The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Chatroom set for release in cinemas

    By Adeniyi Adewoyin

    Chatroom, an inspiring story of hope and triumph set against the backdrop of an original TV Dance reality show, is set for release in cinemas across Nigeria.

    Produced by Peju Fadirepo, directed by Chike Ibekwe and with Adesuwa Onyenokwe as Associate Producer, Chatroom will be released first quarter of 2020.

    It is the story of a young girl who enters a TV reality show contest with nine other housemates as a means to escape the haunting ghost of her past and her present deprivation. However, an incident in the house forces her to go back to the past she had tried to forget and further reveal a disturbing secret that would throw the entire nation into shock.

    “Ebiere is a young single mother,” the director, Ibekwe, said.

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    “Burdened by the weight of her past, current depravity and challenge of coping with a four-year old. She is almost a reflection of diamond in the rough. She is a young lady that has been subdued by life’s harsh incidents; one that attracts both empathy and stigmatism. Ebiere’s story and ultimate journey was developed to give a voice to so many who have been silenced by the stigma of abuse and possibly usher in a new life of openness and triumph rather than that of misery and defeatism.”

    Chatroom parades stars like Odunlade Adekola, Omawunmi Megbele, Jephthah Bowotoaka Akpororo, RonyaMan, Sambasa Nzeribe, Tony Umez, Nengi Adoki, Vivian Anani, Ibrahim Suleiman, Ghanaian actor, Kobby Acheampong, Camerounian actor and dancer, Lea Dibebe and Damilare Kuku.

    The movie is supported by the Bank of Industry and Sterling Bank.

  • UNILAG trains 30 Imams in Mosque management

    By Tajudeen Adebanjo

    The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has trained 30 imams in mosque management.

    They graduated on Saturday and got Diploma in Mosque Leadership and Management (DMLM) under the department of Religious studies.

    The programme, The Nation learnt, was conceived as a platform for professional training of imams and different categories of serving or intending officials of mosques.

    Unilag Vice Chancellor Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe urged the graduating imams to be good ambassadors of the school and Islam.

    He advised them to positively change the society through their sermons and mosque leadership.

    Represented by the Dean of Faculty of Education, Prof. Monday Ubangha, Prof Ogundipe said: “I urge you to be good ambassadors of Unilag and Islam. You are carrying the certificate of the school and you are enjoined to be good representatives of the school at all times.”

    The acting Head of Department of Religious Studies, who is also the coordinator of the programme, Dr. Ismail Musa, said the 30 students have been successfully exposed to various learning experiences, including practical demonstrations in Tafsir and Khutbah delivery.

    “The feedback we obtain from the beneficiaries in terms of significant changes in their orientation and understanding of their enormous responsibilities is both impressive and encouraging. Our colleagues in the academia have also been appraising the programme since its inception,” he said.

    Dr Musa, who is also the Chief Imam of the institution, said two universities have already indicated interest in starting similar programmes based on the success story at the Unilag.

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    The chairman on the occasion, Dr. Fatai Lawal, described the programme as laudable and one way of promoting peace and unity.

    He congratulated the graduates, urging them to make the mosque a more friendly environment where people will be encouraged to seek knowledge.

    Chairman of Unilag Human Resources Development Centre Prof Wakeel Ishola said the success of the programme would provide a solution path to the plethora of socio-economic problems confronting the nation, as the new religious leaders would positively impact on the society.

    Mudeer of Daru-Dawah Wal-Irshad, Arabic and Islamic Centre, Isolo, Sheikh Ridwani Zuglool, urged the graduates to continue to seek knowledge, keep abreast of developments in the country so as to be able to treat issues of interest in their sermons.

    Imam Gbenle AbdulWasiy, who emerged as the Best Graduating Student with a cumulative GPA of 4.64, also clinched the Best Prize in Arabic Grammar and Khutbat Presentation, Best in Principle of Mosque Management and Best in Professional Research. He was closely followed by Imam Mojeed Yahya Kolawole with CGPA of 4.21.

     

     

  • Fervour in his burner

    In what became another golden feather of honour to the glorious cap a hardworking, honest Nigerian citizen popularly known as ‘Model of Change’, President Muhammadu Buhari displayed a show of Presidential appreciation to whom honour was due yesterday, November 28, 2019, by giving National Merit Award to the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Olanrewaju Oloyede, OFN, FNAL for hard work and excellence.

    Long before now, Oloyede had been a household name not only in Nigeria or Africa but also in the entire world just like the University he was privileged to head as Vice-Chancellor over a decade ago. What qualified a onetime madrasah boy for such a vertical position is an interesting question for which most inquisitive minds may earnestly seek an answer. And the answer is not far-fetched.

     

    Binocular Focus

    Unlike most Nigerian men of letters in the Ivory Tower, Professor Oloyede wears a binocular with which he sees life from two opposing worldly sides of the West and the East. And this became evident not just in his management of the University of Ilorin within just one tenure of five years but also in the humility, selflessness and patriotism with which he demonstrated civility and exhibited  knowledge par excellence in that office. Through him, Nigerians came to know that the difference between a man of letters and that of knowledge is indisputably clear. While the one sees life through the common eye, the other sees it with an uncommon vision.

