The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

  • Women of change

    Women of change

    As the world celebrates International Women’s Day which has been observed since the early 1900s, a London-based firm pays tribute to 4 women who are trailblazers in their own right.

    Tokie Laotan-Brown

    Tokie Laotan-Brown has written a well-received book called ‘10 Steps to Managing your household budget’, is currently undertaking a joint Phd Program in Economics and Techniques for the Conservation of the Architectural and Environmental Heritage at the University of Nova Gorica and Universita Iuav di Venezia, Italy. She is as an environmental architectural technologist. She is also a full-time mother and wife!

    Atiti Sosimi


    The multi-award winning Atiti Sosimi successfully manages to juggle family life, being a mother, running a business, writing books, inventing, producing and selling the Shhh or Tell it board game, lecturing in HE part time, mentoring business owners to become award winners and young people to believe and achieve! As if all of this wasn’t enough she has launched the high end fashion label, Eyato! She still finds time to be human too – a moment in her company will stay for a lifetime in your memory!

    Amanda Rabor

    Isossy Children was founded by Amanda Rabor in 2010. Isossy Children is a celebration of
    colour, vivacity, global influences and fashion. It offers children and their parents’ choice, style and design, which is why many of the pieces are limited edition prints. Amanda has worked tirelessly to grow this business from scratch, earning international fashion acclaim along the
    way! Amanda’s passion and enthusiasm for her business is not only an inspiration but also an indication of what really is possible when one dares to dream.

     Hazel Chawapiwa

    Hazel is a passionate business woman who started her first business in 1999 whilst studying at University. She often says the financial strains of being a young single mother and a student was the motivation for her to start her own business. A redundancy and the need to raise a deposit to
    get on the property ladder led to her becoming involved in a number of business ventures most notably The 2Inspire Network which is inspiring women from across the UK to truly live their best lives! Hazel continues to strive for the very best for herself and other women, inspiring us all to do better!

  • Why Rheumatic heart disease can’t be ignored

    Why Rheumatic heart disease can’t be ignored

    Rheumatic heart disease – a disease that is most common amongst the world’s poorest billion – is now attracting renewed attention from the international health community. Over 15 million people suffer from the condition, resulting in about 233 000 deaths per year.

    Health experts agree that rheumatic heart disease (RHD) has been one of the most neglected of the neglected diseases. It is often shadowed by other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis as well as emerging noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and a variety of cancers.

    RHD is also an NCD but it is often overlooked because it is not closely associated with other NCD risk factors such as overweight and obesity, tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity and the overconsumption of energy.

    Children and young people who suffer from RHD often live in conditions of poverty, poor sanitation, undernutrition and overcrowding. The poorest billion also suffer from low levels of public awareness, shortage of resources, and lack access to essential health care services.

    These disparities highlight how NCDs can plague both rich and poor populations in emerging economies. The major difference is that RHD is permanent and is not reversible through lifestyle changes.

    A case of rheumatic fever, the cause of RHD, is the leading cause of heart inflammation that often leaves permanent damage to the heart valves. Anyone can get rheumatic fever, but the most common age group is 5 to 15 year olds. Not everyone with rheumatic fever will get RHD but about 60 per cent will develop some degree of subsequent heart disease.

    Rheumatic fever is the result of an untreated strep throat that is caused by bacteria called group A streptococcus. The main symptoms of rheumatic fever include fever, muscle aches, swollen and painful joints, and in some cases, a red rash.

    Rheumatic fever has the ability to cause fibrosis (scarrnig) of heart valves and lead to crippling valvular heart disease, heart failure and death. RHD is often missed in its early stages and symptoms usually show up 10 to 20 years after the original bout of rheumatic fever.

    Recurrent attacks of rheumatic fever can cumulatively damage the heart as well. This damage is often detected in its advanced stages – when expensive and complicated heart surgery is the only option to save a person’s life.

    Preventing rheumatic fever can prevent the damaging effects of RHD. Doctors can often stop rheumatic fever by treating strep throat with antibiotics.

    According to the World Heart Federation (WHF), the “primary prevention of acute rheumatic fever (the prevention of initial attack) is achieved by treatment of acute throat infections caused by group A streptococcus. This is achieved by up to 10 days of an oral antibiotic (usually penicillin) or a single intramuscular penicillin injection.”

    The WHF works with ministries of health, health practitioners and the World Health Organization (WHO) to enhance rheumatic heart disease control at the national, regional and global levels. To date, at least 20 countries, mostly in Africa, have signed on to WHF’s campaign to cut premature deaths caused by RHD by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

    RHD may be a disease of the poor but improving public health awareness, ensuring adequate training of health care professionals, and educating schoolteachers of the signs of strep throat can convert knowledge into life-saving action.

     

    Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control. He can be reached via:

    Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com

    Facebook: Dr Cory Couillard

    Twitter: DrCoryCouillard

     

  • Salute to women in tech

    Salute to women in tech

    BERLIN: This International Women’s Day, ladies everywhere will celebrate breaking the glass ceiling in industries of all kinds. And while the global tech industry has copped its fair share of criticism as being male-dominated, in the heart of Berlin’s booming start-up scene things are starting to change.

