News
UMTH: Orchard, for the Benefits of Patients’ Healing
UMTH: Orchard, for the Benefits of Patients’ Healing
By: Balami Lazarus
Hospitals are considered universally to be the most serene environment where patients are expected to have the best healthcare services and attention and also to be provided with quality medical treatment and care through their doctors and caregivers, aided by other health workers, to enable the sick ones to recuperate, feel better, and get well. How can our hospitals achieve this?
However, this can be achieved not only by discharging their primary objectives through the provision of medical treatments but also in some other related friendly environmental health windows.
When the NEWSng team took a post-flood visit to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) recently to assess some projects like the one and only Interventional Radiology Centre (IRC) in Nigeria and the Stroke Centre (SC), among other few ongoing projects that are not peculiar to most hospitals in Nigeria.
Farms are of different types, but the one in question herein is an orchard, a special kind of farm. Orchards have never been part of the hospital environment, while gardens and parks are a common sight in our hospitals. Therefore, UMTH, under the able good leadership of Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo, decided to make yet another landmark by establishing a large orchard within the hospital premises in Maiduguri.
Why an orchard in UMTH? Speaking to the CMD, Prof. Ahmed Ahidjo on the Orchard project, he happily said, “The Orchard is meant to provide a conducive environmental atmosphere/space for patients, their relatives, visitors, staff, and students to have contact with and the feel of the natural environment provided by the Orchard.” He further emphasized by saying that “patients will have a natural environment for them to relax, which will help in their healing processes.” He informed NEWSng that it is also meant to provide sources of fresh fruits for the patients and members of the hospital community at affordable prices. “The Orchard is not only established to provide leisure/relaxation, but its products—fruits—are going to be sold to assist in maintaining the facilities of the orchard.”
In the course of our reports, NEWSng spoke to Mr. Abubakar Sadiq Dawule, officer in charge of the orchard, who took us round. The Orchard is 1.75 hectares of land totaling 26 plots that are 25 meters in size. Abubakar Dawule said that each plot is planted with a single variety of economic tree that bears quality fruits. All the plots are planted with single different varieties of economic trees like cashew, custard apple tree , mango , orange, banana, guava, mango apple, pawpaw, date trees, tangerine, berries of different kinds, watermelon, and other varieties of economic trees/plants.”
Sadiq further informed NEWSng that the aims of the orchard are “to create a green area of plantation that will provide economic trees for the production of fruits.” He also said that is to help reduce global warming and provide protection for the hospital’s environmental beauty. “To have natural environment space for nutritional benefits of patients to improve their healing.
UMTH Orchard has standard functional facilities like a water fountain, a set of concrete backrest seats in each plot, and an office block consisting of shops, stores, and restrooms. The orchard is beautifully designed with paved walkways to each plot and free flow of water to all the plots. It is fenced with one main entrance. These efforts are carried out by an 18-man workforce, including security operatives, to secure the orchard.
Interestingly, the UMTH Orchard was sponsored by a well-meaning Nigerian Hon. Abdulmalik Zubairu Bungudu (Zanna Bungudu), a member of the National Assembly—House of Representatives representing the Bungudu/Maru Federal constituency of Zamfara State, with the sum of 20 million Naira.
Challenges faced by the Orchard, according to Abubakar Sadiq Dawule, are the need for additional borehole walkways and lights and more fertilizer/manure.
Garden scissors, an axe, a cutlass, and watering cans, among other handy tools, “are necessary for the maintenance of the orchard.”
UMTH: Orchard, for the Benefits of Patients’ Healing
Troops repel insurgents, neutralise suspected informant in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have repelled suspected insurgents and neutralised a suspected informant during operations in Ngamdu area of Borno.
Military sources said the action followed signals intelligence indicating that suspected Boko Haram elements were massing.
At about 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 18, troops carried out a fire mission on the identified area, forcing the insurgents to disperse and abort their suspected plan.
Shortly afterward, at about 3:45 a.m., troops engaged and neutralised a suspected insurgent informant who attempted to breach the trench defensive position in Ngamdu.
Sources said the troops immediately conducted a search of the surrounding area after the encounter but made no further contact with fleeing suspects.
Troops repel insurgents, neutralise suspected informant in Borno
Yobe: Troops Disperse Terrorists, Arrest Five Suspected Arms Smugglers
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have disrupted a suspected terrorist gathering and arrested five suspected arms smugglers during separate operations in Yobe State.
Security sources said that at about 6:21 p.m. on Feb. 17, troops conducted a fire mission following credible intelligence that terrorists were converging in large numbers on motorcycles at Mangari, about 10.6 kilometres from the location of the 135 Special Forces Battalion in Buratai.