    In the days of Socrates, Aristotle and Herodotus, when education was an adorned virtue used as a yardstick for measuring civility and value, no one cared about the material gains accruing from it. However, bastardization of education set in when certificate became a means of valuing its material worth. Thus, with acquisition of certificates by all means, mere literacy began to be misconceived as education. And today, Nigerian Universities have been reduced to mere centers of advanced literacy rather than citadel of knowledge that they used to be.

     

    Literacy and Education

    Whereas literacy is just an added value to education the modern day man has ignorantly but arrogantly interpolated the one for the other. This is what Professor Oloyede resented in his academic odyssey when he chose to combine Eastern education with that of the West with a determination to take advantage of both in fertilizing the academic soil of Nigeria’s future. For those who didn’t know, that was why he specialized in Islamic Studies even at the professorial level.

    Professor Oloyede’s philosophy of life seems to tally ascetically with that of Daniel Webster an American Statesman and intellectual who in a memorable poem stated as follows:

    ”If we work marble it will perish; if we work upon brass time will efface it; if we rear temples they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instil in them just principles; we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time can efface but will brighten to all eternity”.

     

    Philosophy of Life

    The above poem symbolizes the philosophy that propelled Professor Oloyede to adopt contentment as a principle right from his adolescent years. Why relating his reason for contesting for the office of the Vice-Chancellor, he once told some medical students of his University who went to congratulate him on assumption of office as Vice-Chancellor that he never intended to contest for that office. But when an academic charlatan with an ulterior motive in the same University threatened to expose him if he dared contest for the post, he (Oloyede) saw it as a challenge to put his privacy on a public table. His intention was actually not to contest but to see what would be exposed in his privacy. And, contrary to the expectations of sceptics, he emerged as the Vice-Chancellor without an iota of blemish.

    Before contesting for that post he had served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor twice. First, he was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic and later Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration in the same University of Ilorin where he had spent his entire academic life as a student, as an alumnus, as a lecturer, as a Director in several areas and as a Professor. Thus, he had seen that University inside-out and that was enough to propel an ambition in him to target the highest office in the Citadel for which he was eminently qualified but there was no such level of ambition in him.

    Professor Oloyede relayed to his students the above story of his unintended contest for the highest office not as mere bravado but as an encouragement towards service to humanity with humility and patriotism.

     

    Evidence of Contentment

    As the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Oloyede was nominated and elected as the President of the African Vice-Chancellors.

    But when he noticed that the position of the Executive Secretary of the Association of African Universities was more meaningful and more beneficial to Nigeria than that of the President which he then held, Professor Oloyede encouraged some of his Nigerian colleagues to apply for that post promising to resign his Presidential position in that Association to enable a fellow Nigerian occupy the office. Incidentally, most of his colleagues did not believe him. But when the time came and one of them indicated interest, Oloyede surprisingly resigned as President of African Vice-Chancellors just after two years in an office where he had opportunity to spend two terms of renewable five years.

    However, the Professor who benefited from Oloyede’s large-heartedness by assuming the office of the Executive Secretary of African Universities eventually ventured into Nigerian local politics and relinquished the covetous post in favour of that of the Secretary to a State Government (SSG) thereby depriving Nigeria the benefit for which Oloyede had resigned as President. The comparison of personalities in this circumstance is better left to the readers of this article.

     

    Academic Administration

    Only a few Nigerians in the academic arena can surpass Oloyede’s record when it comes to the ‘nitty gritty’ of academic administration. Yet, you can hardly notice it in his demeanour. This ascetic Professor is not only the first alumnus of the Faculty of Arts in the University of Ilorin to graduate with a ‘FIRST CLASS’ he is also the first alumnus of that University to obtain a PhD from the same University. Not only that, Professor Oloyede scored many other ‘FIRSTS’ in that University to the admiration of the upcoming students as encouragement for those with same aspiration among those students. He was the ‘FIRST’ Director of Academic Planning and first alumni President to be a member of the Governing Council of the University of Ilorin. Professor Oloyede is also the first Unilorin alumnus to become a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and subsequently the first alumnus to become the Vice-Chancellor of the University.

    And at the national level, he was the first Vice-Chancellor in Nigeria to introduce Computer-Based Testing (CBT) method of screening applicants in the country just as he was the first Vice-Chancellor to lead a second generation University to the number one position in Nigeria based on external ranking. He also became the first Nigerian Vice-Chancellor to emerge as President of the Association of African Universities (AAU) and at the same time the Chairman of Association of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU). Still not done, he is the first Nigerian Vice-Chancellor to combine the Board membership of International Association of Universities (IAU) with those of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and Association of African Universities (AAU) at the same time.

     

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    University Calendar

    With the above listed ‘FIRSTS’ he was (as Vice-Chancellor) able to make Unilorin the first Federal University in Nigeria to run a decade of uninterrupted academic calendar and prompted that University to be internationally ranked as one of the very best 20 Universities in Africa. Also, through his astute academic administration, the University of Ilorin was able to maintain the first position in national ranking for three consecutive years (2009, 2010 and 2011). Another major plus in this man’s life but which most people hardly notice is arbitrating factor.

