The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Antidepressant Drug Therapy

    Brain activity, including cognition or thinking, is physically mediated through chemicals called neuro-transmitters or nerve chemicals. Such chemicals transmit information, signals, and experience. Scientists recognize that clinical depression in patients is associated with changes in certain brain chemicals. These chemicals include serotonin (also called 5-HT), norepinephrine (also called nor-adrenaline), and dopamine – that all have chemical structures known as monoamines.

    The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a group of antidepressant drugs. They were produced by a process called rational drug design. These designer drugs act by increasing the availability of serotonin at its cellular sites of action thus enhancing its neurotransmitter function. SSRIs are used to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety and personality disorders (social anxiety, panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder,and eating disorders), posttraumatic stress disorder, and chronic pain.

    SSRI drugs are widely manufactured and used in different countries all over the world showing the universality and high incidence of depression. Examples of SSRIs (with their trade names) are (from Wikipedia):

    •Citalopram (Celexa, Cipramil, Cipram, Dalsan, Recital, Emocal, Sepram, Seropram, Citox, Cital)

    •Dapoxetine (Priligy)

    •Escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex, Seroplex, Esertia)

    •Fluoxetine (Depex, Prozac, Fontex, Seromex, Seronil, Sarafem, Ladose, Motivest, Flutop, Fluctin (EUR), Fluox (NZ), Depress (UZB), Lovan (AUS), Prodep (IND))

    •Fluvoxamine (Luvox, Fevarin, Faverin, Dumyrox, Favoxil, Movox, Floxyfral)

    •Paroxetine (Paxil, Seroxat, Sereupin, Aropax, Deroxat, Divarius, Rexetin, Xetanor, Paroxat, Loxamine, Deparoc)

    •Sertraline (Zoloft, Lustral, Serlain, Asentra, Tresleen)

    It takes about 6-8 weeks of treatment for the body to adjust to SSRIs and for the antidepressant drug action to have full effect. During the first 1-4 weeks adaptation phase various side effects may be observed – from head ache, nausea and vomiting to strange dreams, tremors, mania, and suicidal ideation, depending on the particular drug being used and the individual patient that is being treated.

    Suicidal behaviour may be seen in children or adolescents given such drugs therefore they are very risky if used for MDD in this age group.

    Many of SSRI side effects disappear by the 6th week. Sexual dysfunction is a major problem caused by SSRIs during long term use in about a third of patients and this side effect is seen after the adaptation phase and can last long after the drug is discontinued or may become permanent (this is called post SSRI sexual dysfunction). The affected patients may manifest loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, or anorgasmia (no orgasm). Couples need to be aware of this.

    Increased risk of bleeding is another side effect of SSRIs. Antidepressants are strictly controlled drugs and you should never try to obtain them without a doctor’s prescription and expert monitoring of the effects on you.

    If a pregnant woman needs to take an antidepressant, she must know that: “SSRI use during pregnancy is associated with an increased rate of miscarriages, birth defects, persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn, newborn behavioral syndrome, and possibly long term behavioral problems. The risk of spontaneous abortion is increased about 1.7 fold” (Wikipedia). Also, the drug taken by the mother reaches the baby in the womb and the baby could be born with neonatal abstinence syndrome , a withdrawal syndrome caused by the baby missing the drug, just as happens to drug addicts when they cannot have their drug.

    Antidepressants can produce dangerous effects when used together with other drugs or certain food components such as alcohol. SSRI drugs affect the liver enzymes that degrade various drugs leading to toxic effects of those drugs. You should discuss your diet and existing drug use with your doctor before startingantidepressant drugs. Because of the possibility of side effects, antidepressant drug treatment begins with small doses of a chosen antidepressant drug which may be increased safely or the patient is switched to another drug (trial-and-error approach).

    The medical history of antidepressant drug use indicates more harm than good. This is possibly because of some inappropriate use of these drugs in the initial two decades of their introduction into clinical practice. Many depression cases that could have been resolved by psychotherapy and other means were too quickly resorted to drug use. The ease of conviction of the general populace through aggressive or clever advertising shot the drugs into unparalleled popularity. Ignorant demand by patients took over rational prescribing by doctors.

    Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please Email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910

     

  • How to prevent infidelity

    Just because you’re married now does not mean you’re going to stop feeling attracted to other people – or jealous when your spouse’s eye wanders. The important thing is how you and your spouse handle your attractions and jealousyand what you do to prevent infidelity in your marriage.