The swift action forced the insurgents to disperse in disarray, effectively disrupting their suspected plans.
In a separate development, troops of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Potiskum apprehended five suspected arms smugglers and abductors at about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 at a checkpoint along the Gombe–Potiskum road.
Those arrested included a 41-year-old suspect, Baba Abare, who was found in possession of an AK-47 rifle, alongside four others identified as Idris Zakari, 33; Nasiru Aliyu, 25; Abdullahi Sulaiman, 35; and Mohammed Idris, 34, all said to be indigenes of Potiskum town.
The suspects were intercepted in two Golf Wagon vehicles bearing registration numbers Borno NGL-506XA and Kaduna DKD16-01.
They were disarmed and handed over to appropriate authorities for further investigation.
Yobe: Troops Disperse Terrorists, Arrest Five Suspected Arms Smugglers
News
Ward Congress: Bayelsa APC Group Condemns Marginalization Of Sylva’s Supporters, Call On Party NWC, Tinubu To Intervene
Ward Congress: Bayelsa APC Group Condemns Marginalization Of Sylva’s Supporters, Call On Party NWC, Tinubu To Intervene
The Bayelsa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Grassroot Movement (BSAGM), has expressed deep dissatisfaction over the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri biased, marginalized conduct of the party ward congress in the state.
Condemning in strong terms the APC ward congress conducted on Wednesday, 18th of February, 2026, the group described the process as witch-hunt of a selected group of stakeholders and leaders in the party.
A statement issued on Thursday by the group’s spokesman, Mr John Peremobowei, condemned the governor’s deliberate segregation of key stakeholders in various wards geared towards generating division.
Some APC stalwarts through their followers have expressed profound dissatisfaction on the social media over segregation and non-inclusion of critical stakeholders who stood firmly as an opposition in building the “Hausa party” in Bayelsa State.
They stated that Governor Douye Diri’s failure to conduct an all inclusive APC congress in various wards across the state; which is his first assignment as party leader after defection, has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that the governor is incapable to manage affairs of the party in the state.
The group said “Governor Diri who could not manage insignificant affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP leading to Mr George Turnah factional leadership in Bayelsa, has transferred the same attitude from the PDP to the APC barely four months of defection.
“The governor whose administration and leadership depend, and feed on propaganda, rumours, gossip from subordinates without investigation before making decisions, obviously cannot build, neither maintain the APC–as he couldn’t manage the PDP.
“Senator Diri leadership of division, propaganda to incite leaders against other leaders, can’t build people like he was deliberately built by the likes of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, Chief Timi Alaibe, Senator Seriake Dickson and others.
“Diri is a Supreme Court Governor who has never had grassroot support due to failure to manage people from his days in house of representatives, senate till date as governor, and the Bayelsa APC is in trouble because he can’t build neither maintain a party.”
The group said the governor who was a financier of Atiku-Okowa PDP presidential ticket, and worked so hard against President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, defected to the APC for fear of prosecution by the anti-corruption agencies over misappropriation.
Governor Diri who has been receiving over thirty-four billion naira and above on a monthly basis from the federation account since the inception of President Bola Tinubu administration, was caught by the United States interpol with huge amount of money early 2025.
The group’s spokesman cried out to the APC National Working Committee, President Bola Tinubu for immediate intervention, saying followers/loyalists of the former governor and minister, Chief Timipre Sylva were sidelined in the ward congress in various wards across the state, describing it as witch-hunt.
“Sylva with the support of loyalists brought APC to Bayelsa, and fought so hard to build, and strengthen the party as an opposition, and today, he is unjustly marginalized in the party.
“Despite undeserved exclusion in the party congresses, we the steadfast supporters of Chief Timipre Sylva will stand firm in galvanizing support for President Bola Tinubu re-election.
“We have stood firm in APC even as an opposition in the state, but can’t relent now that it is the ruling party.
“We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, as he did in Rivers, and call Governor Douye Diri to order–as his actions are targeted towards generating division in the party.
Ward Congress: Bayelsa APC Group Condemns Marginalization Of Sylva’s Supporters, Call On Party NWC, Tinubu To Intervene
Troops repel insurgents, neutralise suspected informant in Borno
Yobe: Troops Disperse Terrorists, Arrest Five Suspected Arms Smugglers
Ward Congress: Bayelsa APC Group Condemns Marginalization Of Sylva’s Supporters, Call On Party NWC, Tinubu To Intervene
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