     

    Conflict Resolution

    Professor Oloyede does not only resent conflicts in whatever form he also regards arbitration as a duty. Thus, whenever he notices any sign of conflict in his vicinity, be it interpersonal, intertribal or interreligious, he immediately initiates arbitration and reconciliation process to ensure resolution without minding the cost. And his impartiality in doing this is generally acknowledged and revered across all borders. Now with his post as the Registrar of the Joint Matriculation and Admission Board (JAMB), he has added a rare feather to his exemplary cap in a way that fetches him a tacit title of ‘A Model of Change’.

     

    A Guiding Life

    In Professor Oloyede is a great example for those who aspire to be great in a world where greatness is a slippery land. His life has become a guide for the younger professionals and artisans who need guidance “either as a warning on the vanity of human wishes or as encouragement or both”.

    With His Eminence, Dr. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar CFR, mni, at the helm of affairs of the NSCIA and Professor Oloyede as the Secretary-General of that apex body of the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria, who does not see that a right step is now on course on the right path?

     

    Epilogue

    With vertical men of this stature on Islamic stage in Nigeria at this point in time who says Muslims are non-existent in the scheme of modern life? Today, there is no aspect of human endeavour where Muslim men and women do not stand out as signposts of life like summer crescents quietly moving towards zooming into full moon. And now with this latest unique award confirming Oloyede as a unique historic signpost for African men and women of today who may be aspiring to be great in life tomorrow what else is left for sceptics to say about this man vis a vis greatness?

     

     

  • HR experts canvass good relationship between employers, employees

    Human Resources practitioners under the aegis of the Association of Elite Human Resources Professionals (AEHRP) have listed ways through which a practitioner can strike a balance between its dual role of being a strategic business partner and an employee champion.

    They mentioned professionalism,  understanding business strategies and navigation competencies to guide an organisation beyond murky waters, and adherence to the craft of the business.

    They said this at the second anniversary of the association held in Lagos, with the theme “HR as a Strategic Business Partner and Employee Champion; Striking a balance”.

    Head of Human Capital at Letshego Microfinance Bank and guest speaker Emmanuel Micheal,  said as a human relations person, there were two strategic roles one needed to play; first as a business partner to the management and secondly as an employee champion, so it behoved the professional to understand the expectations.

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    He said for the HR to champion employee cause, the business must make money as, without the money, the needs of the employees won’t be provided for; and without the employees, there would be no way to make the money. So, there is the need for the HR professional to make employees understand their role and the business owner to also do same, he said.

    Chairman, planning committee of the event and a HR manager, Adekunle Olunloyo,  said to strike a balance, an HR person must be professional, irrespective of where he/she was coming from or who the parties to any issue were. The yes must be yes, so as not to lay a bad precedence, and he should get approvals before taking actions.

    Olunloyo said the HR practitioner must know how to document events and action plans as the office would always be there no matter who was on ground. Documented records, standards of operations will help the company grow when the current officeholder is not in office, he said.

  • Chemical workers seek govt’s support

    Workers in the chemical sector of the economy has urged the Federal Government to implement policies that will scale up performance and inclusive growth of the chemical sector.

    The President of the Chemical and Non Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN), Segun David, in his address at the union’s annual National Management/Industrial Relations seminar held last week in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the government would have to give maximum support to the sector for it to continue to play its leading role in the salvation of the economy.

    “We contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the country, particularly slipping Nigeria out of economic recession and still making the economy more economically vibrant,” he said.

    Speaking further at the 24th annual seminar themed “An Overview of the Nigeria Corporate Survival and Industrial Relations Practices in the face of economic challenges-Chemical and Non-Metallic Products experience”, David noted that chemical and non-metallic products sector was more diverse than almost any other industry in Nigeria, adding that the sector drives the economy.

    He lamented that the business environment in which they operate was faced with various challenges such as structural bottlenecks, comatose infrastructure, low capacity utilisation, unemployment, import dependence, poor regulatory environment, insecurity, inadequate long-term financing which hinders real sector growth, multiple taxation, unfavorable interest rate and low corporate governance practices.

    He said, “It’s unfortunate that we have companies like we have in Nigeria and government cannot provide the facilities and enabling environment needed for them to thrive as we have in the developed economy.

    “Government should look into these factors if they really want the manufacturing sector to be the driving force of economic growth in the country.”

    David added that the sector also had to contend with various internal factors ranging from gratuity, downsizing, victimisation, outsourcing, contract staffing and other anti-labour activities.

    On the border closure, he said the effect would strengthen the policy of diversification, grow domestic industries and boost economic growth.

    He stated: “As Nigerians, we need to focus on the growth and development of the  domestic economy by boosting local production. No country develop by consuming from other country goods and we are not capable of making any at all.

