASS is their real religion.
At the end of any war all of us stand to lose, even the victorious side.
What did the north gain from the Biafran war that Nigeria won? How did it develop the north for the masses? What gains came in . Only broken families,missing fathers lost in the war,broken families,social and economic destruction.
How many people in your town has an oil block in the Delta region where 80% of the oil is owned by northerners?How do you my good Northern youth benefit from it? You don’t and I in the south do not as well .
Ask them how is it that the masses are poorer in the North ,while the northerners are all gobbling all the proceeds of the war?
Ask them why we have these level of poverty in the north while they have been in power 80% of the time since independence? My dear YOUTH before you start fighting your fellow poor Southerners ask those BABAS on TV and meetings with you these questions.
Ask them what happens to the allocations to states and your numerous local Governments ?.
Ask why some states have only 4 good secondary schools while a state of the same standard and status in government measures in the south will have 150 standard secondary schools?
Ask them why the LGAs in just 2 states are more than the total LGAs in all the South East and the masses suffer less there than in the North ?
Ask them why the Alamajiri schools built by Jonathan's administration are closed down ?
Ask them if the south claims the north is marginalising it and they are in a better shape in many aspects who then is Marginalising the North… ? I know the answer >THE OLIGARCHY /BOURGEOIS RULING CLASS.>
The AGITATORS in the SOUTH I suppose are asking the same questions but from other perspective and with or through another ‘language’. Mark you ,your Southern brothers have also almost the same questions for their own RUING CLASS.
It is time the YOUTHS became youths and reasoned as Youths without this BABAs piloting the. It is high time we saw again the NORTHER YOUTHS I met in Kano during my NYSC and short period as a graduate assistant there. Youths that patrolled together BUK and ATC/ABU Institute of Education through KABUGA reading those Marxist and Leninist literature that abound BUK then,(now replaced 100% by the Koran and Bible). Youths that read History of our nation and people and tried to learn from their wisdom and mistakes. Youths that reasoned above tribes and religion but talked more on how to better the situations of the working class and the masses in general. Youths that did not read only the BIBLE AND KORAN but discussed and debated openly and sincerely their minds on issues of general interests. Youths that took me around with their cars or Vespa and supported me to look for my Hausa Bride. Youths that every week looked for me to attend a Hausa weeding party or Ramadan banquet. Youths that during Ramadan fasting (azemi) always had their mothers send me some food to break the fast though they knew I wasn’t fasting and we laughed over it behind their mothers who we thought didn't understand but later we saw she knew everything. God bless her. hahaha. Youths that were always inquisitive on knowing how the Igbos built upper Iweka and explained to others that it wasn’t the FGN that built those houses for Igbo people after he war. Youths who sincerely ask you how Igbo people get all the money to travel overseas privately for studies while they from the North travel on scholarship and why it should be so? These were and are the NORTHERN YOUTHS we want to hear from and not those (non progressive) BABAs that arrogate youths on themselves.
These were the Youths the OLIGARCHY do not want to come together and which they use all deceit on both divide to keep down and keep away because if ever they reason really as youths they would be less selfish come together and see the downfall of the BOURGEOIS RULING CLASS. And the opening way of real equity and peace in the community. . I am Chukwubike O Charles chukwubike@gmail.com
And they will always say "....God knows why he put us together in this great Nation..." (by the way, was Lord Fredrick Lugard religious?) I suppose God also know why he is doing what he is doing now . Why not we leave ourselves free and follow His wish.
According to AREWWA youths these people (IGBOS /BIAFRANS) are: 'stubborn,arrogant,International crooks,international money swindlers,drug barons, importers of fake products,producers of sub standard things,high profile prostitutes and a disgrace to Nigeria in the international arena'.
Waooo,personally I would be careful with such a neighbour not to talk of having him in the same company or country. My question is, "what is interesting in such a people?"LET THEM GO!!.
Probably God wants to sieve them out put them all in a corner and give the a 'trashing of their time'.