    The city’s flourishing tech scene has become one of the world’s tech hotspots and female leaders are right at the forefront of this innovative movement. Within Silicon Allee, the German capital’s thriving start-up community, women are now starting to lead the way.

    Lamudi (www.lamudi.com), a Rocket-Internet venture, serves as a platform for emerging real estate markets across the globe. In its stable of 75 successful start-ups worldwide, the incubator has a strong team of women to thank for its achievements.

    Lamudi alone boasts three female Managing Directors worldwide, as well as three Directors located in their Berlin HQ. More than half of their workforce in Berlin is also female.

    Malen Gomez, Head of SEO at Lamudi, says the industry has developed enormously over the past 10 years. “The tech industry has changed so much over the last decade that now it isn’t rare at all to see a woman heading up global teams in this field. My role within Lamudi shows the huge potential for females within the world of start-ups,” she says.

    While the tech arena is still a man’s world, there is no question that women are gaining ground in the industry. From industry leaders like Julia Kaganskiy, the editor-at-large for VICE magazine’s The Creators Project, to Twitter engineer Sara Haider, women are making their mark on this growing sector.

    There are countless others who not only lead the way in making female voices heard within the tech community, but who have also taken an innovative approach to the industry as a whole.

    Jacqueline van den Ende, Founder and Managing Director of Lamudi Philippines (www.lamudi.com.ph), says women can bring something different to the table in the tech sector. “I feel that we particularly excel in creating a motivated and collaborative company culture. Paying attention to people before targets helps to create a team in which every single person is the best he or she can be. As a woman in a male-dominated setting I often feel you are in a position of strength rather than weakness,” she

    says.

    “I love being a woman,” says Katy Campbell, Lamudi’s Global Public Relations Director. “Being a woman at the top is such a fantastic opportunity to inspire everyone around me to climb up the career ladder.

    I’ve always looked up to strong women as a way to encourage myself to be better; be stronger. The range of females who inspire me is so vast, from Arianna Huffington to Sheryl Sandberg. Being an inspirational woman doesn’t mean being at the top, it means being happy, being you, being great.”

    Lamudi was founded in 2013 and is currently available in Algeria, Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Tunisia and in Uganda.

    Its real estate marketplace offers sellers, buyers, landlords and renters the ideal platform to find homes, land and commercial properties online.

  • Ejigbo 3: At Juliana’s graveside

    Ejigbo 3: At Juliana’s graveside

    Betty Abah, journalist and gender advocate writes on the visit to the graveside of one of the victims of the Ejigbo sodomy assault, Juliana in Ajase, Benin Republic.

     

    On this day nature took mercy on Lagos and the sun did not pound down on the helpless inhabitants. The go-slow also took a retreat. Activist Joe Odumakin and I in the company of four others accompanied Feemah Agonman, father and husband of the victims of the now famous Ejigbo torture victims saga to his ancestral home, Ajasa in Porto Novo, Benin Republic after over a month in the custody of the Lagos State Office of Public Defenders (OPD).

    It was also two days after 10 of the torture suspects were paraded at the office of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos. Justice was crawling slowly home and Agonman now popularly known as the ‘Palm Wine Tapper’ needed to see his family in the rustic village off the sizzling Nigerian Idiroko border town famous for poverty-induced child trafficking.

    We arrived to a calm but relieved welcome by his wife Elizabeth and six surviving children, Christiana, Mariann, Kehinde, Taiwo, Idowu and David. Emotions were obviously held down with both hands. Juliana’s children, Zita (10), Clautilde (8) and Rhuite wept almost throughout the almost two-hour visit.

    His second wife, Ajoke (‘Iya Nike’) with whom he lived in Lagos and step-daughter 12-year-old Nike (second and third victims in the video) have now gone to Kwara State after the SARS event in which they gave evidence, with that marriage apparently tottering on a torture-induced collapse. Iya Nike’s two children Gaston and Michel , age 8 and 6 respectively are also now in Ajase, and like everyone else, are in the care of wife Elisabeth.

    Mr. Freemah led our group, and the family to Juliana’s graveside. It was the most emotional moment for the family since they had in the last one year lived under the illusion that she had been buried in the village cemetery. After she died at the herbal home (where she was taken for two weeks prior to her demise because the family ran out of fund to foot medical bill at the General Hospital in Porto Novo where they took her immediately after she was brought home following the February 2013 torture by the O’odua People’s Congress (OPC) vigilante in Lagos.

    She had sustained major injuries to her private part and womb as a result of the gruesome sodomy as well as deep wounds to her eyes and breasts (for allegedly stealing pepper in Iyana-Ejigbo market), her father alongside a few relatives had secretly buried her in a corner of the house and covered the grave with palm fronds while the wailing siblings were locked in their dilapidated, earth-brown house surrounded by a grove of young palm trees. To prevent fresh agony, he deceived inquisitive family members that inside the mysterious mound adjacent the grave of his grandfather Houkain Agonmah, were some stubborn crops he had planted and which wouldn’t germinate.

    Our group gathered at the graveyard. Dr. Joe Odumakin and I spoke briefly—a promise that we, working with men and women of conscience, journalists, human rights advocates and others would fight on to ensure she finds ultimate justice in a world where the powerful stifle the poor and powerless, where the poor are continually rendered voiceless or out rightly killed; that we will ensure her kids and family live to be happy that indeed, somehow the poor could still obtain justice…’The God who exposed your killers in a most mysterious ways is One who recompenses. He will grant you justice wherever you are,’ I said.

