The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • IDPs plight as terrorists’ latest weapon

    IDPs plight as terrorists’ latest weapon

    One really wonders why some people still can not stand the fact that their doomsday predictions for Nigeria failed. Despite glaring realities, said group of people choose to disbelieve the fact that the Nigerian military, indeed, is the best. This is evidenced in the incontrovertible fact that they, the Nigerian military, have been able to defeat one of the world’s deadliest and once dreaded terrorist groups; the Boko Haram.This is a feat other nations could not attain despite mass availability of public support and unlimited resources. These people coming in various hues churn out unsubstantiated allegations. The recent article posted in a particular newspaper in the country headlined  “Boko Haram battle stalls as population starves” fits into this category.

    What the World Food Programme has called “famine-like” conditions have prompted experts to warn against seeking victory over the jihadists at all costs”,  has been turned into something that Nigerians would one day have cause to grieve. Some days back, the Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai issued a directive for troops to crush whatever was left of the Boko Haram terrorists by the end of this month. In turn, this led to a counter attack. Surprisingly, the attack did not come directly from the Boko Haram terrorists or on the physical theatre of war but, by way of slanted news reports, analysis and comments by organizations whose true intent one must now interrogate.

    There is also the question of timing. There must be something about such news stories surfacing whenever a decisive push is about to be made against the Boko Haram terrorists. Had the Chief of Army Staff not given the directive, would this “in-depth” news report have been published? The answer to this question is best arrived at using the antecedents of those spurring the reports.

    A fact that cannot be ignored is that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are suffering in the various camps. Before considering other hardships they must have been faced with, one must first consider that it is never easy to come to terms with the fact that one has lost their home and, or livelihood. This as we know, interrupts the normal lifestyle of the individuals.

    The accommodations in the camps, as one might guess, are not of high standards as these are mere makeshift contraptions for many of the IDPs. Adding to the depressing situations, the camps are also faced with feeding problems. This, which is directly linked to the destruction wreaked by the Boko Haram insurgency, is not the making of the army. Donor agencies made pledges that took long to be fulfilled and others were not redeemed at all. Furthermore, administrative issues and other unforeseen problems muddles an already complex logistics of reaching the right people.

    If this was not bad enough, inadequate nutrition, paired with substandard living quarters, results in the deadly mix that has left the camps witnessing more deaths than were possible if these factors are not mixed.

    Sadly, even the desperate outlook of the camp has not stopped the last of the insurgents from still strapping explosives to themselves, or to drugged, and brainwashed, couriers that target the IDPs Camps as soft targets. Unfortunately, a few carried out attacks while most were neutralized before they could do much damage. If the insurgents were to have their way, they would storm the camps in their infamous convoys of Hilux pickups that have now become history with successful military operations.

    As observed, the dry terrain makes for rapid movement as there is no waterlogged soil to slow down insurgents and troops. The advantage offered by the season can therefore be exploited both ways. Whether anything can be gained by delaying further onslaught on a terror group that is attempting to resurge after being degraded is left for military strategists and experts to articulate.

    From a layman’s point of view, the directive to smash whatever is left from these demented fanatics is a welcomed one. The year 2017 would be better ushered in if one can be rest assured that those who leave trails of wailing and sorrow are no longer in business.

    To slow down the campaign against Boko Haram on account of the plight of the IDPs would be a great disservice to these people as they themselves would like the last of the insurgents purged as this would facilitate the return of the displaced persons to their homelands.

    It must be noted that several seemingly normal development had in the past cluttered the anti-terror war in favour of terrorists. Questionable NGOs usually chose when the army is making progress to issue disconcerting report that are actually targeted at undermining troops morale. Although Nigeria was refused the grants to procure the critical hardware needed to defeat the terrorists, the army found its way around the problem to make headway. This is apparently not acceptable in some quarters as the matter is continually raised just to see what dissensions could be whipped up among troops.

    Even more distressing is the way international corporate media often turn into the propaganda tools for Boko Haram. The kind of report referenced can only help provide talking points for Boko Haram recruiters that will use it to convince other youths to join its depleted ranks. They do this at the expense of the kind of reports that contribute to defeating terrorism that has been identified as a global threat. In as much as some strategy upgrade will benefit the military, there is a need for a change in the manner of approach by which international media reports the issue of terrorism. The attitude of donor agencies and NGOs working in the world’s crisis areas also needs to be revamped.

    The international media must muster the courage to speak truth to power. If ISIS is spreading its poison south of Libya into Niger, Chad, and Cameroon to worsen the Boko Haram evil, then, the corporate media must urge the cowboy nations that manufactured the wars and situations that birthed ISIS to accept responsibility for the monster they created. Nigeria, using its army, cannot be dealing with the mess created by others and then be vilified for it.

    The COAS and the entire Army must therefore see through the smokescreen of deploying the challenges in the IDPs camp as the latest weapons in the hands of the terrorists for slowing down the military onslaught against them. It must be noted that if the directive to crush the last of the insurgency is vacated then the terrorists would successfully use the period of lull to recruit fresh fighters and swell its ranks.

