Category: Health

  • Innovative approaches to reducing waste, improving wellness

    Innovative approaches to reducing waste, improving wellness

    The global food industry is grappling with a significant challenge: the underutilization of agricultural by-products, which leads to excessive waste and lost opportunities for sustainability. 

    Among these by-products, date seeds rich in dietary fiber, tannins, proteins, and polyphenols are often discarded despite their nutritional and bioactive potential. 

    This waste contributes to environmental issues and misses the chance to harness valuable resources that could revolutionize food and health applications.

    In a groundbreaking study, Gafar Babatunde Bamigbade has uncovered the immense potential of date seed polysaccharides (DSPs). 

    Utilizing an innovative microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction technique, his work introduces a sustainable and efficient method to extract bioactive compounds from an underutilized agricultural by-product. 

    The findings highlight the remarkable properties of DSPs, including their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and prebiotic effects. These bioactive attributes enable DSPs to foster the growth of beneficial gut microbiota, combat harmful foodborne pathogens, and contribute to improved health and wellness. 

    This innovative approach not only transforms agricultural waste into valuable resources but also provides a pathway for creating functional ingredients with wide-ranging applications in food, nutrition, and healthcare industries

    This work addresses two critical challenges; reducing food waste and developing high-value functional ingredients for the food and health industries. 

    Gafar Babatunde Bamigbade, an acclaimed expert in Food and Industrial Microbiology, emphasizes the exceptional bioactive properties of DSPs, which include fostering the growth of beneficial gut microbiota, reducing oxidative stress, and even inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. 

    These discoveries open new avenues for incorporating DSPs into functional foods, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceutical products, presenting a practical and impactful approach to advancing sustainable health solutions.

    The innovative methods introduced by Bamigbade and his collaborators resonate strongly with global efforts to promote sustainability and reduce environmental impact. 

    By valorizing what is often considered waste, the study contributes to the circular economy in agriculture, transforming date seeds into a valuable resource. Moreover, the health-enhancing effects of DSPs, from supporting gut health to reducing disease risks, align with public health initiatives aimed at improving nutrition and wellness on a global scale.

    Gafar Bamigbade’s research stands as a testament to the transformative potential of science in solving pressing global challenges. 

    By combining innovation with sustainability, this work exemplifies how scientific advancements can create meaningful solutions, benefiting both the environment and human health. As the food industry and health sectors continue to evolve, Bamigbade’s contributions will  serve as a cornerstone for future developments in functional bioactive compounds.

  • How technology can transform Nigeria’s healthcare landscape

    How technology can transform Nigeria’s healthcare landscape

    In the landscape of healthcare, the fusion of data and technology emerges as a cornerstone of progress. Innovations such as artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and mobile health applications herald a future where healthcare seamlessly integrates with technology, promising not only efficiency but also personalised and accessible services tailored to individual needs.

    In Nigeria, a nation grappling with a burgeoning population and strained infrastructure alongside a shortage of medical professionals, technological solutions emerge as transformative catalysts. Embracing data-driven healthcare, powered by electronic medical records (EMRs), empowers physicians with real-time insights into patient care, enhancing coordination and reducing errors—a pivotal stride towards efficient healthcare delivery in a resource-constrained environment. Moreover, technology transcends geographical barriers, extending specialist care to remote regions through telemedicine and fostering effective collaboration between physicians and patients via health apps. This digital revolution ensures that critical care reaches every corner of Nigeria while empowering healthcare providers to harness artificial intelligence for predictive analytics, enhancing treatment outcomes and patient experiences.

    Read Also: Institute to boost science, technology

    However, despite these strides, Nigeria’s digital health landscape remains fragmented, primarily catering to data reporting and service support rather than fostering a cohesive, standardised infrastructure. This fragmentation hampers effective data management, curbing the potential for comprehensive healthcare insights and hindering decision-making processes at all levels of the healthcare system. Recognising the imperative for cohesion, Nigeria aims to transition to a unified digital health infrastructure, streamlining data gathering, management, and service regulation. The envisioned national unified EMR platform promises enhanced efficiency, robust public health monitoring, and seamless data exchange—a pivotal shift towards comprehensive healthcare management in a country grappling with diverse healthcare challenges.

    This transition to a digital-in-health approach signifies a paradigm shift, emphasising the seamless integration of digital technology and data across all facets of the healthcare system. By prioritising evidence-based digital investments, integrating regulatory frameworks, and fostering sustainable partnerships between the public and private sectors, Nigeria endeavours to harness the full potential of data and technology in healthcare to address the myriad challenges it faces. Indeed, the maxim “data is life” resonates deeply in healthcare, underscoring the vital role of data and technology in shaping the future of healthcare delivery. As Nigeria embarks on this digital journey, policymakers must seize the moment, recognising the transformative power of data and technology to revolutionise healthcare, for the benefit of all citizens, today rather than tomorrow.

