The Nation Newspaper

Category: Health

  • Optiva Capital flags off construction of ultra modern maternity centre in Lagos

    Optiva Capital flags off construction of ultra modern maternity centre in Lagos

    In fulfilment of its commitment to maternal health care and empowerment of women, especially those at the lower rung of society’s ladder, Optiva Capital Partners, the nation’s leading investment immigration firm, over the weekend flagged off the groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation and upgrade of Aboyi Ketu Primary Healthcare Centre, Lagos, into a fully equipped maternity centre.

    In a pivotal role with the Lagos State government, the rehabilitation covers the facilities, structures, the equipment, and totally upgrading the healthcare facility to ensure that women from that particular area are taken care of.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Optiva Capital Partners, Dr. Jane Kimemia, stated that the objective of the firm, in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to address maternal health care and reduce maternal mortality rate in Nigeria because different World Health Organization reports state that Nigeria contributes up to ten percent of the global maternal death.

    According to her, Optiva Capital Partners will expand the healthcare facilities to “accommodate more beds and enhance the quality of the maternity wards and labor rooms with state-of-the-art hospital equipment. This is to ensure that a larger number of women in Aboyi Ketu Local Government receive enhanced maternity care. 

    “We will be working extensively on the infrastructure and ambience from the time you walk in to receive medical help to the time you receive the help you need. So it won’t only benefit mothers but the entire population of Ketu LCDA. We will provide hospital equipment for the delivery room as advised by the Ministry of Health.  This project will take about two months.

    “In two months’ time, we will come back to commission a full-fledged maternity centre where women, mothers and children will be happy to come in to receive medical help. This is the beginning of our journey towards creating sustainable change in maternal and childcare. Through our collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, we strive for a future where the number of women who lose their lives during childbirth is greatly minimised”.

    Kimemia appreciated the opportunity to work with the Lagos State Government Ministry of Health and the Ketu Local Government in their efforts to decrease the maternal mortality rate in the state.

    Chairman of Aboyi Ketu LCDA, Mayor Dele Oshinowo, commended Optiva Capital Partners for taking the initiative to contribute towards the reduction of the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.

    Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, also expressed gratitude to Optiva Capital and the LCDA for the strong collaboration in making the project come to light.  

    She emphasised that the Maternal Healthcare initiative by Optiva Capital Partners is driven by a deep sense of commitment and devotion to decreasing maternal mortality rates for both mothers and their infants in Nigeria.

    The groundbreaking ceremony attracted senior officers from Lagos State government and the Lagos State Ministry of Health. The CEO of Optiva Capital Partners was accompanied by senior management staff of the company including the Executive Director, Mrs Amaka Okeke-Lawal.

    Optiva Capital Partners takes her corporate social responsibility engagement seriously through its passionate commitment not only to maternal health care but also to the empowerment of women, especially those at the lower rung of society’s ladder.

    Women, according to Dr. Kimemia, are the bedrock of the society because the basic unit of society -the home, is run by women, and that is where it all starts. Women are seeking ways to educate, to empower, to contribute, and these start from the home. They want to be able to educate, train their children and themselves. Women also seek to be empowered by the knowledge and experiences gathered, and to contribute to the growth and development of the society.

    In this regard, Optiva Capital Partners works with families, because when they work with families on how their children are going to school, on how they can go to Canada and they will be paying a tenth of what the international students will be paying, it is a service to women, a service to the family. According to the Optiva Capital CEO, we are enabling them, we are showing them opportunities on how they can actually access better services.

    According to Dr. Kimemia, beyond health there is also “an initiative for women in the markets, women at the very end of the pyramid, so it’s about empowering them in terms of how do they get better at their trade, how do they get investments. So, in partnership with a Micro Finance Bank we are helping them to formalize their businesses, structure their businesses so that they can get financing and scale up their businesses.”

    Optiva Capital Partners, Africa’s leading investment immigration wealth management company has steadily, over the past fourteen years built a growing reputation amongst investment savvy Africans who seek quality service in investment immigration, investment advisory, and wealth management. In all of these bespoke services the company’s unwavering commitment is to provide clients with the opportunity to protect, grow, enhance and optimize their wealth, and ensure they get the benefits of secured Capital through Multi-asset funds, Global equities, Corporate funds; and also achieve Optimal Diversified Portfolio

    Optiva Capital Partners is reputed to be one of the fastest-growing brands in the wealth management sector, easily recognized as the largest in investment immigration. Beloved for its customer-centric focus, deep commitment to structured process, and its extensive network through its elite global partners, this fast-growing brand has come a long way since it began operations in 2010.

    Through firm determination and clear definition of the company’s raison d’etre, Optiva Capital Partners, according to Dr Jane Kimemia, has grown it staff strength from just about 15 in 2017 to over 1000 currently, with over 21 branches across Nigeria and significant presence across Africa.

    Optiva Capital Partners longstanding purpose encapsulated in its core values of service, professionalism, collaboration, and excellence; premium product innovations; and elite global partnerships, have all added up to a winning formula.

    Read Also: Optiva Capital delivers as five-star resort is completed in Grenada

    As the leading investment immigration service provider, the company assists its clientele to save long-term through investment immigration with a commitment to help clients to save on what they would have been spending on through its bespoke investment immigration services.

    According to Dr. Kimemia, through the Citizenship By Immigration (CBI) programme, clients receive tremendous value and savings on the scarce foreign exchange that comes back in developing Africa. “We are looking at costs, and value across generations as well. So you get second citizenship it doesn’t stop you from continuing your business, but it gives you global access. So it is not spend but an investment and it is savings.”

    Shedding more light on the savings and value inherent in the investment immigration services, Kimemia stated that with “children’s education for example, investment immigration becomes a vehicle for our clients to protect, to grow, to enhance, to diversify their wealth. For somebody looking for permanent residency or to invest in a programme in Canada, their children’s education say in University of Toronto, international students for a Bachelors programme will be paying about $60,000 annually, but as permanent residents they will be paying just $6,000 per annum.”

  • In world first, Nigeria introduces new 5-in-1 vaccine against meningitis

    In world first, Nigeria introduces new 5-in-1 vaccine against meningitis

    In a historic move, Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile, and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis. 

    Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa, situated in the area known as the African Meningitis Belt. Last year, there was a 50% jump in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.

    In Nigeria, an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus) serogroup C outbreak led to 1742 suspected meningitis cases, including 101 confirmed cases and 153 deaths in seven of 36 Nigerian states (Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe, Zamfara) between 1 October 2023 and 11 March 2024. To quell the deadly outbreak, a vaccination campaign has been undertaken on 25–28 March 2024 to initially reach more than one million people aged 1-29 years.

    Meningitis is a serious infection that leads to the inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. There are multiple causes of meningitis, including viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic pathogens. Symptoms often include headache, fever and stiff neck. Bacterial meningitis is the most serious, can also result in septicaemia (blood poisoning), and can seriously disable or kill within 24 hours those that contract it. 

    “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to change the trajectory of the disease, preventing future outbreaks and saving many lives,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030.”

    The revolutionary new vaccine offers a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y and X) in a single shot. All five strains cause meningitis and blood poisoning. This provides broader protection than the current vaccine used in much of Africa, which is only effective against the A strain.