    Bukar Raheem, a public affairs analyst, is based in Kaduna state.

  • Should NYSC be scrapped or kept?

    Should NYSC be scrapped or kept?

    Last week, social media was awash of how Ifedayo and some other corpers died, and how they were buried in the NYSC uniform (which they didn’t get to wear in their lifetime). This was not the first time such thing was happening to corpers.

    One of my friends on facebook, who is at NYSC camp in Bauchi wrote on his timeline, ” he said the Bauchi weather is too hot and NYSC should be scrapped’.

    In Nigeria, after 4 years of tertiary education (university or polytechnic), students are eager to serve their fatherland, with parents and guardians who are supporting them.

    But that is the perfect scenario,unfortunately,due to what is going on, parents are scared and people are lamenting because there is no time, NYSC students don’t get killed.All these are very painful to parents, sending children to higher institution is like investment.

    In an interview with Ajayi Ayokunle, a recent graduate of Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) ‘ He said NYSC should be scrapped but government should rather be giving them 50 thousand Naira after school just to compensate them.

    Also,during a whatsapp chat with Tolulope Samuel, a graduate of University of Ilorin, ‘ he said NYSC should Remain. but government should look into what causing the problem, set up a committee make amendment and government should keep their eyes on the corper during their services.

    James a computer engineer said NYSC should be scrapped,’In the sense that most student who they posted at the Northern part of Nigeria are usually killed’.‘He said according to the NYSC rules when you are above 29 years you cant serve, and we have student who are 30 years still schooling and some dont go to higher institution due to their age. so to me NYSC should be scrapped”

    Famuyiwa Damilare, also a respondent  said ‘ NYSC should be scrapped; the one year used for the service should be used for a better thing instead of using it to match on a street’

    In conclusion government should look into NYSC and make it comfortable to student.
    Like posting the people who are form South within the South, who are from North within the North and who are from East within the East because they are used to the atmosphere of the place.

    And government should ensure he revisit the welfarism of the corps members

  • The Right Way to Rock Business Casual

    The Right Way to Rock Business Casual

    Only this past weekend, I was at a function where the dress code was Business Casual, or Dress Down as some put it in these parts. I was highly amused at the turnout with people showing up in outfits that would have served them better chilling out on their sitting room sofa, or in the market doing their weekly shopping, than at a social function. One rule of the thumb for the business casual dress code is, “If it feels okay for stretching out on your sofa at home then it’s not okay for work.” So here is the right way to do business casual:

    Pay attention to detail – Business casual does not only mean no suits, rather it denotes a relaxed version of your uptight professional look. So you will still need to look polished and well put together, read quality separates like skirts, blouses, trousers, gowns, atop dressy, nicely polished shoes, a classy bag, jewellery, scarves/ties, well-groomed hair, and nails etc. Also ensure that your clothes are well laundered and ironed, PHCN or no PHCN.

    Wear the right jewellery- A single strand pearl necklace and pearl studs are the perfect work jewellery which project a simple yet classy look. That doesn’t mean you can’t wear necklaces in gold or silver, but note that work jewelry should be understated, nothing overly long, or noisy that draws attention to you. You can also choose to wear statement necklaces, but note that it should be with simple attire and small or no earrings at all.

    Invest in well-fitting jackets/blazers- A well-made blazer can go a long way in projecting the image of an efficient professional. You might want to invest in basic colours like black, grey, and navy before acquiring floral, animal print, and patterned jackets. Shelling out a bit more money to buy good quality pieces in a classic design means that you will wear them for years, and they will still look great. Although I have acquired quite a few, my pink and white floral two-button three quarter sleeve jacket is a wardrobe staple that never stops attracting compliments in spite of being well over three years old. Properly done, a good jacket projects an image you might choose to cultivate; that of a polished, efficient professional woman.

    You can never go wrong rocking dresses to work. Acquiring dresses in basic colours like black, navy, grey, white and also in bright hues and patterns add polish to your work wardrobe. Note however that work dresses should never be too tight, too short, or revealing. You can also throw on a colourful blazer over a dress to look professional especially for meetings and big presentations.
    Jeans have become a wardrobe staple for organisations with an informal dress code, and dress down days. It still doesn’t mean weekend casual though, so rocking your weekend ripped, multiple colour washed jeans is a no no. Blue jeans for work should be dark blue in one wash, no destroyed or faded denim please. A dressy blouse or blazer atop a camisole or top is another way to rock jeans at the office, and still look well put together. Finish off with dressy high heeled pumps or flats and you are good to go.
    Make your tailor your best friend- In this day of ready to wear clothes, not everyone fits into the normal dress size so the best way to look on point is to make your tailor your best friend. Buy clothes in the closest size to yours and find yourself a good tailor to fit them to your size. Fit is everything after all as every fashionista knows.

