Author: The Nation

Elo Edremoda, Warri

Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) has reiterated its commitment to improving the quality of education in Nigeria.

Its Chairman/Managing Director, Mr. Jeffrey Ewing, stated this at the 2019 Awokoya Memorial Chemistry Competition award held at the PTI Conference Centre in Effurun, Delta State on Saturday.

Ewing, special guest of honour at the occasion,noted  that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation/Chevron Joint Venture had through the annual contest, paved the way for students to excel in the sciences.

Represented by the Warri Area Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs,Sam Daibo, an engineer, he pointed out the essence of education to societal growth and development.

“Over the years, the NNPC/CNL JV has shown commitment to supporting quality education through investments in education infrastructure, sponsorship of manpower development programmes and provision of scholarships. We are committed to improving the quality of education in Nigeria.

“Our corporate belief is that education remains a veritable tool for personal and societal growth and sustainable development. We are also pleased that our contributions to education are helping to improve the ability of Nigeria to develop quality manpower in different fields including, but not limited to the oil and gas industry,” Ewing said.

Read Also: Foundation launches N100m fund for girl-child education

 

Chairman on the occasion and national president of CSN, Prof. Sunday Okeniyi, who was represented by CSN Fellows Committee chairman,Prince Jay Oghifo,  said that the competition is a form of welfare that “serves as a propeller” for the study of Chemistry.

He said:”Involving our children early in life is a healthy innovation. Active participation keeps children moving and is good for their self- esteem. Lessons learnt during the competition are lessons for life”.

The first prize winner of this year’s competition was 14-year-old Trust Akpeti, an SSS 3 student of Delta Careers College, Ugboroke.

Others include the second prize winner, Ifeanyi Dumkelechi of Peniel Academy, Agbor, and Victory Oboh of Lord’s and King’s Academy, Warri, who clinched the third prize.

From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

AS part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Brilliant Footsteps International Academy, Sokoto has renovated a block of two nursery classes and staff room at Luggu Primary School in Wamakko Local Government Area.

The private school also donated 80 sets of desks and chairs as well as books to the school last weekend.

Its proprietor, Dr. Shadi Sabeh, said the need to support public schools was imperative to enable them be at par in quality and standards with private schools.

He said it served as a window to avail children of the less-privileged opportunity to enjoy knowledge.

“We want to build a generation of pupils in public schools with equal educational background that can also compete favourably with private schools.

“This jinx needs to be broken and we have set the ball rolling. We have to promote quality in public schools in tune with the private settings through technical partnership and robust synergy with development partners”, he said.

“We initiated this project  because of the state of emergency declared on the sector by the state government,” he said.

While noting that the academy donated 150 Islamic books to Islamiyya,Shabeh however urged the state government to demonstrate its readiness by supporting the project with learning and teaching aids in public schools.

Read Also: Rotary Club renovates lavatories in schools

 

The State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Alhaji Abubakar Bello Guiwa represented by the Permanent Secretary, Muhammad Mainasara Ahmad and accompanied by SUBEB Permanent SecretaryAlhaji  Farouk, described as brilliant the giant steps taken by the academy in supporting the state government emergency project on education.

Also, the Local Government Education Secretary, Muhammad Dan Umar who expressed delight, described the gesture as unprecedented.

” Dr. Shabeh has  the  passion for the education of the less privileged. We are proud to have his kind in our community and we will ensure that the project is taken care of.”

Head Mistress of the school, Malama Safiya Adamu Isah expressed  gratitude to the proprietor and management of the academy for choosing the school for its project.

“This will  elevate our standard and promote the school”, she observed.

 

From Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

A Non-governmental Organisation, Zaccheus Onumba Dibiaezue Memorial Libraries (ZODML), has donated modern libraries to five primary and two secondary schools in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The secondary schools were Anglican Girls Secondary School, Ogidi and Nkpor Technical College, Nkpor.

While the primary schools were Central Nursery and Primary School, Nkpo; Akpakogwe Nursery and Primary School, Ogidi; Nsukwu Nursery and Primary School, Abatete; Uruaneke Nursery and Primary School, Umuoji and Union Nursery and Primary School, Eziowele.

Speaking during the inauguration of the libraries, Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Ego Mbagwu, said the libraries were aimed at promoting education which served as a store house for the impartation of knowledge.

She also promised delivery of computers to schools in the state next year.

She said: “Library plays an important role in students’ academic achievement because it facilitates the work of teachers and ensures that students have access to other materials outside the recommended text to make them independent readers.