    As Nigeria navigates the complex terrain of healthcare transformation, embracing a holistic digital-in-health approach holds the promise of not just improving healthcare delivery but also fostering equity, efficiency, and innovation in the quest for better health outcomes for all Nigerians.

  • Firm deepens oral health awareness, targets 10 million children

    Firm deepens oral health awareness, targets 10 million children

    As part of initiatives to deepen awareness of oral health care in Nigeria, Pepsodent, a prominent global toothpaste brand, has initiated a dental health campaign named “Talk to A Dentist” in collaboration with the Nigerian Dental Association. The campaign aims to reach 10 million children by 2025, with its launch beginning in schools and communities across Lagos.

    Speaking during a press conference to herald the commemoration of the 2024 World Oral Health Day, Marketing Head – Beauty & Well-Being and Personal Care, Unilever Nigeria, Oiza Gyang, expressed the campaign’s motive to promote good oral health hygiene among children, emphasising Unilever’s commitment to combatting poor oral healthcare in Nigeria. Gyang highlighted the link between oral care diseases and absenteeism among school pupils, underlining Pepsodent’s efforts to reverse this trend through targeted initiatives. “Globally, about 3.9 billion people suffer from one oral health condition or the other with tooth decay being the most prevalent oral disease. It has been established that children with poor oral health are more likely to suffer self-confidence and self-esteem issues. These days, we have since realised that the highest cause of school absenteeism is as a result of oral diseases,” she said.

    In her welcome remarks, Category Manager, Oral Care at Unilever Nigeria, Eva Ogudu, outlined the campaign’s objectives to achieve zero cavities through consistent twice-daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste like Pepsodent and regular dental check-ups. She emphasised the initiative’s broader goal of democratizing access to dental care, including free dental camps to eradicate oral diseases. Ogudu reflected on past successes, noting the significant impact of previous campaigns in reaching millions of children and providing essential dental health services to thousands of Nigerians. She underscored the ongoing collaboration between Pepsodent and the Nigerian Dental Association in advancing oral health education and accessibility nationwide.

    Pepsodent’s “Talk to a Dentist” campaign was launched three years ago in collaboration with The Nigerian Dental Association to promote oral health education by sensitising Nigerians on the importance of visiting a dentist. “In 2022 alone, we were able to reach 1 million children. In 2023, we took the awareness campaign a notch higher as the brand, in collaboration with NDA, reached 2 million children. Besides, we also provided free dental health checks for 50,000 Nigerians. In addition, we also reached 30 million Nigerians indirectly through the distribution of Pepsodent to various households,” Ogudu said.

    Also speaking, Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever Nigeria, Godfrey Adejumoh, noted that the ‘Talk to a Dentist’ campaign embarked upon by Pepsodent remains one of the numerous initiatives outlined by Unilever Nigeria to improve people’s health, confidence and well-being. Adejumoh reiterated the company’s commitment to using its business to become a force for good in society.

    Read Also: Ministry, NDA partner Pepsodent on oral health

    In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Tope Adeyemi, disclosed that about 90 per cent of the world’s population are more likely to suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime. Adeyemi stated that Nigerians must cultivate low cost preventive practices such as brushing of teeth twice daily with fluoride containing toothpaste, visitation of dentist as well as the adoption of healthy lifestyle to prevent common oral diseases. “The Nigerian Dental Association is also celebrating the World Oral Health Day 2024 in conjunction with Unilever Nigeria Plc by carrying out various oral health promotional activities nationwide. These oral health promotional activities includes; visits to schools, religious centres and markets; outreaches (free dental check-up, S&P, GIC filings, simple extractions) to various communities; oral health awareness walks, educational programmes; advocacy visits and awareness through the mass media and social media channels, etc.,” he said.

    He urged the Federal Government to integrate oral health services into the primary health centres, stating that doing so will reduce the burden of common preventable oral diseases as well as save costs for dental expenditure. “Currently, oral care services are mostly accessed as a secondary level of care in the NHIA. The NDA calls for preventive oral care services such as scaling and polishing of teeth, fluoride therapy, simple dental fillings, dentures and simple tooth extraction to be included in primary care of the NHIA,” he added.

  • Fed Govt making effort to address japa syndrome, says LUTH CMD

    Fed Govt making effort to address japa syndrome, says LUTH CMD

    Prof Wasiu Adeyemo, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi-Araba, has disclosed that the Federal Government is making concerted efforts to tackle the significant issue of mass emigration of healthcare professionals from Nigeria, commonly referred to as the “Japa syndrome.” During a press conference held to commemorate his one-year anniversary in office, Prof Adeyemo expressed concern over the ongoing trend of doctors leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad. He emphasised the importance of retaining skilled medical practitioners within Nigeria and assured the public that the government is dedicated to implementing measures to incentivise healthcare professionals to remain in the country.

    “Basically when we talk about the reason people leave the country, you will mention poor hospital equipment and remuneration. But in the last one year, the government has been spending a lot of money to improve hospital infrastructure and has constituted a committee to address other issues bedevilling our health system,” he said.