    “The value of domestic production create jobs, appreciate naira value at the exchange market, and also make domestic economy vibrant. I therefore charge Nigerians to embrace the policies and programmes of the government, so that Nigeria can become a producing country among the comity of nations.”

    The immediate past president of the union, Abdul Gafar Mohammed charged the workers to think of retirement while still active at work, bearing in mind that there’s no job security in the country. orkers in the chemical sector of the economy has urged the Federal Government to implement policies that will scale up performance and inclusive growth of the chemical sector.

    The President of the Chemical and Non Metallic Products Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (CANMPSSAN), Segun David, in his address at the union’s annual National Management/Industrial Relations seminar held last week in Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the government would have to give maximum support to the sector for it to continue to play its leading role in the salvation of the economy.

    “We contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of the country, particularly slipping Nigeria out of economic recession and still making the economy more economically vibrant,” he said.

    Speaking further at the 24th annual seminar themed “An Overview of the Nigeria Corporate Survival and Industrial Relations Practices in the face of economic challenges-Chemical and Non-Metallic Products experience”, David noted that chemical and non-metallic products sector was more diverse than almost any other industry in Nigeria, adding that the sector drives the economy.

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    He lamented that the business environment in which they operate was faced with various challenges such as structural bottlenecks, comatose infrastructure, low capacity utilisation, unemployment, import dependence, poor regulatory environment, insecurity, inadequate long-term financing which hinders real sector growth, multiple taxation, unfavorable interest rate and low corporate governance practices.

    He said, “It’s unfortunate that we have companies like we have in Nigeria and government cannot provide the facilities and enabling environment needed for them to thrive as we have in the developed economy.

    “Government should look into these factors if they really want the manufacturing sector to be the driving force of economic growth in the country.”

    David added that the sector also had to contend with various internal factors ranging from gratuity, downsizing, victimisation, outsourcing, contract staffing and other anti-labour activities.

    On the border closure, he said the effect would strengthen the policy of diversification, grow domestic industries and boost economic growth.

    He stated: “As Nigerians, we need to focus on the growth and development of the  domestic economy by boosting local production. No country develop by consuming from other country goods and we are not capable of making any at all.

    “The value of domestic production create jobs, appreciate naira value at the exchange market, and also make domestic economy vibrant. I therefore charge Nigerians to embrace the policies and programmes of the government, so that Nigeria can become a producing country among the comity of nations.”

    The immediate past president of the union, Abdul Gafar Mohammed charged the workers to think of retirement while still active at work, bearing in mind that there’s no job security in the country.

  • Unfavourable labour policies and workers’ rights

    According to labour experts, unfavourable labour policies are threats to workers’ rights. Such policies also contradict the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Act on workers’ rights, TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Workers’ Rights is clear on the need for workers to work under favourable and conducive environment.

    The ILO also went a notch higher, identifying eight fundamental conventions to support its position. The eight conventions include freedom of association, collective bargaining, elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour and equal remuneration, among others.

    However, labour experts argue that these rights are observed only in the breach by most employers of labour in Nigeria.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Comrade Ayuba Wabba noted that some of the unfavourable policies had impoverished the workforce, in spite of being the most important factor of production.

    He stated that Nigerian workers and trade unions had been at the receiving end of unfavorable policies of the government and private sector.

    Wabba said there was a need for labour unions to address the issue of casualisation, unceremonious disengagement and other vices targeted at workers.

    Wabba stated that government and private sector policies across the country needed a total overhaul.

    According to him, human and trade union rights are interwoven, and lawyers that engage in labour and human rights issues are themselves activists, championing the cause of workers.

    Wabba said Nigeria had progressive laws to handle employers and employees relations, but noted that, in most cases, those laws were violated by employers or government.

    President, United Labour Congress (ULC), Mr. Joe Ajaero,  stressed the need to review obsolete laws that are not in tune with current realities.

    He said some private sector employers paying their employees between N10,000 and N15,000 was unacceptable. He said such group of workers who are being paid pittance by their employers must be assisted to compel their employers treat them fairly.

    Ajaero said some sectors needed to be unionlised for them to have a voice and fight the injustice being meted out to them by their employers.

    The General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Comrade Issa Aremu, canvassed the urgent review of the laws, adding that  there is also a need for stakeholders to collaborate and make input on ways to review obsolete laws in accordance with modern reality.

    Aremu, who is also a member of the NLC, commended the Federal Government for closing land borders to end smuggling of goods into the country. He said the move was impressive, as it was aiding local production and consumption of goods.

    Citing what is happening in the textile industry, Aremu said garment industries have been boosted. He said there was the need to sustain current efforts and support the Nigeria Customs Service to fight smuggling.

    “We will like to commend the efforts of the Federal Government in the closure of its land borders, this has helped in total overhaul of textile and garment industries in the country.

    “It is already on record that the textile industries are now making money, smugglers and importers have gone into hiding, border closure should not be permanent, but should be sustained for the mean time.”

    Aremu said that in 31 years of the union’s existence, industrial peace and harmony had been sustained through the principles of collective bargaining. He noted that the association had also signed 46 national agreements for development.