“Part of our aim is to establish libraries in public schools to make materials available to pupils and students who cannot afford them.

Read Also: NGO holds free medical outreach

 

“So far, we have established 19 Oasis libraries serving 38 schools and 6,765 pupils in Lagos State. We extended our services to Anambra State where we set up 10 Oasis libraries, serving 16 schools and 2,040 pupils.

“We have also established four DEAR Time libraries in Lagos State with 73 book boxes serving 1,025 pupils.”

On her part, the Education Secretary, Idemili North Local Government Area, Lady Angela Orakwue said pupils in the area had longed for a library to improve their reading culture as there was no such facility in the area.

She said:The pupils  and I are overwhelmed with joy.

“We don’t even have a library not to talk of standard one.  Since January, we heard about this, we have trained over 77 teachers per school to man the libraries for effective service.”

Orakwue thanked the organisation for its magnanimity, expressing optimism that it would further improve the reading habits of the students.

Praising the initiative, Principal, Anglican Girls Secondary School Ogidi, Dr Lizzy Okeke and her Nkpor Technical College counterpart, Mr Gabriel Nwosu, promised to supervise the maximum utilisation of the library, as it would improve the reading standard of the students.

 

 

We are still addressing sundry misusages because there are so many to highlight that we cannot rest the issue yet. In fact, it might take a whole book to tackle just a little of the curious lot you see every day. This week’s selection is no less perplexing, as you would find out presently.

Sire

The way the verb sire is recklessly misused tends to get comical many a time. From such misusages, you get the impression that many writers’ understanding is that to sire is to give birth, and this could be attributed to anybody, man or woman. This is the wrong conception in the sentence below:

It must be the highest act of irresponsibility for a man and woman to sire children and set them loose into the world with begging bowls in hand.

‘A man and woman cannot sire children; only men sire children. Hear out the dictionary: to sire is “to become the father of a child. So, the writer’s idea has to be conveyed in another way, thus:

‘It must be the highest act of irresponsibility for a man and woman to produce children and set them loose into the world with begging bowls in hand.

‘Produce is used in the suggested correction to mean “bring into being.” That is what men and women do!’ (“Pop” Errors). A woman does not sire to become a mother. A woman will become a mother when she gives birth, puts to bed or is delivered of a baby.

Speak with/Speak to

Communication etiquette is the issue in the difficulty some experience in using these otherwise simple terms acceptably and correctly. Do not forget, that we have long agreed that communication must be courteous, among other things, to be effective. This is the central concern in highlighting common specimen misusages of these expressions as follows:

Jean spoke to his boss about the problem.

Here is what “Pop” Errors, says about the above misusage from the perspective of polical correctness, a euphemism for proper and courteous locutions: ‘This is a most politically incorrect usage, as it has not minded the highly nuanced meaning of the phrasal verb speak to. It is impolite for Jean to speak to his boss, unless he is seeking “a favour for somebody else” (Cowie & Mackin, Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs). Speak to is mostly used to refer to when you “scold, reproach somebody, with the aim of improving his conduct” (ibid.). It is more polite and politically correct for Jean to speak with his boss (that is, “have a conversation with” him) (OALD), as when “Moses went to speak with God, but God spoke to him.” The subordinate speaks with, while the superior speaks to.’

Staff

The word staff may qualify as the most misused English term. This columnist recently corrected a veteran journalist who used expressions like “he is a staff,” “they are staffs of this corporation,” asking him to say instead: “he is a staff member,” and “they are staff members . . . . He conceded grudgingly, but not forgetting to register his disagreement and displeasure with the condescending bite back, “well, if that’s what you prefer.” It was not just a matter of preference, but rules and correct usage. Next, we consider two specimen misusages, one after the other.

Read Also: Journalists, beware of fake news

 

(a)…The County Education Officer has put out a vacancy announcement to recruit five staffs.

“The issue here is the treatment of collective nouns. Because staff, as a collective noun, refers to the body of workers in an organization, it is not correct to write five staffs; to describe more than one individual worker, use staff members or members of staff, and for just one worker, a staff member or a member of staff. Use staffs only when describing more than one body of workers, for example, when talking of the staffs of two different corporations. But do not ever say two, three, four or five staffs in reference to individual staff members. We, therefore, recast, thus:

“The County Education Officer has put out a vacancy announcement to recruit five staff members” (“Pop” Errors).

And now the other example, which “introduces an interesting dimension:

(b). . .UNPOL said it was assigning a staff to coordinate with BIN on immigration issues, and BIN should deploy more staff in the marshal’s office which has only three staff currently.