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    The new vaccine has the potential to significantly reduce meningitis cases and advance progress in defeating meningitis. This is especially important for countries like Nigeria where multiple serogroups are prevalent. The new vaccine uses the same technology as the meningitis A conjugate vaccine (MenAfriVac®), which wiped out meningococcal A epidemics in Nigeria.

    “Northern Nigeria, particularly the states of Jigawa, Bauchi and Yobe were badly hit by the deadly outbreak of meningitis, and this vaccine provides health workers with a new tool to both stop this outbreak but also put the country on a path to elimination,” said Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate of the Nigerian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. “We’ve done a lot of work preparing health workers and the health system for the rollout of this new vaccine. We got an invaluable support from our populations despite this fasting period and from our community leaders especially the Emir of Gumel in Jigawa state who personally launched the vaccination campaign in the state. We’ll be monitoring progress closely and hopefully expanding the immunization in the coming months and years to accelerate progress.”

    This new multivalent conjugate vaccine was 13 years in the making and was based on a partnership between PATH and the Serum Institute of India. Financing from the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was critical to its development.

    In July 2023, WHO prequalified the new Men5CV vaccine (which has brand name MenFive®) and in October 2023 issued an official recommendation to countries to introduce the new vaccine. Gavi allocated resources for the Men5CV rollout in December 2023, which is currently available for outbreak response through the emergency stockpile managed by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, while roll-out through mass preventive campaigns is expected to start in 2025 across countries of the Meningitis Belt.

    “The rollout of one million vaccines in northern Nigeria will help save lives, prevent long-term illness and boost our goal of defeating meningitis globally by 2030,” said Andrew Mitchell, UK Minister for Development and Africa. “This is exactly the kind of scientific innovation, supported by the UK, which I hope is replicated in years to come to help us drive further breakthroughs, including wiping out other diseases.”

    WHO has been supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) in responding to the meningitis outbreak in the country. This includes disease surveillance, active case finding, sample testing, and case management. WHO and partners have also played a vital role in supporting Nigeria to prepare for the rollout of the new vaccine and training health workers.

    “Year after year, meningococcal meningitis has tormented countries across Africa,” said Dr Nanthalile Mugala, PATH’s Chief of Africa Region. “The introduction of MenFive® in Nigeria heralds a transformative era in the fight against meningococcal meningitis in Africa. Building on the legacy of previous vaccination efforts, this milestone reflects over a decade of unwavering, innovative partnerships. The promise of MenFive® lies not just in its immediate impact but in the countless lives it stands to protect in the years to come, moving us closer to a future free from the threat of this disease.”

    In 2019, WHO and partners launched the global roadmap to defeating meningitis by 2030. The roadmap sets a comprehensive vision towards a world free of meningitis, and has three goals:

    – elimination of bacterial meningitis epidemics;

    – reduction of cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70%; and

    – reduction of disability and improvement of quality of life after meningitis due to any cause.

    “With outbreaks of infectious diseases on the rise worldwide, new innovations such as MenFive® are critical in helping us fight back,” said Aurélia Nguyen, Chief Programme Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global stockpile as well as vaccine rollout in lower-income countries. “This first shipment signals the start of Gavi support for a multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MMCV) program, which, with the required donor funding for our next five years of work, will see pentavalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines rolled out in high-risk countries. Thanks to vaccines, we have eliminated large and disruptive outbreaks of meningitis A in Africa: now we have a tool to respond to other serogroups that still cause large outbreaks resulting in long-term disability and deaths.”

    Following Nigeria’s meningitis vaccine campaign, a major milestone on the road to defeat meningitis is the international summit on meningitis taking place in Paris in April 2024 where leaders will come together to celebrate progress, identify challenges and assess next steps. It is also an opportunity for country leaders and key partners to commit politically and financially to accelerate progress towards eliminating meningitis as a public health problem by 2030.

  • Commission distributes palliatives to persons with disabilities in Abuja

    Commission distributes palliatives to persons with disabilities in Abuja

    The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) has provided essential food assistance to two hundred individuals with disabilities, offering each recipient 5kg of rice, 5kg of beans, sugar, salt, and 2 litres of cooking oil.

    This support aims to alleviate the challenges posed by the escalating food prices.

    James David Lalu, the Executive Secretary for Persons with Disabilities, personally distributed the relief items in Abuja.

    He commended President Bola Tinubu for recognizing the needs of persons with disabilities across the nation and for empowering them with these vital food provisions.

    He stated that people with disability need this assistance at ‘this particular time considered the high cost of commodities in the country.’

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    Lalu said: “The distribution will be done in the six geopolitical zones of the country starting from Abuja. Considering the high cost of living presently, the disabled in society are finding it difficult to cope which is the reason for these palliatives. They really need to know that they are as important in society as any other person.

    “All the two hundred beneficiaries went home with all the food items mentioned. Rice, beans groundnut oil, salt and sugar. These can be repeated quarterly until the economy stabilizes and they begin to fend for themselves again.”

    He added that the commission is working round the clock to ensure the production of assistive devices for the disabled in the country, instead of importing from countries around they have considered that production of these devices in Nigeria will be vest and world considering the hike in the dollar and the pricing in Nigeria presently.

    He stated: “In 2022 the commission committed over three hundred million naira to purchasing of assistive device. In 2024 it is expected that the commission will spend six hundred million in the procurement of this same assistive device again, which is why the commission is moving to ensure production of these devices in Nigeria. It is possible and can be done with good assistance.

    “A lot of persons with disability are very innovative and creative, once given the maximum support they will produce the best of these devices. I have been receiving proposals from the disabled community and have invited a lot of them for interactions to see how they can produce this equipment, and they are willing to give the best.”

  • Africa taxes tobacco to boost revenue, fight health woes

    Africa taxes tobacco to boost revenue, fight health woes

    The African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) are joining forces to launch a comprehensive tobacco tax project across Africa.

    This initiative aims to tackle two critical issues simultaneously:  curbing the negative health impacts of tobacco use and boosting domestic revenue mobilization for African countries.

    A statement from ATAF made available to The Nation said the project is driven by a compelling rationale to: raise tobacco prices through taxation, considered to be the most effective way to reduce tobacco consumption.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a 2019 report estimates that a 50 percent price increase via tax hikes could prevent 27.2 million premature deaths globally over 50 years.  Tobacco use is currently the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, responsible for 8 million deaths annually.

    The African Tax Outlook confirmed a lower tax-to-GDP ratio in Africa compared to other regions. 

    Read Also: How tobacco industry circumvents regulations

    ATAF and BMGF believe that “effective tobacco tax policies can significantly increase domestic revenue without distorting the economy or overburdening taxpayers. This revenue can be used to fund critical development initiatives across the continent.”

    ATAF will assist African nations in designing and implementing effective tobacco tax strategies. This includes developing optimal tax structures and rates through toolkits that enable countries to model the most impactful approaches.

    The project will address the challenge of new and emerging tobacco and nicotine products, like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.  Many African countries currently lack excise duties on these products, hindering revenue collection and public health efforts.

    The project will also equip African countries with strategies to combat illicit trade in tobacco products, which robs governments of revenue and presents public health risks. These measures can be adapted to fight illicit trade in other products as well.