    We also gave to the family, particularly Juliana’s kids the fund sent by Nigerians in the United Kingdom and coordinated by Debbie Ariyo of the Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA-UK) following the outcry accruing from the surfacing of the video online last December.

    It is hoped that the consequent arraignment in court of the 10 culprits and the three other fleeing men will end in ultimate justice for the surviving victims. And resettlement for the family as Mr. Agonmah and his children, following the eviction from Ejigbo same day of the torture, ended his 35-year sojourn in Lagos/Nigeria and they all are economically dislocated, trying to find their feet in their ancestral yet unfamiliar terrain. His photographer son Taiwo (with Ondo State-born wife and seven-month old son Segun) and his twin Kehinde, a mechanic now stay home all day. The palm wine market in Benin of course like those other items, thrives at a snail speed. All now depend on the meagre income from their mother’s local soap making business.

    But most of all, Juliana’s children emotional, unkempt and obviously undernourished (said to be attending a street-side school), will need the greatest helping hands.

     

  • ‘Nigeria ATMs are disease dispensers’

    ‘Nigeria ATMs are disease dispensers’

    In Nigeria today, there are over 12,000 ATMs and this number is going to increase to over 20,000 in a few years time. The banks are desperately deploying ATMs all over the major cities, towns, villages, schools, hospitals. These ATMs are deployed with one of the most of important service, which is to dispense cash to customers whenever the customers want cash as
    long the customer has the fund available in his or her account.

    A low performing ATM is an ATM without cash. Most banks have deployed their ATMs without proper maintenance structure. These include maintaining the technical, aesthetic, the hygiene of the ATMs and the safety of their customers. Some ATMs are found to be worse than public toilets. There was a new study carried on ATMs in USA that found that there are more dangerous disease-causing germs and bacteria on ATMs than that found in Public latrines. If the same study is carried out here in Nigeria, these disease dispensers called ATMs in Nigeria would be far worse.
    In situations where the branches are left with the responsibility of maintaining especially hygiene or aesthetics of the ATMs using existing branch cleaners, most branches do not bother about the
    aesthetics or the customer as long there is cash available from the ATMs.
    The bank should be thinking their ATM is a branch on its own as a customer channel. Every
    point of contact with a customer should be as important as the branch itself or head office. Some banks just ignore these simple customer ethics and forget about their most important self-service channel that represents the entire bank as a whole.
    For example, take a drive along Awolowo Road at Ikoyi, Lagos, most of the ATMs are filthy, covered in dust and grime especially after a heavy rain. Some banks are not even aware of the importance of the ATMs; some use the security guard houses and use dirty rags to cover their ATMs. Our Nigeria weather and surrounding presents a real challenge since there is so much dust, grit, smug and smoke in the air.

    Our culinary or diet, food, habits and clothing means that we wipe our hands on whatever we see. The Cash we even collect from the ATMs are in a bad state, that’s another topic entirely.
    According to a famous Microbiologist in the USA who found out that ATMs are the 3rd dirtiest among 7 dirtiest public places. It is number 3 in the list that include Restaurant Menus, Door handles, Public toilets, Soap Dispensers, Lemon Wedges, and Grocery Carts or
    trolley.
    In some cities such as Port Harcourt, Kano, Abuja, the ATMs are so filthy, you will need to cover your nose to use the ATM. A couple of weeks ago, I visited an ATM along Ligali Ayorinde in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    I slot in my ATM card, it took a while to read, then I tried pressing my PIN, but ATM keypads were sticky, I had to force down each key. Also, the visual screen was dusty; I had to bend so close to the visual screen to read the messages on the screen. The worst came, when I had to struggle to take my cards out of the card slot.

    This is common all over Nigeria among the 18 banks with functional ATMs. The irony is that the ATM was within a large bank branch complex within a city centre, I can imagine the state of ATMs in places like Ile-Ife, Abaji, Ikenne, Ilesha or Kontagora. Customers visit these ATMs without the knowledge that each key on the keypad they touch contains a concoction of disease causing germs and bacteria, which they eventually pass around.

    In the United Kingdom where studies have been conducted, Experts took swabs from the numeric keypads on a string of city centre ATMs around England that are used by thousands of shoppers every day.  They then took similar swabs from the seats of nearby public lavatories and compared the bacteria under microscopes in a lab. The swabs were left to grow overnight and samples from both locations were found to contain pseudomonads and bacillus, bacterias which are known to cause sickness and diarrhoea.

    Dr Richard Hastings, a microbiologist for BioCote, a built-in, antibacterial product coating, said:  interested in comparing the levels of bacterial contamination between heavily-used ATM machines and public lavatories. ”We were surprised by our results because
    the ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria; to the
    same level as nearby public lavatories”

    Some Nigerian banks use branch cleaners without proper training, who cannot differentiate between general cleaning and specialized cleaning. These cleaners use the rags for cleaning toilets, tables and chairs to clean the ATMs. The branch cleaners over time, discolour the ATMs, add more germs and act as transfer agent for external germs into the bank and vice
    versa.
    CBN has ignored this area but have focus more on other important areas of compliance, e.g. cashless policy, more important than the customers itself. NAFDAC, SON, NMA and other bodies have also not initiated any study on these disease dispensers. Some banks focus more on the quarterly technical support from these ATMs supplier and spend billions of Naira.