“We already agree that it is incorrect to write a staff or three staff. That these gaffes occur in the same sentence shows how serious this problem can get. The expression more staff is, however, worth highlighting, because it is superb usage. It tells the reader that BIN should strengthen the body of staff members in the marshal’s office. But note that it will be wrong to say, deploy more staffs in the marshal’s office, for reasons already explained above” (“Pop” Errors).

Stationery

Once and for all, let us stop pluralizing the word stationery as in the sentence below:

Whether it is vehicles or television sets or stationeries, it was not Tony’s appetite alone that was at stake.

According to “Pop” Errors, “Stationery is one of those words that are not normally pluralized. There are several determiners or modifiers, thank goodness, to indicate a large quantity or variety of stationery, if and when required, such as: many items of stationery; many varieties of stationery and so forth. Meanwhile, we cure the afflicted sentence thus:

“Whether it is vehicles or television sets or stationery items, it was not Tony’s appetite alone that was at stake.”

 

 

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) is the backbone of infrastructural development, training and equipment procurement in public tertiary institutions.  However, JUSTINA ASISHANA reports that contractors’ failings, poor project implementation and opaqueness of project procedures are undermining the impact of the grant.

 

In 2010, the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna had only one capital project – construction of Cyber Security Science Department – funded by the Federal Ministry of Education. Nine years later, the project has not been completed because of inadequate funding. However, between 2010 and 2018, over 10 projects, embarked upon and funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in the university, have been completed.

Juxtaposing these situations, it is not surprising that most tertiary institutions execute projects through TETFund. They have come to rely heavily on this fund for the structural, physical and academic development of their institutions.

The 2011 TETFund Act established the intervention agency, with specific responsibility for managing, disbursing and monitoring the proceeds of the two percent education tax on assessable profits of registered companies. It is for public tertiary institutions.

Section 7(i) to (e) of the TETFund Act 2011 provides, among others, for the provision and maintenance of essential physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, instructional materials and equipment, research and publications, academic staff training and development and ‘any other need, which in the opinion of the Board of Trustees is critical and essential for the improvement of quality and maintenance of standards in higher educational institutions.

The Director, Central Research Laboratories of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof. Musa Toyin Yakubu, said: “If there was no TETfund, our universities will not survive. In this university, we live and breathe TETfund. Our buildings, most researches and staff development are always done under the auspices of TETfund. I think they should just name all universities, Universities of TETfund”.

This observation may not be far-fetched, especially as an investigation conducted on some federal tertiary institutions in the North-Central confirmed that TETFund has been crucial to capital development in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

However, even with the impact TETFund is making, it is not all smooth sailing. On the surface, it seems institutions have done well with the intervention funds.  However, some of the funds are not being accessed because of some funny play by contractors who may be conniving with the departments saddled with the responsibility of assigning projects to contractors.

Investigation showed that most of the funds allocated to universities were not being accessed as allocated yearly, because of the inability of contractors to meet the deadlines given to them. As a result, approved funds are not usually accessed until years later.

 

How contractors delay work

The contract awarding process involves biddings, and institutions usually give preference to the lowest responsible bid. However, The Nation learnt that some of the contractors do not provide accurate information about their capabilities.

Such was the case of the contractor who was first awarded the contract for the construction of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology Phase II at FUTMinna.

It was gathered that the contractor was given the contract on July 7, 2015 – same day the construction of the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology Phase II was given to another contractor. The contracts were supposed to be completed on July 19, 2016.

An investigation by The Nation revealed that while the contractor in charge of the School of Agricultural Technology delivered on time, the contractor handling the School of Engineering dilly-dallied until the contract was revoked.

When questioned over the delay in the project, FUT Minna Vice-Chancellor Prof. Abdullahi Bala said the contractor diverted the funds to another project.  He added that during recession, in early 2016, prices rose and the contractor could not meet up.

He said: “The contractor handling the School of Engineering project, instead of putting efforts in making sure that he goes by the terms of the agreement, he mobilised his resources elsewhere to some other projects, so the project in FUT Minna suffered. When the recession came in late 2015 and 2016, the prices doubled, and he came back asking for variations. He told us that he was being affected by the depreciation of the naira.

“However, if he had done his work within the specified period , the depreciation of naira would not have affected him. Therefore, a project that would have been completed in 2015, we are still struggling with it, and this is 2019. It is just about now that we had to get another contractor to come in for us to complete it.”