    In addition, the project will provide training and resources to strengthen tax administration capabilities in African countries. This includes effective monitoring of tax compliance by the tobacco industry and conducting audits and investigations of non-compliant entities.

    The project will promote the adoption of modern tax technologies such as production monitoring systems and track-and-trace systems to monitor tobacco products throughout the supply chain.

    While initially focused on tobacco, the project has a longer-term vision.

    The success of this initiative could pave the way for similar tax strategies targeting other harmful products like sugary drinks and alcohol, further boosting domestic revenue and promoting public health across Africa.

  • Quantum energy health market: Double plus tracks Chymall

    Quantum energy health market: Double plus tracks Chymall

    Nature abhors a vacuum. So, it is not surprising that the huge Nigerian quantum energy health market which CHYMALL dramatically vacated  in 2021 through  its global exit has been taken over in 2024 by another  company… DOUBLE PLUS.

    The spiritual and material growth of humanity are programmed and governed by forces beyond the earth in  phases we may call the Ages. We are in a new Age, acquarius, should, therefore, expect new activities. It is possible guidance to, and exposure to, quantum energy is a gift for humanity in acquarius.

    At its peak in Nigeria before COVID 19 erased it from the global business map, Chymall had six million subscribers worldwide, more than  three million of them Nigerians. That meant, at a minimum subscription of about N106,000 in an investment spectrum or sky line which spread beyond N500,000, three million Nigerians may have  provided this company work capital over #300,000,000,000, every month.  The market was still growing in 2021 when Chymall suddenly gave way.

    Double plus may have come to Nigeria to fill this gap in the quantum energy subsector of the natural health market. It seems poised, however, to do much more than that. Before I explain why, I would like to explain what quantum energy is all about for persons who are just hearing about it. The starting point, of course, is high schoool chemistry, biology or physis.  In these science subjects, we learned  EVERY LIFE FORM IS A GRADATION OF ENERGY, WITH OR WITHOUT PHYSICAL FORM. Petrol is a form of energy. Yet it is not quantum energy. Nevertheless, its powers cars and machines.  Who will not give way to a speeding  car on a high way?  Who will not flee from a roaring earthquake or hold an umbrella with a metal handle over his or her head in a stormy rainfall filled with dangerous thunder claps? Energy is at work in these events. Energy moves our cars, trains, ship, aeroplanes and space rockets. Energy powers the batteries of our cell phones and laptops. Globally, there is a rush for solid minerals with bigger energy potentials for a new grade of batteries which will take the internet to higher possibilities.

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    In the human body, how much energy our cells can produce will determine whether we are healthy or sick. The soldiers of our immune system and the organs of the immune system alike require energy to successfully engage and overcome the germs and the toxins which may damage or kill our systems. For us to supply them energy for their work, and for the various systems of our bodies to function optimally, mother nature loaded the foods, fruits, herbs and drinks she provided us with lots of energy. Many of us do not know how to combine these gifts with greatest effects and, so, go about our lives with energy deficits, weak and weary and sick and easily assailable by such things we call “stress” and “disease”. If your tongue is not pinkish red but grayish white, a condition doctors call oral trush, this may suggest Candida, a form of yeast, is overgrowing its population in your intestine because your immune system does not have the energy to stop it. The toxins of candida may poison and weaken the organs or even cause mental confusion. There is yet another source of energy. We humans are not our bodies, we are the “breath of life” or the spirit energy who inhabits each human body. Our energy is partially responsible for the energy of the clay or earth body. When we are happy, more energy flows from us into our bodies. When we are sad the out flow is poor and the body cannot be on the go. It drags, is lethargic. There are other sources of energy. Basically, they are all RADIATIONS, of which mankind learned in the last century they would be educated about in the future. This information came from REVEALED KNOWLEDGE. It is possible that the time has come for humanity to consciously begin to apply the knowledge of radiation in their healing arts, for many applications of it are popping up every where.

    QUANTUM ENERGY

    Quantum Energy gadgets are derived from special metals and minerals which have been discovered to exhibit certain unique energy out puts which positively impact on specific organs or parts of the body or holistically on the entire system. As we may soon read, they help to wake up sluggish cells of the body, quicken metabolism, re-arrange weaker molecules,  energise the tissues, promote blood circulation, increase energy potentials of the whole body and, among other benefits, offer the potentials  for longevity.

    DOUBLE PLUS

    Earlier, I promised to explain why I believe Double Plus is more unique than Chymall in the Nigerian quantum energy market. Chymall came to Nigeria for the business, whereas Double Plus is coming to be part and parcel of the Nigerian economy. In those bygone days when the Yorubas appeared to not  adequately understand life in the worlds beyond the earth, they often said of departed … A O MO BI ENI KU TI N RIN (We do not know how the dead walks). I mention this expression for two reasons. One is that more than three million Nigerians who were disappointed, financially and emotionally hurt by the sudden disappearance of Chymall may be unwilling to have anything to do with investment in the quantum energy market. They may erroneously  assume Double Plus is a recarnation of Chymall or sibling company.No, it is neither. The second reason is that I am tempted to say Double Plus would not disappear like Chymall because of its potential Nigerianess. I know I would be told I am not  EDGAR CAYCEE a.k.a. “the man who saw tomorrow”. However, I am optimistic because of promises that Double Plus has brought its business capital  from China to Nigeria,  not just to manufacture its quantum energy gadgets, but to also make Nigeria the world headquarter of its operations, not just a manufacturing headquarter for West Africa or Africa, as some  foreign  companies may  do, but as the operations headquarters of the planet earth!

    I have an idea. Expansion in information technology sciences has grown the internet and artificial intelligence (AI) industries to the point were lighter weight but high density and more powerful energy batteries are required for all sort of  gadgets, including mobile phones, laptops, table tops, electric motors, solar energy systems etc. This new generation of batteries is  made from powerful solid minerals. Some of them  are known, also,  for generating quantum energy for health purposes. Nigeria has large underground mountainous deposits of some of these solid minerals, stretching several kilometres across states such as Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, Oyo, Ekiti,  Cross River and Kwara. 

    Some of them are rated a little over four points compared with several current best global values averaging about 0.4 points. Abundance of these highly valuable solid minerals in Nigeria has led to a flood of illegal mining of solid minerals which, shockingly, has spread to the grounds of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile Ife.

    Elon Musk, fabbled in March 2024 to be worth $215 billion dollars in shares, has been eyeing Nigeria for business since 2002 with proposals for a starlink satalite investment for deeper and wider internet  penetration of this country. He is a stubborn investor who never gives up on his dreams. He bought Twitter, now called X for $44 billion, even if the value will later deep to $19 billion before it rose again. Elon  Musk has been to Nigeria to ask the Federal Government for a licence to mine Nigeria’s solid minerals for his global business.  This would include batteries for electric cars, and space satilites. Corrupt public officials would have obliged him. The government said he would be given the license only if he manufactured the products in Nigeria. If, indeed, Double Plus is to conduct its manufacturing in Nigeria and from here sell its products worldwide, this is a proof guarantee that the network business under which the company’s products would be marketed is unlikely to disappear without notice as ChymallL and several online businesses in Nigeria.

    SOME PRODUCTS

    Double Plus sells some well known Chymall quantum energy products and more sophisticated ones Chymall did not.

