From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Ejeh Attah Odang, 38, from Benue State commenced his 806 84 kilometres trek from Lagos to Abuja on January 15, during this year’s celebration of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.
Odang said he embarked on the trek to Abuja, the nation’s capital to see the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas at the National Assembly to draw their attention to the plights of the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
Odang who is also known as Ejeh Dagogo, is an Artist, basketball coach and barbecue griller, who until he embarked on the journey was the team manager of his local basketball club, the Dodan Kadet basketball (a subsidiary of the Dodan Warriors basketball programmes) and a full time barbecue maker.
The trekker who stopped over in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti state said he passed through Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun States to get to Ekiti and has covered 405.84 Kilometres. He said the other states still left for him to pass through to cover the remaining 401 kilometers to make his 806.84 Kilometres are Ondo, Edo, Kogi States before getting to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja .
Odang during his stop over in Ado-Ekiti on February 2, being his 19th day on the road, visited some tourist sites. He also visited some restaurants where he ate local pounded yam and vegetable soup, a delicacy loved by the people of Ekiti State. He continued his journey the following day(February 3).
Speaking with Daily Sun correspondent in Ado-Ekiti, on what informed his decision to embark on the trek, Odang said,
“It is about the plight of the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, that is why I am trekking to Abuja. Today is my twentieth day on the road and I am supposed to get to Abuja in my 34th or in my 35th day.
“Since the trek is a legislative advocacy trek for the Nigerian Armed Forces, I hope to be received by the Chief of Defence Staff and to have an audience with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“The objective basically is to draw their attention in the areas of, let’s take for instance, the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) of the Armed Forces has been very poor. Soldiers no longer die of malaria and typhoid but die of terminal diseases that are not meant to be for soldiers. They die of Hepatitis, they die of Cancer and they die of other terminal diseases that their HMO doesn’t cover so they cannot afford to treat them. Some even have metals in their hands, their legs and they cannot afford to go to good specialist hospitals for treatment. Those who have gone to the war front that have surgical operations are not well taken care of by the Armed Forces.
” I am looking at a situation where by there will be a legislation that can cover that aspect. To review the HMO for members of the Armed Forces so that they can address such issues”.
He added, “the other one is to find a way to see that we as Nigerians when we see a soldier we should be able to respect and appreciate a soldier for being a soldier whether he is in uniform or not. If you go to the United States of America, if an officer whether Army, Air Force or Navy is boarding an aircraft or is in a public place, the moment he announces that there is a soldier on board everybody stands up and give an ovation because they know what the soldiers are going through, they value them.
I am looking at a situation where by as Nigerians too we can try to boost the morales of the members of the armed forces with stuffs like that.
“There was a video that trended a couple of days ago where a soldier was supposed to travel from the Northeast to his home town having given the pass by the Army authority but his salary, N50,000 could not take him home and bring him back to his area of responsibility. I am looking at a situation where by there will be a legislation that will ease transportation for soldiers, that will say okay if you are a soldier just like it is being done in Lagos, if you are traveling within any state you will have a free ride, you don’t necessarily have to be in uniform. Once you can show your Identity Card that you are a soldier. If you are traveling outside a state you don’t necessarily have to be in uniform once you show your ID card, they give you a 50 per cent discount. If that solder in that video had a 50 per cent discount the N50,000 would have taken him to and fro and he will have N15,000 left to spend from his salary.
“These are some of the things I am taking to the National Assembly to seek a legislative redress. I would have loved to go to the President but if something becomes a law everybody adheres to it.
“Today, being my 20th day on the road I have covered 405.84 kilometres, remaining 401 kilometres, to make 806.84 kilometres that means Ekiti State is in the middle of Lagos to Abuja. I believe God willing the effort will not be in futility. The Nigerian people and the Nigerian Senate will see reasons why our armed forces need to be treated in a better way to boost their morales so that they can do more for us. The sacrifice is selfless.
“Ekiti State has shown me the greatest love so far. I want to say a very special thank you to the government and good people of Ekiti State “
Speaking , the Director-General, Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, Amb. Wale Ojo-Lanre, who met with Odang in his office in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state said, ” I was in my office when I received a call from the former president of hoteliers’ association in Ekiti state, Chief Samuel Korode, that there was somebody trekking all the way from Lagos State to Abuja that he would like me to meet with him because I am the Chief Tourism Officer of the state. I put a call to the fellow and I asked him to meet me in my office. When he came I interviewed him and he said he was trekking from Lagos to Abuja that he embarked on the journey on January 15, while this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration was going on at the Tafawa Balewa Square( TBS) in Lagos.
“He said he was trekking to Abuja to see the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives to draw their attention to the plight of members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“He said he is a tourist so I took him to some of the tourist centres like Fajuyi Memorial Park in Ado-Ekiti and the place where he ate pounded yam with vegetable soup. I also took him to one of the best tourism sites in Nigeria that has never been developed, Abanijorin rock centre in Iyin-Ekiti where he saw so many natural wonders on the mountain like the caves, natural amphitheatre with natural seats that can accommodate more than 250 people. After the stop over, he continued his journey to Ikare, Ondo State onward to Abuja.”
Odang said what he observed among the citizens of the country while passing through each of the states was that Nigerians are living in palpable fear due to the rising insecurity in the land.
“We need to bring back our community life and do everything possible to restore that lifestyle when you travel as a stranger your hosts would give you water to drink, give you food to eat and even provide accommodation for the night. Those are the values that held us together but is now being eroded.”