The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Accelerating entrepreneurship

    The annual founders conference organised by  Sales Ruby, an empowerment organisation in Lagos brought together  celebrated  entrepreneurs to offer expert  advice  to young Nigerians,  explore business opportunities and  innovative solutions for sustainable development challenges, DANIEL ESSIET  reports .

     

    The annual Founders  Conference, which held at Pistis hub, Maryland,  Lagos brought together  celebrated  entrepreneurs to offer expert  advice  to young Nigerians , explore  business opportunities and  innovative solutions for development challenges. The event was a gathering of entrepreneurs, business owners, corporate executives and many others, with an aim to help 1,500 businesses and startups scale up their growth this year.

    Some of the speakers during the programme include: Founder, CWG Plc, Austin Okere; Chief Executive, IO Furnitures ,Mrs Munira Shonibare ; Chief Executive Alpha Mead, Femi Akintunde and Chief Executive  Sales Ruby, Bunmi Jembola.

    By drawing attention to celebrated entrepreneurs, Chief Executive Sales Ruby, Bunmi Jembola said the conference hopes others will feel inspired to not only devise fresh approaches to solving challenges, but also adopt and attract support to upscale and achieve greater impact.

    Said Jembola: “This year, we have constituted an uncommon team of very erudite speakers who have proven in their various businesses that getting unusual results is indeed very realistic.”

    Keynote speaker Austin Okere who is the founder of Computer Warehouse Group, (CWG) stated that leaving one’s job to start a business is very difficult and it was of high importance to build trust in a business.

    He further stated that getting one’s first client can be tough but if the business owner can push through that and gets repeat patronage, and then he/she will start to make some money.

    Okere said that fear and excuses are a major factor that stop people from starting anything at all, adding that hitting brick walls of frustration and stress cannot be avoided.

    He said building capability, functionality, partnerships, diversification and succession are key ingredients needed to sustain a business

    He said today’s technological impact, is exponentially bigger and so is the opportunities open to startups and enterprises if they embrace and lead their own transformation.

    He said the timing of bringing innovation to commercial fruition is a new competitive advantage that set apart the winners.

    Speaking about   CWG, Okere said the company was established in September 1992 with just $16,000 operating budget and six staff. He recalled: “We built the company up slowly and steadily in the ICT markets and began to expand. We thrive on staying ahead of the curve in the ever changing technology landscape and maintaining a dominant leadership position. We have evolved from being a Dell PC sales and support company, through providing Enterprise Systems, becoming an outsourcing company providing Managed Services to major clients such as MTN, where we have over 100 badged engineers managing their IT infrastructure, to becoming a dominant IT utility enabler in our region, providing Software-as-a- Service through Cloud Computing on a subscription basis.

    He said the company enjoyed steady growth since 1992.

    Regarding  the key success factors, he said it was the decision to adopt a strong innovation strategy with clear long-term objectives.

    He said the journey to the company’s achievements has been documented in a case study by the Columbia Business School, New York, United States.

    He advised startups and entrepreneurs to reevaluate their current strategies to take into account the eruption of new technologies, specifically the effects of digitisation.

    Another speaker, an  interior designer   and Chief Executive, IO Furnitures, Mrs Munira Shonibare said she started the  business in 1987.The first job she did came from her father, there after she started having referrals.

    Her winning formula was creating furniture design locally that can be sold abroad. The company was started from the scratch. The intricacies and systems required for a successful business were learnt in that manner. Her philosophy is simple- to constantly innovate and explore and push the boundaries of the furniture and design world.

    She sees challenges as learning experiences as opposed to setbacks.

    As a woman, she has to work extra hard to be a good mother and business woman, but she truly loves what she does and that translates into every aspect of her life. It has taken commitment to stick to her core ethos and values and to develop a business model that she can be proud of and support wholeheartedly.

    She revealed that having mentors who have succeeded in areas where a person wants to be can never be over-emphasised.

    Also that hard work, determination, discipline and focus, as well as knowing when to scale up, either due to risks or increase in demand in business, should also be looked into.

    At the event, attendees were treated to a powerful, candid, occasionally lighthearted and fascinating discussion on entrepreneurship by a panel of founders and investors.