In a document obtained by the reporter, the contractor of the contract was stated as Messrs Gridtech Construction. The total sum of the contract is N176,165,959.

A similar issue of incompetence or clear fraud may have been suspected in a contractor’s handling of the construction and furnishing of a lecture theatre for the Institute of Education Phase II, at the permanent site of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA).

The contract, awarded to CF Cofel International Ltd Suleja, Niger State, was terminated while it was only 10 per cent complete. The contract sum was N410,877,888 and the contract was awarded in September 2015 and expected to be completed in February 2016.

Documents obtained revealed that N230,091,617 was released. However, the reporter could not get any information on whether this amount was given to the contractor. No member of the university management was willing to cite the reason the contract was terminated. It is also not clear if the contract has been re-awarded to another contractor.

This reporter could not reach the contractor to get his side of the story.

When contractors delay execution of projects, institutions experience delays in accessing TETFund grants. The Nation discovered that just as contractors do not provide adequate information about their capacity to do a job, they do not disclose their ability to assess funds to implement the project or provide the necessary equipment.

Therefore, while the monies wait for disbursement, there are delays in the project as most institutions like the FUT Minna and UNILORIN claimed they would not release any fund unless the project followed due process.

FUT Minna VC said: “The delay in projects is not because of non-payment because the monies are already there waiting as TETFund releases money to the institution who will in turn release to the contractors according to the work done. So you see, some contractors, they will delay and delay because of inadequate capacity.”

 

TETFund projects

2015-2019        

Between 2015 and 2019, at UNIABUJA, of 11 projects awarded under TETFund, only one, the construction and furnishing of library/resource centre building for the Institute of Education Phase I, at the permanent site, has been completed.

Other projects such as the supply and installation of two generators, construction of power equipment house and entrance gate for the Institute of Education Phase I, construction and furnishing of an administrative building for Phase I and II, construction of entrepreneurship centre some of which were awarded in 2015 are still ongoing and are at different stages (40-80 percent) of completion.

At the FUT Minna, within the period under review, 25 projects were awarded of which 16 have been completed while nine are still at various stages of completion. The Federal University, Lafia, has had 26 projects with 17 completed and at in various stages of completion.

At the Federal University, Lokoja, majority of the 28 projects initiated had been completed when our reporter visited in August.

One of the students said the multipurpose complex was inaugurated earlier in the year while the other projects were being used. Going round the institution, to the block of laboratories and classrooms complex, it was observed that the laboratories were equipped and had some students were carrying out practical sessions.

At the University of Jos (UNIJOS), out of 10 TETFund projects (2015-2018), seven have been completed and handed over to the institution. The projects remaining include the construction of the Faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, and the rehabilitation of the burnt Library – all at the Naraguta campus, Jos.

At UNILORIN, none of the building projects under 2013 to 2016 merged TETFund annual interventions have been fully completed.

The construction of the extension of the main library has already been roofed and awaiting finishing touches and fixing of the windows, doors, and others; construction of the administrative block for Environmental Sciences, Department of Quantity Survey, Estate Management, Surveying, and Geo-informatics are still underway.

Workers were seen on site in the proposed departments of Estate Management, Surveying, and Geo-informatics.  However, they were jittery upon sighting this reporter and disallowed her from taking pictures.  They also refused to answer questions on the  project and threatened to beat her up.

 

Shoddy Work or Poor Maintenance?

In some of the institutions visited, it was discovered that the walls of recently completed projects were already cracking and the paint peeling off while some of the infrastructures,  especially the chairs brought with TETFund grants for the lecture rooms had already broken down.

At the Federal University, Lafia, the collapsible chairs in the Department of Computer Sciences, tagged TETFund 2013, had broken down in some of the lecture rooms.

At UNIJOS, some of the projects like the proposed Faculty of Management Sciences, and the proposed centre for film and communication arts, as well as the faculty of engineering, despite having been completed still needed painting or furniture.

At the Federal University, Lokoja, a visitor is greeted with rows of blocks of classrooms and laboratories that already have their paints peeling and walls cracking. Although the new structures constructed from 2018 are still standing, other structures with inscriptions of 2011-2013 already show signs of wear and tear.

At UNILORIN, it was also observed that  TETfund projects, which are not up to 10 years, had cracks appearing on most of the buildings. Part of the block in the Faculty of Life Sciences showed serious signs of decay while the Center for Laboratory Research had cracks and peelings.

However, this reporter was unable to ascertain if the decay was a result of poor maintenance or shoddy work by the contractors.