    EYE GLASSES

    They brought me into Chymall.  I was glaucoma challenged. In Africa, we do not take enough care of our eyes. They pick dust, smoke, gaseous and environmental toxins everywhere. Above all, the blue spectrum of the tropical, scorching sunlight biochemically degrades them. The diet is short on eye antioxidants to neutralise these impacts. Accordingly, many of us have reddish eyes which may be evidence that the eye is not getting enough blood, oxygen and other nutrients. You may be amazed, if you look into a mirror and compare the colour of your eyes with  a child’s.  In some persons, the blood vessels leak into the eye or are blocked, reducing blood, oxygen and other nutrients flow, or reducing the amount of toxins and waste products for evacuation. Delicate structures may be damaged.  At about 27, I began to notice dot-like luminous, floaters. At 45, I saw the rainbow around a candle light, a sign of glaucoma eye doctor say has many possible causes. The bottom line is that the eye may be de-energise, collapsing some features and functions.

    The quantum energy minerals in the frame of the Double Plus power eye glasses are reported in the products literature to help to energise the eye structures, improve blood circulation, strenghten the blood capillaries and other vessels, among other benefits. The lense does the same and, in addition, absorbs and disintegrates those dangerous blue wave lense of sunlight which cause photo oxidative damage, including cataract of the gelatinous eye lense.

    Double Plus says its own lense has nine protective layers. One disadvantage in the first generation Chymall quantum eye glasses, which was corrected in the second generation and which Double Plus ably addressed  in two varieties of its  eye glasses, is the flimsy frame.  Chymall frame breaks easily, making the user to transfer the lense to a non- quantum energy frame. The first has solid, screw-on quantum energy  frame  and a plain lense which may be replaced with recommended optical lense if so desired. The other one has solid quantum frame and lense.

    ENERGY BOTTLE SPRAY

    As with Chymall bottle spray, that of Double Plus comes with 50 years warranty. Quantum energy minerals are in the spray bottle, which may be as small as perfume bottle. Water loaded into it and left on for some time is said to neutralise odour of fermentation in foods and drinks, ease headache, help wound healing, tooth and gum problem, bad breathe,calms nerves and tensions, among other uses. The spray nozzle may be blocked by substances less viscous than water, as I  discovered. Haven’t found that several pharmacy beta blocker eye drops were bad for my system, I had to turn to bitter kola eye drops which I loaded into the spray bottle for extended shelf life and energy. I found another way to use the spray bottle. I open it and aspirate the content with the glass siphon of an eye drop bottle from which I then dispense the energised content into my eyes. I also spray the eyes with energised water morning and night, from Double Plus  Quantum energy spray bottle… Like the eye glasses, energised  water from the quantum energy spray bottle calms tired, sore  or aching eyes from prolonged phone or computer exposure.

    FOOD, BOWL, PLATE, CUP

    Chymall did not have these ones. The bowl  energises foods,  drinks and water, like the cup. My friend poured water into the bowl, wet his fingers and ran them around the rim of the bowl. The bowl began to hum. He asked me to touch any part of it. I withdrew my fingers immediately by reflex action. It was as though they were stung by electrical currents. These were electrical or energy current from the minerals content of the bowl transmitting quantum energy into the water and my fingers. Energising it, molecules of the water are re-arranged to make the water molecular ligher yet more powerful. Such water will far more easily than heavy water dissolve all those mineral stones and fatty plaque in cellular circulation pathways, powerfully cleansing and rejuvenating cells, tissues, organs, systems. Please check Dr. Masaru Emoto  online. About a decade ago, he showed us in an experiment that the words and the sounds (music) we are exposed to govern water molecules in our bodies and, since our bodies are about 70% of water, wether we live long, free of disease and pain, or die young, riddled with disease depends on the molecular structure of water within our bodies. In one demonstration with the quantum energy bowl, a heavily-built six footer gentleman sat comfortably on a chair  holding the bowl which made him become so light in weight that four women lifted him about one meter up with only eight fingers, two on either armpit and two on either knee fold. What I saw as an only minus in the bowl and the cup is that they are breakable! I was told, nevertheless, that the splinters are still active and may be used in water dispensers or in overhead water tanks.

    MALE BOXERS/FEMALE BOXER

    Chymall withdrew its quantum energy boxer for men. It never had one for women who, I believe, need something like men. The Chymall male quantum energy boxer had some chips factored into it and was threaded for energy transmission to pelvic organs.  When the bottom of a  low energy bulb was placed on the chips point line, the bulb lit up! The   boxer was meant to give its energy to tissues and organs in the Second Chakra region (the pelvic) and, perhaps, up to the Third Chakra (above the navel) with some benefits also for the First Chakra (from the sacral bone down the legs to the feet). Please, read more about CHAKRA ENERGY on the internet. I am concerned more about the Second Chakra which is the location of the prostate gland in the pelvic region, the urinary bladder, challenged of male sexual vitality, prostate gland inflammation, enlargement and cancer, urinary incontinence and urgency, and some kidney problems. In alternative medicine, some of these conditions are attributed to Second Chakra energy insufficiency which the quantum energy boxer may help to correct. A woman’s Second Chakra organs may also benefit from this device. Double Plus has one for women. For the Second Chakra is the “home” of ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, uterus, the woman’s secret place and the urinary bladder, among others. Among the problems here are infertility, irregular, painful, scanty, excessive menstruation, endometriosis, fungal and bacterial infections, incompetent cervix, ectopic and pesudo pregnancy, blocked tubes, ovarian cyst and onset of the hot flashes of menopause, among several others.

    QUANTUM ENERGY TELOMERES ACTIVITOR LIGHTS

    Chymall did not have this one. It is a rubber device which emits seven lights. How they work is different from the way we know the seven colours of the seven chakras to work. In the seven chakras, red is the colour of the First Chakra, followed by orange (pelvic), yellow (abdomen), green (heart and lungs), blue (throat), indigo (eye) and violet (crown of the head). Many health challenged  persons have not heard  of the TELOMERES. About 15 years ago, Mrs. SOLA SOWEMIMO exposed to me medical research literature of Dr. AL SEARS. I learned about the telomeres from him while I was searching for natural boosters for optic nerve health and longevity. His imagery was graphic. At both ends of any lace shoe are two protective plastic caps for some form  of protection of the lace. The chromosomes from our DNA genetic code are like that, he says. The chromosome cap is the telomere. The longer it is, the younger or youthful we are. As we age, the telomere reduces in length and we become slower in responses to stimuli. Different authorities suggest different ways of prolonging telomere health, efficiency and longevity. For Double Plus, the way out is the QUANTUM ENERGY TELOMERE ACTIVATION LIGHTS system. It can be used in any part of the body. Simultaneously, about two of the seven lights can be switched on. The colours  are: calcium supplement light, red, green, blue, purple, yellow and orange. Each activates specific telomere in particular parts of the body. There is no space today to discuss how they work or to discuss other products such as energy menstrual pads, panty liner, scarf, knee pad, finger ring etc.