  • Coconut entrepreneur’s story of success

    Nwanji Ogechukwu Henrietta and her business, Hetty Coconut World, have been hailed as pioneers. She has created an environmentally-friendly enterprise producing things from coconut waste. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

     

    International award winning entrepreneur, Nwanji Ogechukwu Henrietta founded her business, Hetty Coconut World two years ago. She said: “I didn’t plan to go into the business; I stumbled on the vision and ran with it. My quest for the solution to my hair problem led me to coconut in 2017. I started with coconut oil and the first coconut oil looked more like palm kernel oil, the only difference was the smell. Through research, I discovered that there was more to coconut than just the oil. I also discovered that what people call waste, that is the coconut shell is disguised fortune. These coconut shells are improperly disposed into the environment or used as firewood for cooking thereby causing pollution to the environment. In order to tackle this problem, I discovered a means of eradiating this pollution by recycling these coconut shells into valuable eco-friendly products.”

    A graduate of Computer Science from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nwanji Ogechukwu Henrietta, popularly known as “Coconut Professor”,  started  the business with five  coconuts which was equivalent to about N1,000 in her location.

    But the business has grown. Her words: “The business has grown rapidly beyond the N1, 000; I started with N1000 and have sold over 2000 products.”  She has three part time staff.

    After harvesting the coconut flesh, farmers discard thousands of shells each year, which are usually burned as waste or used as landfill.

    She is turning trash into treasure by using discarded coconut shells to create bowls.

    The popularity of such bowls on cafe menus and at home has helped in driving her business.

    She is not stopping at coconut bowls. She has expanded the range to include many other products made from coconut off-cuts. On her stable are eco-friendly products such as wristbands, buttons, key holders, soap dishes and bowls made with coconut shells.

    Building a sustainable business has become increasingly important to her.

    Word of mouth has proved a tremendous growth vehicle for her business. She is using different social media channels to post photographs of the coconut bowls.

    The life of an entrepreneur is motivating her to improve herself every single day. It is motivating her to learn new things and do things differently and more efficiently.

    She has been able to cultivate a knowledgeable business network to turn to for expert advice.

    Her challenges: “I will rather call it challenge instead of failure. I have been unable to acquire industrial machines needed to upscale production to reach more people. Currently I work with simple tools for production. I have learned that we can only create limitations for ourselves with our excuses. I didn’t wait to acquire all the big machines I needed, instead I started with my simple tools and produced amazing products which are appreciated locally and internationally. I believe that this is only a stepping stone to the exploits I will do with coconut shells.

    What has been your most satisfying moment in business? “My most satisfying moment in business is being able to create valuable products from what people call waste (Coconut shells)

     

    Looking Ahead

     

    The future is bright for her coconut based products. More products lines, more distribution deals and continued success ensure she won’t quit the business.

    She wants to use coconut shells to produce more eco-friendly products. She is proud of her accomplishments so far. “I am very proud of my achievements so far, the journey that started as a joke.”

    Because of her achievements, she has been featured as one of the 10 Innovative Young Leaders in Nigeria in African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO) 10th Anniversary Magazine.  She is an Alumnus of the United States Exchange programme – Academy for Women Entrepreneurs; Enactus Nigeria, and The Platform: Young Professionals. The founder of Hetty Coconut World is a recipient of Innovation award at International Youth Summit by Jamie Pajoel International.

    Her advice for young entrepreneurs? “Believe in yourself. Put God first. Be consistent in whatever you are doing.

    In 10 years, she sees her business creating employment for over 500 people and directly impacting the lives of one million people through Corporate Sustainability Responsibility (CSR).

     

  • Norway seafood export to Nigeria hits $35m

    By Busola Aro

     

    The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) yesterday said the value of the seafood export to Nigeria between January and October this year has reached $35million, adding that the country’s seafood export is the second largest in the world.

    Speaking at the press briefing at the Eko Hotels and Suites yesterday, NSC Director, Trond Kosvelt said Nigeria is its biggest export market in Africa with about 21,500 tons of seafood export.

    He however lamented that in spite of this huge volume of seafood imports, the country lacks hygienic ways of preserving seafood.