Or God in his infinite wisdom and mercy wants Nigeria to grow faster without such weights on them.
Or still God would want them apart as to express themselves fully and be the 'engine' that will propel Nigeria and Africa in general to high levels as these people always prophesies and claim.
Weather we like it or not the destiny the two nations are already interwoven and you cant do much about it anymore. The success of one is the success of the other same as in failure.
Lets all be wise,civil,accommodating and peaceful at least once and pray for the wish of God to be done.
MAY 30th 2017 has gone down as a date that the Igbo people showed, with total accord, that they are dead serious about their quest for freedom. The sit-at-home call by the pro-Biafra groups, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, was observed by Ndi Igbo all over the country, with the South East totally locked down. Streets and highways were empty of commercial or vehicular activities, except for the vehicles of law-enforcement agencies which patrolled to maintain law and order. The skies over major cities such as Aba, Enugu, Onitsha, Owerri and Umuahia were patrolled by military jets and helicopters.
Unlike other times when the pro-Biafra groups called for mass actions through peaceful street protests which led to loss of lives as a result of shootings by the army and police, no one was in sight to be shot. Already, the
initial mockery that greeted the Biafra independence campaign about two years ago is giving way to a new template for reality check. When IPOB called its first protests just before its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was arrested in December 2015, former President Olusegun Obasanjo mocked the protesting youth, saying they were “looking for money”. Others said they were unemployed youth given money by some politicians to carry out the protests for undisclosed political gains. In other words they were rented crowds. Already, Obasanjo has changed tones, saying that if the Presidency is given to the Igbo in 2019, the Biafra issue will disappear. The last we heard from him was that the youth should be “begged” to drop their agitations.Even to the mockers and doubters, it is obvious that if a referendum is allowed today, the “Biafrexit” yes will be overwhelming.
Those of us who are still holding out the faint hope that Nigeria can still be amended to correct the inequity flaws that retard it and make its citizens unhappy won’t be able to do much. We have become a miserable minority. Unless care is taken and soon, if the masses begin to respond in this manner to calls for boycotts of the civic activities that make us all Nigerians, such as elections, the forth-coming census and what not, overwhelming pressure might force that referendum to take place. As I said, the result is likely to be an overwhelming “Yes”. What are the scenarios that will likely take shape thereafter?
l Number one scenario, if the Nigerian State succumbs to a referendum, it is likely to be restricted to the people of the South East. Nigerian is unlikely to concede the former Eastern Region (which is the definitive geo-polity frequently portrayed as Biafra by its promoters) as the breakaway enclave. It will not give up the oil and gas resources that feed its treasury with free rent. It is also unlikely that the non-South Easterners will sign to be included in the Biafra. So, it is far safer for the Biafra activists to scale down their geo-political boundaries to a landlocked South East. That being so, I dare say that being landlocked is not the end of the world. Switzerland, Austria, Botswana and Rwanda are landlocked, yet they are either developed or rapidly developing countries within their continents. Those who are predicting doom for a landlocked Biafra could be seriously mistaken. During the war, when the population of the defunct Biafra was largely on the run, there was no fuel scarcity. Biafran scientists created machines and technologies to fight the war and keep the system running. A peaceful, landlocked Biafra, with the sheer power of the Igbo creative might unleashed, can only take-off like a rocket, though the initial stages will be very trying. Biafra might become the first African country to export the type of technologies that we currently buy from Europe, America and Asia to African countries within ten years. People should always remember that it is not natural resources that make a country great but its human resources of which the Igbo boast one of the most premium qualities in Africa. Even at that, the resources (oil, gas, coal, limestone and others) are there in enough quantities to serve the needs of the republic. On the other hand, Biafra could run into an initial face-off between factions such as IPOB and MASSOB for supremacy. MASSOB might claim it restarted the struggle that won the independence while IPOB which is far more radical could claim to be the group that won the independence. If this is not sorted out amicably, Biafra could face the South Sudan scenario between President Salva Kiir and his estranged Deputy, Riek Machar, though the South Sudan conflict is mostly ethnic-based as opposed to the fact that Biafra will be a country of a homogenous ethnic stock.