    Wear the right shoes- Shoes for the workplace should be comfortable above all else. Most corporate organizations prefer black, blue, and grey shoes which should not expose the feet and/or toes. However if that is not the case in your workplace then you can avail yourself of pumps, sling backs, and peep toe shoes in an array of colours and patterns for the office.
    Add verve to your outfits with dressy blouses, t-shirts, and camisoles not just in primary colours, but also in bright colours and patterns. A beautiful top adds dash to an otherwise drab work outfit. The choice of fabric is key in looking comfortable and chic. Fluid silks and rayons will drape effortlessly and keep you from fidgeting all day.

  • A Buhari uncowed by 2016 Challenges

     

    On the surface, 2016 looks like a year Nigerians will like erased from their memories. It is the year in which the President Muhammadu Buhari administration marked one year in office and this was a milestone that used to attract undue genuflecting from the corridor of power trekkers. But for this year, like the waves receding at low tide to expose the mess that revelers and picnickers had dumped on the beach, all the failings and errors of the year past were revealed in all their harsh goriness.
    The naira took a great fall. Again, an expected economic recession hit the country harder than was envisaged. Insurrection blossomed in the south and the only comfort and solace we should have found as a people was shattered by the magnitude of treachery that took place under the administrations past which failed to protect the country from foreseeable consequences.
     Nigerians reacted to these development as only humans could. Not a few took to social media to reveal their decision to vote President Buhari to effect that much needed positive change. The cyberspace became inundated with memes that sought to ridicule the concept of change. Others developed hashtags that spoke of their frustration like #bringbackourcorruption and #changethechange. 
    There is a way the negative gets surplus airtime and end up making a vocal minority to be heard above other measured observers and contributors to the national debate. When this happens, we deviate from having a national discourse to having a shouting match and the side that makes the loudest din appears to win such melee. 
    This explains why the good things we have going for us courtesy of the current administration are barely ever acknowledged, let alone celebrated. Like someone who takes his good health and trouble free life for granted to lament about being broke, we as a nation decided to lament the things we perceive as wrong with the nation while ignoring the slow, painful but appropriate processes of institution and system building that are going on and deepening. 
    We have this processes to thank for the fact that the international community does not deride us now that we face economic challenges as much as it did when corruption was the largest industry in the land. The two-year proceeding the ascent of President Buhari to power, Nigeria was synonymous with corruption such that even if efforts were made to diversify the economy, the international markets were wary of doing business with our nationals for fear of being duped. Today, we talk about diversification and take it for granted that those we will be shipping our goods to have no worries about being defrauded. 
    President Buhari is instrumental to dismantling this same corruption in the security sector. The evil that allowed the Boko Haram insurgency to grow while persons in positions of trust feathered their own nests met its match under this watchful administration. As some of the memes had it, “one can now leave the goat in the same room with the yam without anything untoward happening”. 
    An immediate consequence of this development was the turning of the tide against Boko Haram terrorists that were once rumored as being invincible. It became glaring to the insurgents for the very first time that, they are on a self-destructive mission. They have tasted the reality of the power of a nation state and were soon humbled to a point that willingly surrendering to superior force is the only alternative option. With this squarely staring them in the face they commenced the process to discuss the release of school girls they abducted under a less concerned government in Chibok. 
     
    If one care to observe, the other terrorists, those that unleash terror on us using the power of their pen and bank transfers have also taken flight. They have become the loudest moaners and sponsors of wailers about how cash flow has dried up because the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the Buhari administration has turned off the tap to corruption from one of its sources. With the better capture of government resources comes a reduction in the willingness of people to flaunt wealth that can only be stolen and ill-gotten. Those forced to live within their means may curse the government but those that are now better served with public resources, who were once the forgotten of the society now know for sure that things can only get better the longer this government remains in office. 
    A significant achievement for 2016 is the intangible fact that we are being weaned off the things that held us back as a nation. The economy is gradually being diversified. On the surface, the militants destroying oil installations in the Niger Delta portends economic doom especially with the realization that falling crude prices should not be followed with lower production or export capacity. But we have also learnt that the country can run without the full complement of the revenue from crude oil. The body language of Mr. President in the face of the separatist provocations of the militants is one that has brought calm and cessation of hostilities.  
    One must however admit that there are things that could have been better in 2016 and must now be inculcated in the approaching year. One of the topmost is the need to attend to national issues with even more dispatch than witnessed this year. 
    The other is to dispense with political considerations when any of Mr. President’s lieutenants are complicit in any wrongdoing to the point of constituting a distraction to the administration.
    Thirdly, the same political will must be extended to when it becomes imperative to administer any bitter medicine to the nation by way of policies that some people must invariably kick against.  
    The expectation is that once the nation can continue on the current path set by Mr. President, and consolidate of the gains accruing therefrom, Nigeria will proudly step into a 2017 in which most of the seeds planted since May 29 2015 will begin to yield fruits. Meanwhile, the memes can keep coming.
     
    Agbese writes from the United Kingdom
     
     
  • How to relate to co-workers

    How to relate to co-workers

    [dropcap color=”#000000″ font=”times”]W[/dropcap]orkplace etiquette refers to a set of standard behaviours individuals adopt in order to treat everyone respectfully in all interactions, Millicent Mwololo of Daily Nation observed. In most cases,workplace etiquette is determined by the organisational culture, and it is the duty of the management to ensure that every company employee is trained on this.