    He frowned at the use of substances such as Sniper to store foodstuffs such as beans, yam, vegetables as well as livestocks and stockfish fish which is very dangerous to human health.

    Worried by this development, he said NSC is holding a forum today to educate people about the business of exporting and importing of seafoods in Lagos.

    He said:  “Norwegian seafood represents all the export of seafood in Norway and it’s the second largest in the world. We saw a need to have a seminar this year, a two-day workshop that would be useful to learn about exporters, importers and seafood. The seminar will include presentations on stockfish, stockfish heads, salmon and pelagic species that we export. Most importantly, it focuses on the safe method of preserving seafood. We learnt that there are people who use Sniper to prevent insects and other unwanted pests from perching on their products but this ends up destroying the consumers which is why it’s very dangerous and needs to be curbed. So during the workshop, preservative methods will be explained. A Norway expert on food safety would speak on what to do about storage to make your stockfish last for as long as you want.

    Read Also: Seafood entrepreneur shares tips for success

    “One of the reasons for this workshop is to show non-Norwegians how we prepare our stockfish and the difference is that we water ours for a week to bring back it’s freshness before using. We want you to see the specialty in the Norwegian system and what the chef would prepare would be an inspiration to you.”

    Also speaking on the occasion, a fishery consultant, Abiodun Cheke said the seminar is an avenue for proposed importers, exporters and importers to meet, discuss and gain insight into Norwegian seafood exports and the challenges facing the importer.

    “The seminar is going to be open to exchange opinions. We exported over 3million stockfish and we sold everything. Representatives of the National Agency for Foods and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    ” As part of the knowledge expansion on Norwegian products, we have invited chefs at some key hotels and restaurants in Nigeria and a separate chef seminar where Shef Rolf Kanstad will focus on the preparation of stockfish fish, mackerel and salmon.

    The course concludes with a seafood dinner November six where dishes of Norwegian seafood will be served and invited importers, officials, Norwegian exporters, chefs from the seminar will be present,” she said.

  • Funke Akindele bags new endorsement deal

    By: Akpan Sunday

    Famous Nollywood actress and producer, Olufunke Akindele, popularly known as ‘Jenifa’ has bagged a new endorsement deal with Waw Nigeria, makers of Waw detergent and bar soaps.

    The actress took to her Instagram handle on Monday to share the good news with photos taken during the signing of the deal with the company.

    The mother of two asserted she has started November as a brand ambassador for Waw Nigeria.

    Read Also: Nollywood: Gov. Ayade, NFVCB Boss honoured at AIFF 2019

    She seized the opportunity to encourage everyone to remain focused and work harder.

    She wrote: “I started the new month of November as a #wawambassador #wawdetergents #wawbarsoap #hardworkpays so in this new week, don’t give up,pls work harder and don’t let all the NOs discourage you. Trust me, the BIG YES that will take you to greater heights is around the corner.”

  • More rapes, few convictions

    Rape perpetrators are seldom convicted. MICHELLE AGOH finds that behind this are the fact that the prosecutorial arm of the police is poorly funded and rape victims are ‘reluctant’ to volunteer information

     

    The odds seem stacked against rape victims. There are far more rape cases than are reported to police, and of those reported, few are prosecuted, and far fewer offenders convicted.

    The reporter visited the gender unit of the Lagos State police command, Ikeja charged with investigating gender-based cases including sexual abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and children in conflict zones, among others. The gender desk, established three years ago, in June 2016, boasts nine staff consisting of eight policewomen and one policeman trained on gender issues by UNICEF facilitators.

    The unit is not funded. It does not have a vehicle to carry out its functions. Staff spend their own money on court documentations, transportation and medical bills.

    In 2015, through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, the administration of former governor Akinwunmi Ambode spent N4.6 billion on security gadgets consisting of 100 four-door saloon cars, 55 Ford Ranger pickups, 10 Toyota land cruisers and 15 BMW power bikes, among others. In September 2019, current governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu handed over 125 vehicles and 35 motorcycles to security agencies which include the police.
    Not a vehicle got to the Gender Unit of Lagos State police command.

