Amanawa: 85-year-old Lepers community close to city, but far from dev’t

Amanawa is a famous Lepers’ community in Kalgo Local Government Area of Kebbi State established 85 years ago as a settlement for missionaries during the colonial era. Situated about 7km from Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, Amanawa was later converted to a Leprosy and Tuberculosis (TB) Treatment Centre to serve as an annex of the […]

Amanawa is a famous Lepers’ community in Kalgo Local Government Area of Kebbi State established 85 years ago as a settlement for missionaries during the colonial era.

Situated about 7km from Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, Amanawa was later converted to a Leprosy and Tuberculosis (TB) Treatment Centre to serve as an annex of the Sokoto Leprosy treatment centre.

The then Emir of Gwandu late Yahaya Ibn Halliru conceived the conversion initiative while Emir of Gwandu Haruna Rasheed implemented it by handing over the community to the first set of lepers brought from Amanawa of Sokoto State.

Since then, lepers and people with various skin diseases have been occupying the community for easy access to medical treatment. 

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According to Sarkin Kutare of Amanawa, Malam Garba Abdullahi, the community consists of 80 houses, a dispensary, garden and large farmland as at the time their forefathers were settled there.

“When missionaries were occupying Amanawa, we only came here for treatment but after the missionaries left, it was handed over to us as our permanent settlement,” he said.

However, Daily Trust Saturday observed that despite its years of existence and proximity to the state capital, the 85-year-old community has not witnessed much development, as numerous social and economic factors have continued to hinder its progress.

The community, Daily Trust Saturday observed, is in need of government attention in various areas particularly health, education, agriculture and empowerment. For instance, the community’s dispensary, meant for treating leprosy and other skin diseases, needs general renovation and expansion.

Also, additional medical personnel are needed in the hospital to cater to the needs of patients who visit the hospital on a daily basis. Daily Trust Saturday gathered that at least 150 patients are being attended to at the hospital every day.

The community got its first primary school of a single classroom 37 years ago and some years later, the school was relocated to another place and expanded to a 2-block classroom and toilet.

Again, when the building started collapsing, the military administration of Col. John Uba (rtd) built a new block of two classrooms and a toilet while the immediate past administration of Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu also constructed an additional block of two classrooms and toilet.

Although the existing structure is in good condition, lack of adequate teachers and working materials remain a major challenge affecting teaching and learning in the community.

When this reporter visited the school around 11am, only the headmaster and a teacher were seen in an office, while the few pupils that came to school were busy playing in one of the classrooms.

Further observation revealed that only one of the two blocks of classrooms is functional while the other constructed by a Non-Governmental Organisation was dilapidated.

Daily Trust Saturday gathered that apart from Muhammad Umar, the current officer in-charge of the community’s dispensary, no other member of the community studied beyond secondary school level.

However, 11 indigenes of the settlement are currently studying at a secondary school in Jega and their parents have promised to sponsor their education beyond secondary level. 

How Muhammad Umar transforms Amanawa residents

Muhammad Umar was born and brought up in the Amanawa community. He started his primary education in the same community and later moved to Kalgo Model Primary school after the collapse of Amanawa primary school.

After he finished primary school, Umar proceeded to Kalgo Secondary School then Government Teachers College Argungu where he obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). Upon graduating from GTC Argungu, Umar started teaching at a school in Unguwar Adua, a village where he spent only a week and transferred to another school in Uban-Dawaki village where he spent a year.

After a year and half, Umar switched over to the health profession after he acquired basic knowledge in the new profession.

Umar said: “I was compelled to join the health profession because of what the head of Amanawa dispensary told my parents in my presence. One day, while the man was discussing with my parents; one of the elders asked him to use his position to influence the government to connect our village to the national grid (electricity). But the man looked my parents in the face and said as long as he remains head of the hospital, the village would never be connected to electricity. His response evoked sad feelings in my heart.

“I wasn’t happy with his statements. In fact, I could not sleep throughout the night while thinking of what to do to make my parents’ dreams a reality? Days after, I came up with the idea of changing my profession. But deep in my heart, my intention was to become like that man who refused to help my community, so that when I get a similar opportunity, I can help my community.