    The Technical Engineers only focus on the inside of the ATM and do not concern themselves with the beautification or hygiene of the ATM. As long as the software is up to date and any electro-mechanical part is tested and functioning, their business is completed. The Engineer gets signed off from the branch manager and then maybe comes back to the ATM in 3-6 months time to perform another update. Case Studies from ATM manufacturers such as NCR, WINCOR, King Teller and others, shows that regular cleaning is an effective way to optimize the life span of magnetic strip/PIN and CHIP card readers, and exteriors of ATMs. Most CEOs are
    oblivious as to why the ATM Support budget is so high and is on increase every year, yet their ATM customer satisfaction survey tells a different story.

    The common sense is not common anymore. A simple cleaning schedule using tested products will reduce their ATM Support spending drastically. In the UK, USA and other Modern economy, the cleaning of ATMs are outsourced. This ensures that a high quality of service is maintained throughout the contractual period.

    Salim Faroyji  – An Entrepreneur lives in Oshodi, Lagos, (faroyji@yahoo.com)

  • Why ladies prefer to remain single

    Why ladies prefer to remain single

    There have been different questions and opinion polls on why some ladies prefer to remain single. People have different opinions and reasons why they will love to be single than to be in ‘bondage’

    Find below some of the reasons:

    1. You get to design your living space exactly as you want it, and appreciate the serenity and freedom that comes with no one encroaching on your little bubble.

    2. You get to make a list of all the things you want to do and move through them one by one without ever having to stop and ask another person if they are okay with doing it.

    3. You learn what it means to define yourself as an individual, and not even tangentially as part of a unit.

    4. For many things — from sleeping through the night, to feeling good about yourself, to trying new activities — you learn to rely on yourself, and to be your own support system when you need it.

    5. You can go home to your family, or take a trip somewhere new, for a period of time if you need to, and not have to worry about anyone else’s life being affected by your distance. You don’t have to maintain any relationship while you are away.

    6. You don’t have to take anyone’s opinion into consideration when planning a vacation.

    7. Every day you live holds the potential of starting an entirely new love story — whether with a partner or a city or a book — and you never know when or where yours is going to start.

    8. You can dedicate nearly all your social time to developing and enriching the friendships which sometimes fall by the wayside when you are consumed with a new relationship.

    9. You can figure out the things which are important to accomplish by yourself, and work on achieving higher and higher goals on your own.

    10. You can throw yourself fully into your work — even to the point that you’re not seeing your friends as frequently as you’d like to — and don’t have to worry about it coming at the cost of your relationship.

    11. You don’t have to feel guilty about being the most important thing in your life.

    12. In the absence of someone else’s opinion or touch or reinforcement, you can decide exactly how you feel about your own body and how you would like to improve or change it, if you’re not happy.

    13. You can engage in long moments of self-care, and not have to explain to anyone why you’re upset or why you need to be by yourself for a while.

    14. No one is going to take your solitude personally.

    15. You get to spend extended periods of time wandering around, reading, people-watching, drinking tea, and listening to the kinds of things you think about when no one is telling you what they want to do next.

    16. You can decide the things that you love about being single — the parts of you that you absolutely don’t want to disappear when you get into a relationship — and learn to set boundaries around them. You can refuse relationships that encroach on your personal time or ability to make your own choices.

    17. Because of all the time you are able to spend working on your platonic or familial relationships, you realize how essential and affirming all of these different connections can be, and how much you need to care for them when you’re back into a relationship again.

    18. You can take as much time as you need to lick your wounds from previous hurts or disappointments.

    19. All of your energy can go towards taking care of and improving yourself, from working hard on a project to learning a new language to redoing your entire apartment, and you don’t have to reserve a designated amount of time to taking care of someone else.

    20. The fear that we all live with — the fear of being alone, and that somehow denoting failure — begin to ebb as you realize that being alone can be just wonderful

     

    Culled from thoughtcatalogue.com

  • ‘Why sexual abuse is rampant’

    ‘Why sexual abuse is rampant’

    Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode the founder and Executive Director of Media Concern Initiative, explains to Blessing Olisa why sexual abuse is becoming rampant and the need for early sex education.

     

    How did you come up with the initiative, MediaConcern?

    In 2000 I was still writing for The Punch, handling the “Princess Column”. Actually, my name was the column name so I had to use my second name (Modupe Olufemi-Kayode) as the writer of the column.

    In the course of writing, I decided to do something else on women and children and I got a huge response from the adult population across the nation both on email and hard copy. A lot of adults, male and female were talking about how they were molested as children. I’m talking about people who were my age and maybe older or a little younger.

    They talked about their experiences and how they were violated multiple times by people that they knew. I always shared the responses with the public and it made me realize that we have a problem that nobody was talking about. I began to get invitations and most of the places I got invitations to thought I had a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO). I didn’t even understand what NGO meant as at that time. But eventually i got a name for what I was doing through the leading of God. At the end of the meeting, the name just popped in my head, MediaConcern for women and children. I left The Punch almost immediately after that and joined Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS).