    From 2016 the gender unit has handled over 2000 gender-based cases with 90% of victims being women, said Mrs Abimbola Williams, head of the unit. For child molestation, 30% of boys and 70% girls are victims. Cases are usually sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution and are duplicated before taken to court. For juvenile cases, the suspects are sent to Borstal training institute for rehabilitation which is run by the Nigerian prison service
    In 2018, there were 250 rape cases reported, with only 10 convictions, said the Lagos State police spokesman Bala Elkana. In 2019, 155 cases have been reported with 138 charged to court but zero conviction so far because they are still pending in court.

    Why is the number of rape cases high but only few convictions? the reporter asked the police spokesman.
    He said: “We cannot successfully prosecute a rape case without witnesses willing to testify. Once we receive a complaint, we investigate, facts and evidence are gathered, survivors are taken to the hospital (The Mirabel Centre), forensic examinations are carried out and reports are given but challenges arise after charging the matter the court. There are many instances where the survivors will not step forward in court to testify, mostly because you find out that the family ends up entering discussions with the family of the perpetrators, sometimes they try to make that effort right from investigation stage but because the case is capital in nature and we can’t be part of impunity and can’t allow it to continue, we always insist on charging the matter to court. But they feel well, since you refused at the investigating stage, we will not go to court then; let’s see how the matter will go.

    This can be very frustrating.”

    There are reports of officers treating victims poorly. What is being done to sensitise your personnel on proper handling of rape cases to enable survivors speak boldly?

    “Well,” Elkana said: “I don’t know where that report is coming from and I’m not sure it’s from Lagos State but to be honest with you, we have one of the finest systems here. I gave you a figure, if people don’t really step forward, you won’t have this number. From last year, 250, it’s a large number. This year alone, it’s 155. People step forward. The practice in the past was from the gate, you explain yourself then go to the charge room again and narrate your story and sometimes while narrating your story, you have people there for different purposes, and you end up getting more people hearing you, then you have more people questioning you from the investigators to the DCO, DPO, repeating the story and at some point the survivor may say or think why am I repeating my story? Don’t they believe me? But now, we changed the approach. We said no, the victim only has to tell her story once and that must be at the gender unit or family support unit. So whoever needs to know that’s the supervisors, goes through the statements and not ask the survivors further questions, and that has helped. We try to have a level of confidentiality. At the gender unit, we have a separate room where only victims speak. The gender unit is a one stop shop where you have investigators work closely with the legal, medic so the survivor has a full package. To follow up with witnesses, doctors go to testify, police investigators do the same but when the victim refuses to go to court what can the judge do?”

    How can citizens help the police to secure convictions on rape cases?

    Elkana said: “If we must get more people convicted then we must work together with the police. Citizens must come together, perpetrators need to be put where they belong and the only way to do that is if we are willing to step forward to testify in court. We have done fine investigations, we have arraigned perpetrators in court and now to get convictions we’re having challenges partly because citizens who are directly affected by those acts are not really willing to step forward to testify. When a case is adjourned, expecting the witness to step forward, the witness is absent in court and they keep on adjourning the matter, it frustrates the process.”

    Why are rape victims unwilling to come forward?

    Mide Coker of Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a nongovernment organisation (NGO) founded in 2016 in response to the high incidence of rape and human trafficking among young girls and women in Nigeria, said the organisation is “tackling this problem…through a unique holistic approach and this covers health, education and community service. We are doing all that we can in this fight against gender-based violence.”

    Mide commended the police for their work, noting that WARIF and the police are in partnership, but she expressed her concerns regarding figures police quoted.
    She said, “I was surprised when the PPRO mentioned that the amount of cases reported was 250 last year. At WARIF, we have a centre in Yaba at 6 Turton Street off Durban Avenue where we support survivors of rape and sexual violence with immediate medical care, legal aid, counselling, access to shelters and welfare and at the WARIF centre. Last year we had 361 survivors of rape and sexual violence.

    Did all 361 tell their story?

    “Well,” Mide said, “it depends; most survivors come in at different times, some at the time it happened and some, a few months after it happened. So I’m quite surprised to see the number because it’s different from what we have in WARIF. The PPRO mentioned they have 155 cases reported this year but we have seen over 300 survivors at the WARIF centre and this is Q3.”