    Prof. Adeyemo said salary increment is critical to curbing the menace of Japa syndrome and assured that the Federal Government is on top of it. Recounting his achievements in the last one year as the CMD at LUTH, Prof Adeyemo said “the last one year has been very eventful and successful. On assumption of office, I was faced with three major tasks: completion of projects by the last administration, pursuing my own vision for the hospital and lastly pursuing the vision of the President and the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which I have been able to successfully undertake.

    “The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare developed a four-point agenda to drive the objectives of President Bola Tinubu in the health sector. The agenda includes improving the quality of governance and leadership of hospitals, regulatory capacity, and agencies under the ministry, improving population health, promoting medical industrialisation and improving health security and invention in public health.”

    He noted that management of LUTH will continue to partner with the leadership of the parent ministry in contributing its quota towards achieving the laudable four-point agenda of government. The CMD also stated that the NSIA- LUTH Cancer Centre is the single largest cancer facility in West Africa and has provided care to over 11,000 patients since 2019 when it was commissioned, thereby saving the country millions in foreign exchange that would have been expended on medical tourism. He noted that LUTH is now a go-to hospital for cancer management in West Africa and is even attracting clients from abroad.

    “For comprehensive cancer care, the Federal Government has also committed to building a Nuclear Medicine Centre at LUTH with the signing of an MOU last Friday between NSIA and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, noting that “this is a multi-billion naira project that will make available PET Scan, Cyclotron and radio-pharmacy to complement the already existing cancer management facilities at LUTH.”

    Read Also: Cancer: MACA, NSIA-LUTH collaborate on advocacy, improved care for patients

    The CMD added, “The Federal Government has also made funds available to the hospital to upgrade endoscopic surgical services in Paediatric Surgery, General Surgery, Urology and Gastroenterology. Endoscopic procedures, otherwise not possible a few years ago, are now being carried out in LUTH. Other hospitals now refer patients who require video-bronchoscopy to LUTH.”

    Prof. Adeyemo, who also disclosed that efforts are ongoing to establish a Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at LUTH in 2024, among many other infrastructures, noted that the effort was driven by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the leadership of the ministers, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate and Dr Tunji Alausa. He commended the staff and unions of the hospital for their cooperation in piloting the affairs of the hospital even as he urged them to sustain their commitment and dedication in  providing qualitative and affordable healthcare to Nigerians.

    President, Association of Resident Doctors, Dr. Adedotun Adesiyakan commended the CMD for his deliberate attempt to improve the welfare of doctors and the work environment at LUTH. “We can see that he is very deliberate in trying to tackle some of the problems that have burdened the health sector for a very long time. We are happy and we hope to continue to have this direction,” he said.

  • Easter 2024: The Christian and the Antichrist

    Easter 2024: The Christian and the Antichrist

    For Christians with oil in the lamps of their souls like the Biblical Five Wise Virgins, Easter season reminder stories are incomplete without  AntiCHRIST stories . “AntiCHRIST stories are not in eulogy of the  personal fighter against the Divine Mission of Christ to the Earth, but to help us all to be more precise about Who is so  defined, He Who, it is assumed, would …”Raise His Head Just Before The Judgement”. Superficial understanding of this AntiCHRIST personality in Biblical revelation has lured many Christians, the Churches and priestly dignitaries to spiritual slumber. Predicted that the AntiCHRIST “will raise his head just  before the judgement”, it is assumed that He would appear and be active, ruinously,among mankind just before, perhaps, the sounding of trumpets of the World Judgement.  It is hardly  realised that the AntiCHRIST could have been active among men already and would reach the zenith of his malevolence against Christ’s Mission just before the judgement. Christians view the “trumpets” not as allegorise of  escalations, rapidity and quantum catastrophic events: collapse of several economies, disastrous weather, famine in the midst of plenty, sexual depravity, belief in the power of money, crimes, insurgencies and violence globally, among other indicators of an approaching End-Time. As  for the AntiCHRIST Who “would raise His Head just before the Judgement” man’kind’s  gaze is still fixed on the Middle-East region , a rich resource of human civilisation caged  today  by  Western technology. Whether in the BIBLE CODE of Michael Alan Drosnin or in  predictions of  seer Nostradamus,a.k.a,” the man who saw tomorrow”,this  Islamic region is expected to spit fire storms on  the rest of the earth, destroy  Christian Western  civilisation and instal Islamic hegemony. Already, Algeria, a once wholly Christian nation in northern Africa, has become about 98 percent Islamic. I am passionate about Constatinople, the first Christian capital on earth, which has become Islamic. It was here, Stephen  Lampe reports in his  book, THE Christian  The  Re-Incarnation,that a great, Christian episcopal conference took place in AD 553.