l Another scenario is that Igbo property left behind in Nigeria will probably be confiscated. States can make laws to appropriate them. That is a sacrifice the Igbos who own property in Nigeria outside the South East must be prepared to make. You cannot eat your cake and have it. Nigerians will likely tell you that “out is out”, as the Europeans are telling Britain after Brexit. Igbos who refuse to relocate to their country will be dehumanised as unwanted foreigners. Ndi Igbo, faced with the South East as Biafra, must be ready to start life afresh from the scratch, with the firm determination never to repeat the mistakes that makes Nigeria unworkable.
l The break away of Biafra will likely lead to a break-up of the rest of this otherwise blessed nation. With a leg of the Tripod gone, the rest of the superstructure cannot stand for long. With the Igbo people gone to their own country, it is unlikely that the Yoruba people will like to live under the servitude of the North. They will become a very vulnerable junior partner to Arewa, a situation they are unlikely to live with for long. They will also want to go and form their own country. They already have fantastic natural geopolitical advantages which they will simply leverage on and move on with their lives. But will the North also allow them to go in peace?
l The Ijaw nation, in particular, is likely to assert its independence. The North will, like Biafra, become landlocked. If Biafra goes, there is no way the rest of the country will continue happily ever after. Nigeria is like an intricately knitted fabric. Cut the thread at any point and the rest will come undone. At this point, we probably have the last opportunity to sort out the problems militating against genuine unity in our country. Time is running out on Nigeria as we know it. Already, the hearts of majority of Igbo people have left Nigeria. It will take some earth-shaking measures to bring them back. It has nothing to do with giving them an “Igbo president”. If, for instance, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in a most unlikely scenario, picks any of such individuals as Chris Ngige, Ogbonnaya Onu, Rochas or Okorocha Ken Nnamani to stand as a figurehead president, they will call Sokoto, Katsina or Kaduna every morning to take instructions for their daily work. It will make no difference for the Igbo or Nigeria. There is no alternative to restructuring Nigeria to allow the federating units the freedom to develop at their respective paces within the overall Nigerian commonwealth. The Nigerian people need freedom. That is the irreducible minimum for real change. If restructuring will not be possible, then let those who believe Igbo people will die if granted Biafra join hands in granting them independence. Allow them to “go and die” and see if they will actually die or become the toast of the African continent within the lifetime of most of us!
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/likely-scenarios-biafra-goes/
I had a long chat with a friend who is stranded in Nigeria. He used to live here in Canada. Five years ago, he went to visit family in Nigeria. While there, he met some old friends who were doing very well. Days of discussions followed during which they impressed on him as to how much better financially he will do if he moved back to Nigeria. They took him out to dinners and parties where he met movers and shakers of the society. They introduced him to them and spoke of his brilliance in public. These movers and shakers also impressed on him to come back home. He came back to Canada and was flying like a kite. All he spoke about was the new Nigeria and the immense possibilities that existed. He decided to move back, start up his company and set out on the entrepreneurial path. Everyone told him to take it a step at a time and not uproot his entire family. He didn't listen. He left. The first week in Nigeria required the kind of adjustments he expected, but he had sold his house in Canada, liquidated his savings, so the sizable chunk of money allowed him, settle easily. A fully serviced four bedroom apartment in Lekki. Kids in a private school. Wife with a new job. He ready to wear the toga of a businessman. He set out. And begun calling his friends to tell them he was back for good and was ready to begin investing in the ideas they had spoken about. The friends picked his calls at first and then with time they became scarce. He complained. They said to him that they were so busy with their own businesses and life, so it was hard to actually keep up the communication with him and follow up with the investments and businesses he had begun on their recommendation.