    Although researchers have a hard time getting people to be honest about infidelity and extramarital affairs, studies have shown that about 25 percent of men and 10 to 15 percent of women report having had sex with someone other than their spouse, according to healthymarriageinfo.org. There have also been separate reports indicating that most infidelity – and divorce – happens before a couple’s seventh wedding anniversary. Whether that’s true or not is difficult to prove. What is certain is that infidelity is among the leading causes of divorce. And newlyweds should take the necessary steps to protect their marriage and prevent infidelity. Here is what you can do to affair-proof your marriage:

    Make your marriage your top priority

    Making your marriage your top priority means that your spouse comes before everyone else. Friends and family are important, too, but they should not interfere with your relationship. In other words, if your friend just split up with her boyfriend of two months and wants to hang out with you, but you had plans with your husband, you should tell your friend that you’ll have to talk at some other time. If you’ve spent the last week working late and spending more time with your colleagues at work than you have with your spouse, carve out some family time, shut off your cell phone and computer, and make the most of the moments, hour, day, whatever you could get for your love. Make decisions together and put the needs of your spouse and you above all others.

    Set boundaries

    Some people are naturally friendly and/or flirtatious, and this can get them into trouble when they marry. Certain behaviour might give others the wrong ideas about your relationship with them, which can cause awkward situations. The last thing a married person should want to do is send signals to others that he or she is available or interested in a romantic relationship. Become aware of your behaviour and change it. Keep working relationships professional, for example, by limiting conversations to work and small talk. Inappropriate behaviours like touching or revealing intimate details of your marriage or sex life should never happen with others, especially those at work. Those kinds of conversations should be reserved for your spouse. You risk stepping over the line when you start sharing intimate thoughts or personal feelings with someone who is not your spouse. Keep in mind that this is true also of strangers you meet on the Internet and not just colleagues or friends you know in your offline life. Your spouse should be the person with whom you share your personal life.

    Do not keep secrets from your spouse.

    Short of that surprise party you’re planning for your spouse, you should be able to tell him or her anything and everything. If you feel as though you have to lie about where you’ve been, who you’ve been with, or what you’ve been doing, then you know you have stepped over the line into betrayal.

     

  • Nigeria’s Seven Natural Wonders

    Nigeria’s Seven Natural Wonders

    That Nigeria is blessed with rich tourism endowments is a trite saying within the tourism circle. The efforts to market promote and develop Nigeria’s tourism for both local and in-bound tourists to visit are predicated on the knowledge that the Nigeria’s tourism assets would not fail to fascinate and entice any designing tourist.

    Despite this, packaging these tourist endowments into a product that could be sold to both local and in-bound tourists has always been a problem. Although this ordinarily ought to rest squarely on the shoulders of both the tourism ministry and its ancillary agencies, this is currently being done through a private sector initiative. These efforts are spearheaded by Ikechi Ukoh, the publisher of the African Travel Quarterly (ATQ), a print and online publication solely devoted to tourism and travel trade. The group also organizes the foremost West African travel market, Akwaaba and the Bantaba in Abuja. The Bantaba, a one-day speed-dating travel event will hold on July 7 and on that day, Nigeria’s Seven Natural Wonders will be officially revealed. Last year, the Nigeria’s Seven Man-made wonders were unveiled by the same group after a painstaking search. Now, Nigeria can now boast of both Seven Wonders (man-made) and another set of wonders that are natural. So, which tourist attractions made the Naija Seven Natura Wonders? Below is the full list:

     

    Ikogosi Warm Spring

    Ekiti State, the home of Ikogosi Warm Spring, is blessed with some of the most picturesque country side views made up of huge dense forest and undulating hills. It is within tourism friendly ambience we find the Ikogosi Warm Spring . It is a unique natural phenomenon where warm water pushes out from the belly of the ground, and flows down a small hill. A little further from where the warm water springs out, there is also a spot where the cold water is gushing out. Side by side with the warm water, the water flows down foaming a small stream in the process.

