INVASION OF LUNATICS AND DESTITUTES IN UYO, A GROWING CONCERN
By Uwem Akpabio
A first time visitor to the prowling city of Uyo, would by hindsight, feel the city is overtaken by a colony of mentally deranged individuals and destitutes. A cross section of the public seems to be submerged by this development, where it would be assumed that an average proportion of this lunatic and destitute population is on the increase by the indices of population growth and control. Through this development could be reviewed as prevailing development phenomenon associated with growing and developing societies or economies, which could be said to attract rise in population inflow, change in life style and interaction or interchange of cultural differences and values. The synonym of this change values, attracts the migration of people as a process of rural urban drift to centers where economic prowess are principally pronounced, so in this regard, Uyo is not exceptional with such growing needs and opportunities. But the worry is, above this, an aspersion could be casted that, a society with growing cases and influence of lunatics and destitute, has depressing effects, a verge to the collapse of societal norms and values, a status of depression among its populace and a stigma of mental retardness. What value could be derived from such a society but a brink towards abnormality, a counter productive measure for economic growth and development.
However, the challenges of these social is the porosity of our mindset, failed structures and institutions in addressing this decadence, in strengthening the needs of our moral, socials as well as administering policies by the leadership as core responsibilities to its ordinary citizen, vulnerable to these threats.
The Umaru Dikko assertion in the 2nd republic polity, that, no Nigerian was ever feeding from the waste bin had been a pervasive prophecy which was set for reality in the 21st Century Nigeria. The state of our economy has caused a lot of people to turn to waste bin for food, not by recycling process of waste to wealth, but human rats, who desire scavenging to eat from the crumbs disposed into waste bins.
Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital is gradually being invaded by a colony of lunatics and destitutes who comb waste points to scavenge for disposed left overs. Some of this people look strange but normal by appearance, whose identities could not be established. Some may not be our indigenes, or, could it further be postulated that, with the growing development pursuits and infrastructural development in the state, the rural urban drift has opened the gates for the exodus of mentally sick of our rural areas into the city center, where in actual sense, and in such rural areas the right approach and adoption of government policies in psychiatric administration and management are nonplussed? Could it equally be assumed that, the increase in this destitute population, is due to the migration of Nigerians from other parts of the country into the state, with such migration unhindered, unfettered with no reproach? The latter has been revealed as being the major cause of destitute and lunaticism in Uyo due to our hospitality and peaceful nature, in willing to accept and accommodate visitors.
These people came into the state without a challenge from any security agency or operative perhaps, settle their ways. They are conveyed in the night time by vendors or facilitators who understand the security terrain and lapses of our state within the bordering states, dumped these people in the street under the covers of the night, without home, in a tight living condition, which forces them to fend for themselves, going begging for alms or scavenging from one waste point to another. The city of Uyo is dissected by these individuals at waste points; Abak road, Ikot Ekpene road, Oron road, Nwaniba road, Aka road, Ibom Plaza, Itam Under bridge arcade and every major street, locations or high point area are their targets. The collapse of security surveillance by the regulated agencies and institutions exposes the citizenry and the society to grievous threat and attack of which this could be possible transit in these days of Fulani herdsmen, who may come in the guise of destitutes or beggars if checks are not made. Awareness should be made in this regard.
The State Ministries of Social Development and that of Women Affairs are not rising to their responsibilities in sanitizing the society of these individuals. The Ministries should be able to rehabilitate the genuine vulnerable of these individuals and reintegrated them usefully into the mainstream society. Onerous that, they take charge of the drive to rehabilitate them, and where among these people, could their identities be established that they are not from Akwa Ibom State, approach should be made to deport them to their states of origin through their corresponding ministries and agencies in their states.
It is advisable that around the clock security surveillance be stepped up in the state by every security agency including members of the public. The members of the public should be conscious of strange people, beggars or destitute within their environs. The Ministries mentioned in carrying out their duties effectively should be people friendly with members of the public creating awareness, giving out emergency phone numbers for the public to alert of the locations where possible of such lunatics or destitute.
The Akwa Ibom State Government through its Ministry of Health should be able to develop psychiatric facilities in every senatorial district of the state in catering for the mental health of the people. Trained personnel should be drafted to man these facilities for proper rehabilitation. In the same vain, the psychiatric facility in Eket, the only one in the state is not enough to cater for the ever increasing number of psychiatric patients and cases. Distance to this facility at Eket could pose additional problem considering the disparity from every part of the state to Eket; but if by senatorial district standard and allocation these psychiatric facilities are created, it would be timely to gap the distance factor, save life and resources. We need a decent environment devoid of elements of mental insanity, we must be reminded that, to our esteemed visitors, the first impression does matter.