He reminded them that they were the ones who told him to come so he expected them to follow up with him. They told him that he shouldn't worry, that they will get back to him. They did for a while, but as the investments began to stutter, the calls dried up. He became an island. With time his money dried up. The load of the family became heavy. They left the self-serviced apartment in Lekki, for a two bedroom flat at the far outskirts of Ajah that was armed with a small generator. He sold his car and had to take turns with his wife using her car as he kept chasing his entrepreneurial dreams since getting a job was proving difficult owing to his advanced age and the fact that he had not acquired a foreign post-graduate degree whilst in Canada. The private school became unaffordable on his wife's salary. He wanted to move the kids to a more affordable public school. His wife resisted. They began to bicker.Bickering turned to fights. Fights drove them apart.They separated. During their separation, she met new people, men with more money, a willing profligacy and an eye for light complexioned beautiful married women with a foreign accent. Men who are sharks. Sharks who were not interested in the abundance of single women in Nigeria but preferred the challenge that was involved in the chase of highly educated, successful married women. She was vulnerable and all the sharks could smell it. They flashed luxury and 'fun' around her. And she got infected with the Nigerian bug of living the 'good life.' She was swept away by the joneses and flew up the ladder of success. She filed for divorce and asked for full custody of the kids. He tried to fight it but couldn't afford the fight. She won. He cried over the phone as he recounted his experiences and spoke of his decision to move back to Canada and start all over again. My heart broke for him.He is a good guy.
It's sad how some people find it so easy to give advice and not think seriously of the cost of their advice. If you had to pay money to give advice, I wonder how many people will be so willing to tell you how much better you can live your life. I will do what I can to help him resettle. I will not give advice on things am not sure of. Instead, I will give material help. (copied )
Ava Roberts (23) is now the youngest first African-American female doctor in the world! Though word of his accomplishment are however minimal, French site Pelea reports in their site that “after a gifted childhood, Ava Roberts quickly excelled through medical school and became a force to be reckoned with as the youngest African-American female doctor.” This an amazing young age, when you look at how long doctors go to school?! Ava Roberts must have been a child prodigy! You go girl! She is a great role model to young women everywhere in the world! for being the youngest African-American female doctor.
Looking down the memory lane, first black doctor in history was James McCune Smith. Smith couldn’t go to medical school in New York, so he went to Scotland for his degree and returned home to treat the city’s poor.
James McCune Smith‘s degree of 1837 made him the nation’s first professionally trained African-American doctor. Smith set up a medical practice in lower Manhattan where he became the resident physician at an orphanage and also was the first African-American to own and operate a pharmacy in the United States!
Smith lived and died at a time in America when little recognition was given to the black people achievements. However his children refused to promote their father’s legacy and even shunned their African-American heritage. Smith was very popular that a public school in Harlem was however named after him. He was portrayed him in a video produced by the New York Historical Society by Danny Glover. He is also the first African-American doctor to publish scholarly studies in peer-reviewed medical journals, Stauffer have to say this. “He also wrote essays countering theories of black racial inferiority that had currency then. He was a friend and associate of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and he wrote the introduction to Douglass’ “My Bondage and My Freedom.
Professor Isa Hussaini of Faculty of Pharmacy University of Maiduguri wrote:
The blame for what Nigeria has become falls on you and me. Not Buhari, not Jonathan, not Obasanjo and definitely not Abacha.
Our wickedness stinks to the heavens as we go about our daily lives, pulling down everyone and everything to become rich. We import substandard products, fake drugs and expired baby food unfit for human consumption and we have the nerve to complain about leadership?
We even steal from widows, orphans, and refugees. We take their food and sell it for profit. No conscience. Nothing is sacred. No one is spared. We build substandard roads, schools, houses, hospitals, all for profit at the expense of human life;an invaluable item which all our profit and contract sum cannot buy.
One would think this behavior is reserved for urchins but it would surprise you that this is the character of many decent looking people who appear to be normal but are not any better than Boko Haram members. They are church members, Muslims, husbands, wives and sadly youths.
We pervert justice and pretend we do not know right from wrong just to serve our selfish interests. Slave traders pale in comparison to what we do to ourselves. We are wickedness personified. So much hatred flows in our blood and we transfer it to our children. It's evident in what we say and do.