    According to experts, it is a geological wonder to have such occurrence out of the same rock formation and this Ekiti flagship tourist destination is said to be the only one of its kind discovered anywhere in the world. The warm and cold springs of Ikogosi originate from a close proximity, come to a meeting point and flow onward together with each spring retaining its thermal identity. It represents another uniqueness and is the first of such occurrence in the world. The warm spring has a temperature of up to 70oC at the source and 37oC after meeting the cold spring. The meeting point of the warm and cold springs is a unique attraction to tourists.

     

    Ogbunike Cave

    Ogbunike Caves in the Oyi Council Area of Anambra State, according to the tradition of the people, was discovered by a hunter called Ukwa. It is situated in Ogba Hills in Ogbunike. The main cave consists of a massive structure with a big open chamber of about 5m high, 10m wide and 30m long at the entrance. There are many tunnels at the main chamber, leading to different directions. Within the tunnels are big chambers and other tunnels of varying lengths, some of which are interconnected. The caves are occupied by a large colony of bats of various sizes. There are streams and body of water at various places. A stream flows out from one of the tunnels into a rapid flowing river.

    The immediate environment of the caves up to about 200 metres radius is a thick tropical rainforest type of vegetation. Among the fauna of the site are deer, antelope, grass cutter, porcupine, rabbit, alligator, snakes and frogs. Others are fish, crabs and birds.

     

    Mambilla Plateau

    The Mambilla Plateau is one attraction in Nigeria that the magnificence leaves one in search adequate words to capture. Having experienced the beauty of the place, there is always the desire for a second visit. Where does one start in capturing the place? Is it the sheer immensity of the rock formation or the twists and turns as one drives to the top the Plateau.

    Climbing the hill is not for the faint-hearted because of the twists and turns as the road meandered upward. But a trip to Mambilla without this experience would not be complete. It is just like being suspended on the sky, held only by a tread tied to one’s ankle, looking down on valley, one could just come crashing down on deep, sharp valley.

    The first point of call is Hawa Biu Da Sisi, meaning two and half shilling hill, the tour guides explained that in the olden days before the road was carved out of the rock, there were load carriers who normally carried loads from the bottom of the plateau to the top. A trip normally takes two weeks from the foot to the top of the hill. The cost par trip is initially two shillings, but having negotiated that amount, on getting to the steep sharp corner, the load carriers would demand for an extra half a shilling, hence the name.

    The first corner is Kwanan Gomna said to be the point where the former Governor of Northern Nigeria, Sir Kassim Ibrahim, reached before deciding to go back.

    Other key points are Tungar Gorah, Kwanan Drum, Tungar Ahmedu. Tungar Ahmadu is close to the top of the hill. This point was said to be the point where the former premier of the North, Sir Ahmadu Bello, decided to reach before deciding to go back. According to the indigenes of Gembu, it was in recognition of the effort of Sir Ahmadu Bello that the whole of the local government area was named Sardauna council area, in honour of the former premier who was also the Sardauna of Sokoto.

    One of the signs that one was getting to the top of the mountain range is the cooler nature of the weather and then the presence of well-fed cattle who lazily shamble along the treacherous road unmindful of coming vehicles. A vehicle has to horn repeatedly before the cattle will leave the road. Gradually the climbing ended and what one could see was a stretch of prowling ranches and undulating ranges of hills. However, before entering the town, one stopped at a sprin1g stream that a pip has been places at the mouth to channel the water out. The tour guides explained that every visitor coming to the town is expected to drink form the water before proceeding. The water was cold and refreshing, just what is expected of a spring water.

    The tragedy of Mambilla Plateau is that successive governments both at the state and federal levels are yet to come up with the idea of how this endowment will benefit mankind.

     

    Yankari Game

    Reserve

    Situated in Bauchi State, Yankari National Park is one of the most endowed wildlife parks in the country. The park is said to contain the largest surviving elephant population in Nigeria, and one of the largest remaining in West Africa. Estimated at 350 individuals, this population of elephants is perhaps the only viable population remaining in Nigeria. In addition, Yankari Game Reserve also supports important populations of lion, buffalo, hippo, roan and hartebeest. The reserve covers a total area of 2,244 km² and is covered mainly by Sudan savanna vegetation. Originally created as a game reserve in 1956, Yankari was upgraded to a national park in 1991 and managed by the National Parks Service until 2006 when responsibility for the management of the reserve was handed back to Bauchi State Government. Yankari is a popular tourism destination in the country.