Some of the workers said that not all the projects were given to experts.  One, who preferred not to be named, said increased supervision of project implementation was necessary.

“One question the school needs to ask itself is if these buildings constructed stand the test of time and do the contractors do what they are meant to do?

“On my part, I think they need more supervision both from TETFund and the institution. If this is done, I am sure the contractors would do the right thing and not cut corners unnecessarily.”

Pointing to one of the TETFund buildings already peeling, he said, “Look at that building, the plaster is already peeling off.  This project was done under 2009 intervention which means the project was completed sometime in 2010 or 2011. The right contractors should be given the job, those who know the job, give it to someone who knows his onions and they will do the job better.

“If you go round the university, you will see buildings with cracks all over, these are buildings that are not more than 10 years. I built my own house earlier than that and there haven’t been any cracks.”

A CAC search revealed that some of the contracts were not given to experts. An example is Elnita Nigeria Limited whose objectives, according to a CAC search, “include to carry on the business of hotel, restaurant, tavern, beerhouse, and lodging, housekeepers, licensed wine, beer, and spirit merchant and to run amusement and gambling, casino and to do all things incidental thereof and holiday camps and to organise, promote and carry on all amusement businesses.”

However, Elnita Nigeria Limited won the contract for the electrical installation of the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology Phase 2 at the FUT Minna. Though the project has been completed and students are using the facilities, time will tell if the work will stand the test of time.

 

Help in time of need

In October 2016, the three-storey building housing the UNIJOS Library, the faculty of social sciences and management sciences was gutted by fire.

In a bid to provide relief to the institution, TETFund intervened and the award for the rehabilitation of the central library was given to Amber Blaze Limited in March 2018. The library building at the time when the reporter visited the institution in July was about 85 percent complete.

While the previous library complex housed some faculties, the new library complex is being entirely used for library activities.

A source told this reporter that in addition, some equipment was bought for the library but not currently in use.

“It is looking nice now. Everything brought in the library is brand new. There are also ICT machines in here and servers. We were told that this whole building will be used for the library now. We do not know what will be put downstairs but upstairs, which is currently locked, have all the furniture and other infrastructures”, a student told the reporter.

Read Also: Too many varsities ‘will weaken’ TETFund

 

The rehabilitation of the burnt library is to gulp the sum of N701,203,727 but, according to one of the Staff, only N485,011,887 has been received while the balance is being awaited to complete the rehabilitation.

 

Secrecy over disclosure of process

The procurement process for the TETFund projects are usually handled by the Department of Physical Planning or the TETfund Desk officers in the institutions, however, the officials in charge of these departments do not easily give information about projects.

At the Federal University Lokoja in Kogi State as the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Angela Freeman Miri was not around and did not respond to calls and messages to her phone.  The meeting with the Registrar, Mr. Usman Suleman Obansa did not yield any result as he said, “it is only the VC that can give you such information or give theTETfund desk officer the go-ahead to give you information. You know it is the office of the Vice-Chancellor that handles the TETfund issue.”

When approached, the TETFund Desk Office said he could not share information without the VC’s permission.

Officers at the Federal University, Lafia diplomatically avoided setting up a meeting despite assurances following the submission of an FOI request.

The Vice-Chancellor was said to have traveled on an impromptu trip.  All promises that all information will be mailed to this reporter were not fulfilled.

At UNILORIN, efforts to get information on the procedural process in the award of the projects led nowhere as the office of the Vice-Chancellor, when contacted, directed the Reporter to two Professors, Adeola Abdullah Adedeji of the Department of Civil Engineer and the representative of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology in the institution’s TETFund Committee and Musa Toyin Yakubu, the Director of the Central Research Laboratories.

However, the two Professors could not provide the details and directed the Reporter to the Department of Physical Planning. There, the Director of Physical Planning, Dr. Adams Bashir Olajide said he would not attend to the Reporter unless with express permission from the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem. All efforts to get the Vice-Chancellor to speak on the projects proved abortive as his Secretary said he was out of the office.

It was the same scenario at UNIJOS.  The institution’s Public Relation Officer, Abdullahi Abdullahi who readily gave out information about TETFund projects, could however not give details of how the projects were awarded.  This Reporter could not meet with the VC, Prof. Seddi Sabastian Maimako because he was out of town when the Reporter visited.

However, at FUTMinna, the VC, Prof. Bala explained that award of contracts must follow due process, especially as VCs are the ones to answer queries regarding the projects.