    Workplace etiquette starts from the top management. A good leader sets off what he expects from staff, this greatly influences the at-work behaviour and atmosphere.

    Many employees leave their desk unattended to, yet clients will definitely call. Un-manned desks send the wrong message and the customer gets disgruntled. Keeping time in meetings and observing phone etiquette.

    The willingness to apologise and say thank you is a great recipe for sustaining healthy relationships at work.

    Poor workplace etiquette leads to poor team cohesiveness, lack of respect and disengagement amongst employees.

    Proper etiquette sets the tone for clients that the business has the productive and successful environment and this helps the company’s profitability.

    It enhances company’s image and brand,this image gives employees the confidence that they need.

    A company that takes work etiquette seriously,helps prevent misunderstandings because proper etiquette requires everyone to communicate professionally and to communicate clearly and honestly.When dealing with employees with etiquette issues,managers should not reciprocate the behaviour.Rather,they should pull the employee aside and discuss issues calmly.

    Good behaviour should be rewarded, until it becomes a norm. This helps individuals within a company to align their behaviour with the company culture.

     

    TIPS TO MAINTAIN POSITIVE RELATIONS AT WORK

    1. Practice common courtesy
    2. Use effective communications
    3. Respect other people’s time
    4. Help yourself
    5. Stay on the level

    In conclusion, these strategies may be common sense, but they complement an agenda-oriented workplace to keep the wheels of business turning in a healthy and productive fashion.

  • President Buhari has high regard for Tinubu – Femi Adesina

    President Buhari has high regard for Tinubu – Femi Adesina

    Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President Muhammadu Buhari in this interview with Vanguard Newspaper navigates through and sometimes around some knotty issues that have recently bestirred the polity. He spoke on among others, the alleged intraparty wrangling between the President and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the role of the President in the All Progressives Congress, APC’s victory in the Ondo State governorship election, and the criticism raised against his boss by President Olusegun Obasanjo among others. Excerpts: By Bashir Adefaka

    How would you assess the government you serve in after more than one and a half years in office?

    Well, Nigeria is not where it was when he entered office. When you want to assess his government, assess it based on the promises he made. You know the tripod promises of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of security, reviving the economy and fighting corruption.

    In terms of security the country, as heaven is as far from hell, that is where we are now, which is far from where we were on May 29, 2015.

    We know that by 2015 the entire country was almost overrun and nobody was sure what would happen the next day, the next week, the next month. But we know where we are today that the insurgency is virtually defeated, completely under control. What we are passing through is a mopping up process and the worst we can see is over by the grace of God.

    So, in terms of securing the country, the President has kept to his promise. Roads that had been closed for three years have reopened. Emirs and traditional rulers that had fled their palaces have returned and are using the same palaces. Gombe had not had NYSC orientation for two years.

    They had orientation in Gombe this year. So, you just need to talk to the people in the North East and they would tell you that it is a new dawn. They couldn’t farm for almost five seasons. They are back in their farms. Those who fled their villages are back into their villages. We know that there are still skirmishes here and there. There are cowardly suicide bombers here and there but it will be over. So, the President has kept to his promise of securing the country. Other fronts of insurgency like Niger Delta will be settled. Issues like kidnapping, armed robbery, the government is attending to them. This government has a capacity to secure the country and is putting that capacity to work.

    And on anti-corruption, no matter what they say, “Oh, it is one-sided and all that,” what we all know is that the anti-corruption war is well and alive and it is a war that will be fought to a logical conclusion. Nigeria will never be the same again because the cleansing process is real and that cleansing will permeate every nook and cranny of the country.

    The third area is the economy. It is still sticky but it is work in progress. I tell you, as clear as night follows the day, the government will put the economy of this country on a fresh foundation.

    (Cuts in)So you mean there is light at the end of the tunnel?

    Oh, definitely. Even now a new foundation of a diversified economy is being laid for the country. We had had promises of diversification of the economy for five decades. This is the first time real practical steps are being taken to diversify the economy. Do you know what is happening with agriculture now? So much so that in two years time Nigeria will not import rice again and we will be able to even export.

    How do you mean?

    I mean we spend about two billion dollars annually importing rice. In about two years we will not import rice and we will be able to export. So, that is part of the new foundation for the economy. The solid minerals sector is another foundation that is being laid for the economy of the country. The gestation period for solid minerals is long; in fact, the minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said it is up to 20 years, but that foundation is being made. And by the time Nigeria enters into the boom of solid minerals, people will remember the Buhari administration and give it kudos. So, it is promise made, promise kept and promise still being kept.

    So, people crying over hard life should be patient with the government?

    That is just it.

    Loyalists of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu are saying the President has betrayed their leader? Why?

    No. Don’t forget that I don’t speak for APC. I speak for the President. That question probably will be taken by the APC spokesman. But what I can say on my own end is that the President whom I speak has utmost respect for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    From what I have seen so far, the President has high regard for Asiwaju Tinubu.

