Political influence, violence, harassment, favouritism and intimidation of officials have hampered the conduct of free distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Misau Local Government of Area of Bauchi State.
The mosquito nets, WikkiTimes learnt, were supplied by US President’s Malaria Initiative in conjunction with The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and were meant to be distributed freely across households in Bauchi State under the supervision of Bauchi State Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis/Leprosy and Malaria (BACATMA).
Unfortunately, the exercise was marred by a pocket of irregularities in Misau as political leaders, government officials favour their kinsmen in the exercise.
Speaking during a stakeholders review of the exercise held in Misau, Malam Sani Adamu Gamawa, Director PHC Misau, decried that political influence was a major factor that led to failures recorded in the exercise right from unset.
He said a micro plan was conducted and a number of benefiting households were mapped out. He lamented that the exercise was not successful despite the rigorous plan.
Gamawa said he has received countless calls concerning the irregularities in the distribution exercises, noting household numbers in Misau were estimated and each household was considered to be given two nets.
POLITICAL INFLUENCE
On the modalities adopted in selecting ad-hoc staff to handle the exercise, Gamawa said a form was provided. He, however, alleged that BACATMA reduced 30% of the forms across all local governments.
“Forms were provided just like an application form for employment and starting from issuing the forms, 30% of each local government forms were deducted by officials of BACATMA and they shared it among themselves and their friends and families,” Gamawa said. “I stamped the 70% they brought to us… Any form you come across without my stamp is from BACATMA thus leading us to lose control of those that will do the exercise.”
One of the nets distributed in Misau town
Gamawa alleged that the local government Caretaker Chairman, Salisu Hussani, altered the distribution exercise by distributing the forms to officials and stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He added that some of the mobile phones provided for mobilization purposes were stolen by those selected to carry out the exercise.
“The chairman said I should not distribute the forms until he has instructed me to do so. He called me around 2:00 pm to his office and upon reaching there I saw PDP stakeholders who distributed the forms among themselves,” he said. “But the forms for technical officers, health educators, and DP supervisors were not distributed because the roles are special and needed to be handled by experts. So they shared other categories such as household mobilizers.”
“The first step in the exercise is household mobilization, which they follow house to house distributing the cards. And each team was given an Android phone and a number of net cards,” he continued. “I want Misau local government to know that up to now, out of the 20 local governments in the state, there is no LGA that encountered problems like that of Misau local government.”
In Bauchi, ‘N45.8m Electricity Project’ Fails to Save Residents from Darkness
He added: “Two of the Android phones were stolen, one was tracked and the thief has confessed to having stolen it but he was later on influenced to deny stealing. The other one up to today was not switched on, so it can not be tracked…
“In all Misau LGA, there is no area where we have challenges like that of Beti, because we have more than 10 settlements that were not given cards. What happened is that if they were given cards to distribute in Beti, they will just come back to Misau and started sharing the cards meant for the villages to their friends and families.”
INTIMIDATION OF OFFICIALS
Gamawa said he was humiliated by the local government caretaker chairman for insisting that the right thing be done. According to him, there were pressures also from political and traditional leaders.
He said at the end of the exercise, there is going to be reverse logistics where all unclaimed nets will be recovered, adding a team of experts have been hired to check all cases of anomalies recorded during the exercise.
Also, the local government Health Educator, Malam Isah Muhd Akuyam said the problems started from the distribution of cards. He said the cards did not get to the targeted beneficiaries.
A sample of the card
“The problems can be linked to those saddled with the responsibility of distribution of the cards. Honestly speaking the cards didn’t reach many intended targets,” he said. “Our society doesn’t have that kind of understanding that if my neighbour has gotten and I didn’t get it; I am satisfied and this brings about the problems encountered.
“This brings about intimidation and harassment of officials and is obtainable in almost all the areas across the local government. You will find a whole village was not given the cards, confronting us that we should give them the nets and we told them we can’t, because the rule is that you must present a card before we give you mosquito net.”
Nasir Garba Umar, an official of World Health Organisation (WHO), corroborate the health educator, saying the National Primary Health Care Development Agency should have been given the mandate to handle the distribution.
“The National Primary Health Care Development Agency, has been handling many health-related activities including polio and it has been doing it without serious challenges. People that don’t know the value of what they are going to do because even those that gave them the opportunity don’t know that they were like that they think it is a way of helping someone. Still, they used the opportunity in the wrong way which brings us to the present situation. I believed the security agencies in their reports will recommend a change in future occurrences,” he said.
In his remarks, the Divisional Police Officer, Misau Police Division, Idi Adamu said there were distribution centres where hoodlums attacked and stole nets such as Central Primary School where about 67 nets were carted away, adding that they arrested the culprits who were mostly young boys.
He said the nets were recovered and the parents of the suspects were asked to pay for the recoveries. The DPO said there was a situation in Zindi where some people from Misau went to the village to collect nets but the villagers resisted. According to him, security officials were drafted into the scene to contain the issue.
WikkiTimes learnt that there were cases of violence in Central Primary School, Zindi, and Jabdo distribution centres where hoodlums attempted to steal nets, a development that attracted the attention of security officials to intervene.
DEFENCE AND THE DENIAL
When contacted, Salisu Hussani, the Caretaker Chairman for Misau LGA confirmed that 30% of the forms meant for the local government were held by BACATMA which they distributed among stakeholders in at the state level.
He also confirmed that Misau local government application forms for the adhoc staff were distributed to political and traditional leaders. In defence, he said the council tried to attend to challenges experienced during the distribution.
“The people we gave the forms are from Misau and there is nothing political about it,” he told WikkiTimes. “Even at BACATMA they distributed their own. The ones brought to us were distributed among political, religious and traditional leaders. On the issue of areas that were not given cards it may be as a result of some technicalities and we have resolved some.”
“It is confirmed that BACATMA has taken 30% of the forms and they distributed them to stakeholders at the high level which their own is not from the local government, so from the office they gave them,” he said.
But in a telephone conversation with our reporter, Mustapha Yunusa, Information Officer for BACATMA, countered the allegations that the agency took 30% of the application forms. He said what the ganecy took was not up to the rumoured figure. According to him, BACATMA only took 20% which were distributed to stakeholders.
BACATMA Stems TB In 20 LGs As Bauchi Records 4,430 Cases In 2020
Yunusa claimed this was the first time the agency would handle distribution of insecticide treated mosquito nets. It only came with numerous challenges this time around, he said.
“That it is not true,” he protested. “Even through there is percentage that BACATMA used to take but it not 30% and that this exercise has started since 2020, 2021 and 2023 now. Every time when you are doing things you must come across challenges. This year we have some challenges but we can’t finger one factor to say this is responsible. This year, two things come at the same time — distribution of nets and Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) doses — which brings about challenges but they were resolved.
“Every year BACATMA used to take 20% of application forms and they were distributed among major stakeholders including assembly members, leaders at state level but that 30% is not true and it has been happening, it is just this year that we have encountered problems.”
This publication is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