“I have told the Department of Physical Planning and Bursary to keep me informed of everything that has to do with TETfund. There is nothing unusual there. I am in charge of the institution and should know what is happening to our projects.”

However, many workers were of the opinion that the procurement process was skewed in favor of those who are known by the Departments of Physical planning in the institutions.

The VC of FUT Minna said that some of the officials’ in charge of this task do not carry out their duties judiciously while he stressed the need for adequate technical evaluation before a project is awarded to a contractor.

“There is also, the problem of capacity of the contractors, some of them could not do the kind of work but again, I blame it on the institution because of the procurement law demands that you must do a technical evaluation, in doing the technical evaluation, you pay due diligence to what you are doing, sometimes, you should be able to identify such problems.”

“Our university sometimes sends our staff to confirm some of the projects claimed to have been done by the contractor; they will need to have the physical evaluation to confirm the claim. These are some of the little things and the problem that comes in to delay the projects but the problem itself is not from TETFund, it has to do with the procurement process, some of the capacity within the university, some of the capacity with respect to the contractors but TETFund has been very supportive in many of these cases. Sometimes, even when the university has not done its bit, TETFund tries to see how they can help in making sure that we make progress on these projects.

Consultancy Services

This Reporter’s discovered that the Federal University Lokoja awarded huge amounts for consultancy services.  In the 2014 normal intervention project, N52 million out of N53 million allocated to Mevic Consultancy limited for consultancy services; while in the 2013 special intervention projects, Mevic consultancy was paid N77.2 million out of N90.8 million allocated for consultancy service. Coming across this document, one wonders why such huge sums were paid for consultancy.

 

• This investigation was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR).

 

I guessed last Thursday that we would be back today to Thaumatococcus Daniellii. This plants goes by other names, one of which is Sweet Prayer Plant.  My  friends who read my comments last week thought there must still be more to say about it. Who would not want to learn more about the medicinal uses of a leaf in which his grandmother and mother cooked MOI MOi and AGIDI for him or her?

Last weeI explained to some of them, the medicinal uses of this leaf after my first exposure in 1994, to its healing effects on the liver. In 2002, I was privileged to attend a natural medicine products conference in Accra, Ghana, co-ordinated by some universities in South Africa and in the United States. Mr. Olajuwon Okubena, who makes Jobelyn, Nigeria’s leading herbal medicine formula, invited me and I informed many Nigerians in alternative medicine business and practice. No fewer than 20 of us Nigerians were  at that conference to give Nigeria the single largest contingent among participating African countries. Thaumatococcus Daniellii was presented to the conference. I took not much interest in it, even when we  were told its fruits was the sweetest thing on this planet, about 2,000 to 3,000 times sweeter than sucrose or table  sugar. What made the sweetness interesting was that  the taste could  linger on the tongue for days. Besides, the calories were so small that it many not bother the diabetic’s blood sugar balance mechanism. Before I proceed, I would like to  return to the mention I made of this plant last Thursday I wrote…..

“THAUMATOCOCCUS DANIELLII. Calm down, as young people say in stressful conditions. This name  is not a thunder clap. I will unmask the masquerade in a short while. I first heard of the medicinal properties of this leaf in 1994 when my wife had our last child at Duro Solaye Hospital, on  Allen Avenue, Lagos. Like his brothers, he came with neonatal jaundice, the  traditional management of  which I had become some what aware of. I removed all beverages and glucose formulas from the new mother’s side table in the ward and replaced them with flasks filled with marigold tea and mild Aloe Vera powder tea. Both stimulate the liver. From the  breast  milk, the  baby picked it up.

In neonatal jaundice, the baby’s liver is too weak to conjugate bilurubin, the yellow component of red blood cells breaking up. An abnormally high level of bilurubin may cross into the brain and damage it, making the  baby become a “vegetable” for  life. If the baby’s tummy ran on the Aloe Vera and Marigold teas from the mother’s breast milk, a dilution is advisable. Soon, my son’s jaundice cleared. But I could not offer the recipe, for understandable reasons in an hospital environment, to a mother in the opposite bed whose baby had three Exchange Blood Transfusions ( EBTs). In  an EBT, some of the blood is  removed and replaced  with some  of  someone else’s blood. People who know the spiritual  consequence of this do not approve of it. This woman obtained the voluntary discharge of her baby and herself.  No one expected to see them at the first post-natal clinic weeks after. Meanwhile, she took the baby to her village in Epe, Lagos State of Nigeria, where  the leaf of Thaumatococcus Daniellii was routinely boiled and the water extract fed to the baby.  At the first post-natal clinic for babies born that  time, this baby was one of the most developed and  healthest!  Since that time, I advise the use of the water extract of this leaf by anyone who complains of jaundice or sickcle cell crisis which involves the liver. I suggest it for Ebola  prevention and management because the liver is one of the organs easily damaged, and, as we know, there is no life without the liver. When I was confronted with a recent case of jaundice, I remembered  this leaf and suggested the use of the powder of the whole leaf. And to the amazement of every-one who followed the case, the jaundice wasted no time in disappearing. Ladies and gentlemen,