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    Asiwaju’s loyalists are saying that after helping to install Buhari as President that he has been betrayed?

    You are a journalist and a political watcher. You can say whether somebody installed another person. I am sure as a political watcher you know it. You know that getting to political office is usually a combination of factors. Each person has a role he plays and so, I don’t think anybody can come out to say, “I installed this person.” No, it is a wrong word. That person would then be playing God. Asiwaju Tinubu is a political force to reckon with. He played his own part in the emergence of President Buhari and that is why the President has high respect for him.

    What was the magic wand the President applied that gave the APC victory in Ondo?

    As a political watcher because I am a political watcher, it could be that the people knew that APC was still the way to go. That shows that they still believe in the party and they still trust the President. You know a lot of people said, “If Buhari is involved, then, we trust the President, we trust that it will be right, it will be fair, it will be transparent and there will be integrity in it.” So, it is something that also worked for APC in Ondo State.

    So for you the Ondo victory means the people have not deserted Buhari?

    Those saying that President Buhari’s popularity has waned are not being scientific. I wish they can back it up with scientific proof. You will be amazed if you carry out a scientific exercise, the vote of confidence in the President will be overwhelming because, despite the tough time people know that serious work is going on and that with a bit of patience, better days will come for the country. And the number of people who are willing to wait for things to turn round are more than people who are not willing to wait. I have said that before.

    Do you think the admonition by former President Obasanjo to President Buhari to focus on his job indicates a withdrawal of support by the former president for your boss?

    It is only former President Obasanjo that can emphatically say if he has withdrawn support for President Buhari. He didn’t say he withdrew support. He just gave an advice and President Buhari respects Chief Olusegun Obasanjo very highly. And if he gives an advice, President Buhari would look at that advice very critically.

    But did the advice go down well with the President?

    I have not discussed that with the President. I speak for him and I can only say what he has told me. He and I have not discussed what former President Obasanjo said but I know that with the kind of respect that President Buhari has for the former President, he would look at what he said very critically.

     

     

  • EFFECTS OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ON YOUR SEXUAL LIFE AND THE PROVEN NATURAL THERAPY FOR HYPERTENSION.

    DISCOVER HERE NOW THE EFFECTS OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ON YOUR SEXUAL LIFE AND THE PROVEN NATURAL THERAPY THAT CURES HYPERTENSION.

     

    High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms. But the impact on your sex life may be obvious. Although sexual activity is unlikely to pose an immediate threat to your health — such as a heart attack — high blood pressure can affect your overall satisfaction with sex.

    A link between high blood pressure and sexual problems is proved in men. For women who have decreased sexual satisfaction, it’s not yet proved that high blood pressure is to blame.  www.healthbeyonddrug.com/normalbp

    EFFECT ON MALE 

    Over time, high blood pressure damages the lining of blood vessels and causes arteries to harden and narrow (atherosclerosis), limiting blood flow. This means less blood is able to flow to the penis.

    For some men, the decreased blood flow makes it difficult to achieve and maintain erections — often referred to as erectile dysfunction. The problem is fairly common.

    High blood pressure can also interfere with ejaculation and reduce sexual desire. Sometimes the medications used to treat high blood pressure have similar effects.

    Even a single episode of erectile dysfunction can cause anxiety. Fears that it will happen again might lead men to avoid sex — and affect the relationship with their sexual partner.

     

    EFFECT ON FEMALE 

    High blood pressure’s effect on sexual problems in women isn’t well-understood. But it’s possible that high blood pressure could affect a woman’s sex life.

    High blood pressure can reduce blood flow to the vagina. For some women, this leads to a decrease in sexual desire or arousal, vaginal dryness, or difficulty achieving orgasm. Improving arousal and lubrication can help.

    Like men, women can experience anxiety and relationship issues due to sexual dysfunction.

    High blood pressure medication side effects in men: Sexual problems

    High blood pressure medications that can cause sexual dysfunction as a side effect include:

    • Water pills (diuretics).Diuretics can decrease forceful blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to achieve an erection. They can also deplete the body of zinc, which is necessary to make the sex hormone testosterone.
    • Beta blockers.These medications, especially older generation beta blockers such as propranolol (Inderal, Innopran XL), are commonly associated with sexual dysfunction.

     

    This natural therapy is not just to lower the blood pressure but to release some biomolecues to the body which  check the root cause of increasing blood pressure.  Evidence from researches and alternative medicines have shown that the root cause of high blood preesure can be reversed and consequently eliminate high blood pressure and sexual problems attached to it.

    Click here …www.healthbeyonddrug.com/normalbp

  • How I Recovered Completely from High Blood Pressure without Chemical Drug

    How I Recovered Completely from High Blood Pressure without Chemical Drug

    Sponsored Post

    On the 29th of March, 2014, I was just lying down in my lobby reading a novel meant for my niece ‘purple Hibiscus’ for relaxation since I rarely had time during week days for such leisure. All of a sudden, letters were becoming blurred. I could not see the letters very well and I also felt a very sharp pain in my chest, accompanied with a severe headache and shortness of breath.