    After two years of work with them, I felt that it was time to move on and go do what I had to do. The office was open officially in 2003 but before the name was even formed, we had been meeting and having talks with children and young people in my house. So when the name was birthed, it became more serious and consistent. Even while working with JAAIDS, I was meeting and talking with young people on sexuality issues, reproductive health and how boys needed to be as nice as they can to the female gender. I was actually working more with boys then.

     

    What is the focus of MediaConcern?

    MediaConcern focuses strictly on sexual violence response. This means responding to the issue of sexual violence both at the prevention level and in terms of providing crisis response. In case it happens, we provide support.

    How often do you receive cases of sexual abuse, either of children or adults?

    Very often. Today we can testify to receive such cases very often because we have sexual abuse everywhere. When we started, it wasn’t everywhere. You don’t open the papers and see rape as an issue. But then, working together with media partners in early stages, today we are glad that is in their face because we wanted it to come to their face because we wanted it to come to their face that there is a problem. When we were crying “it’s a wolf”, it was like “where is the wolf?” Now the wolf is saying, “I’m here”. And knowing that, you can talk to your child about sexual education at the home front. The basic part of the body should be known. There is nothing wrong with using the word penis or vagina because that is what it is called. So when the child knows that these are special areas in their bodies, I always prefer to say that all parts of their bodies are special. So you should not touch me in suggestive ways. Children should not be forced to hug or jump on people. Thank God that Yoruba culture allows you to kneel down and greet. You don’t have to hug or sit on anybody’s laps. There are a lot of things, so people begin to be very conscious. We are not saying people should be paranoid because education on sexual abuse can actually make people paranoid. There are people to trust. Not everybody is a molester, but it is not written on the molester’s face. There are people that we know and that even makes it difficult to go to court because they are people closer to us (relatives). It not only about males, but it just that we have more males on record than female. There are more reports on males molesting females than females molesting males. So it is a whole huge cycle.

    Most times, victims of sexual abuse lose their faces and become shadow of themselves. How do you help them deal with it?

    What we offer at crisis response level is a rape crisis centre model we had to develop. We call Crises Response Centre. A rape crises centre is where you run to if it happens to you. It has 24 hour help lines. Even those it has happened to prior to this time can call for counselling. They can have one-on-one counselling, talk on phone, text or do whatever is okay for them. These people don’t really want to come out because if they do, what exactly do you want to offer them? They need society to know that is it not their fault. Remember that the first set of questions to a girl or woman who was sexually molested is “What were you wearing?” “Why did you go there?” “You had a beer. Why did you drink it?” The victim is blamed. Nobody says “why did you rape her?” “Can’t you control yourself?” No one considers that. It is always the victim who gets the barrage of disrespect and disregard. We are not disregarding the people who are perpetrating this crime. It is the victim that becomes the accused. So we do trauma management counselling and long term counselling because people heal differently and some don’t heal at all. We also have victim advocates. They are people who go all the way for people who are affected and their families. We have worked more with children i.e, people below 18 years and young adults.

    Does that imply that there are more children victims?

    It implies that more families are stepping out to look for help because it is not the child that comes out for help. It is mostly the family that comes to look for help. The adults are mostly concerned with their immediate state of health, medically. There are not many adult rape cases in court that we have worked on. We have more of children cases.

    Since prevention is always better than cure, how can sexual abuse be prevented?

    Sexual abuse can be prevented by creating a great deal of awareness which is one of the things we have been doing. We have a two-fold strategy which is basically prevention and crisis response aside advocacy. Advocacy features in both. We have this two edged sword and we are educating to prevent, working with stakeholders who can be responsible to create policies and structure for prevention within the educational sector and the individual sector. We are working with the government that is supposed to be the ‘Uncle Ben’, watching over everybody. We work directly with children at the different levels and stages from kindergarten to senior secondary schools. We have not really moved to the tertiary institutions but we are hoping that those we have started working from Junior to Senior Secondary schools can move on and be advocates who will create changes as get to higher institutions because once you have been educated to know that rape shouldn’t happen and once it happens, there is something you can do, it is good education because people don’t even know what to do. People don’t know that there are things you do at home that can pre-expose your child to sexual abuse without even touching them. People think sexual abuse happens when you start touching somebody but sexual abuse can happen even without touching them but people can be molested at home without being physically touched. It’s like saying someone masturbated in front of a child or played movies that are not children friendly. That is a form of child abuse. If you then gain the knowledge that some things should not be done, you are creating an environment for prevention.

    What supports or aids do you have for people who have been sexually abused?