    Illiterate about  Christian history, many Christians are  easily spiritually imprisoned in  ordinances and dogmas behind which stand the AntiCHRIST of Whom they  know little. There were two  prime actors in the AD 553 Constantinople  conference of Bishops. These were  the Roman emperor Nero and the then  Pope, Justinian. Emperor Nero had personal ideas which he wanted Pope Justinian and the Bishops to erase from Christian thinking and Church teaching. One was abolition of  wide spread early Christian belief in re-incarnation. It was among several other anathemas he sought. Anathema means abolition. In seeking to abolish re-incarnation in the thinking of Christian and teaching of the Church, Emperor Nero, as the servant of the AntiCHRIST, set himself above Jesus Christ. About  533 years  before then, Christ had validated before His Disciples the reality of re-incarnation. Although He did not address the subject to a wider audience, it is inferred from the circumstance of His reference to His Disciples,that re-incarnation was a widely accepted conception among the populace. Had He lived for longer, Christ may have offered deeper and wider explanations about it.

    The knowledge of re-incarnation was one of the keys available to mankind at that time to understand the purpose of  their  existence on earth. They were in the infancy of their spiritual maturity in the earthly school of life. Re-incarnation was widely acknowledge by society. Father Origen and other early Christian fathers taught and emphasised  it. How  would they not when The Light  of  God on earth, Jesus Christ, confirmed it to His Disciples. Let us recall the meeting with them when He threw up the question: Who Do People Say I am”?

    Simon Peter gave him the correct answer: “The  Son of TheLiving  God”. Christ told them Peter was right.  But, they were to keep the knowledge to themselves for sometime.

    The disciples were confused. They wondered why, against the prophesies, The Son of God would be on earth before the re-incarnation  of  Elijah.

    The Lord replied them that Elijah had, indeed, returned,was not recognised by men and they  had done to him or with him what they wished.The Lord did not proceed beyond  this threshold of their understanding perhaps in recognition of their immaturity for higher revelations. That is why a careful reading of the reporting of this event in  the Bible will reveal an error, which is the fault in the interpretation of the reporting authority, Who says…

    And it became clear unto them that He spake of John the  Baptist.

    This verse is person opinion. Jesus did not say Elijah returned as John the Baptist.He did not tell the  disciples who re-incarnated as John the Baptist. Mathew reports  John emphatically told enquiring Pharisees he was neither Elijah nor the Messiah. Elijah and Moses appeared with the Messiah at His Transfiguration, after beheading of Jedohn.  In the expanded spiritual knowledge which the Lord promised humanity before the Judgement (…”And when He the Spirit of Truth is come…”), it is  now recognised that  the Primordial Human Spirit we know as John the Baptist was called Ismael when He helped to lead the first generation of human Spirit seed germs from their home  to the material world for their maturity. He is not one of us. His origin is far, far above our home in the Spiritual world, Paradise. We can not  exist in His own World because the energy and Pressure would dissolve us.  That was why Jesus  informed us that none of us was as great as  John  the  Baptist.  He returned to His Home after His beheading by King Herod Antipas at  the instigation of Salome.  And when He was well past our paradise, to which many of us may not be re-admitted, He caused The Bible’s Book of Revelations to be sent to us  on earth through one of us named John who was spiritually  mature to receive and to transmit it.

     Elijah re-incarnated but not as John The Baptist. This error placed my spirit at the alert whenever I comb the Bible or any other scriptural  book from other religions for spiritual knowledge.  Elijah and Moses were with the Lord Jesus at His Transfiguration.  Meanwhile, as humanity  is permitted again to now know, John The Baptist soon embarked  on another Mission to prepare all the Seven Universes for the  Judgement. Remember His message in The Book of Revelations to“The Seven Churches of Asia“ ”. Spiritually, “ the seven Churches” are the seven universes and “Asia” is the spiritual name of The World. Our Universe is called Ephesus.

    Everywhere in “Asia”, the work of salvation and redemption is going on before the Judgement and annihilation of recalcitrant human spirits. Should we not  now wonder why Emperor Nero fought the knowledge of  Re-incarnation if he was not a servant of the AntiCHRIST, the fighter against Christ?

    Revelation:12

    I wish to hurry to Lucifer. He was a stately, powerful Archangel. He led the mission to bring  human spirit seed germs from their spiritual home  to lower realms, there to plant them in material soil for their sprouting, germination, flowering and fruiting. On  maturing, they may become some day privileged to be permitted to become helpers in the up-building work always going on in creation.  Events in this chapter of the book of Revelations were revealed to John  from realms  higher than His. The woman with a child pursued by the dragon  does not refer to Mary the mother of Jesus and to Jesus. The opening sentence refers to “ Him Who  Was,Who  Is and  Who  is To Come”, that is one personality, and progresses to “And Peace also from Jesus Christ, The Faithful Witness”, A Second Personality.

    Humanity was spiritually dead when Christ incarnation among them, the  first one from the God head came. Jesus promised another would come(“ Which  is to   Come….”) Who would “reprove the world of sin and proclaim the Judgement”. This woman and the child  pursued by the Dragon could not be Mary,earthly mother of Jesus, and Jesus. She is the Queen of Heaven, and “That Which is to come” is shown  to us as a child because He was  in the infancy of preparations for His mission “Which is to come ” and which The Lord Jesus foretold.