    The headache was more like a migraine. My niece saw the level of my discomfort and enquired to know what was wrong with me and I told her to quickly consult our family doctor. She narrated to the doctor how I was feeling. When the doctor arrived, the chest pain had subsided a bit, but I was still feeling feverish and headache.

    THE DIAGNOSIS

    When the doctor arrived, he examined my BP using sphygmomanometer and it read 160/100. He told me that was abnormal and that I was at the stage two of high blood pressure. I began to wonder what the possible cause could be because I was four months pregnant and that got me really worried. I was scared of losing my life and not being able to protect the unborn baby. The doctor prescribed some medications almost immediately and warned me to desist from certain foods and habit. He asked me not to eat food such as canned foods, fatty foods, whole milk, doughnut, red meat, table salt, less caffeine, alcohol and a whole lot. It was then I sensed how miserable my life was turning into, because those were

    the foods I could easily lay my hands on at the lunch hours at work. I continued with my medication and tried as much as possible to do away with junks and fats. On the 16th of June 2014, I lost my dad and I couldn’t bear the loss because I love him so much, my condition worsened and by then my BP read 170/100. The doctor warned that there is high tendency that I will suffer from postpartrum psychosis if I should put to bed in this condition. I was placed under intensive medical care and was frequently monitored.

    THE TESTIMONY

    Two weeks after, I was surfing the internet for baby things, I visited jiji.com and I saw an advert on “Hypertension”, its causes and symptoms with a solution, but I did not pay much attention since I don’t fancy supplement of any kind. I told my mum about it and she insisted that I inquire more about it. I tried visiting the website http://evergreenhealthtreat.com.ng/bp.htm that I was referred to through the advert. I contacted the number I saw on the website and that was the turning point of my life. I was given an assurance of a restored health. To my greatest surprise, on the 1st of August, 2014, I was in the hospital for antenatal check-up and the doctor asked what I had used for my condition because by then, my blood pressure had reduced to 140/90.

    On the 19th of that same month, I delivered my first child without complications. By the time I finished with the therapy, my BP was already 120/80. As I speak today, I live happily with my child and no more worries of severe don’ts. May God bless the day I read the very article online that changed my life. I hereby recommend you to visit the website http://evergreenhealthtreat.com.ng/bp.htm if you have High Blood Pressure or if you know anyone living with the condition. This Information could fetch you a total health freedom and save your life from this instantaneous killer called hypertension.

     