    We counsel them and support them to have medical assistance. We have advocated that if you are raped (especially as an adult and teenager) it is easier to have post exposure prophylaxis, a combination of anti retroviral drugs that prevent HIV infection but it can only be accessed within 72hours of the incident. We also offer emergency contraceptive (within 72 hours of the incident) to counter pregnancy. Sexual abuse is usually a long time process while rape is a onetime thing. We partner with stakeholders to bring the culprits to book. And because it is a crime, the case is not between the victim and the accused; instead, it is between the accused and the state. The victim is anonymous for most of the process until his or her testimony is needed in the court. So we guide victims and go through the processes with them. We give psychosocial support and help with their healing process, including counselling and therapy. Now we are introducing mental health equivalent which is supposed to look at the way sexual violence impacts the mental state of its victims and their families. Sexual violence affects people spiritually and emotionally and that in turn affects their mental health especially emotions. This in turn leads to depression and post traumatic stress disorder which are mental issues. It can also go on for a long time without being detected. They say “it happened to a child at four or six years, so he or she will forget.” That child does not forget and possibly remains a victim in the course of life because some other people continue to touch them. Some of them end up becoming raped or getting married to men that will batter them and that become a problem. A lot of things affect them mentally and psychology and eventually damages them. Some of them have reproductive issues, others cannot trust men, and they become ice queens or end up having issues with their sexuality and become gay.

    Do you think that the government is sincere in its struggle to end child sexual abuse?

    Few states are trying, but at federal level we still have a big issue in the response. The states that are working need to sit up and go back to the drawing board because they are creating more chaos when they think they are helping.

    There is a rising face of baby factories in Nigeria and most times teenagers are the victims what do you think is the cause of it?

    There are quite a number of suggestive factors. Research is a problem we have in our country. There is supposed to be a proper empirical research looking at the cause of this thing. However, we can say one of them is poverty. Some of these children leave home and fall for this just for a very meagre amount of money. Some of them are street children who ran away from home for some reasons. They are justifiable. You know someone can sit outside and judge someone but until you really listen to the person, you cannot understand what they are going through. Why do we have more of those homes? We are becoming a society that is accepting adoption and the structure put in place is not helpful. They need to be reviewed because the process is cumbersome and we are looking for shortcuts.  We are in a country where security is a big issue. When you have a baby there is birth certificate to show were the baby was delivered. There are data to show that you actually delivered but someone will just say I have a baby after travelling and coming back and nobody can prove it. So they just go somewhere, pay and collect the babies because it is cheaper. What they are not looking at is where the babies are from and how they are made. The issue is just like sex work. It is just an issue of demand and supply. There is a huge demand for babies and the babies need to be supplied at whatever cost. It is not always for ritual. If the process of adoption can be reviewed, I think it is possible for the practice to be stopped.

  • ‘How I combine pastoring with being a cosmetologist’

    ‘How I combine pastoring with being a cosmetologist’

    Pastor Mrs. Sola Amusu, CEO Leos Creation a cosmetology outfit, speaks to Serah Odukoya on how she became a cosmetologist and how she combines pasturing with the job of a cosmetologist

    How did you venture into cosmetology?

    Well venturing into cosmetology is to me a divine push because one minute I was what people call ‘Tom boy’ and the next I am a lady with a big passion for makeup and all and like they say looking good is good business

    What influenced this career path?

    What really influenced me was the attitude of black persons both male and female to looking good; some believe that once you show off your natural beauty without make up you look good. But I wonder why they bother to even bath, wash their teeth and all – why can’t they leave their God given natural body. Do you know that an average Nigerian lady cannot do a simple day make up and tie a simple gele, so I made up my mind meet the lack.

    Tell us about your mode of operations and what your work entails?

    My mode of operation is not a big deal, when a customer give me a call i get my tool cleaned up, have one or two of my apprentice and off we go, but as simple as that seem i work a 9am – 5pm daily job as an accountant so my job comes mostly on weekend which works for me. My work entails make up, facials, gele, nails, hair event planning.

    Did you get any formal training?

    No, I didn’t get a formal training on makeup and event planning, I am what you call a self trained artist but I learnt to tie gele from House of Tara.

    Tell us about your previous work experience?

    I have been working for myself on the side, aside from being an accountant.  And the name of my brand is Leos Makeover

    Who are your major clients?

    Major client are just every day women who wants to look good to one event or the other and majorly brides who want to look extremely gorgeous on their wedding day

    What are some of the challenges faced on the job?

    Challenges in this job so far is to keep up be on top of the game because there are trends also in this industry, it is not enough that you are a professional you must learn every day.

    What are some of the high points of your job?

    My highpoint is the transformation people who go through my hand so much that some resolve to tears and thank you over and over as if they are not paying, it really gives me joy

    How do you juggle career with family?

    I have a loving, God fearing and understanding husband who helps me with the children

    How do you combine such career paths Pastoring and Cosmetology?

    Juggling you say, but to me the two are transformational. Ps 19 says the Heavens tell of the Glory of God and the firmament is handiwork… so let our beauty tells of his glory by not just bathing but also beautiful in his presence all day so am not trying to fit it but they fit themselves.
     

  • No treatment for hearing loss- WHO

    No treatment for hearing loss- WHO

    It has been noted that any of the countries who responded to a new World Health Organization (WHO) survey lack the capacity to prevent and care for hearing loss, according to a report published on International Ear Care Day.

    WHO estimates that over 5 per cent of the world’s population – 360 million people – has disabling hearing loss. The highest prevalence is found in the Asia Pacific, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. About half of all cases of hearing loss worldwide are easily prevented or treated.

    A leading cause for hearing loss in younger ages, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is untreated ear infections, which often presents with discharge from the ear.  Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases such as rubella, meningitis, measles, or mumps can also lead to hearing loss.