    He said ITF needed to increase its intervention on worker’s training and skills development, saying this was necessary as the future of work was being threatened by technology.

    He also advised the Federal Government to be wary of foreign investors, who use diverse schemes to swindle the country, citing the over $9 billion PI and D gas contract scam.

    A legal practitioner, Mr. Adedeji Emmanuel, said Nigeria lawyers were willing to help in the protection and defence of workers’ rights. He stated that International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW), Nigeria would provide support to workers whose rights were being violated, adding that pressure would be exerted on employers of labour to respect the rights of workers.

    The predicament of Nigerian workers also came to the fore recently at the ILAW inaugural meeting.

    Chairman, Board of ILAW, Mr. Jeffery Vogt, noted that countries had reneged on their promises to abide by ILO convention. He said  many countries that signed the ILO convention have, in one way or the other, refused to honour it. He listed Nigeria as one of the defaulting countries, adding that ILAW, Nigeria, would defend the rights of workers and the trade unions.

    Vogt said violation of workers’ rights was becoming a major fundamental problem worldwide.

    According to him, it is obvious that workers and trade unions are struggling worldwide, which shows that their rights are being violated.

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    Vogt stated that the rights of workers to organise and protest were daily being restricted, in violation of the ILO convention. He noted that it had become absolutely imperative to have the best advocate under the ILAW to champion the rights of Nigerian workers.

    He said a platform for lawyers and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to engage one another and share experiences was necessary in order to fight and protect workers rights.

    “Lawyers in the world and across the cities must stand and bring justice for working people.

    “I have related with trade unions across the world and found out fundamentally that we are all confined to the same thing, though names of employers and the workers may be different,” Vogt said.

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) said labour laws were obsolete, which he said gave rise to unfavorable policies.

    The minister stated that an executive bill was also imperative for a review of labour laws, noting that most of the labour laws in place at the moment were not pro-workers.

    He said: “I do agree that most of our laws are obsolete and not pro- workers, but majorly pro-employers, but the Federal Government alone should not be the driver of the process to overhaul the country’s labour laws.”

  • Fed Govt, WHO to reduce prevalence of Noma

    By Moses Emorinken, Abuja

    The Federal Government, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), launched the Noma Policy Document and National Triennial Action Plan in Abuja to scale up awareness of the Noma disease, its prevention and care.

    The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who launched the policy document at this year’s National Noma Day, sponsored by the Hilfsaktion Noma e.V, with the theme: Timely recognition averts deformity , explained that Noma is an infectious disease that is generally associated with people living in extreme poverty.

    He explained that the disease evolves from small inflammations of the gum of the teeth and grows rapidly to severely destroy the soft tissue around the mouth, lips and face, creating bizarre and often terrifying orofacial disfigurements. Untreated, the mortality rate can be as high as 80 per cent. “It is a disease that was once common around the world, but is now seen mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Indian subcontinent. Noma is much more prevalent in communities with low nutrition status, poor personal hygiene and poor environmental sanitation standards.

    “The disease typically spreads quickly from and beyond its original location in the gum, to surrounding tissues; therefore, early detection and treatment are critical to preventing progression, especially since it responds relatively well to antibiotic treatment at the initial acute phase,” he said.

    He explained that diseases that commonly precede development of Noma includes: measles, malaria, diarrhoea and ulcerative gingivitis (infection around the teeth); any of which compromises immunity in a complex interaction between poor oral hygiene, malnutrition and infection.

    “Noma occurrence can be reduced and even prevented, first by promoting national awareness of the disease, improving nutrition, including promoting exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of a child’s life, education on prenatal care and personal hygiene, timely immunisation against common childhood diseases, improving environmental sanitation and poverty reduction. Detecting Noma early and treating it can halt and largely reverse the devastating impacts of the disease.

    “According to data from the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Noma is found everywhere in Nigeria, predominant in the Northwest. We have embarked on a number of national trainings, step down trainings and sensitisation activities in high burden states such as Kebbi. Sokoto, Jigawa and Akwa Ibom, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency and Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, to increase surveillance, case finding and prompt disease reporting”.

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    The Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other stakeholders developed the National Noma Policy Document and the Triennial Noma Control Action Plan (2019-2021), which was approved at the National Council on Health in August this year.

    The National Noma Day is commemorated annually to raise awareness to the Nigerian populace,  to reinforce actions to prevent Noma and to develop avenues for common actions to eventually eradicate this preventable disease.

    The Head of Dentistry Division of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Boladale Alonge, said, “We found out that the awareness for Noma is so low, that is why we created the National Noma Day. In recent years, we have more people coming down with Noma, that is why we are raising the awareness, especially in the rural areas.” The Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Clement Peter, reiterated that the WHO is willing to support the Fed Govt in all its effort to address, reduce and prevent the prevalence of Noma in the country, especially in the Northwest region. Noma should be a disease of the past and not a disease of the current generation; we need to get it out,” he said.