  • November to remember

    November to remember

    November has come and gone. For a lot of people it was a month of hope, hope that as the year runs to an end their dreams will become reality, their plans will materialise, their investments in the course of the year will bring returns and they will celebrate the end of the old year in joy while being ushered into the New Year.
    Old businesses look forward to expansion while new ones see it as an opportunity to build on the contacts they have gotten thus far even as they hope the coming year brings with it good tidings for their businesses. This expectation is true for established organisations, micro-businesses as well as for small and medium scale enterprises.
    Unfortunately, this is not the case in Jakande Estate, a low-cost housing estate in Oke-afa which sits between Isolo and Ejigbo. The situation since November 1, 2016, has been one of confusion, shock and despair. A common misfortune has befallen container and kiosk operators in the estate who make a living from the businesses they operate from these kiosks for survival. It’s a lose-lose situation both for the tenant kiosk operators and their landlords, the latter who in most cases are retirees who depend on the proceeds from kiosk rentals to survive.
    The gloomy situation is due to the demolition exercise which was carried out by the Lagos State government through the state Ministry of the Environment and the Lagos State Building Investment Company (LBIC). While the government adduces that notices were issued and kiosks marked for removal prior to the demolition exercise, kiosk operators and residents alike argue that they were not aware of such notices or that the notice given was too short.
    The exercise is a critical one as several hundreds of kiosks and containers have been marked for demolition while others have been razed to the ground. The streets were littered with broken roofing sheets, broken wood and crushed concrete blocks. Most kiosk and container owners were moving their belongings or tearing down the shops by themselves, even before the bulldozer got to them. Cart-pushers were also very busy as they were hauling and moving cart-loads of iron, wood or dirt from one street to the other.
    The air was dusty from the demolition and the atmosphere was filled with noises of tools being used to manually knock out doors, burglar proof and whatever else may be of worth from the shops before the bulldozers get to them.
    It was a brisk business for carpenters, plumbers, masons and other labourers who were employed to manually remove objects or break down the structures before the bulldozer got to them. It was also an opportunity for hoodlums to wade through the debris to steal what they could from demolished shops whose owners were unavailable to remove their belongings.
    Jakande Estate Isolo is a hitherto peaceful estate. People come from far and wide to trade and transact business in the estate. Residents are mostly retired or serving civil servants and their families with a handful of other people who are non-civil servants. A great number of residents operate kiosks for sustenance or as a way of getting extra income to augment their earnings.
    The estate houses more than ten internal access roads and most of them house up to 50 or more kiosks and containers. In fact, the Double star road holds no fewer than a hundred (100) shops which run businesses like provisions sales, tailoring and dressmaking, fabric sales, raw food items retail, generator repairs, cyber café operation, hairdressing and barbing salons, kerosene retail and many others.
    These businesses are replicated throughout the estate and have helped to force the prices of commodities in the estate retail market to remain competitive. They have also helped to bring the market closer to residents while providing employment for their operators. Just one shop could generate income for three or more people: the landlord, the tenant and the salesperson(s).
    When approached, a kerosene retailer who had to forcefully deconstruct her container and remove the tank for fear of it being destroyed lamented that she was not duly notified as her container had only been marked on Friday the 28th of October.
    She wondered why LBIC would take such a measure since she was given the approval to use the space for business and was required to pay N5000 yearly to LBIC and another N3500 yearly to the Local Government Council for her use of the space. She said she had documents to back up her claim.
    Another woman who operates a mini-boutique from a kiosk when asked what she planned to do as her shop was affected said, “I just paid #60,000 for my shop rent. I have used the remaining money to buy market for Christmas. Where am I going to see the money again to rent shop? I will just be coming to this place (her demolished shop). I will put umbrella and be managing”
    A retiree who owned a container shop substantiated the kerosene retailer’s claims and even produced documents to show that the LBIC gave approval for the setting up of the container for business and also showed receipts of taxes and levies paid to both the Local Government Council and to the LBIC. She lamented that she set up the place for her daughter who after graduating from school did not have a job for over ten years and wondered what the government expected them to do post-demolition.
    Another retiree who had a small shop which he let out to a caterer said that the immediate past governor had agreed that kiosks be built to help support retirees who were in great number in the estate. He said specifications were given to them and they were asked to build a temporal structure made partly of wood and partly of cement. But because they suffered break-ins and robberies, they decided to fortify the shops by making it fully concrete. He alleged that the current exercise was instigated by the immediate past executive chairman of the Landlords and Residents Association who had liaised with some LBIC officials to sell off land along the Ring Road/ Foursquare Avenue and wanted to cover his misdeeds.
    His claim was echoed by another retiree who happened to be friends with the current executive chairman. The executive chairman could not be reached for his comments on the issue as he was said to have led a delegation to appeal for the intervention of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, a former governor of Lagos State in whose tenure the estate was built.
    At the LBIC office in the estate, it was gathered that no staff was allowed to speak on the issue except for those in charge of the estate at their Ikeja Head Office.
    An official of the Ministry of the environment who did not give his name stated that it was not true that the government had approved the building of kiosks in the estate and that demolition notices had been issued several times over the years since 2007, the latest of which he said was given about a month to the demolition exercise.
    He said that whenever they went about to issue notices, they went with representatives of the media. He also said that the demolition order was an executive order and as such nothing could be done about it. He added that similar demolition had recently been carried out at the Iponri Housing Estate and so this was not meant to punish a particular set of people. He, however, refused to say when the notices were given and insisted he would only answer further questions from his office at the State Secretariat.
    Mr Balogun, a zonal secretary in the Double Star axis of the estate confirmed that indeed notices had been issued but the cost of printing and circulating these notices to about 500 blocks of flats, each of which housed a minimum of 6 flats, was huge. As such, they encouraged residents to attend the monthly general meetings in their zones where such information was usually disseminated. Unfortunately, those claiming ignorance were those who either did not attend the meetings or whose landlords had not relayed the information to them.
    He said the move was necessary because it was the only way to restore sanity to the estate as people had violated the privilege given to them by building permanent structures and by building bigger kiosks than the LBIC had approved.
    He said this had created disorderliness and made the estate look untidy. When asked why the structures were said to be illegal when the LBIC had approved, he said approval did not mean that it was legal. And that those who sought LBIC approval were told that they should only erect temporal structures as the government might require the structures to be removed later.
    Asked if the move was not wrongly timed, considering the current economic situation and the fact that hundreds of people would become unemployed, he said there would never be a right time for development to happen and that the only way for a society to remain sane and move forward is through such painful actions as these which are aimed at causing meaningful change to happen.
    Though the structures may be illegal, the questions which remain unanswered are why the government allowed the illegality to go on for so long and how these people who have been forcefully put out of business are going to survive the recession and the trauma of watching their investments being reduced to rubble.
    One also wonders why an alternative provision was not made before carrying out the demolition exercise and forcing people out of business. The estate retail market, some residents have said, should have been demolished and rebuilt in storey buildings to accommodate new occupants before demolishing the ones outside the market.
    Security is also another concern as security posts have been demolished and the shops which used to provide light with their power generating sets to the unlit streets up till 9pm or beyond are no more. One wonders if the provision of electricity to the estate and renovation of the bad roads in the estate should not have been of more importance than this ill-timed move.
    Ekpen writes from Lagos.