    Read Also: Religious mindset won’t advance your life – Woli Arole slams Christians

    Having failed in His Mission to support the spiritual maturation of human spirit seed germs by abandoning The Will of God and substituting  His own  Will and recognising the coming of a Mission to wrest from Him the symbol of authority and power and cast Him in  bounds for the  Millennium, Lucifer sought to destroy this mission.

    This should light up  our spirits well enough to recognise that  He could not have left the mission of the son of God Jesus in peace  as well. With this knowledge, we should recognise in their true colours the various encounters  with the Jesus  Mission about which not  much illumination is made .

    The Four Wse Men

    The encounter  of Emperor Nero  and Pope Justinian is not the first. I will quickly address it, because of the importance of re-incarnation.Bishops from the East and the West assembled in Constantinople at Nero’s request. Eastern Bishops rejected the anathemas and boycotted the conference. Nero brought a communique which supported his ideas for Pope  Justinian to sign. The Pope refused. Nero placed him under house arrest for two weeks and threatened to depose him. Pope Justinian caved in, the man who was supposed to be a representative of Simon Peter whose faith that the son of God was on earth led Christ to validate the fact of re-incarnation. Thanks to Stephen Lampe who, in The Christian And Recarnation, leads us through the Christian scriptures to show that Nero did not succeed in obliterating all the evidence.

    Where I am headed are the Four Wise Men. They were appointed , trained and anointed in higher spheres, one representing each of  the four pillars of Creation. Only three of them  made the trip to Baby Jesus in the manger. Earthly considerations placed on  his path by Lucifer made the fourth to arrive after the Baby had been taken  to hiding in Egypt by His parents. The three Wise men need not have informed Herod of his Birth. Unguarded,they endangered His life and caused the  unnecessary murder of newborn males in the fury of Lucifer to abort the Christ Mission.

    Like Nero’s story, those of The Four Wise Men is not well  told in the Easter story line to advise  us of their serious lessons. Did we hear of the three Wise men again?Yet they were to protect the adult Jesus with their  wealth, influence and knowledge, all given to them largely for this purpose! Lucifer, the fighter against Christ as the AntiCHRIST,  was behind it all!

    Virgin Birth

    This question, like that of immaculate conception, was spurn to make  Christ’s personality controversial.We cannot extricate it from Lucifer’s intrigues.  Jesus left us in no doubt that  He had come to “fulfil” and not “to oppose” the Laws of His Father. These Laws govern every happening, including the coming into being on earth and the separation from  the earth. Were it otherwise, could Jesus not have simply appeared in the sky  or even come down from the cross or continued to manifest in a non-physical body such as the  one Apostle Paul said he saw? To the Jews of those days,virgin birth was the first birth from any womb.  Spiritually, immaculate conception may be termed “pure” pregnancy. In fact, every earth woman is supposed to be capable of immaculate conception. Being unable to do so has now led to more than half of the earth  population coming from  nether  or darker regions around the  planet where  immature  souls are confined. For the immaculate conception of Jesus, a capable woman in the person of Mary was  identified. She was well connected with all the circumstances required for  pure conception. The Angel made the Annunciation to prepare her mind. The Love of  God comes to us  through  the Ray of  Divine Purity. That is why we cannot abound  in impurity and expect Grace to abound. A female Being from primordial Spiritual realms, where  the Spirits did not  have to come to the  earth for self development, connected with many  and the  Divine One in her womb.Jesus did not directly connect with Mary. Among earth pregnant women, how often do “conception” accidents not occur because  all their being is not well directly  focused on what is going  on within and around  them? Do  doctors nowdays not encourage them to involve in sexual frivolities during pregnancy? Which types of  souls may then approach them either to displace a more honourable soul or to cause other disturbances? In the  case of Jesus, High spiritual Beings surrounded His conception and stood by till 40 days after His birth. Kudos to those Nigerian  cultures that  do not  permit that a newborn be taken outside the house for  40 days! Till this day, the questions  of immaculate conception and virgin birth  needlessly strive to raise many  unnecessary questions about the  personality of Jesus. He came to teach us about  The Will of God which Mother  Nature His servant , teaches us in the language it speaks to us in  The Laws of Creation.  Who could be more natural than Jesus in His teaching, especially His Parables?Only the AntiCHRIST could be  behind controversies of His birth to challenge  His Authority and His Message.