  • Skin diseases revisited (by popular demand) 1

    Dr Joel Akande

    To my surprise, our recent articles on skin disorders have generated considerable interests. Little did I realise the enormity of the skin illnesses in our population. From the very young to the very old, skin diseases seem to be an epidemic matter in Nigeria. For millennia, we know for certainty that women have been concerned with their appearances, perhaps to attract the opposite gender for reproduction. Even at that, there are a lot of skin or dermatological illnesses in women that indicate women’s intimately-held concerns. Thus, I will spend the next couple of weeks to shed more light on skin illnesses in our population, especially as related to our environment. In the past, I have discussed such common issues as pimples and body odour that afflict both men and women. I have also explained why these events occur and what may be done to curtail their effects on us.

     

    Role of Skin in Health and Diseases

     

    For the next series on skin (dermatological) disorders, I will endeavour to take a deeper look at specific diseases. Once again, let me indicate here that, skin is the largest organ in the human body. The importance of the skin cannot be over-emphasised. Skin functions in many ways to our advantage. For a start, our skin is the first in the line of defences of our body against adverse environmental forces. These forces include the weather, bacteria, viruses, parasites and also chemical attacks, which we may apply or which nature may throw at us. Some of these chemicals are body creams, soaps and hair spray. Industrial waste exposures or as it often the case, being a factory worker (of whatever nature) may significantly impact our skin. Further, our skin is exposed to electromagnetic forces that are all around us – from natural earth fields to man-made electromagnetism such as phone masts and so forth.

    Some members of our population are uniquely at risk of developing skin disorders as a result of environmental impacts, their professions and their lifestyles. In this category are women, farmers and factory workers. Moving inside the human body, our skin plays a significant role in manifestation of internal diseases that afflict us. In fact, the human skin may be the first reporter of a human illness. In so many ways, our skin attempts to tell us what is going on inside us. What we may have covered up or what we may have done in secret is so often easily revealed by our skin. Let me cite some critical examples here. Sexually transmitted diseases very often manifest in our skin.

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    Example, syphilis and herpes simplex produce sores or ulcers that are visible to us. Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) produce rashes on the skin even though this is a disease located inside the human body. Cancers occurring in other internal organs may show up on the skin. Example is breast cancer. Poor nutrition or effects of what we ingested such as medications, toxic conventional or traditional substances so easily show up on our skin. Our aging process is gauged through, principally, our skin.  Mentally, our sadness or happiness is measured through the reactions that our skin portrays to the world: frowning faces in everyone, red faces in fairer people demonstrate sadness or anger while, relaxed facial skin shows happiness in everyone.

    That said, skin also functions to regulate our wellbeing. Our skin is a “respirator” and also an organ working like the kidneys. The skin does these works by allowing water and chemicals in and expelling waste products from our body. This is why our sweat tastes like salt and if the sweats stay too long without us removing them, our body develops body odour and smells like urine because our skin may produce urea like kidneys do.

    We should remember that our nails and hairs are part of the skin. The nails function in part as objects of beauty but also a defensive appendage to help us remove unwanted matters from our body. Hairs, adds to our beauty or handsomeness. In addition, the hair, helps us to regulate our well-being by opening up pores to allow waste matters to pass to the outside world. The hairs, a beauty object, also alongside the rest of the skin, regulate our temperate against being too cold and or too hot.

    From all of these, we can see the great importance of the skin and the considerable need to protect the largest organ that any human being have. In health and or disease, your skin is telling you and the world, something about you and your behaviour or what you have been exposed to. We will continue next week when we shall begin a more elaborate discussion on individual skin illnesses.

     

    In the meantime, if you have been affected by this article and you require assistance, you may call / or WhatsApp 07087733114 or 08188343865 for support.

  • AHAPN lauds NAFDAC on fight against fake drugs

    By Medina Kannabe

    The Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has advised Nigerians to take their health seriously.

    She spoke when members of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), led by its national chairman, Dr. Kingsley Amibor, paid a courtesy visit to NAFDAC office in Lagos.  “NAFDAC will continue to fight to end substandard and falsified drugs. We must take our health very serious and join hands to clampdown on fake drugs. We are zero tolerant to narcotic, substandard and falsified products in circulation.

    “NAFDAC will continue to ensure that the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of medical products and foods are effectively controlled to ensure that the prescribed standard of identity, safety, quality and efficacy are met,” Adeyeye said.

    The NAFDAC DG, who applauded the effort of AHAPN’s campaign against narcotic in the country, charged pharmaceutical professionals to discourage open market sale of falsified goods. She said, “I  applaud the effort of AHAPN in terms of campaign against narcotic. Nevertheless, we have to do more because we are custodians of medicine; controlling, monitoring and in charge of reporting adverse effects. Anything that a medicine can do to promote the health of a customer should be our prime focus and that is what pharmaceutical care entails.

    “We are doing our best like any transparent agency in the world in terms of stemming substandard medicine because  thousands have died due to falsified medicine. We should remember the oath we took to deliver professional service and work with our conscience to save lives,” she added. She also presented the agency’s award of excellence to AHAPN for quality service delivery in the country.