    Did they say the rape happened this year?

    “Well not all of them, but most of them. Especially because they come in, like I said, we are in partnership with the police so most times, it’s reported first at the police station before coming to the WARIF centre so because of this partnership, they come straight from the police station.

    Mide said she believed existing laws are adequate to handle rape and violent sexual cases.
    She said: “Here, we work with the criminal law of Lagos State and section 258 states that any man who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl without her consent is guilty of rape and this offence is punishable by life imprisonment. So, the laws are there, the laws are strong enough but the question now is do people know about these laws? Do they know that rape is a crime? Do they know that it’s punishable by life imprisonment? The answer is NO.”

    Does WARIF encourage rape victims to testify in court and pursue prosecution?

    Mide said: “Well at WARIF, our first concern is the survivor. So, of course, we cannot pressure them into speaking out or into reporting but because one of the services we offer at the centre is legal aid, we always ask them “what do you want to do?” so they tell us they just want the medical care, they don’t want legal aid. This is because of the way our society is set up. Women have been subjugated, there’s a lot of stigmatisation for survivors of rape and sexual violence so we’ve realised that most times when they come into the centre and they say they are ready to go forward and prosecute the perpetrator, along the line, with intervention of the family, the perpetrator himself, or when they speak out and find that the responses coming from those around them isn’t strong or supportive, they give up.”

    What changes should be made  to make the society safer for young girls and women?

    Mide said: “At WARIF we always say it’s our collective responsibility to make our society a safer place. Its’ not one person’s effort, we can’t rely solely on the government and that’s why we have different initiatives we try to use to fight this menace.

    One of them is the police case management sensitisation programme, and like police PRO mentioned that victims are not met with hostility but to be honest with you, those who come to our centre say the contrary. They say they’re questioned on what they we were wearing and why they were there.

    So, we felt it’s our duty to speak to these policemen, so we have trainings like I said with the support of the commissioner of police where we sensitise police men and women on how to speak to survivors, what to say to them, how to be sympathetic and empathic to them and their situation at the time.

    And so far, with the police training, we have trained 537 policemen and policewomen and we’ve visited at least 15 police stations across Lagos.

    So we’ve noticed that with our case management sensitisation programme, the number of survivors coming to the centre from the police station has increased and it also helps with better reporting because when they come to our centre and they see the medical personals, we give them the report that is used for the prosecution of the case.”

    From the prosecutors of sexual offenses to victims themselves and the society at large, it seems there is a lot of work to do to keep girls and women safe from sexual assailants.

  • Lagos pays N1.1b accrued rights

    The Lagos State Government has paid N1.18billion  as accrued pension rights  into the Retirement Savings Accounts of 279 retirees.

    The Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission, Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, said in a statement that the retirees were presented with their Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates during a ceremony in Lagos.

    She said the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is paying great attention to pensioners in the state., assuring them of its interest in their well-being.

    Read Also: PTAD to pensioners: beware of fraudsters

    She said the  Commissioner, Ministry of Establishment, Trainings and Pensions, Mrs. Ajibola Ponnle, was pleading their case on issues relating to pensioners at the State’s Executive Meetings, saying the issue of backlog has received due consideration and that very soon, additional funds would be released in tranches.

    Mrs. Onanuga advised the retirees on the need to eat right, rest and most importantly, be prudent with their finances.

     

  • We can depress depression

    BY Oluwaseyi Oso

    Depression, which is a feeling of displeasure and low self-esteem, can happen at any age but it is quite visible from the teenage age. As a psychological sickness, if it is not well doctored or, say, treated; if the sickness should last for a very long period, and there is no solution to it, the person might resort to suicide. This is the reason for a large number of suicidal acts in our century. We read and see people take their lives from the setting of the sun to the rising of the moon. Depression can be partly compared to a virus that attacks the human body, and when no cure is found, it has no choice than to lead the body to death. Like a virus, it nurtures a psychic ailment in the hearts and minds of people until there is a cure or no cure.