  • Nigeria, a sovereignty too precious to sacrifice

    A  German-born poet and physiognomist, Johann Kaspar Lavater, about five centuries ago, envisaged the dynamism of the world early enough. It’s like this intellectual acumen had Nigeria of today in mind, when in solo mood, insightfully challenged himself; “What do I owe to my times, to my country, to my neighbours and to my friends? Such are the questions which a virtuous man ought often to ask himself.”
    Not listed in order of importance, but the likes of Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, Herbert Marculay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and Chief Anthony Enahoro held the British imperial lords on the heat of furnaces, just to ensure the dreams of not only a free Nigerian nation, but a democratic and prosperous country for all citizens irrespective of ethno-religious mix or affiliations.
    Plus or minus, today’s Nigeria is a descent into everything not just odd, but against the spirit and soul of great fathers and leaders of this nation, from whom the same contemporary Nigerians tie their ancestry. The succeeding leaders and the ruled have become so corrupt and wicked to Nigeria to the extent no positive virtue is worth any attention. Just very few Nigerians today sit and think about a Nigeria of tomorrow; the majority unashamedly shun the progressive path for this nation.
    No Nigerian can convincingly explain the violent assault on Nigeria, from within, these past years, from various geo-political angles. Before now,  Boko Haram Terrorists held Nigeria for nearly seven years undeterred, and rather waxed stronger, with weapons which dwarf  arsenals of Nigeria’s security forces, compelling soldiers to flee at the warfront.
     Niger Delta militants have weapons which make mockery of Nigeria’s security agents and when bombs detonate on any oil facility or installation, whole communities go into flames, symbolically burning the economic wealth of their country. Oil bunkering is so freely done and the ready markets are outside the shores of Nigeria from supposedly saintly nations.
    Armed bandits and cattle rustlers violently besiege rural communities in Nigeria, kill and maim, loot and curse the owners of the looted properties. And in calm, dissipating shadows, voices in the recess of their hearts murmur “go to hell, Nigeria”. But have these incidents not woken country people to consciousness or expressed enough, the external conspiracy against the Nigerian state?
     But Nigeria, this beloved country, cherished and adored by millions of her citizens, far in number than the few armed miscreants, displaying incendiary madness,  is  the same country  denied legitimate sale of  these lethal weapons by the same western nations who manufacture them.
    The natural question is; how do Nigerian outlaws acquire these weapons from the same West, which deny Nigeria legal purchase of same? These are not weapons sold for peanuts; it requires mouth-watering sums of foreign exchange and so, who is the sponsor of these outlaws for the serial acts of violent aggressions on the Nigerian state?
    Instead of acts of progression, some Nigerians connive with foreign allies to mortgage the prosperity of their country; sell their own conscience, pride and peace, preferring to return home as Princes or Princesses without thrones to inherit.
    It is to these prodigals that German poet, Kaspar Lavater  asks the probing question that after all the brutal and beastly adventures on their own nation and by implication, their very selves, what they would tell  their consciences and souls, in sober reflection when they honestly  ask, “What do I owe to my time, to my country, to my neighbors, to my friends” in the 21st century Nigeria?
    The answer to a conscience, usually untainted by any external force would sincerely tell them with a silent voice, “You have wronged your country, your neighbours, and friends and failed ultimately to impact on your world in your life-time.”
    Despite its status since independence, Nigeria, an oil-rich state on the African continent, cannot compare herself to lesser Arab nations with same natural wealth. Nigeria ranks foremost on chat of developing countries in the world, years after independence. She keeps borrowing from either the World Bank/IMF or Paris Club to augment internal expenditures.
    Even with external borrowings, some disgusting Nigerians loot the borrowed funds to stash it in bank vaults of the same western countries. At best, what they give back to Nigeria nay Africa is pittance in the guise of foreign aides in health, power supply sectors and some community borehole projects.  These are disguised ways the West have tried to economically re-colonize Nigeria.
    The West has now convinced them to bring the economic sabotage closer home. Therefore, the endless militant agitations in the Niger Delta and the refusal of both the ethnic militias and their leaders to listen to the entity called Nigeria, expresses the extent of the steepness into it.  It is the prime reason Nigeria has remained a giant of Africa in name.
    The Western nations know, allowing a black nation so richly endowed as Nigeria to flourish, is simply just harmful to the rest of the World. And to keep this giant tied to the stalk, they must have to destroy its coherence, by cashing in on the prevailing divisions. So, smaller African countries, which got self-rule after Nigeria, are far ahead of Nigeria in development, while her citizens are not proud enough to preserve the little they have, but shamefully prefer to destroy it.
    So, if western imperialists are not sponsoring internecine wars among us, they romance disenchanted groups in the country and arm them with weapons against the state. The singular mission is to shatter the peace and unity of the country to create excuses to impose neo-colonialism on Nigeria.
    As Africans, Nigerians have always cherished their age-long customary virtues of honesty and love for one another. Imperialists of any configuration should not be allowed to erase these values. And until Nigerians re-embrace them, the dream of a great country would forever elude the people.
     It must not be forgotten that some elements in our nation are being satanically armed to stimulate the sort of Arab spring rebellions. But thereafter, these countries have never found peace and joy either as divided nations or same countries. The time to cherish this sovereignty is now under President Muhammadu Buhari.
    Kolawole PhD, a University lecturer writes from Keffi, Nasarawa State.