     

    Owu Waterfall

    Owu Fall is found in Owakajola in the Ifelodun Council Area of Kwara State. It is very high and spectacular. The waterfall is 120m above water level and cascades 330 feet down an escarpment with rocky out crops to a pool of ice cold water below. The water fall is surrounded with a beautiful natural ambience and hills which make sightseeing a memorable experience. It has a cold beautiful rocky part and walkways and evergreen surrounding.

     

    Confluence of River Niger and Benue

    Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State has both historical and eco-tourist endowments. Chief among these is the Confluence of River Niger and Benue. It is the point in which nature makes a Y-shape division of Nigeria into three natural regions and the process creating masterpiece of nature.

    However, the confluence is just about the touristic value, the water serves as a major link before the North and South . It is, therefore, not a surprise the town played a major role in the history of Nigeria. From being a major milestone for adventurous colonialists to serving as both an administrative and military outpost for the colonialists. Some of these relics of past exploits that the city have witnessed are still there.

     

    Farin Ruwa Fall

    The waterfall is located in the Wamba Council Area of Nasarawa State. From Wamba , there is hardly any vehicle plying the route to the fall due to the terrible nature of the road. The best option is to charter a commercial motorcyclist. From Wamba, one could get a cyclist to take one for between N800 and N1000. Heading towards the fall, one could take the Maraba route or Sisibaki. However, for a better view of nature, detouring through the Maraba route is best.

    The road is a little isolated. Only one or two farmers could be seen coming back from their farms. Along this route is a rather simple bridge built with wood. That might just be the obstacle to those who may be making the trip in their own car. Although the width of the bridge is relatively safe, it could be scary since there is no safety rail by the sides, and the river below is quite active. After that one would then burst on the main untarred road, passing through villages like Marhai, Mama and Kulere.

    The Wamba landscape is wonderful, especially in this rainy season that the surrounding is lush with green plants. This is accentuated by the rolling hilly landscape. From more than 10 kilometres, one could see the Farin Ruwa Fall like a white gash on a dark background. There is this tendency to be deluded by the sight of the fall from such a distance to believe that it is just behind the next tree. But one had to ride through bumps, slippery surfaces, waterlogged road. And this is actually the tragedy of such a beautiful gift of nature.

    The Farin Ruwa Waterfall environment is an alluring area. The vegetation is more of forest than savanna, the common vegetation in the north. Added to that is that the land is fertile as could be seen in lush crops on the farms.

    There are so many things to draw one to the place. The rocky landscape is ethereal. On the area where the fall gushes out, on this particular day, there is snowy top as if a steam is coming out of the rocks.

     

  • Abayomi Akinruntan’s latest moves

    Abayomi Akinruntan’s latest moves

    The last few years have witnessed tremendous progress in the hospitality industry. But only forward-looking individuals and organisations can cash in on this rapidly developing market. De’Ark Beach Bar &Resort is one of the relaxation outfits that have distinguished themselves in terms of their contributions to this evolution.

    Prince Abayomi Akinruntan, son of the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Ondo State and chairman of Obat Oil, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, leveraged on this to create this platform about a year ago. De’Ark Beach Bar &Resort, fondly referred to as De’Lounge, is a fun temple that exceeds the usual combination of shacks and furniture. It is tastefully built and fortified with state of the art facilities and relaxation props.

    With a bar that stocks the best of drinks to wash down the different delicacies on offer, it enjoys the reputation of detailed attention clients in the VVIP, VIP, standard and regular categories.

  • Delta tackles kidnappers

    I know kidnapping won’t stop like that. But as the government has started crushing their dens, anyone that allows his house to be used for kidnapping activities knows the house will be demolished

    THERESA did not imagine what would befall her as she drove her grey coloured Honda CRV around Aladja, Delta State, early this year. In a twinkle of an eye, she was abducted by a gang that swooped on her. And save for the timely interception of a team of anti-crime patrol duty policemen from the Abraka Division, her family and friends would have had to look for ransom to set her free.

    Following a radio message from the police control, the police were able to prevent the kidnap. Such was not the case for many kidnap victims in the state.

    Had the kidnappers been successful, they would have opened a channel of communication, usually by the mobile telephone, with a victim’s loved one. Bargaining, logistics, grief, pains, fear, and exchange of money would follow.

    While kidnapping has become a plague in the country, the situation in Delta State has become very worrisome. In a recent statement by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, 139 armed robbers and kidnappers were arrested between January and April 2013, while 29 were killed in action. And while 36 kidnapped victims were rescued by the Delta State Police Command, a lot more kidnap victims met other fate.