    What generates depression in our century are issues of domestic violence, cyber-bullying; and many more. Every day, the world loses great minds, world-changers to this sickness—depression—because we have all failed to look into the minds of one another. Instead of embracing our differences; warming up our cold hearts, and defining a colourful existence, what we do is injure ourselves. We fail to heal our aching hearts, leaving the sickness to continue exerting its deprecating growth. Several human beings on this planet are seeking tutelage in drugging and more since they feel there is no one to talk to; no one to survey their mind and exhume them from their horrific pains. Many parents, at times, have failed to realise that bringing up a child requires emotional support.

    When your child comes to you with a particularly eccentric question or behaviour, do you shun your child or do you serve as a psychotherapist who is capable of healing your child’s psychic war? Yes, it is a psychic war because two enemies conflict in the mind; one is “good” while the other is “evil”. They both fight for domination; and if perhaps a parent is unable to procure a psychological weapon to defeat the deadly enemy, a child is left lonely and as the loneliness continues, depression continues to nurture its seed until it produces the fruit of suicide: A bitter-sour fruit that many cannot eat. This is why one of the solutions to depression is “talk therapy”. It is a medicine that requires the patient to discuss private distress with the right person or a psychotherapist. Many depressive patients resolve their psychic state after conversations with the right person or a psychotherapist. But what happens if there is no one to talk to? What happens if there is no one to open your broken soul to for fixing? The depressive sickness will remain as a predator over the person’s life. This is why we all need to be empathetic and compassionate in dealing with ourselves. Empathy is the ability to feel another individual’s heart in yours. If I can connect my mind to another person’s mind, then it is possible to help the person out of a troubled state. We keep losing lives because we have failed to realise that our lives are tied to one another. Losing the other individual is like losing a part of your existence. We must show empathy to others as much as we are compassionate towards ourselves. We can all be patients and doctors at once as long as we know that there is an immortal (divine) touch within us that brings us together.

    We exist in a century where we are all wearing masks and hating ourselves. What happens in a century where you search all the corners of the world only to discover that there is no hope of finding whom to trust? This is the grinding status quo in humanity currently, and it is excessively destroying life (yes, life because we form life). We have read of World War I, experienced World War II; and now it appears that depression is our Third world war. We have refused to create more weapons to fight this war; we have failed to hospitalize the injured, instead, we neglect ourselves, refusing to lend a helping hand.

    We have imprisoned love. It is for this apposite reason that I will say that one thing that can heal the planet once again is love. If we all express love the way it should be, without prejudice, depression itself will face depression until there is no more space left for it in our hearts. Love is not a physical property, it is in our hearts, and it is one electrical cord that connects people together. But it appears that we are disconnecting ourselves from the orbit of love and many are losing their hearts to the darkness of depression through all forms of domestic violence, cyber-bullying, rape, wrong convictions, failures, insecure sense of self; and many more. These are sicknesses and they can be healed through a medicine—Love.

    I believe that love is the antidote to every psychological war. Love is the only war that can war against war itself. Love is expressed through conversations but many are unable to find people to connect their dying hearts with, to be restored to life once again. We should be the reason kindness exists in the world. The world can experience a new beautiful scene if we all come together to fight our wars. That is the pathway to a safer future for humanity. Somewhere in the world, someone needs your love and care. Have you helped anyone today? Have you rescued any dying heart?

    I would admittedly conclude that we are the reason the world exists, and we need to help ourselves out of troubles and pains that we experience.  You must recognize the fact that your purpose as a human being is to provide a solution to a particular sickness that has been affecting lives. Great men have always done this. You need to imagine yourself as a person among many sick minds with a healing medicine. If you fail to treat your companions with this medicine, they are liable to losing their lives. Thus, we must all, together, pull ourselves out of our psychic war which I call our Third World War. We must all engage in “talk therapy” of love to fight this fierce enemy—Depression.

     

    • Oso, a public affairs commentator, writes from Lagos.

  • Cultism in Lagos schools

     

    The news that 16-year-old boy, Adewale Ayuba, has been arrested by officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) for allegedly killing his mate during a cult clash in Ijanikin area of the state is as shocking as it should signpost a period of reality check on the social implications of the lethargic attitude of a country with a seeming lack of a visionary plan for its teeming youth population.

