KADSEMA Healing Old Wounds of Disaster
…… Jessica’s testimony of livelihood support

By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Life was sweet and everything going well with her and family until bandits strucked.

She never saw it coming neither did her husband envisaged an attack that has since escalated into full blown terrorism.

Kuyero community in Birni Gwari LGA of Kaduna State was a peaceful and very safe place, that was while her family moved from their home state of Benue to the community to farm, which is her husband’s trade.

Farming business was booming and life was beautiful for the young couple, until one sad night (date not mentioned), during the peak of farming season in the year 2020, when bandits attacked Kuyero and Jefaru, two neighboring communities.

Attacks in Birni Gwari area have been ongoing for a long time with no serious response by the government to curtail it. Initially the activities of the perpetrators was treated as mere cattle rustling and it was later seen as activities of illegal gold miners.

The activities of these daredevil’s men continued for a long time around Kamuku forest in several boarder communities, between Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Niger state, until 2015 when governors of the aforementioned states met in Kaduna to plan an action.

Their action never yielded any reasonable success and terrorist saw the forest as safe heaven from where they now plan an unleash terror on innocent rural people in that axis.

30 years old, Jessica Nyiekaa, is a mother of 4 kids whose household was affected by one of the early attacks in Birni Gwari area in the year 2020. Jessica, a Tailor, was enjoying her marriage with her husband who is a farmer at Kuyero, a farming community where they lived.

She never imagined that such an attack could happen in such a local community that used to be so peaceful and safe, but to her greatest surprise the daredevil’s men strucked.

“I was surprised that night and everyone was confused, they invaded the village that night, rubbed many of us and left with about four people. Though we have been hearing about attacks in other areas far from us, but I never believed they could come to our area.

“Even when we thought that was going to be the end of it, another one happened and it gradually became something regular, and my major fear was my kids. Whenever they entered the village, they beat up people, steal from them and even take girls with them”. Jessica recounted.

The trauma, she said made them abandoned their farm and everything they had worked for, including her sewing machine and ran for their life to kaduna city for safety.

LIFE IN KADUNA

In Kaduna, things became difficult according to her, and there was no more source of livelihood for them. She and her husband started struggling with life, their children were out of school and feeding them was a serious challenge.

“We were practically living on nothing because we came to Kaduna empty”. She recalled.

“So the next year which was 2021, things were still difficult and one day, someone told me to go to KADSEMA (Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency), that they are registering those that were displaced as a result of the attacks, so I went to their office and I was registered for the support program.

“I waited for a call from them throughout that year, nothing happened until I forgot about it. I even thought they didn’t call me, maybe because am not an indigene of Kaduna State, so I let it go. She explained.

Jessica and family continued in their struggle for a source of livelihood and things get harder for them, the husband whose only trade is farming have no where to farm because they now live in the city, the menial jobs he started engaging himself with was not enough to feed his family let alone pay their children’s school fees, so for months the children remained at home.

“At some point I took them to a school and I agreed with the owner of the school to be paying instalmetally, but most times I was not able to meet up with the agreement and they kept dropping out and would return whenever we are able to raise something”. The mother of 4, said.

A PHONE CALL FROM KADSEMA

She noted that on a faithful day in the month of August 2022, she got a call from the office of KADSEMA inviting her to come and pick up a sawing machine as part of measures to ameliorate her hardship as a result of the displacement.

“I thought the call was from fraudsters, because I have completely forgotten about it so when the caller mentioned sawing machine and also mentioned KADSEMA, I tried to recall but it was difficult for me to even understand what it was all about.

“But I told my husband about it and he said we should go and try so he went with me, and behold it was true and I was handed a brand new sewing machine by the Executive Secretary Muhammed Muazu Mukaddas”. Jessica said.

LIFE, FEW MONTHS AFTER RECEIVING SUPPORT

“Am glad am not only able to put food on the table for my family, my children are now fully back to school”. She said.

Jessica, who expressed joy about the August gift said, “I shed tears of joy when I got the machine because I knew it was the end of suffering for me. As I speak now 3 of my children are in school, except the last one who is still very small.

“Things are really different now, I must tell you the truth. Even though I don’t have a shop yet, but I have been getting jobs to do from neighbors and other people in my area.

“I have even gotten a small contract from one school who gave me their school uniforms to make and another school have also invited me to come for their own, so I really thank God for using KADSEMA to deliver me out of hardship.

“My prayer is for them to succeed in all they do. My perception about them, especially the agency have changed completely, I now know their selection of beneficiaries was beyond tribe and religion, but humanity”.

JESSICA’S DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE

She hope to grow her business into a big fashion house and also train people who are displaced and people without means of livelihood for free as part of her way of giving back to the society in showing appreciation to her benefactor.

“Am already saving little money for shop rental, and when am able to get it, I will get some other people and train them for free, especially those displaced like me.

“I can assure you that I will grow my business into a big time fashion house where I will have big fashion design equipment in few years from now”. She added.