We have fasting and prayer sessions all year long, night vigils and deliverance when the actual problem is us. We simply cannot learn to love others . It is me, me, me. That is all that ever matters. It is sickening. Anyone who cannot love has no business in politics, Government and in Nigeria. Until we understand this, we will continue on this path of destruction.
I can Change, You can Change, They can Change and We can Change by Sharing and Spreading this message....Change starts with Me....
How Nigerian Petrol Attendants Cheat You In Filling Stations and precautions to cut the cheating attendants
By Daramola Babalola
The rise in the price of petrol from ₦86.50/L to ₦145 Naira/L still leaves a heavy toll on Nigerians, most have gotten used to the excruciating fact that a litre of petrol now ₦145 Naira.
Sadly, as if the skyrocketing price of petrol isn’t enough, the ‘friendly’ fuel station attendants have found numerous tricks to add to their regular income, and undercut the customers who at the first place are paying through their noses.
The nefarious activity perpetrated by petrol attendants nationwide has gone unnoticed by many motorists as they drive into the filling stations to fill their tanks.
Fuel Station scams are not something new. There are plenty of foul plays which can leave you cheated at a fuel station.
Why do the petrol attendants cheat you?
First of all, the petrol attendants in Nigeria are one of the least paid in the country, infact an average petrol attendant is paid between ₦10,000 - ₦15,000 monthly, but a smart attendant can make his salary in one day by cheating customers.
Ideally, when a petrol attendant resumes for work, he/she takes the reading on the meter on the fuel dispenser, which they call The Opening Meter, and after they close for the day, the reading on the meter, called The Closing Meter is taken by the attendant. Then, they multiply the difference in the readings by the cost per litre, which is the amount they deliver to the manager. If there is any surplus cash, the attendant takes it.
Unfortunately, the surplus money is simply a product of manipulation/cheating of petrol buyers by the fuel attendants on a daily basis.
How Nigerian Petrol Attendants Cheat Customers In Filling Stations
I have compiled a list of some of the most common dirty tactics which are used to cheat customers at Nigerian fuel stations based on my research and conversation with some petrol attendants across the country.
TRICK 1: Recall or TIM/CAL button
On the fuel dispenser there is usually a button labelled ‘Recall, TIM/CAL’ or any other label, depending on the machine. The essence of the button is to enable the attendant to see the past sales. If you want to see your last ten sales, you just press Recall, then the number you want to see etc, depending on the number you want, and it shows you the amount.
Beyond seeing past sales,petrol attendants use it to cheat and make money from the customers.
For example, if a petrol attendant sold ₦5,000 worth of fuel to (Customer A), and the next customer (Customer B) also wants to buy ₦5,000., the attendant will clear the screen to ₦00.0 and tell Customer B to look at it (A way of gaining your trust and making you relax) then when they observe that the second customer (Customer B) Isn’t paying attention, they will sell some quantity, like ₦3,500 for example and press Stop or Cancel, depending on the machine, then press Recall 1, and Ok,With that, ₦5,000 will appear on the screen and that is what the customer will see on the meter, believing the sale is complete, meanwhile the attendant recalled the previous sale.
My investigations revealed that this can be done in less than one second.
Infact, some attendants could go to the extent of writing out some past sales on a paper where they can easily have a glance to know which number to recall when a customer is distracted or looks away, since many people prefer to buy based on price and not litre.
For example Recall 1 can be ₦5,000, Recall 2 - ₦3,000, Recall 3 - ₦2,000, so based on the customer they want to cheat, they look at the paper to recall, and the customers would think the machine was fast, so they wouldn’t always suspect anything
TRICK 2: Fake hang the nozzle
Almost every petrol consumer is knowledgeable that when the nozzle is hanged on the pump, the readings revert to zero. Thus the fuel attendants have also found a way to manipulate it to make some money for their pockets.