“So, in 1988 I joined the School of Health Technology Jega and graduated in 2000. I was posted to Tungar Noma clinic as pioneer head of the facility and I spent one and a half years there. Later, I was transferred to Amanawa Lepers’ hospital because I have the prerequisites of handling TB and Leprosy patients. I am now in my 12th year in Amanawa as head of the facility.

“Alhamdulillah, as God would have it, I have achieved my dreams because after the struggle, I did not only connect my village with electricity, but secured good road, hospital ward, and a hand-pump borehole for my community.”

Umar, who attested to the decrease in leprosy cases in the state, said the rigorous enlightenment campaign embarked upon in the state is yielding positive results, as people always report any unusual signs they detect in their body, a development that he said helps in detection and treatment of leprosy cases at early stages.

He, however, lamented that despite the successes being recorded in addressing leprosy and other skin cases, the Amanawa community is faced with numerous Challenges.

“We need modern equipment in the hospital. I have acquired training on various aspects of leprosy diseases but we don’t have the equipment here. The hospital also needs expansion (to have units). You know the health sector is dynamic, hence it needs updating. We also need additional staff because presently, we are only eight, and we need at least 15 personnel.

“This is the only leprosy hospital we have in Kebbi State; we receive patients from the nooks and crannies of the state and beyond. We equally need mobility for transferring patients with complications to Sokoto State for treatment. For example, last week I received two patients whose cases were beyond our capacity, but I only directed the relatives to take them to Sokoto because I don’t have mobility to transfer them. 

The Village Head of Amanawa, Malam Umaru, said another problem affecting the progress of the community was lack of enough farm lands, alleging that their farmlands have been allocated to individuals by the local government authorities.

“We don’t have farmlands in this community and this is a serious problem because we cannot survive without farming. Our farmlands have been allocated to individuals by the local government authority. We are not saying the government should provide us with foodstuffs, but give us our farmlands so that we can produce what we can eat. We have no other place to go to apart from this village. Therefore, the government should look into this problem.

“We also need adequate drugs. Everyone you see in this village is either a leper or has skin disease and is here for the purpose of treatment. So, if there are not enough drugs in the hospital, then the purpose of being here is obviously defeated.

Malam Hashimu Bagudu, who was admitted at Amanawa hospital about six months ago, told Daily Trust Saturday that he was getting better, adding that the healthcare givers at the facility have been taking good care of him.

“I have been given enough medicine. I was suffering from some rashes on my chest. Alhamdulillah, they have started disappearing after some treatments as you can see,” he said. 

Another patient, Binta Auwal from Keita Fulani village, said “I have been on admission for one year. When I was admitted, I could not walk by myself, but now I’m back on my feet. I thanked the Almighty God.

“When I was brought to the hospital, my legs started to decompose, but after some treatments, they started healing. I am better compared to when I was admitted here.”

Also, Malam Umaru Falaha, who has been in Amanawa village for 15 years, said he relocated to the community with his family in order to have proper treatment.

“We are appealing to Governor Nasir Idris to come to our aid because we are facing serious economic hardship. Most of us cannot afford to feed our family three times a day; we need food and other basic necessities. Successive governments had promised to bring us goodies but they all failed. We do not want to go back to street begging. I am doing this small business to cater for my family. I abandoned street begging for this menial job,” he said.

On his part, the Chief Imam of Amanawa community, Malam Muhammad Dan Malam, who relocated to the village 35 years ago, regretted that the government is gradually sending residents of the community back to begging by denying them access to farming and craft.

“We will be glad if the government will empower us to become self-reliant. If we are aged, our children can be empowered to take care of us. We have been hearing about various empowerment programs being sponsored by the government, but such a gesture has never been extended to this community.

Another resident, Ibrahim Muhammad, said “In the past, governments provided enough drugs and foodstuffs to the community but unfortunately, this has stopped. We have to go to the bush and get firewood which we sell to feed our family. If you do not go for street begging, then you have to sell firewood to feed your family,” he concluded.