    Judas and Pilate

    Judas was a disciple, Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea. Both were in Christ’s Mission. In a Mission, anointed ones are strategically placed to protect the mission. But often they fail, caught in the webs of material existence.  Peter, James and  John  belonged to the inner disciple  caucus. Judas through inordinate ambition nourished by the AntiCHRIST encouraged himself to create his own niche. That was earthly power.  He aligned with Jewish military rebels to over throw Roman rule during the Passover Feast and arranged a tumultuous reception for Jesus in Jerusalem for Him to be crowned King of  The Jews and ignite a revolution. In the temple, Jesus explained that My Kingdom is not of This World and preached, instead, The Brotherhood of all Men.  Had Judas succeeded, could he not have become a Minister in the new government? Jesus saw through his ambition. The rest  is history! Had Pontius Pilate  not feared for his high office of Governor of Judea and listened to the  entreaties of his wife to let Jesus go and the Crucification did not take place, could the  story of Christianity not be a  different one today? Do we  ever pause to find out  who those persons  were who were  guiding Pilate’s wife in her dreams to work on her husband to free Jesus? Although he symbolically washed the blood of Jesus off  his hands with soap and water, did he not fail at  his duty post  in the Chris Mission?

    The  Multitude

    They shouted “ Hossanah” today and screamed “Crucify Him” the next,  puppets of AntiCHRIST. Some of them are back on earth as the Stigmatists who bear the wound marks of Jesus on the Cross during the Easter season. Unfortunately, many Christians and the Church do not recognise them for who they are, former revilers and  murderers of the  Son of God, and worship and say prayers through them as blessed ones.

    The  Priest

    Encouraged by the AntiCHRIST, the Priestly dignitaries organised the murder of Christ as a blasphemer of the God Who sent Him to us and Whose Will they claim to obey and to serve. In reality, though, they carried out the murder to protect their earthly influence and power over the people which they believed  Jesus was eroding. They were all minions of the AntiCHRIST, Lucifer. Even when the curtains of the Holy of Holies were torn into shreds by Luminous Beings Who were protesting the murder, even when the earth quaked, in protest,  and the sun darkened, turning day into night, and the winds rushed, even when some among the gullible  multitude faintly recognised that  Jesus was truly the Son of God, and could have risen against the priestly order for misleading them into committing heinous murder,did the AntiCHRIST not provide the priest with an explanation many Christians even today still swallow line, hook and sinker…that Jesus came to die for their  Sins?  Does one of the 10 Commandments not say Thou  Shall Not Kill? Did Christ come to fulfil the Will of  God or to Oppose It? Christians should have been asking themselves:

    Does God change His Commandments? Do we not say of Him: “The same yesterday, today and forever?”Did Jesus not warn Judas to back out of it? Did Judas not commit suicide on recognising his  misdeed? Why has no Christian sect cannonised Judas if he helped Jesus to fulfil God’s Will that He die for men’s sins? Why does no Christian father or mother name his or her son Judas? The human spirit senses the Truth, but is too suffocated by the AntiCHRIST to free himself or herself from the darkness and escape from the coming annihilation.

    This subject is too vast to be exhausted in one article. The discussion will continue some other day.  

  • Climate change: Children drive UNDP global campaign 

    Climate change: Children drive UNDP global campaign 

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched the Weather Kids Campaign to bolster its endeavors in raising global awareness of climate change, with children driving the advocacy.

    The Campaign, themed ‘What will our future look like if we do not take action urgently?’ initiated by the UNDP in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and The Weather Company is an innovation that involves children driving the climate change issues and the need for stakeholders to take action.

    The innovative campaign features children posing as meteorologists forecasting the 2050 weather using 2023 reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (PCC) and the UNDPC Climate Horizons with Ann and a scenario of a 1.5 to 2°C temperature increase

    In a statement on Tuesday by Carpe Diem’s  Public Relations Consultant, Teniola Arigbede, the Chief Marketing Officer, of Weather Company, Randi Stipes said the idea is to show what will happen if the world fails to uphold the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which pledged to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    “As the world’s most accurate forecaster, we believe people will feel the changing climate

    most through the weather they experience. 

    “No single person is immune to weather and

    its impacts, especially as those impacts of severe events are growing in intensity”,

    Stipes noted.

    According to her, the idea is to show what will happen if the world fails to uphold the 2015 Paris climate agreement, which pledged to pursue efforts to limit global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit or 1.5 degrees Celsius.

    “What makes this campaign’s solution unique?

    “Talking about the weather is no longer small talk, it has become breaking news every day and the most crucial conversation for our and our children’s futures.

    “The campaign highlights the catastrophic consequences of global inaction on climate change and emphasizes the impact on future generations.

    “It aims to stimulate people across the globe for urgent climate action as it is not too late, and we believe we can still reverse this, aligning with UNDP’s mission and mandate and the UNDP Climate Promise”, Stipes added.

  • FAAI restates commitment to tackling infertility through advocacy

    FAAI restates commitment to tackling infertility through advocacy

    To provide a support system for indigent couples and individuals facing fertility challenges, the Fertility Awareness Advocacy Initiative (FAAI) has rolled out its scheme to create awareness to drive fertility solutions across Nigeria.

    The president of FAAI, Kesena Igben, said this at a virtual press conference held recently, stating that the initiative is poised to offer a safe space for individuals and couples struggling with infertility to connect, share experiences, and receive emotional support.