    CONCLUSION

    Chymall was an investment-cum multi-level marketing network company with multi-dimensional earning profiles rare in  Nigerian market. Double Plus is only a network marketing business. I am dimunitive before the respected Chief F. R.A Williams (SAN) who can walk on both sides of a road at the same time, and from opposite directions. I can try however by saying Double Plus is not the re-incarnation of Chymall but has reincarnated the spirit of Chymall by reviving Nigerian interest in quantum energy health business and upscaling it. Definitely, I am like about three million other Nigerians, nostalgic about Chymall…and dreamy about DOUBLE PLUS.

  • Impact of social media on mental health, well-being

    Impact of social media on mental health, well-being


    The impact of social media on mental health and well-being is a complex and multifaceted issue. While social media platforms offer numerous benefits, such as facilitating communication, connecting people, and providing access to information, they can also have negative effects on mental health. Here are some ways in which social media can impact mental health and well-being:

    1. Comparison and Self-Esteem: Social media often presents curated versions of people’s lives, showcasing highlights and accomplishments while omitting struggles and challenges.
    2. Addiction and Distraction: Excessive use of social media can lead to addiction-like behaviors, as individuals may find themselves compulsively checking their feeds or seeking validation through likes and comments. Spending excessive time on social media can also contribute to procrastination, decreased productivity, and difficulty focusing on real-world tasks.
    3. Sleep Disruption: The use of social media before bedtime has been linked to sleep disturbances and poor sleep quality. Exposure to the blue light emitted by screens, as well as engaging with stimulating content, can interfere with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and make it difficult to fall asleep.
    4. Impact on Relationships: While social media can help maintain connections with friends and family, it can also strain relationships if not used mindfully. Misunderstandings, jealousy, and conflicts can arise from interactions on social media, leading to interpersonal tension and stress.
    5. Influence on Body Image and Eating Disorders: Social media platforms often promote unrealistic beauty standards and portrayals of body image. Exposure to images of thin or muscular bodies can contribute to body dissatisfaction, negative body image, and the development of eating disorders, particularly among vulnerable populations such as adolescents and young adults.

    Read Also; Lagos to London: Foreign airlines slash prices to compete with Air Peace

    Top of Form

    The research team at CasinospotFR has prepared information that clearly identifies common problems faced by social media users and presents concise and practical advice on mitigating these problems, contributing to the improvement of mental well-being.

    ProblemRecommendation
    Comparing Yourself to OthersBe aware that social media often shows only the positive aspects of life. Focus on personal values and goals.
    Wasting TimeSet specific time limits for social media use. Allocate time to more fulfilling activities.
    Feeling LonelyUse saved time from reduced social media use to foster real-life relationships and attend social events.
    Mindless ScrollingPractice mindfulness. Be intentional with your usage and understand the impact on your mental state.
    DoomscrollingLimit exposure to negative news. Curate your feed to include positive and uplifting content.

    It’s essential to approach social media use mindfully and critically, taking steps to mitigate its potential negative effects on mental health and well-being. This may include setting boundaries on usage, curating a positive and supportive online environment, seeking support from friends and family, and prioritizing real-world interactions and activities. Additionally, practicing self-care, engaging in hobbies, and seeking professional help if needed can help individuals maintain balance and resilience in the digital age.

  • NICRAT boosts cancer fight with six preventive oncology centers 

    NICRAT boosts cancer fight with six preventive oncology centers 

    Plans are underway for the establishment of six top-tier cancer prevention centers across the country’s six geo-political zones, it has emerged

    Professor Usman Malami Aliyu, the Director General (DG) of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), shared this information during a workshop in Abuja for health journalists, co-hosted by the Institute and the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH). 

    Additionally, he mentioned that preparations are well underway for the launch of a national cancer registry, a vital element in the cancer prevention, treatment, and care system.

    According to him, the significant investments made by the government in combating cancer underscore its commitment to discouraging medical tourism abroad and positioning the country as a continental hub for cancer prevention, treatment, and care. 

    Given these realities, Aliyu emphasized that NICRAT’s priorities for 2024 include mapping cancer occurrences, enhancing treatment capabilities, allocating resources for data collection, and addressing the costs associated with closing identified gaps, all aimed at an aggressive push against the disease.

    In his presentation, the DG said, “If we recall, the Federal Ministry of Health recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the establishment of six Oncology Centres of Excellence in six Federal Teaching Hospitals across the geo-political zones.

    “To bolster that effort, we are prioritizing the establishment of new six preventive Oncology centers across the geo-political zones. 

    “This is because prevention is critical in cancer issues and that is why we want to provide the avenue for people to have access to where they can go for screening.

    “During the screening, if cancer is diagnosed, it makes prevention possible because that is when it can be caught early if the presentation was not done late”.

    According to him, to ensure the service is widely available, accessible, and supported by trained personnel due to its advanced technology requirements, six locations have been selected for establishing the centers.

    The locations are Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Abuja for the North Central geo-political zone; FMC Ebute Metta, Lagos for the South West; the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu for the South East; FMC Gombe, for North East, Uthman Danfodiyo Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto; and University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin.

    Saying that alongside the ongoing plans to set up the preventive oncology centers, the DG added that the Institute has initiated the development of a national cancer registry, which has been non-existent due to a lack of funding from both government and private health facilities. 

    Aliyu emphasized that the absence of a national registry complicates national planning efforts, and thus, NICRAT is partnering with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to train frontline health workers at primary health centers nationwide in basic cancer screening techniques. 

    He described this initiative as two-fold, aiming to promote early detection that enables appropriate referrals when necessary and to establish a vital cancer registry starting from the grassroots level.

    The DG also addressed concerns regarding the management of the Cancer Health Fund (CHF), now under NICRAT’s purview, reassuring that a committee of experts has been formed to thoroughly assess the deployment, eligibility, accessibility, visibility, and transparency of the fund. 

    This step becomes imperative as the Institute is committed to avoiding the pitfalls encountered by previous fund managers who struggled to identify the intended beneficiaries effectively.

    The DG expressed optimism about an increased budget allocation for 2025, citing the National Assembly’s commitment to earmark a budget line of N1b, with an additional N500m specifically allocated for childhood cancers. 

    In addition to this, the DG revealed that the Institute is seeking alternative sources of funding, particularly through partnerships with the private sector and affluent individuals, to supplement its modest 2024 appropriation of N200m and beyond.

    Read Also: Fed Govt to spend N200m on indigent cancer patients, says Alausa

    Also, he said NICRAT has begun discussions with development partners and pharmaceutical companies on how to close the gaps in equipment shortfall and personnel training in the country.

    On the reason behind NICRAT’s prioritization of preventive cancer,  the DG noted that taking into account the contrasting figures between the 2020 report from three institutions, which recorded 18.2 million cases with 8 million deaths, and the 2022 report indicating 10 million deaths from 20 million cancer cases, it is projected that the 2022 figures are likely to double in the next decade, particularly in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) like Nigeria.

    “This is concerning, and it underscores why NICRAT is placing a strong emphasis on prevention,” Aliyu noted.

  • NIMR engages youths in creative approaches to enhance community health

    NIMR engages youths in creative approaches to enhance community health

    By Omolara Akintoye 

    No fewer than 140 creative and innovative youths between 19 and 24 have gathered in Lagos to address the scourges of hypertension, hepatitis B, cervical cancer and related diseases, believed to be among the leading causes of deaths in the country today.

    Holding at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Yaba, Lagos, the initiative leverages the power of innovations and community-driven approaches to enhance public health.