    Cultism in Nigerian schools is usually traced to the Seadog Confraternity (a.k.a Pyrates), founded by  Professor  Wole Soyinka and six others at the foremost University of Ibadan in 1952 as a students’ protest group. Since then, a plethora of cult groups have emerged in Nigerian universities, and despite the different havoc traceable to members of the groups, not much punitive measures have been taken beyond universities either suspending or expelling the cult members.

    It did not take long before cultism spread beyond universities to secondary schools, and now there are reports that even our primary schools have come under the influence of cult groups. Children are recruited by adults and initiated into different cult groups. But unlike what the initiators of cultism in schools purportedly envisaged, cultism in Nigerian schools has taken a damning life of its own. It has come with tears, sorrow and blood.

    The spate of cult killings amongst students in Lagos schools ought to have sparked a sense of outrage that would have given rise to very stern and decisive steps by successive state governments to nip the aberration in the bud. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be so. The Fashola administration funded some youth bodies to take them away from nefarious cult activities. Some of those youths were involved in the Fanti festival that had many of them participating in activities, including the production of the festival costume. It seemed the Ambode administration that succeeded it saw no value in either maintaining or surpassing the efforts of its predecessor in this regard. Today, the youths are neck deep in distractively destructive cult activities.

    Societies that want progress as a matter of urgency plan for the future of their children. If the adults in leadership fail to plan for the youths, the youth in their juvenile exaggerated sense of power and control would take actions that might destroy them and the future they ought to be armed for by adults. We therefore urge the state government to take serious steps to protect and nurture its youth population, the owners of a tomorrow that each society depends and hopes on.

    There must be a deliberate and consistent plan to fully engage the youths at all levels. Commerce, technical activities, sports, arts and entertainment must be invested in to engage idle hands during the holidays. Like in other societies, the state must take deeper interest in youth development programmes and vocational schools that can soak in those students that do not show any competence for academic work.

    If, as the saying goes, ‘an idle hand is the devil’s workshop,’ the state must work with local governments and corporate bodies to create centres of activites. Sports is also another sector that takes off kids from the streets. Beyond football and other popular sports, investment in other sporting activities is a good way of investing in youth development. Waiting for the Federal Government to always take the lead is often counterproductive.

    Beyond specific actions, we recommend well-planned statewide re-orientation programmes to resuscitate the traditional African core values that technology and internet are fast eroding. Parents must be made to account for their failure in parenting. In countries where child welfare works, parents that are considered incompetent in the raising of their kids are often relieved of such duties and other people willing to provide nurture and love given the opportunity to redirect the children. We must begin to let parents understand that parenting comes with certain basic responsibilities.

    The state must equally show interest in cases of those arrested for cult activities. The laws are either too ineffectual or being disobeyed. When people understand that certain activities are outlawed and they see offenders punished adequately, it might serve as a deterrent. Enough of child-student related deaths and rape cases.

  • Oyo/Ogbomoso road, shame of a nation

    Oyewola Soji, 

    SIR: Writing about the deplorable condition of Oyo/Ogbomoso federal road is repeating one line-poem severally for the deaf and dumb to recite. But we must keep talking until we are heard and the road is rehabilitated. We have to say however, that when a poor man blows the alarm, he receives a poor response, but people are dying on the road. Goods worth billions of naira perish on daily basis. It is rather appalling that the oldest and shortest route between the southwest and northern part of Nigeria is this bad! Neglect of timely repairs makes rebuilding necessary. Apapa port is the busiest of all the five seaports in our country. Goods cleared there from are usually conveyed on Lagos – Ibadan – Oyo – Ogbomoso – Ilorin road. The heavy weight of these goods causes damages to the road to the extent that it is now a death trap.

    Whereas billions of naira are budgeted for the construction and rehabilitation of roads yearly, what Nigerians get is perfidy from the men in the corridors of power. It is a shame! The eye sees not itself except by reflection. More shameful is the fact that the 20km Odo Oba – Egbeda axis of the federal road that encompasses Ogbomoso, the second largest city in Oyo State after Ibadan is a failed road. Meandering through it takes an eternity if one survives. Many prominent indigenes of the town and promising youths, leaders of tomorrow have had their lives cut short there. Bread winners of many families have been felled by death on the road too. Their wives and children have literally become mendicants.