    He said that infertility is a shared global challenge, adding that FAAI raises awareness and educates the public about available treatment options, adding that this can help to dispel the common myths and misconceptions surrounding infertility.

    He said: “We organise symposiums, TV shows, and talks on the radio so that people will be aware of their fertility issues and join our association, and then we can show them the pathway to resolve some of their fertility issues.”

    Read Also: Infertility: Ajayi advises couples of regular, unprotected s3x

    “In Nigeria, there are lots of superstitions. We are too spiritual. We should stop the process and make people aware. That is our goal; how to stop the process, how to make people aware, how people should or should not seek help, and how we can offer counselling to people through a counselling hub. If there is a hotline whereby you can call in, somebody’s there to attend to you, to listen to you.

    “If information is going out regularly for people to be aware, and they know how to reach out to us, a time will come that we will be able to give solutions to so many families and bring joy to them. FAAI is currently harnessing in-house resources for a big drive for sponsorship to identify indigent couples that can be assisted to benefit from treatment so that they can have their joy”.

    Igben added: “That is our real focal point, and to do that, we need sponsors. We are planning to do our launch fair in Lagos here, and we also want to go to the religious houses to have pep talks and also to other areas within the community.”

    He further said that the environment and society are not making it easy for couples having fertility challenges to come out and seek help in the appropriate place. We are committed to bridging this gap.

    Also speaking at the briefing, the FAAI vice president, Vivian Patrick, stated that the awareness drive was crucial, noting that the environment and society are not making it easy for couples having fertility challenges to come out and seek help in the appropriate place. We are committed to bridging this gap.

    She said: “FAAI fights for better access to fertility care and resources in Nigeria and was focused on lobbying the government for policy changes and raising funds to subsidize treatment costs.

    FAAI secretary, Victoria Agubama, took a swipe at the myths circulating about assisted fertility programmes.

    She said: “We need to break those myths. We are taking the bull by the horns. We are not waiting for people to look for a solution. We are hurting for them.”

    She stressed that many marriages have broken or couples have called it quit because of fertility issues, saying, “We want to see how we can curb it. The more knowledgeable the people are, the happier they can be.”

  • Reps to push for increased allocation for TB control

    Reps to push for increased allocation for TB control

    • …mull TB control as constituency project

    The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Hon. Amobi Ogah has said that the House is set to bolster its advocacy for more government interventions in the area of allocating and releasing resources to combat tuberculosis (TB) while reducing reliance on foreign grants and donations.

    Ogah said that it has become imperative for the Nigerian government to spearhead the battle against TB by allocating the funds required to drive the initiative aimed at eradicating TB by 2030.

    The lawmaker stressed the urgency of the situation, citing Nigeria’s position as the leading country in Africa and sixth globally in terms of TB cases, comprising approximately 4.6 percent of the global TB burden.

    He expressed concern that the alarming statistics could be attributed to the fact that out of the $38m needed to combat TB in Nigeria, only 24% was sourced from international funding while a mere 6% came from domestic sources, resulting in a funding gap of 70%.

    The lawmaker spoke in Abuja on Monday while kicking off the 2024 World TB Day Road Walk organized by the National Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) and other partners as part of the activities marking 2024 Word TB Day.

    Noting the worrisome state of TB in Nigeria, he said: “It is imperative that the Nigerian Government assumes a leadership role in combating TB by allocating the essential funds required to facilitate the initiative aimed at eradicating TB by 2030.

    “As parliamentarians, we have taken up this challenge and we will strengthen advocacy for more government interventions in the area of allocation and release of resources to fight TB and less dependency on foreign grants and donations”.

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    However, the lawmaker noted that the responsibility should not rest on the government’s shoulders alone, saying, “To this end government, private sector and Civil Society Organizations and the general public must close ranks and collaborate for the mutual goal of ending TB in Nigeria.

    “As a country, we must also deliberately invest in building capacity of Health workers. We need to put in place systems to ensure early detection and management of TB, and procurement of equipment like Gene Pert Machines to facilitate easy diagnosis at all Local Governments across the country.

    “We must also invest in research and development, as well as data gathering as we can no longer rely on obsolete data in making informed decisions on programs for ending TB.

    “As parliamentarians, part of our message to Nigerians on this year’s World TB Day is for everyone to stop stigmatizing and discriminating against people affected by TB. 

    “As parliamentarians, we will continue to play our role to protect and promote the rights of people affected by TB by putting in place better laws and policies to support those affected by TB and their families.

    “We will also oversight to ensure that people who violate the rights of people affected by this disease are held accountable.”

    While he reaffirmed the commitment of the House of Representatives to the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end TB by 2030 with a pledge to continue to play its part, Ogah implored the stakeholders to view lawmakers as partners in the fight against TB.

    He said: “As Representatives of the people, we will always advocate that policy and program design should pass through us, to own such programs and convince our people to buy into them.