---

Thaumatococcus Daniellii is the leaf in which our grandmothers and mothers cooked moi moi and eko (Yoruba) or Agidi (lbo). We all remember the sweet fragrance this lot gave moi moi and agidi.  We ate  the stuff ravenously and almost ate the leaves. When we throw it away, goats ravanously devour it, anywhere. They probably know what we no longer know about this leaf … its medicinal value. Our women of today are  killing us. They have replaced moi moi leaf (ewe-ran, Yoruba) with cellophane wraps which inject not only xeno-estrogens into food but petroleum residues as well.

---

The few studies I have  checked on Thaumatococcus Daniellii say it prevents and  reverses oxidative damage in the liver and in the kidneys”.

Additional  information today

Every part of the plant is useful. The fruit, also called MIRACULOUS BERRY, is used in traditional medicine as an emetic, relaxant, pulmonary challenges. The seed is used as an emetic and for pulmonary (lung) challenges.

The leaf sap is useful as an antidote for the venoms, bites and stings. It is used as a sedative and as treatment for insanity.

The seed is chewable raw. It keeps the mouth sweet even when sour food is eaten about one hour later,  or longer. It is in this regard that it is used in some countries to sweeten bread, fruit, tea and foods such as corn pap.

I FEAR and hate snakes, and would rather have someone else kill them. But I was excited, though, with some caution, wheI  heard  the news  last  week  that snake  oil  was  now available for sale in Nigeria…in commercial quantity. The excitement was because Snake oil has wonderful healing properties. The caution was because, hundreds of years ago, snake oil became so adulterated and ineffective in many cases that the two words were used to described fakery in  the sphere of business.

Snake oil is made from snake fat, well known for essential fattty acids  and their ant/-inflammatory health benefits. I was exposed to Snake oil in 1966, for the treament of a swollen knee joint and pains in a fractured, healing  femur (thigh bone), after a taxi knocked me down in Ibadan.  The snake  fat which I massaged into the joint and femur, came from a PYTHON slain for its medicinal fat. Some scientific evidence suggest that python fat is the best snake fat for human health purposes.

My story shows that Nigeria is not a stranger to snake fat. All over the country, folk medicine appreciates python fat. In Southwestern Nigeria, the Yorubas call it Ora Ere (d:m-r:d). The Ibibio of Southern Nigeria call it Adana Asabou. (m:d-m:r:d).

Worldwide, the Chinese are probably the people most associated with Snake oil which they make from the fat of the Chinese water snake. I guess this is the snake the Yorubas call Ejo JOMI JOKE ( r:d-r:r:d:d), a snake which lives in water and on land. When researchers investigate the Chinese Snake oil from the species of snakes, they found it contained large amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. As we know these acids are good for treating such ailments as inflammation and the pain they cause, bursitis, arthritis and many, if not all, of the ailments which end in … it is. Over many centuries, however, Chinese Snake oil brands would appear to have lost their reputation for effectiveness because of many factors. One of these is that the quantity of the original snake fat may have been reduced in proprietary brands sold worldwide. It is possible, also, says many market critics, that all sorts of dilutions may be going on. In some cases, it is said products with no Chinese reliable snake fat is sold to unsuspecting buyers. Some people who distrust the Chinese turn to the Japanese who make their own Snake oil from ERABU snakes, the same species as the Chinese water Snake oil.

We are reassured  of the fficacy of the original Snake oil by a 2007 German study which confirmed that mice fed on original Snake oil performed better than those fed lard alone. Another problem which a proprietary Snake oil may suffer from these days of the commercialisation of medicine and large-scale consumption is the sources and quality of the raw material…about decades ago when a Nigerian network marketing company introduced SEA CUCUMBER to the Nigerian market. The sea cucumber is  not a plant but a small sea animal whose contributions to human health are immeasurable. I wondered in those days how the Malaysian company managed to obtain sea cucumbers from their natural habitats for not only the whole of Asia but the entire world. It turn out that the sea animals were farmed in artificial ponds.

