Reuben Buhari
2 July 2009
analysis
Lagos — Life couldn't be more cruel to the over 1650 destitute that stay at the Kaduna Destitute Home when part of the centre went up in flames killing seven and leaving scores with different degrees of burn. Their condition was further compounded by the onset of the rains which begins and ends on the remaining inmates because they are yet to find alternative accommodation.
Sometimes around 2006, the Kaduna State Government not comfortable with the hundreds of blind men and women, lepers, crippled, the deaf and mute and other types of handicapped persons that either roam the streets begging for alms or sit at certain major roads within the metropolis, where they congregate on any person or car soliciting for help, decided on what they thought was a novel idea.
The novel idea was to build a permanent shelter for the destitute. This is because after each day most of the destitute simply unfurled mats or whatever is available and sleeps right on the streets. The situation was even worse considering the fact that the two major streets - Kano and Katsina roads that the destitute prefers are smack in the centre of the city.
Based on this, the Kaduna State Government got a piece of swampy land at the end of the popular Kano road where it built one block of 20 single rooms without windows and further erected two long blocks of what was a mixture of zinc and wood structure. Added to these, the state dug some few pit toilets, provided electricity and pipe born water and fenced it.
Into these building the state gathered all the destitute roaming the streets that it could lay its hands on, especially those that sleeps around the Kano Road Central Mosque, and put them there. Three leaders were elected from the blinds, the crippled and those with leprosy and given the task of ensuring orderliness within the home. The destitute go out each morning and beg and late at night they return to the home where each cook whatever he or she was able to lay hands on.
Unknown to the Kaduna State Government, when it asked the destitute to move into the centre, it never imagined that most had family. Most that came into the place came in with all their family. The surprising thing was that they all had large family. For example, Aliyu Sulaiman, the 56 year-old leader of the blinds at the centre, moved in with three wives and 14 children, Abdullahi Samaila, the 34 year-old leader of the crippled in the camp moved in with three wives and 11 children, despite that he's able to move around in a wheel chair, while Alhassan Musa, 50 year-old leader of lepers had two wives and 11 children.
Most of the children help their parents in the begging, while some involve themselves in minor trades like shoe-shining. The rest attend public primary school and among the three families, or any within the Home, none has any child in any secondary school, although they disclosed to THISDAY that they would love their children to go beyond primary school.
Investigation also revealed that some of the destitute at the centre have actually become rich from begging, but don't want to leave the Home due to the free accommodation provided by government. It is also said that the ease with which they get money from begging and the gifts of money and materials that religious and other groups usually bring to the Home has influenced some of the destitute to remain there. The money, gifts and free accommodation has also been explained as the reason why marriage among the destitute and births remains very high.
With time the population of the camp shot up from about 1000 to almost 1700 despite the fact that the condition at the home was not the best. But most of them that came into the centre were grateful that they at least have a roof over their heads even if more than 10 people squeeze into a single room each night. Another added advantage of the camp was that good Nigerians ranging from individuals to religious groups kept coming to the centre with various forms of gifts which are shared. And with more people that come into the camp, the sanitary condition kept getting worse. However, the destitute were managing until fire broke out within at the centre while most were sound asleep.
On Wednesday, December 2008, at about 4am, when most of the destitute were sinking deeper into the sweet embrace of sleep, fire broke out at the block made of zinc and partitioned with wood. When the fire finally burnt itself out, seven of the destitute were burnt beyond recognition, the building completely razed to the ground, while scores of other destitute sustained various degrees of injuries. Those who died include four elderly females and three males. Their charred remains were quickly buried at the Tudun Wada cemetery, while the injured were taken to Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, otherwise called nursing home.
A sad twist was that while the early morning inferno was being battled with, miscreants gradually converged at the centre and looted few valuables things that remained the destitute property. It took the effort of men of the state security outfit, Operation Yaki to keep them at bay. Even with the security some succeeded in fleeing with some valuables like transistor radios under the guise of helping to pull out the belongings of the destitute.
The morning after the fire, government officials started falling over themselves to identify with the victims. Governor Namadi Sambo, his Deputy, Mr. Patrick Yakowa, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Waje Yayok, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Maryamu Madami, Executive Secretary of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Aliyu Raminkura and the chairman of Kaduna North Local Government, Shehu Ahmed Giant, in whose council the centre is located, rushed to the centre.
The destitute were promised help by the government, while SEMA erected four tents on a piece of land opposite the centre for those who were initially in the block that got burnt. Foodstuff, blankets, and other commodities were quickly provided. Other religious organisations also made donations to the inmates.
However, seven months after the fire incident no government official has deem it fit to come back to the place or redeem the pledges that were made by the state during the visits by the deputy governor. This is because when Yakowa rushed to the scene after hearing about the fire, he told the gathered destitute that "when the state governor heard about the sad news, I was in Abuja, but I was instructed to come and that all government functionaries should come and commiserate with you and take all step to assist you.
"I am also here to console you on the death of your brothers and sisters who died in the inferno. For those that are still in the hospital, I want to assure you that they will be adequately taken care of to regain their health and join you soon. I have gone round and seen the extent of the damage and we are going to take all necessary steps for your comfort," he said, adding that steps would be taken to ensure that this tragedy never happens and a "more befitting place would be provided for you. "
Based on that promise and with such outpouring of emotion, the National President of the Joint Association of Persons with Disability, Malam Rilwan Abdullahi, described all the visits and the show of affection from the government and other groups as a sign that the state government is with the destitute. Abduallahi who was also made a Special Adviser to the Governor on Disability said the destitute initially thought the governor was not with them, but the visits dispelled the notion.
But when THISDAY visited the place, the burnt block has still not been rebuilt despite government promise to erect a more befitting place. In fact, the only standing block of 20 rooms has become an eyesore. The zinc structure that served as birth room has collapsed compelling most to only take their bath at nights in the open. Those who were moved to the tents erected by SEMA are also in a fixed.
The stakes holding the tarpaulin tents into the ground have been blown off by strong wind. As a result, out of the four tents only one is good as the destitute have all moved out from the others, because when it rains, they and their properties gets wet and the earth floor becomes muddy. Some were able to erect some zinc structure where they and their children stay in.
However some who were not able to get any space to stay in when the other structure got burnt resorted to sleeping in the open space. They come back daily from their begging and curled up into whatever form of beddings they have. But with the onset of the rain, they have been having problem with where to sleep as on several occasions, the rain had caught them sleeping in the open at night.
Some who talk to THISDAY said they initially ignored the rain by covering themselves with polythene or waterproof whenever it started, until the ground, which already had hint of swampiness, became permanently wet. Now when it rains, they huddle into any available space they could find. This has made the issue of shelter the biggest problem they have. THISDAY was reliably informed by the three leaders at the centre that state government has deceived them.
Speaking in Hausa, the leader of the lepers, Alhassan Musa said "We were managing our lives when the state packed us to this place. We initially were happy because we were told that we are going to be taken care of, with time nothing came. We were still managing our lives when the fire broke out. The government came and promise us that the burnt place will be rebuilt. But up to now nothing has been done. We have sent emissaries but nothing has come out of it. The biggest problem is that the rain has started and some of our people are sleeping outside," he said.
When THISDAY went to the office of the Kaduna State Rehabilitation Board, located at Kigo road, to get answers as to why the destitute are allowed sleeping in the open, the Executive Director, Shehu Abubakar, explained that the Destitute Home at Kano road is not under his agency but that of the Ministry of Women Affairs. He explained that his area of concerned covers only the two rehabilitation centers in the state which are located in Kakury in Kaduna South Local Government, and Kafanchan, in Jama'a Local Government.
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