    Director General of NIMR, Prof. Babatunde Salako, explained the idea of the ‘Mega Designathon” event came about following findings that homegrown solutions remain the best strategy for tackling public health issues.

    He said: ”As we delve into the intricacies of the Mega Designathon, we are met with four distinct yet interconnected projects, and poised to impact Nigeria’s health landscape profoundly. 

    “The first project focuses on cervical cancer and HPV -related cancers -a scourge that continues to claim the lives of far too many Nigerian women and girls.

    ” Through interactive approaches and community driven initiative, we aim to increase HPV vaccination uptake and promote early screening, aligning with the ambition 90-70-90 cervical cancer elimination initiative.

    “The second project shines a light on liver cancer and hepatitis B – a battle that rages on despite global advancements. By engaging mothers and families in prevention services and leveraging the power of outreach programs, we strive to improve vaccination coverage and curb the transmission of this deadly virus.

    “The third project echoes the sentiments of the second project, emphasizing the importance of HPV vaccination uptake among newborns. Through collaborative efforts and human centered designs ,we aim to pave the way for a healthier future for future generations.

    “The last project – a call for action for our youths, our future leaders, to take the reins in the fight against HIV. With a focus on sustaining prevention programs and promoting youth -friendly sermons,this project empowers young minds to derive meaningful change within their communities”.

     According to Salako, at the end of the day, the groups with the best idea will be selected for future events where they will be camped for one month and enjoy the privilege of working with renowned medical researchers, policymakers, and others to perfect the ideas.

    Read Also: NIMR reaffirms commitment to translational research

    While advocating the need for the government to establish special funding for medical research to effectively address public health challenges in the country, he stressed the determination of his institute to collaborate with reputable organizations globally in championing innovative programs like the Mega Designathon.

    “The project core team, consisting of researchers from the institute, Washington State University and the University of North Carolina, has conducted a series of Designathons during the implementation of ITEST and ACCESS -HPV projects. However, this is the first time in the institute and in Nigeria, a Designathon of this magnitude is being organized in one event. 

    A total of 140 persons were selected out of over 1000 who applied to be part of this Designathon. 

    A  Principal investigator of the initiative,  Prof Oliver Ezechi, said the project is a learning point that Nigerians who are studying abroad should be patriotic enough to use the knowledge and experience acquired to improve their country. 

    Ezechi noted that since its debut five years ago, the project has produced world-class professionals with this year’s edition holding greater prospects. 

    Oliver is the Chief Leader, and co-principal contact for the 4 communities and 4YBY Groups, leading the local coordination of research and planning through the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Network. 

    Dr. Juliet Iwelunmor, from Washington State University, who was born and brought up in Lagos, tasked Nigerians to use their ingenuity to improve the health conditions of the country.

     Iwelunmor also encouraged those in the entertainment industry including musicians and comedians to beam searchlight on the major terminal diseases in the country, to raise awareness about them, thereby reducing mortality. 

    A passionate advocate for health equity and sustainability, Dr. Iwelunmor is widely regarded for understanding how to make evidence-based interventions last, reshaping the focus on community engagement using participatory research, and improving the dissemination of health information.

    The Mega Designathon is jointly Organised by four National Institute of Health- funded projects in collaboration with the Lagos State Government and other national and International institutions.

    Some of the participants with the organisers
  • Pharmacy, herb prices hit roof…Iku ti de

    Pharmacy, herb prices hit roof…Iku ti de

    Thanks goodness, the NAIRA is silencing and shaming all its “rude” “insultive” assailants. They believe it is no better than a shit-hole currency. One of them is my favorite newpaper headlines Yoruba reviewer, DAYO AMUSAN, Hilarious man with or without Omolabake, Olojede of FAAJI SMA FM radio station in Lagos. I feel insulted whenever DAYO AMUSAN (a.k.a dpa) paints nauseating images of the Naira ”prostrating” or stoopping” or cringing” before the American Dollar, as a ”shoe carrier” for its mate. That was when the Naira was exchanging at one Dollar for about N1700 with prospect of dollar hitting N2,000 or more in a few weeks. Dayo Amusan and other possible friends or hailers of the Dollar appear to be breathless now, as the Naira has rocketed powerfully from about N1700 to the dollar to about N1000 or N900 just a few days with prospect of heading to N500 naira this month. This hope is predicated on two of Nigeria’s petroleum refineries playing favourable ball from this month, crude oil thieves smoked out of the rigs and crude production for the world market growing steadily.

    It is not yet uhuru in the economy, however. Prices are still astronomical. The excuse everywhere is that old stocks are still fooling around. The impact of these jumbo prices are probably most felt in the HEALTH SECTOR. When a matter appears to be beyond them, the Yoruba describe it as ORO BURUKU PELU ERIN (a terrible experience which gives way to laughter). That was how I felt when, on radio, I heard someone say IKU TI DE of persons who could no longer afford medications for ailments such as hypertension and diabetes. IKU TI DE means DEATH HAS COME. I laughed because, also, that is the opposite of my name, IKURIMISA (death saw me and fled) which British colonialists could not pronounce and shortened, first, to IKUSA and, later, to KUSA.

    On a must serious not, the prices of health and sick care medicines are in real rough weather. To be sure I was not day-dreaming, one day, last month, I brushed my face several times with bare palms. My doctor acquaintance for more than 25 years had just told me neprinol was now selling for N200,000 per bottle. It is a proprietary blend of enzymes for aiding digestion and, when taken on empty stomach, for dissolving simple growths and some tumours. Not long after, an octogenarian reader of this column whose son I always pray for because he takes care of his father, telephoned me to announce he was convalescing well from stroke. One of the prescriptions he was on was a brand of Magnesium which costs him N103,000 for 90 capsules or gels. I shivered because about six months ago, even the best of Magnesium, a sublingual which went directly into the bloodstream from under the tongue, did not cost more than N45,000 for one moonth’s supply. It was a good buy at that price as almost nothing of it was lost in the digestion and absorption process. What made it a first Magnesium choice was this question: If the absorbent layer of the intestine had been coated for months or years by fecal matters or other barricading material, how will the blood stream upload many nutrient for the cells, tissues and organs?

    These were the matters on my mind when I received a telephone call from another reader of this column in Owerri. He has been following this column for decades. He had been unable to easily find Ubiquinol in the Nigerian market when I told him months earlier it could help his heart. So, he asked his children to get him some. He received such an avalanche he did not know what to do with it. Then, he thought of selling to his friends. He offered N90 capsules for about N100,000! I thanked him, but could not fellow up with payment. Encouraged by the positive responses of his other friends, he has brought in Ubiquinol again, this time, no longer 90 softgels but 180 soft gels. This number is for a product designed in the American market to make you consume more for less money. However, Nigeria is a unique country and, so, the price will go for more than N200,000 per bottle.

    In Europe, Dr. KARL FOLKERS has been showing that disease occurs when the cells do not have enough energy to rid themselves of it. Energy is more crucial in the heart which rest not from work day or night, and for fighting cancer in any cell. It is now established that the largest concentration of Ubiquinol in any part of the body is in the heart and that heart diseases often begin with short falls of Ubiquinol in this vital organ. As Dr. FOLKERS and his medical team were able to reverse more than 30 terminal breast cancers using Ubiquinol and the game changer in experimental nutritional therapy, Ubiquinol has been found indispensable in the food and medicine suppliments of challenged person who can afford it. For the bread-line heart or cancer challenged person who cannot afford Ubiquinol at this price, is the fear of IKU TI DE not real fear? Was this not a plant medicine which sold for about N30,000 a few months ago before we all found out that we were already standing on the edge of a cliff, almost set for a head long plunge into the abyss?