    Just 32 of the 76 countries who responded have developed plans and programmes to prevent and control ear diseases and hearing loss. According to the report, many lack trained health personnel, educational facilities, data and national plans to address the needs of those living with ear and hearing problems. The information received also indicates that the gap between need and services is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa.

    “The results of this survey are a clear call to action for governments and partners to invest in hearing care especially at community and primary level,” says
    Dr Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability. “The programmes must aim to benefit all, including disadvantaged parts of the population who are least able to access hearing services.”

    Prevention and treatment of hearing loss at primary level

    Good ear care practices, such as reducing exposure to noise and avoiding insertion of objects into the ears, can prevent many from developing ear and hearing problems. A large percentage of people living with hearing loss can benefit from early identification and appropriate treatment.

    For example, screening programmes for infant hearing can minimize the impact of hearing loss on a child’s development.

    “Ear and hearing problems and the use of hearing aids are often associated with myths and misconceptions”, says Dr Shelly Chadha of the WHO unit for the Prevention of Blindness and Deafness. “National programmes should therefore not only focus on prevention and service provision but also on awareness raising.”

    The national plans that already exist in some countries can serve as a model for countries that still lack strategies to better address disabling hearing loss. However, each country needs to develop a unique plan based on its specific situation, the prevalent causes of hearing loss as well as the available health infrastructure.
     

     

  • Our amalgamation was not a mistake – Jonathan

    Our amalgamation was not a mistake – Jonathan

     Full text of speech by President Goodluck Jonathan on the occasion of Nigeria’s centenary celebrations on Wednesday, February 26, 2014

    1.            I extend warm greetings and felicitations to all Nigerians as we celebrate our nation’s centenary; a significant milestone in our journey to Nationhood.

    2.            One hundred years ago, on the 1st of January 1914, the British Colonial authorities amalgamated the Southern and Northern Protectorates, giving birth to the single geo-political entity called Nigeria which has become our home, our hope, and our heritage.

    3.            I have often expressed the conviction that our amalgamation was not a mistake. While our union may have been inspired by considerations external to our people; I have no doubt that we are destined by God Almighty to live together as one big nation, united in diversity.

    4.         I consider myself specially privileged to lead our country into its second century of existence. And as I speak with you today, I feel the full weight of our hundred-year history. But what I feel most is not frustration, it is not disillusionment. What I feel is great pride and great hope for a country that is bound to overcome the transient pains of the moment and eventually take its rightful place among the greatest nations on earth.

     

    5.         Like every country of the world, we have had our troubles. And we still do. We have fought a civil war. We have seen civil authorities overthrown by the military. We have suffered sectarian violence. And as I speak, a part of our country is still suffering from the brutal assault of terrorists and insurgents.

     

    6.            While the occasion of our centenary undoubtedly calls for celebration, it is also a moment to pause and reflect on our journey of the past one hundred years, to take stock of our past and consider the best way forward for our nation.

     

    7.         Even as we celebrate our centenary, we must realise that in the context of history, our nation is still in its infancy.

     

    8.         We are a nation of the future, not of the past and while we may have travelled for a century, we are not yet at our destination of greatness.

     

    9.         The amalgamation of 1914 was only the first step in our national journey. Unification was followed by independence and democracy which have unleashed the enormous potentials of our people and laid the foundation for our nation’s greatness.

     

    10.    In challenging times, it is easy to become pessimistic and cynical. But hope, when grounded in realism, enables and inspires progress. Therefore, as we celebrate our first century of nationhood and enter a second, we must not lose sight of all that we have achieved since 1914 in terms of nation-building, development and progress.

     

    11.    Today, we salute once again the great heroes of our nation – Herbert Macaulay, Ernest Ikoli, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alvan Ikoku, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mokwugo Okoye and Chief Michael Imoudu among others.

     

    12.    We must be inspired by our past to overcome the obstacles we face in the present and honour our forebears by realising the promise of a Nigeria that is not only independent but also truly unified, prosperous and admired the world over.

     

    13.    The history of Nigeria since independence is the story of a struggle to fulfill our great promise. The discovery of oil in our country in the late 1950s offered new hope of prosperity but we have not always been able to reap the benefits in a fair and equitable way.

     

    14.    The situation was not helped by political instability and the frequent suspension of democracy by military coups. During the civil war, the very existence of our country was cast into doubt but through it all, the promise of a Nigeria that is united, free and strong remained in our people’s hearts.

     

    15.    Thanks to the efforts of our statesmen and women, and millions of ordinary Nigerians, the union endured and flourished.  I would like to specifically commend members of the Armed Forces for their contributions and sacrifices to keep Nigeria one.

     

    16.    General Yakubu Gowon had the wisdom and grace to declare that the civil war had seen “no victor, no vanquished” and welcomed, “the dawn of national reconciliation”.

     

    17.    It was in this spirit that General Olusegun Obasanjo collected the instruments of surrender at the end of the war and later became the first military ruler in our country to hand over power voluntarily to a democratic government.

     

    18.    While the Second Republic did not last, his fine example was later followed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar who paved the way for our current democratic dispensation which has lasted longer than the previous three put together.

    19.    As we celebrate our centenary, I believe that it is vital that we focus our thoughts on the vast potentials of a unified and progressive Nigeria; and build on the relative stability of the Fourth Republic to achieve accelerated national socio-economic development.