Snake oil benefits

Irrespective of the possible draw backs in any proprietary formula, Snake oil will continue to excite some of us for many reasons, including…Skin health

It reduces irritation, moisturises, shields the skin from a hostile environment and irritants which may cause infections, cracking, drying or damage.

Cognition

This has to do with receptivity and ability of the brain to classify, store and retrive information. Eicosapentaenoic acid, an EFAs, a component of Snake oil, is associated with improved brain function and a decrease in nervous system disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Immune boosting

Researchers are still  checking Snake oil for immune boosting factors. None would appear to have popped up. But there are obvious effects that microbial strain on the immune system tends to be less or even disappear in Snake oil users, especially the elderly.

Hair care

For women who may be seeking an addition for their hair care wardrobe, Snake oil  goes well with  Hemp oil and Orange peel powder. They improve the health of the scalp, hair follicles, prevent hair breaking, bring the shrine on hair and elongate it.

 

Heart health

 

Like the Omega-3 oils from fish and plants, some factors in Snake oils lower blood pressure, clean up the blood vessels and lower risks of heart attacks and strokes.

 

Mood and anxiety

 

Theee are growing questions in Nigeria today. Also of growing concern to physicians and their patients alike are changing hormonal profiles which affect just about anything from fertility and anxiety to unnecessary anger or misplaced aggression. It is suggested that anger spells can be quietened by rubbing some Snake oil on the temples or on the chest.

Pain and healing

There is an analgesic factor in Snake oil which may be of interest to pain sufferers. This applies to surgery patients as well. The anti-inflammatory potential in Snake oil eases pain, and the healing factors help injuries or wounds to heal fast and well.

Gratitude

Our  thanks go to those researchers who have revived our confidence in Snake  oil medicine. Gone would appear to be those days in which thriving vendors sold rock oil in the  United States and in Europe, passing it for Snake oil. Gone should be those days, as well, when a district court jailed Clark Stanley for deception. In Southwestern Nigeria, snake fat is still as popular as in the 1960s when I firstknew about it. It is sold almost in every market. And this makes me wounder where the purveyors get many pythons to kill for their fat that ORA ERE is never out of circulation. This leads me to an ethical question.

Ethical question

The python is a loving and protective snake. So, why do we kill it for its fat? There are many stories of women who lost their way in the forests and have been protected by this snake until they were found by hunters who killed the snake. The fat of this snake is less in demand than its tails which traditional Nigeria medicine men would pay anything for because of the primordial and magical power it is said to possess.

About 40 years ago, my younger sister went to the bush with other women in the village to fetch firewood for cooking. When she became tired, she folded her shawl, placed it on the “ground” and sat on it, unknown to her that she placed it on the head of a python. The python is said to be not annoyed by whatever you do it, provided you do not touch the tail which it hides in the soil. When the women were  ready to head home and my sister rose and picked her shawl,bher eyes met with those of the python. She began to scream. But the python did not move. Rather, it continued to stare at her. Then, she fled, as fast as she could homeward, still screaming, wasting valuable energy she could have saved for her leg muscles. Back home, the men asked if her shawl was still beside the snake. It was; Yoruba elders believe the python would not leave the location, whatever the danger to it, because it would believe it had been asked to protect the firewood and the shawl. Sure enough, the snake was still there waiting for my sister to despatch it. The men killed the python and took its tail home!

You are welcome to Nigeria, Snake oil from Asia.

 

From Hamzat Ibrahim

 

National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) joint campus committee, Niger State axis has honoured the Vice-Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Prof. Mohammed Nasiru Maiturare.

He was conferred with the award of excellence during the 2019 International Students’ Day, at Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna, Niger state, with the theme: “Unity, Education and practising corruption- free society.”

Presenting the award, the chairman, joint campus committee, Jamilu Ebbo, said Maiturare’s exit as vice chancellor would leave a large hole to fill.

In his remarks, the vice chancellor thanked the students’ body for recognition.

Read Also: NOUN gets new Deputy Vice-Chancellor

 

He said that this year’s international students’ day must bridge the gap and promote students’ interest and make way for remarkable development among Nigerian youths.

He also urged the students to behave as future leaders at all times to unify, educate in order to reduce corruption in the society in line with the theme of this year’s event.

Impressed by the event, the Professor counseled the students to organise more meaningful events that champion the cause of growth and development in the society.