    The forgoing is a mild description of an industry, not government, inflicted price riot which I believe will soon implode on the price and currency speculators and entomb them. It happened in Ghana. The economy stood still. Price and currency speculators were entombed by and in their handiworks. Ghana arose from the economy ruins of those days. So will Nigeria. This depends, however, on the government being able to summon the political will for a serious battle with evil. At the inauguration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration, this column predicted six “MAFIA WARS”would confront it. These would include conspirators in the petroleum industry, solid minerals, produce market whenever the promised marketing boards come on board, and the black market currency dealers. To crack the Dollar mechants, this column suggested a daily, months-long, zero hour crack-down nation-wide on all vending locations, arrest of street dealers, confiscation of currencies in their possession, prosecution within 48 hours, naming and arrest of financiers of the black market who include bank managers, bank directors, generals, traditional rulers and even police chiefs, senators, representatives, big wig politicians in government and in opposition, even religious leaders. The earth will literally quake, but it will settle well afterward.

    I remembered these scenarios amid public complaints that many persons can no longer afford common pharmaceutical medicines such as Panadol, eye drops for controlling intra-ocular pressure in glaucoma, a possible cause of blindness, anti-hypertensive drugs, asthma drugs, prostate gland medications, anti-inflamatories for arthritis and other diseases, insomnia, ulcer and, worse still, cancer.

    KING CHARLES III

    Therefore going was the Nigerian health atmosphere impacted last month by news that King Charles III had rejected chemotherapy for his prostate cancer and the response of oncologists (cancer doctors) that he was toying with his life. Nigerian media took up the debate. How effective and safe are pharmaceutical drugs? How effective and safe are herbs? With pharmaceutical drugs beyond reach, is it not justifiable for citizens to turn to herbs? How verified are herbs? One of the interviews which caught my attention was the interview Maryann of NIGERIA INFO had with a pharmacist whose name I could not catch. The programme was a repeat at between 4a.m and 5a.m. The pharmacist was very uncharitable towards herbal and Traditional Medicine (TM), saying health seekers were risking damage to their vital organs and even death by going for herbs which, he said, were unverified for purity, dosages, toxicity, among other problems. Even when a fellow pharmacist, a female, tried to flag him down, this gentleman remained pedantic.

    THE GUARDIAN

    My conclusion of my reading of him was that he was a BABY PHARMACIST. I thought that Maryann, too, was not conversant with the subject, otherwise, she ought to have been able to rein him in whenever he mistepped. May be she didn’t have enough time for that segment of her programme. I say so because I am priviledged to know THE GUARDIAN newspaper from 1988 when I edited it, to disabused the mind of the public, including doctors and pharmacists, of the old notions about Traditional Medicine (TM) and herbs. That old notion was the imagery of herb sellers in open, dusty and unhygienic market environment where cats pursued rats and chickens chased cockroaches over leaves and barks of trees.

    As Editor of THE GUARDIAN in 1988, I threw four prime pages open every Thursday for natural medicine reporting. It was the first time a newspaper would do so in Nigerian newspapering history. It was done to support the efforts of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) to make their member states upgrade the status of Traditional Medicine to the level of Allopathic Medicine in terms of products development and quality, training, certification and registration of practitioners, among other modernist efforts. Nigeria signed the UN and AU treaties and the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) was among universities selected globally to help these organisations achieve their goals. The goals were premised on the fact that about 80 percent of humanity sustained its health on TM and herbs. To even disabuse the minds of Doubting Thomases of prejudices against TM, the UN came up with the definition of TM as THE HEALING ART OF A PEOPLE, EXPLICABLE OR NOT EX PLICABLE.

    So, what is the problem of this gentleman? Did he not study Pharmacy in the university? Was he not taught these things? Was he not aware of these historical facts? Is he, really, a baby pharmacist? By that, I mean is he above 40 or 45 years?

    I ask this question because about 1990, that is about 11 years after THE GUARDIAN began to report natural medicines every Thursday, I presented a paper at the yearly conference of THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF NIGERIA (PSN) held at the Airport Hotel in Lagos. That was about 25 years ago. Thus, baby pharmacists of today may be unaware of it. The paper was published in FOR THE RECORDS section of THE GUARDIAN newspaper. The goal was to inform Nigerian pharmacists that the climate of medicines was changing globally, that Europe and America were turning more to herbal medicines, that Asians did not abandon their TM during colonialism, that we abandoned ours, that Asia, Europe and America will make mince meat of our health with their TM nutritional and herbal products unless they, our pharmacists, began to show interest in our TM, studying their healing values and package them in modern forms. To that conference, I went with some packaged herbs from Europe and America which could fire their imagination.

    Read Also: APC settles for direct primary to pick Ondo Gov candidate

    I also challenged the imagination of the conference with result of the kitchen experiments I carried out with a herb on the platform of The Guardian newspaper. Europe had just produced VIAGRA for male erection. I knew our fore fathers hardly had this problem. So, I got DECLAN OKPALAEKE, a Microbiology graduate of Lagos State University on our Editorial staff to organise about 20 adult men with or without erectle dysfunction and sperm count challenges. We gave them a parasitic root call Ogbolo (Cissus Populnea) for about one month. They drank the water or alcohol extracts. At the end of one month, they checked themselves out at two laboratories, one private one public. The result were astonishing. Their sperm count improved tremendously. It was only in two cases that progress was not made. Their semen specimen were found to be infected. We picked our subjects from among persons who had been trying in vain for years to make their wives pregnant. In about four months on Ogbolo, many of them were looking forward to becoming fathers. When i announced that the result of our kitchen experiments would be published, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Lagos State threatened to sue us for quakery. Declan did a thorough job with data reporting. The NMA fell silent. I encouraged Declan to present the work for the CNN AFRICAN JOURNALIST-OF-THE-YEAR AWARD for that year. It won the first price with a purse of 1.5 million Pounds Sterling. I know joy today because that kitchen experiment popularised Ogbolo among middle aged and young persons throughout Nigeria. The pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria ought to have taken Ogbolo up from there. It is not for erection and semen alone. It is for regenerating cells and making them vibrant throughout the body. It has lots of mocopolysachrides for immunity, energy, youthfulness and other beneficial purposes, including easy delivery by pregnant women.

    Tutu Folashade-Koyi (now Editor of THE SUN newspaper for ABUJA and THE NORTH) was THE GUARDIAN’s natural medicine reporter of those days. The work load of the Editor’s office made it difficult for me to keep a regular column. I approached persons, but only Mrs. ELIZABETH KAFARU took up the challenges. I gave her some of my books. She was a tireless and girlish worker. Soon, she developed a huge following nation-wide, indicating that the UN and the AU were on the right path.