    “On this note, we encourage TB stakeholders to design programs that we can own and take to our Constituencies to form part of our constituency projects.”

    According to him, the theme for the year, ‘Yes We Can End TB’, can only be realized through the collective efforts of state actors, key stakeholders, and the general public uniting to form a strong coalition to confront and ultimately eradicate this public health threat posed by the disease.

    The road walk took the participants from Garki Ultramodern Market through Ahmadu Bello Way to Old Garki Market and back to Garki Ultramodern Market.

  • Stakeholders advocate protection of vulnerable adolescent, youths’ sexual reproduction

    Stakeholders advocate protection of vulnerable adolescent, youths’ sexual reproduction

    Stakeholders on Monday urged government at all levels to make policies and enforce laws that would protect vulnerable Adolescent and Young People (AYPs) on their sexual and reproductive health and right.

    They said the step become necessary to safeguard sexual and reproductive health and right of adolescent and young people.

    Speaking in Ibadan at a stakeholders round table meeting with the theme: “Building movements to sustain sexual and reproductive health and rights”, a programme officer with HACEY Health Initiative, Tomilola Akinpelu, stated that Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues posed significant challenge for vulnerable adolescents and young people (AYPs) in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Akinpelu said two-thirds of illnesses among women of reproductive age in the region are attributed to SRH problems, adding that a staggering 4.3 billion people lack essential SRH services, with over 200 million women in developing countries lacking access to modern contraception.

    She said: “Vulnerable AYPs in our project communities due to the lack of access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information and resources are predisposed to challenges such as unintended pregnancies, inadequate antenatal care, unsafe abortions, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and

    cervical cancer. 

    “Emerging civil society organizations (CSOs) addressing these needs also often lack the necessary tools and skills to pass the information and resource on SRHR to the target audience effectively.

    “Early pregnancies among adolescents, high prevalence of HIV infections, and vulnerability to other SRH issues underscore the urgent need for intervention. Limited access to SRH information in Nigeria puts AYPs at risk,exposing them to various SRH challenges that threaten their well-being. 

    “The SRHR Impact Plus Project aims to make a meaningful impact by addressing these critical challenges faced by vulnerable adolescents and young people (AYPs) in Nigeria.

    “Building on our efforts with Adolescents and young people, the Youth Amplify SRHR project reached over 25,000 young people. Project Tombey, utilizing mobile and web platforms, successfully reached over 5,000 individuals, raising awareness and enhancing access to sexual and reproductive health resources and services.

    “The SRHR Impact Plus Project aims to empower youth-led Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) with essential tools and skills and amplify the efforts of SRHR Champions’ SRHR interventions.”

    She said the aim of the gathering was to empower CSOs and community based organisation with knowledge, skills and practical strategies to enhance their SRHR interventions for AYPs, integrating digital tools for increased impact and sustainability at the grassroots level.

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    “This is a stakeholders round table meeting, we brings together those who we hope to collaborate and partner with us on this project, it is an SRHR project and we aim to empower 80% adolescent and young person in five states across Nigeria.

    “At the end of this project, we believe youths will have right based and inclusive information, the issue is that most of the youths has limited access to SRHR information, resources and services, so we hope they will have increase access to right-based and inclusive information on sexual reproductive health and right at the end of this project.

    “We brought some of the stakeholders together here because in the course of the project, we are still going to have a media lab for CSOs, so that they can move it from one place to the other and create media content to push information for adolescent and young people.”

  • Oyo govt, WaterAid set to sign new MoU

    Oyo govt, WaterAid set to sign new MoU

    The Oyo state government is set to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with WaterAid to facilitate its mission of transforming lives, improving access to potable water, sanitation, and hygiene as an essential step out of poverty.

    This was disclosed by the chairman, Oyo state water corporation, Elias Adeojo after a meeting with the representatives of WaterAid Nigeria, led by the Ag. Director of Programmes, Alao Adebayo.

    Adeojo explained that the MoU would provide a better way of managing water resources in the state.

    He also said that the laudable and purposeful development in Oyo State by the present administration cannot be quantified, saying it would continue to attract partnerships from well-meaning organisations across the globe.  

    Read Also: Arase to IGP: probe competence of state CPs over killing of officers in Delta, Imo

    The chairman however regretted that almost all the schemes of the Corporation are being bedeviled by epileptic power supply, with few working at lower capacities.

    He stressed that despite the economic doldrums in the country, the State Government is leaving no stone unturned to provide potable water to residents of the state.

    Adeojo therefore enjoined the organisation to render its support to the Corporation in which capacity it deemed fit to bring back the glory of the schemes.

    In his response, WaterAid Nigeria representative, Alao Adebayo emphasised that the agency was committed to supporting the State in ensuring that residents had access to good water.

    He said the MoU is expected to improve the capacity of the Oyo State Water Corporation.

    Adebayo expressed the readiness of Water AID Africa to assist in boosting water supply to Oyo State as a whole.