    It was gathered in 2009 that Ipeba- Eyenkorin axis of the Ibadan – Ilorin (old) road was going to be dualized. Same should be revisited with a view to putting an end to carnages on the road. It will equally expose the aesthetic of Ogbomoso and adjoining towns therein.

    The federal government of Nigeria should as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on Nigerian roads. They are all tarred with the same brush. Motorable road is one of the dividends of democracy that are sine qua non to the citizenry Noblesse oblige.

     

    <adexsoj4581@gmail.com>

  • Preventing child malnutrition

    Carl Umegboro, <umegborocarl@gmail.com>

     

    SIR: “There can be no real growth without healthy populations. No sustainable development without tackling disease and malnutrition. No international security without assisting crisis-ridden countries. And no hope for the spread of freedom, democracy and human dignity unless we treat health as a basic human right”.

    These were the words of a Norwegian female politician, Gro Harlem Brundtland who served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway and as Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) from 1998 to 2003. Prior to the latter, she was appointed by United Nations as chairperson of the Brundtland Commission which presented the Brundtland Report on Sustainable Development formally known as the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in 1983.

    Malnutrition as a critical disorder occurs when a person’s diet doesn’t contain the right amount of nutrients. It simply means ‘poor nutrition’ and can refer to undernutrition – not getting enough nutrients or overnutrition – getting more nutrients than necessary for normal growth, development and metabolism.

    However, there are four sub-forms of undernutrition – wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age), underweight (children with low weight for age), and micronutrient deficiencies.

    Malnutrition results from a poor diet; when the intake of nutrients or energy is too high, too low, or poorly balanced. By implications, malnutrition can occur in poor families as well as rich families that are ignorant of diets. Emaciated or obese, it is still malnutrition.

    Arguably, the best way to prevent malnutrition is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. To achieve these, eating a variety of foods from the four main food groups especially sufficient fruits and vegetables is indispensable.

    UNICEF in her interventionist nature takes lead in the advocacy particularly through the procurement of Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF), a special therapy formulated to treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

    Lately, two prominent moguls; Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote have joined the crusade against malnutrition. This is commendable as nutrition remains the bedrock of child survival and development.

    Nonetheless, the most rewarding beyond treatment is to conscientiously activate the popular maxim by a Dutch philosopher, Desiderius Erasmus which said, “Prevention is better than cure”.  Ultimately, taking proper care of health prevents lots of health challenges and also saves money by reducing the number of illnesses and medications.

    Read Also: How to tackle malnutrition

    Hence, parents and custodians should be acquainted with knowledge on the best feeding practices especially for infants and young children. This will ensure that children are properly cared for and fed to prevent malnutrition.

    And this is where governments, non-government and corporate organizations have crucial roles to play. To articulate policies that support poor families in managing underlying factors affecting child’s nutritional intake is without doubt a step forward.

    Typically, the human body requires six essential nutrients to function properly which according to WHO classifications are macronutrients: water, protein, carbohydrates and fats, and micronutrients: vitamins and minerals. Whilst the body requires macronutrients in large amounts, micronutrients are needed in smaller measures.

    Beyond nutrients, malnutrition can be caused by infections, psychosocial and environmental factors. Vitally important! Good water supply, sanitation and hygiene are vital for their direct impact on infectious diseases. Incidentally, these demands cannot be met by chance but concerted efforts and self-discipline.

    Thus, organizing and supporting community awareness workshops possibly through the Local Government Areas (LGAs) structures to expose women in both rural and urban areas on suitable feeding practices for the family may lend a helping hand.

    Likewise, self-care is crucial as it reduces the heavy costs of healthcare associated with diseases. The reason is that many diseases are preventable, and also can be managed much better if identified in time. Self-care treatment of malnutrition may involve dietary changes, such as eating foods high in energy, nutrients and other non-dairy sources of protein.

    And the fact remains that well-nourished children are better able to grow resiliently. Undernourished children on the other hand have weaker immune systems, thus susceptible to infections and illnesses. Therefore, an investment in nutrition is relatively a premium long-term socioeconomic security.