     

    20.    I also believe that the future greatness of our country is assured by the favourable tail winds of a resilient population, ecological diversity, rich natural resources and a national consciousness that rises above our differences.

     

    21.    We are a unique country. We have been brought together in a union like no other by providence. Our nation has evolved from three regions to thirty six states and a Federal Capital Territory.

     

    22.    We have transited from the Parliamentary to a Presidential system of government. We have moved our capital from the coastal city of Lagos to Abuja, at the centre of our country.

     

    23.    Today Abuja stands as a monument to our national aspiration for greater unity; it symbolises our dream of a modern nation unhinged from primordial cleavages and designed as a melting pot of our diversity.

     

    24.    If in our first century, we could build a new capital city, we can surely build a newer, stronger, more united and prosperous Nigeria in the next century that will be an authentic African success story.

     

    25.    The whole world awaits this African success story. With our sheer size, population, history, resilience, human and natural resources and economic potentials, Nigeria is divinely ordained to lead the African Renaissance.

     

    26.    That is why I am confident that in the next 100 years, those who will celebrate Nigeria’s second centenary, will do so as a united, prosperous and politically stable nation which is truly the pride and glory of Africa and the entire black race.

    27.    The key to the fulfilment of that vision is our continued unity as a nation. Perhaps one of the most amazing stories of our political evolution in the last hundred years is that an ordinary child of ordinary parentage from a minority group has risen to occupy the highest office in our country.

    28.    As we march into the next hundred years, it is my hope that mine will no longer be an extra-ordinary story but an accepted reality of our democracy that every Nigerian child can pursue his or her dreams no matter how tall; that every Nigerian child can aspire to any position in our country, and will not be judged by the language that he speaks or by how he worships God; not by gender nor by class; but by his abilities and the power of his dreams.

    29.    I am proud and privileged to have been elected leader of Nigeria and I consider it my solemn responsibility to act in the best interest of the nation at all times.

     

    30.    Dear compatriots, in line with the thoughts of that great son of our continent, Nelson Mandela, let us not judge ourselves, and let not the world judge us by how many times we have stumbled, but by how strongly we have risen, every single time that we have faltered.

     

    31.    Even as we remain resolute in our conviction that our union is non-negotiable, we must never be afraid to embrace dialogue and strengthen the basis of this most cherished union. A strong nation is not that which shies away from those difficult questions of its existence, but that which confronts such questions, and together provides answers to them in a way that guarantees fairness, justice and equity for all stakeholders.

     

    32.    My call for the National Conference in this first year of our second century is to provide the platform to confront our challenges. I am confident that we shall rise from this conference with renewed courage and confidence to march through the next century and beyond, to overcome all obstacles on the path to the fulfilment of our globally acknowledged potential for greatness.

     

    33.    I have referred to national leaders who did so much to build our nation in the past hundred years but nation-building is not just a matter for great leaders and elites alone.

    34.    All Nigerians must be involved in this national endeavour. From the threads of our regional, ethnic and religious diversities we must continuously weave a vibrant collage of values that strengthen the Nigerian spirit.

     

    35.    The coming National Conference should not be about a few, privileged persons dictating the terms of debate but an opportunity for all Nigerians to take part in a comprehensive dialogue to further strengthen our union.

    36.    I am hopeful that the conference will not result in parochial bargaining between competing regions, ethnic, religious and other interest groups but in an objective dialogue about the way forward for our nation and how to ensure a more harmonious balance among our three tiers of government.

    37.    My dear compatriots, as we celebrate our centenary, the security situation in some of our North-Eastern States, sadly remains a major concern for us. Just yesterday, young students, full of hopes and dreams for a great future, were callously murdered as they slept in their college dormitories in Yobe State. I am deeply saddened by their deaths and that of other Nigerians at the hands of terrorists. Our hearts go out to their parents and relatives, colleagues and school authorities.

     

    38.    We will continue to do everything possible to permanently eradicate the scourge of terrorism and insurgency from our country.  We recognise that the root cause of militancy, terrorism and insurgency is not the strength of extremist ideas but corrupted values and ignorance.

     

    39.    That is why our counter-terrorism strategy is not just about enforcing law and order as we have equipped our security forces to do. It also involves expanding economic opportunities, social inclusion, education and other measures that will help restore normalcy not just in the short term, but permanently.

     

    40.    I want to reassure Nigerians that terrorism, strife and insecurity in any part of Nigeria are abhorrent and unacceptable to us. I urge leaders throughout Nigeria to ensure that ethnicity and religion are not allowed to become political issues.

     

    41.    I hope and pray that one hundred years from now, Nigerians will look back on another century of achievements during which our union was strengthened, our independence was enhanced, our democracy was entrenched and our example was followed by leaders of other nations whose ambition is to emulate the success of Nigeria; a country that met its difficulties head-on and fulfilled its promise.

     

    42.    Finally, Dear Compatriots, as we enter a second century in the life of our nation, let us rededicate ourselves to doing more to empower the youth of our country. Our common heritage and future prosperity are best protected and guaranteed by them. We must commit our full energies and resources to empowering them to achieve our collective vision of greatness in this second century of our nationhood.

     

    43.    That is the task before our country; that is the cause I have chosen to champion and I believe we will triumph.