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    Responding, Dr. Amibor also commended NAFDAC and its leadership for leading the fight against fake, adulterated and counterfeit drugs in the country. “We appreciate the efforts your agency is making to rid our country of fake, adulterated and counterfeit products. Your efforts have gone a long way to safeguard the lives of Nigerians and we are proud of that.

    “We equally appreciate your fight against drugs and substance abuse, which has assumed a monstrous dimension in recent times in the country and unfortunately, continues to take its toll on the health and economy of the nation, especially our youth. Hence, we are proud that NAFDAC is leading in the effort to curb the menace of drugs abuse,” Dr Amibor added.

    While reiterating AHAPN’s commitment to uphold and adopt pharmaceutical care in its practice to bring about improvement in patient care, Amibor said the group is ready to embrace best global practices.

    “AHAPN under my watch has taken it upon herself to adopt pharmaceutical care as our philosophy of practice in Nigeria. We are collaborating with Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and other relevant agencies in bringing the benefits of pharmaceutical care to the Nigerian people, in terms of quality improvement in patient care and cost of care, amongst others.”

    The AHAPN boss, however, called on the Federal Government to curb the mass exodus of pharmacists out of the country. “I wish to call on the Federal Government to seriously look into the issue of brain drain created as a result of mass exodus of pharmacists out of Nigeria to United States, Canada and others in search of greener pastures. While we are lamenting the inadequate number of pharmacists in Nigeria, (about 22,000 registered pharmacists to 170million population), the brain drain has compounded the problem of inadequate number of pharmacists needed to provide quality pharmaceutical care to the Nigerian people, ” he said.

    Amibor, therefore, called on the Federal Government to improve the working conditions and remuneration of pharmacists in public service, stressing that the chaotic drug distribution network in the country would be sanitised if government gives speedy assent to the Pharmacy Council Bill. “We call on the government to improve the working conditions and remuneration of pharmacists in public service as it did for other categories of healthcare workers and also reinvigorate the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) scheme so as to make essential drugs continuously available to the Nigerian people,” he said.

  • Lagos steps up fight against HIV/AIDS

    As part of activities to mark this year’s World AIDS Day, the Lagos State Government has lined up series of activities towards curtailing the virus by 2020, reports  Olaitan Ganiu

     

    Despite various interventions over the years to reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Lagos State, the state is still ranked seventh among states with highest prevalence. The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that six states in Nigeria account for 41 per cent of people living with the virus, including Lagos, Kaduna, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Oyo, and Kano.

    But the tide may change soon. While formally disseminating the Nigeria 2018 HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) result disaggregated by local government in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the result is important considering that Lagos has been identified by UNAIDS as one of the 15 priorities places accounting for about 3 million people living with HIV globally. He also inaugurated the Lagos State HIV Consortium Group, which will serve as a platform for all stakeholders to collaborate and coordinate, sustain and improve response to achieving the 90:90:90 target for the state.

    The NAIIS, one of the world’s largest household-based surveys that assessed the prevalence of HIV and related health indicators, included data on national, zonal, and state information on the control of the virus in Nigeria. According to the survey, data collection in Lagos was done from July through September 2018. Data were collected from household members aged 0-64 years. Home-based HIV counseling and testing services were provided to people who participated in the survey, while participants that tested positive were linked to treatment services.

    The key findings of the survey revealed that the prevalence of HIV among adults age 15-64 years was 1.4 per cent; 1.9 among females; 0.8 among males; while the prevalence of HIV among children age 0-14 years was 0.2 per cent, 0.2 per cent among females and 0.3 per cent among males. Eti-Osa Local Government Area has the highest HIV prevalence in the state, which is 3.3 per cent. The prevalence was among persons aged 15-64 years in the local government. It was followed by Ikeja, Ojo, Epe, Ajeromi Ifelodun, Oshodi-Isolo, and Apapa. Alimosho has the lowest HIV prevalence, including Lagos Mainland, Agege, Shomolu, Surulere, and LGAs stand in the middle.

    According to him, although the current prevalence rate shows a reduction, which is 1.4, it is still a source of worry considering the actual number of people within the bracket. “There is a need for us to step up our efforts to achieve further reduction in the prevalence rate through aggressive public enlightenment campaign, which must be taking to nooks and crannies of the state and solve all these issues within the shortest possible time. The governor also reiterated that the state government is committed to achieving this goal as part of its health and environment pillar under the one-health agenda. He said that the strategy is to be multi-sectorial and focused on scaling up our community response, maintain and sustain support programme, reaching out to people with prevention, care and support as well as treatment, promoting human right and dealing with gender issues.

    “The keynote of Lagos State government, therefore, is for the reduction in the number of new HIV infections and this is being coordinated by LSACA, utilising a multi-sectorial approach for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. This goal is in line with the UNAIDS 90:90:90 initiative,” he said.

    The  Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, in his goodwill message, said people should not get frightened about getting diagnosed with HIV as it is no longer a death sentence. He said it is important to go on treatment, adhere to medication, and continue with their life. “Today is not a ceremony to highlight our successes in Lagos. We should remember the number of people that have died during a period we did not understand the disease; no medication throughout the world. We should sympathise with the family of those who have lost their lives through HIV/AIDS.”