What they do is that they gently hang the nozzle, such that it won’t click to rub off the old sales and revert to zero, so,they fake hang the nozzle,while the dispenser is still running, so if a new customer comes, they simply continue from where they stopped from the previous customer.
This trick is used a lot during fuel scarcity, or when customers are in a hurry to buy fuel.
This trick is also easier for the fuel attendant if the last sale was in a small quantity.
TRICK 3: The Okada/Keke Napep advantage
Most times, the Okada and Keke Napep's tend to buy petrol in small quantities, for example like 2 or 3 Litres of fuel.
After dispensing fuel for the Okada/Keke Napep, if the next buyer intends to buy fuel in his car or a big jerry can, the fuel attendant will use the Okada/Keke Napep advantage, because of the small quantity sold previously and continue to dispense fuel into your car tank without clearing the previous sale.
For example, if the previous sale to an Okada, Keke Napep or even a commercial bus is about ₦350, the fuel attendant will gently place the nozzle, and naturally, when the next customer (The Car owner) sees that the attendant removed the nozzle from the dispensing machine, he believes that it started from zero. However, it is not always the case, thus the car owner is automatically cheated by ₦350.
TRICK 4: The Fill up your tank system
A report culled from dailyfinance.com says filling up the tank may be another way to lose money and fuel, because when the pump clicks off automatically, no additional fuel enters the tank. “Instead, fuel is likely being diverted through the pump’s vapour recovery system and back into the station’s tank, which means you are paying for petrol that you are not getting.
“More importantly, the car needs space in its tank for fuel vapours to expand. Overfilling can force gas into the car’s carbon filter, leading to poor performance, reduced mileage or costly repairs. So, the next time you want to buy fuel, don’t top off your tank, it’s good for your car and even better for your wallet,” the report said.
TRICK 5: The faulty meter Some petrol pumps have rigged meters that start ticking even before petrol starts to flow from the hose. Have you ever gone to a filling station to buy fuel and it takes lesser time to fill your tank, compared to other places? This is as a result of the meters that have been tampered with, the attendant will make you believe the particular fuel dispenser is faster or slower than normal, depending on how the meters were manipulated.
Nigeria’s petroleum regulator, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR,saddled with the responsibility of regulating, monitoring and enforcing the laws in the sector, used the Seraphin Can to expose filling stations involved in the nefarious act in Lagos recently.
The ten-liter Seraphin Can is used by the DPR to ascertain the exact dispensing meter measurement of filling stations. When filled to the level of ten liters, dispensing meters that have been adjusted will show above ten liters on the display board. When this occurs, the filling station is shut by DPR officials.
DPR said over 500 filling stations had been shut for under-dispensing and other related offences.
TRICK 6: Using Unnecessarily Longer Dispenser Pipe
Pumps save on a lot of petrol when they use long pipes.
A perfectly good meter will show that a certain amount of petrol has been pumped out, but that amount hasn't reached your tank -- some of it is still in the pipe, and it goes back into the pump. Through the day, the number of litres that stations save can be enormous, making the attendant accumulate surplus cash from undispensed fuel.
TRICK 7: Get friendly, distract and cheat How many times have you visited the filling station and you notice that the fuel attendant is trying to chat you up. If he is not talking about the government, religion or politics, he is most likely to dive into football, especially if he noticed you are a fan of a particular club.
'Oga mi up Arsenal o, me i be Barcelona fan, we go beat Arsenal all the time'
The trick is to make you get very comfortable, argue with him and take your eyes off the fuel meter. Sometimes the attendant can even get his colleague to distract you, so he can focus on fuel pump to cheat you.
He can ask you questions like.. 'Sir/madam do you need engine oil' or 'Sir you need to balance your wheels'
TRICK 8: Pretend not to hear you, fake ignorance, smile, apologize
This is another trick used by fuel attendants, when you request to fill up your car or jerrycan for a particular amount, for example ₦4000, the attendant will sell only ₦1000 worth of fuel, when you ask him why he didn't fill up for ₦4000, the attendant will apologize and smile innocently and say that he/she heard you say you wanted to buy ₦1000 worth of fuel, and thus pretend to continue filling the remaining ₦3000, by pretending to reset the meter and fill up your ₦4000 worth of petrol and so you pay ₦4000
But the attendant just cheated you, and this is how...