    MOMODICA CHARANTIA

    In Chinese literature, I always encountered MOMODICA CHARANTIA, also called Balsom pear by the English, and KARElA by Indians. I paid no serious attention until I read of Chinese praises of Professor Dapo Fafowora of Ife for several studies of this plant for blood sugar content and ailments and that Yoruba call it EJINRIN. The Chinese packaged it in capsules and added other anti-diabetic factors to make the product more effective for diabetes. Today, diabetics do well on brimstone, pawpaw leaf, Chanka Piedra, alo yera, wheatgrass, tumeric, bitter leaf, utazi, cinnamon, fenugreek, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Jobelyn etc. The PubMed had many scientific reports on them and more. Where are our pharmacists? Thanks to Mrs. Comfort Obayuawana a.k.a Madam Flower who from the 1990s began to produce EJINRIN in powder form as KARELA.

    CHANKA PIEDRA

    Europeans are trying to sell malaria vaccination to us. Who knows what else would be in those vaccines? Vaccinating two million persons in one year is a lot of money to be drained out of Nigeria. Where are our pharmacists? Chanka Piedra grows in every one’s flower garden and on the road-side. Botanists call it PHYLANTUS NURUNRI and the sub specie PHYLANTUS AMARUS. The Asians call it CHANKA PIEDRA which means STONE CRUSHER because it disolves kidney and gallbladder stones. Carrington Laboratories researched it. Yoruba call it EHINBISOWO or EHIN OLUBE! It is hypotensive (it lowers blood pressure), anti-diabetic, anodyne (pain reliefing) anti-microbial and iron loaded besides. An opthalmologist has developed it into an eye drop to dissolve the stone of cataract!

    BITTER KOLA

    Professor Bukunola Adefule-Oshitelu, of EREKE EYE CLINIC at 10 Aina Street Ojota, Lagos, deserves our gratitude for developing Bitter kola into an eye drop which effectively lowers pressure inside the eye, a possible cause of blindness in glaucoma. Pharmaceutical eye drops almost killed me, always affecting my heart. About three times they made me to faint at home until I traced the causes to them, threw them away and resorted to Bitter Kola. When I wrote about Bitter Kola eye drops, the VoIce of America and the British Broadcasting CoRpOration (BBC) interviewed Prof Adefule-Oshitelu, who developed it when she was an eye surgeon at the Guinness Eye Center of the College of Medicine of University of Lagos. I said she deserves our gratitude because she was, and still is, a humble doctor. Had she not been, she would have discarded the information of one of her patients as arrant talk. He told her he was not using her eye drop prescriptions but using Bitter Kola water extracts and only coming to see her at the hospital to check his eyes. He did not wish that the knowledge be lost with his passing. Adefule-Oshitelu researched Bitter Kola for eye drops, confirmed the old man’s claims and gave humanity a safer, natural product.

    JOBELYN

    The GUARDIAN discovered it as JUBI BLOOD FORMULA in 1993. Mr. Olajuwon Okubena was shot by robbers in his poultry farm in Ileze, near Ijebu-Ode. He convalescenced in a herbal home in Ibadan where the major medicine was JUBI. After he regained his life, Mr. Okubena began a life-long campaign to make the world know about JUBI which, meanwhile, he has re-christened JOBELYN for marketing and other purposes. Which pharmacists can downplay JOBELYN with an almost hundred studies at home and abroad which have culminated in its listing for cancer therapy in the DRUG DICTIONARY of the United State. My Facebook page ( JOHN OLUFEMI KUSA) you may please read about my 30 years journey with Mr. Okubena and JOBELYN under the title: SORGUM BICOLOR,2O24 TRILLION DOLLAR BEAUTIFUL BRIDE.

    There are more useful herbs that are better than pharmaceutical drugs which I cannot mention here from limitation. of space. The economy will improve,prices will crash and we will stop crying IKU TI DE

  • UHC: FG disburses N25b to PHCs nationwide 

    UHC: FG disburses N25b to PHCs nationwide 

    The federal government has approved the disbursement of N25b from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) towards the the provision of health security and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Prof. Muhammad Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare has said.

    Pate, who made the disclosure at the sixth meeting of the BHCPF Ministerial Oversight Committee on Thursday in Abuja said the allocated funds were designated for direct facility financing and workforce incentives across the States.

    He further added that the disbursement process would be managed through the gateways of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

    According to him, the disbursed funds would undergo stringent accountability and transparency measures while revealing that a dedicated reporting mechanism for citizens to report any misuse or deviation from disbursement guidelines has been put in place.

    Noting the initiative’s alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and commitment to enhancing healthcare outcomes for Nigerian women, children, and vulnerable populations, the minister said: “We recognize the importance of prioritizing healthcare services for all citizens, especially those in vulnerable groups.

    “This substantial investment underscores our dedication to enhancing healthcare infrastructure and supporting our healthcare workforce.

    “In addition to direct facility financing and workforce incentives, a portion of the funds will be allocated by the NHIA to provide financial protection for the poorest and most vulnerable populations, further ensuring equitable access to healthcare services”. 

    On prioritizing accountability and transparency of the funds, Pate said, “An email address and reporting line will be made available, enabling citizens to actively participate in monitoring fund implementation.

    “We are committed to ensuring that healthcare resources are utilized effectively and transparently,” affirmed government representatives. 

    Read Also: We are committed to Nigeria’s UHC 2030 target – Netherlands

    “Regular monitoring and oversight will be conducted to uphold the fiduciary integrity of healthcare systems, ensuring that Nigerians benefit from these resources.”

    Speaking on behalf of State Health Commissioners, Oyebanji Filani, Ekiti State’s Commissioner for Health and Human Services emphasized the necessity of adequate funding to ensure access to high-quality healthcare services at the grassroots level.

    He said plans are underway to enhance public health units and support frontline health workers while pledging that all States nationwide would prioritize the quality of care offered to Nigerians.

    “We are committed to ensuring that every Nigerian has access to good quality healthcare services.

    “By bolstering resources at the State level and fostering stronger collaboration with the federal government, we aim to significantly improve the quality of healthcare services in the near future.

    “With a focus on enhancing healthcare delivery nationwide, stakeholders anticipate tangible improvements in health services across the country,” he said. 

    The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, who reiterated the organization’s dedication to accountability and improving service delivery, said there are several initiatives underway.

    Among these initiatives, according to him include the establishment of a dedicated call line for whistleblowers to report any discrepancies or malpractices observed in the field.

    In addition to intensifying its collaboration with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Aina said the NPHCDA aims to enhance transparency by utilizing software technology to track expenditure at the facility level, ensuring proper allocation of funds.

    “Reforms in programme implementation are underway, with a focus on incentivizing primary health centers to provide high-quality care. 

    “Investments are earmarked for improving the quality of facilities nationwide, informed by ongoing assessments to gauge the state of primary health centers. 

    “We are committed to structuring funding in a manner that encourages the delivery of quality healthcare services.

    “Our goal is to ensure that every Nigerian has access to the basic services they need”, Aina noted.  

    The Director-General of NHIA, Kelechi Ohiri, affirmed the government’s commitment to alleviating the burden of out-of-pocket healthcare expenses by ensuring financial access to healthcare for all Nigerians.

    According to him, the BHCPF’s goal of achieving UHC is well on track to fruition, with his agency playing a crucial role as one of the gateways for fund disbursement through massive enrollment of Nigerians to health insurance.