    According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lagos State Aids Control Agency (LSACA), Dr. (Mrs) Monsurat Adeleke, about 120 thousand people are still living with HIV/AIDS in Lagos State. So far this year, the state, in collaboration with implementing partners and other stakeholders, has provided HIV testing services to 101,123 people in the communities (non-health sector) and 408,817 clients in the facilities (health sector) with over 78,080 clients currently on treatment. Still not ready to relent, she said the state government is determined to meet United Nations 90-90-90 target come 2020. The UNAIDS 90-90-90 initiative expects at least 90 per cent of all people living with HIV to know their status by 2020; 90 per cent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will be receiving sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

     

    Communities as key actors

     

    For this year’s World AIDS Day, focus was on important roles that communities have played and continue to play in the AIDS response at the international, national and local levels. UNAIDS identified that communities contribute to the AIDS response in many different ways, stressing that their leadership and advocacy ensure that the response remains relevant and grounded, keeping people at the centre and leaving no one behind.

    In line with the global trend, the state government has begun a week-long free HIV testing services as part of activities to mark this year’s World AIDS Day. Tagged: Know Your HIV Status, the programme has begun on November 25 and will run through December 1.

    Dr. Adeleke said her agency has continually designed various interventions and embraced collaborations and engagements with groups and communities – all targeted at reducing the prevalence in the state. She said when the first 90 per cent of these people know their status, then the problem is half solved. “We will ensure we serve them with treatment to achieve viral suppression. We can’t do this alone without deep sense of community engagement. One of the key recommendations to attain this goal is continuous community engagement. All citizens of the state know their status and ensure that they enroll into care. We are scaling up the HIV testing service in the 57 LGs and LCDAs.

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    “The main goal of the campaign is to drag the state continually towards achieving the first 90 percent because we can achieve the first 90 percent  by everybody knowing their status through the campaign called, Know Your HIV status’ and it will showcase Lagos State as a trailblazer in leading for global response in the communities participation. Communities play a role because those infected and affected are living in the communities and community is seen as bedrock of every society. So we want community to have access to HIV intervention and prevention. Communities include peer educators, networks of people living with or affected by HIV, such as gay men and other men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs and sex workers, women and young people, counsellors, community health workers, door-to-door service providers, civil society organisations and grass-roots activists,” she said.

    For the week-long events, LSACA said free HIV/AIDS tests will be carried out across the local government and local council development areas of the state. The agency boss said a minimum of 1,000 persons will be reached in each of the 20 local government areas of the state especially the hard-to-reach communities in order to complement the routine HIV testing services at the various facilities and increase uptake. At least, 20,000 people will be screened at the end of the exercise, Dr Adeleke said.

     

    Increased funding for LSACA, health sector

     

    When Governor Sanwo-Olu, earlier this month, presented the 2020 budget of N1.168 trillion to the House of Assembly, it was clear where the priority of administration lies. A capital expenditure of N33 billion is provided for health as against N21 billion in the current budget. “We have provided for a capital expenditure of N33 billion, compared to the 2019 budget proposal of N21 billion,” Sanwo-Olu said. The budget, which the governor tagged, ‘Budget of Awakening,’ voted N723.75 billion (62 per cent) for capital projects and N444.81 billion (38 per cent) for recurrent expenditure.”

    From the year 2017, the state government has increased the budgetary allocation by about 400 percent and for the year 2020, it is steady increasing again, over 280 percent to LSACA. However, in recent past, there has been a significant drop in partner support.

    With a steady increment of budgetary allocation to the agency, the state government has shown a strong commitment to the HIV/AIDs response. This year, Lagos has screened over 40,000 people that patronised the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) and HIV positive people have been duly placed to the state general hospitals for treatment. Over a million male condoms and 200,000 female condoms have been distributed this year. However, despite these advantages, many still shy away from knowing their status because of the fear of stigmatisation, which attracts a two to three year jail term in the state.

     

    A match against HIV/AIDS

     

    One other innovative strategy by the state government was a football match. It was a novelty football match between AYC Adolescent and Network at the Campos stadium, Lagos. The  match ended 3 – 4 in favour of theNetwork team.  Participants said it was as a technical way of enhancing publicity and enlightenment campaign against HIV/AIDS.

    “We are saying that positive persons can live a normal life provided he/she adheres strictly to the medication. With football, we are one people, one nation. Why we are using the football to start is because football is a sport that unites people and we are one people in respective of status. HIV can happen to anyone and is no more a death sentence. If you are tested positive, immediately you know your status, just commence your treatment and you will be free to live a healthy lifestyle,” Dr. Adeleke said.

    Project Director, Faith-based Action for Scaling up Testing and Treatent for the Epidemic Response (FASTER), Dr. Emeka Anoje, commended the state government for its commitment and determination in fighting against HIV. Anoje stated that the health of children and adolescents in our communities matters. She also implored all stakeholders to join hands in finding and caring for children and adolescents living with HIV and eliminating new HIV infections among children and young people.