He did not reset the meter to ₦0.00 , he continued from the ₦1000 point till he got to ₦3000, so in reality you only get the petrol worth ₦3000, but pay ₦4000
TRICK 9: Intervening the Dispenser Nozzle
It is generally found that the pump attendants keep their fingers tight on the nozzle and interrupt the flow of fuel manually. In this way, the required amount of fuel gets short. With these type of tricks, the pump staff saves probably litres of oil in a single day that accumulates to his personal surplus profit for the day.
TRICK 10: Fuel Adulteration The simplest and the most effective way of cheating used by almost all the petrol pumps is the adulteration of fuel. Usually, the dealers chemically adulterate the petrol by adding Naphtha, which is a byproduct and is as dense as petrol. It does not leave residue and is cheaper than its counterpart.
TRICK 11: Two sides of price indicators In this particular trick, manipulations are done by pump attendants who normally strike when motorists are preoccupied with other thoughts. Most times, pump attendants are so daring.
Motorists should be more careful with pumps that have two sides of price indicators—back and forth screen, displaying amount of money dispensed.
For several reasons, some of which are technical, each side of the screen could show a different price. For example, ₦5000 and the other screen could display about ₦4000.
If you requested to buy fuel worth ₦5000 and the a buyer from other side of the pump is also buying ₦5000 worth of fuel, if you are not watching close enough, a crafty attendant can dispense fuel worth ₦4000 and point to the other side pump, hoodwinking you into believing that he/she has dispensed the amount you required, meanwhile you have lost ₦1000 as the price indicator was for the other pump.
Now to counter these 11 tricks above, here are some of the counter-tricks or precautions to cut the cheating attendants
Always, get off from your car, lock the vehicle and stand close to petrol tank and see the meter readings when buying fuel
Check the meter reading after opening the petrol tank or before fueling starts and again at the very end.
Keep a continuous watch at the meter reading and at the fueling person, throughout your turn.
If you develop doubt over a particular petrol pump, then AVOID that particular petrol pump in the future like the plague. I have also seen that there are petrol pumps which do not indulge in such activities. Identify such pumps and try to fill from these pumps only
In any case, don’t believe the attendants and NEVER EVER TAKE YOUR EYES FROM THE METER. Get it set to zero and do not take your eyes off till the last drop comes out of the nozzle
Ask the attendant firmly to keep his hands off the nozzle and wait for the auto cut-off to kick-in.
Park the car a bit away from the machine and let the attendant stretch the pipe to your fuel lid. Ask him to hold the nozzle at certain height post he is done fueling up the tank in order to allow the residual to flow in.
Always check for zero before they start filling, even if the petrol pump is overcrowded.
Reduce conversations with the fuel attaendant, and if you must talk to him/her, please do it without taking your eyes off the meter for one second. Also make sure the meter is set at ₦0.00 before the attendants starts to fill up your tank/keg.
Do not take your eyes off the meter till the last drop, don't get distracted by counting the money you want to give him/her, wait till he/she is done dispensing the fuel.
End the transaction right there, in case the meter is stopped for any reason.
Do not hurry and always pay at the end of the transaction.
Ask for a printed receipt every time, as far as possible.
Always keep a watch on the attendant and on the meter. If you are suspicious about a certain fuel station, step out of your car and ask the attendant to move away from the dispenser while filling. If you still feel that he is cheating stop him from filling your tank and call the manager and lodge your complain. If nobody at the station admits their fraud or deny any assistance, reach out to DPR https://dpr.gov.ng/index/contact-us/
As we visit the filling station today, always remember The Golden Rule: Never take your eyes off the meter
Welcome to AutofactorNG Blog.: How Nigerian Petrol Attendants Cheat You In Filling Stations and precautions to cut the cheating attendants
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