    Notoriously known as the state with the highest number of kidnappings, the fear of kidnapping is very rife in Delta State. Company executives, top government officials and all rich men go about with armed security guards. They are prime targets.

    “A lot of people are being kidnapped every day,” said George (not real name). “The kidnappers can catch anybody and when they demand for ransom, what goes on is like bargaining. I know someone that when he was kidnapped, the kidnappers asked for five million naira. At the end of the day, when the person’s family couldn’t raise that sum, they collected N200, 000 and freed him.”

    And one place fingered as harbouring the majority of the kidnappers is Urhoboland. According to a victim who was kidnapped on the outskirts of Benin City in Edo State, he could hear the people in the village where he was kept conversing in Urhobo. “I heard the elders discuss; I heard children talk as they passed and walked to school. I cannot speak the language, but I recognise, it very well.” she said.

    Onoriode Sunday Eromedoghene, the chairman of the Ethiope-East Local Government Area, where Kokori is situated, confirmed this trend. “It is true that the state of kidnapping is alarming,” he said. “But, the traditional rulers are in the best position to talk about it.”

    Perhaps, it is to acknowledge the fact that these kidnappers are not ghosts that informed the decision of the administration of Governor Emmanual Uduaghan not to hand over a staff of office to a newly installed monarch in the state till his community is able to hand over Kelvin Oniarah. Oniarah is said to be the suspected kingpin of the kidnappers. Though, they said he rarely comes around the town, he is reputed to possess spiritual powers from a shrine to make him ‘disappear.’ According to a statement from the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, Kokori, a town in Ethiope-East Local Government Area, harbours Kelvin Oniarah, the most wanted suspected kidnapper. The fair-skinned 25-year old man is said to head a notorious gang responsible for over 30 kidnapping and robbery operations across the state. So notorious is he that the Delta State Police Command has declared Kelvin, as he is popularly called, wanted. But Kelvin remains at large.

    Currently, along many roads in the hinterlands, it is not strange to find security posts manned by fierce-looking army personnel and mobile policemen. Cars are inspected and okada (commercial motorcycles) have been banned from operating in Kokori, Isiokolo, Okpara, Eku and Abraka – towns in the Ethiope-East Local Government Area. The commercial motorcycles had earlier been banned in Asaba, the state capital, and Warri. And in a bid to crush the kidnappers, the Delta State Police Command with the backing of the Delta State government, has been demolishing identified operational bases where kidnappers keep innocent citizens. So far, about seven buildings have been destroyed. Kelvin’s father’s house was among those destroyed.

    A house was demolished at Orogun where the Accountant of the Delta State University, Abraka was held; another one at Ozoro where Major Gen. Peter Onode (rtd) was held was demolished; a house at Kokori and another one in Warri, where a female victim was held, were also pulled down.

    While a section of people in these communities adores these kingpins and sees them as messiahs because of the cash they dole out regularly, another section dreads them. Either way, members of these communities do not squeal, either from being beneficiaries of the kidnappers’ largesse or from fear. According to a resident of Samagidi, a town close to Kokori, who would not reveal his name, anyone that loves his life dare not report them. “You just look and go on your own,” he said. “They have informants everywhere. Anytime, security vans or strange people enter the community, they have people who inform them. And they are always never caught. But, people around here know them.”

    And while for many people, the fear of kidnappers is potent, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Lucky Uyabeme, believes that the tide of kidnapping is on the decrease.

    But there is still a disturbing case. That is the matter of Dr. Mercy Mukoubia, a lecturer in the Science Education Department of the Delta State University, Abraka. Kidnapped from her bedroom in Obiaruku in April, she has not been seen since then. An attempt to rescue her after a N1.2 million ransom was dropped at Ozoro was botched. An accomplice was shot and others were arrested. Uyabeme says the case “is something of a mystery.”

    And three weeks ago, the wife of the traditional ruler of Ughelli Kingdom, was kidnapped when she went to register for her courses at the Delta State University, Abraka. She was rescued by the police who also demolished the building where she was kept. The Delta State University administration is worried over this trend as lecturers and their relations have become targets.

    In May, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abraka branch, Dr. Emmanuel Mordi, complained to the Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, that at least 20 lecturers and their relations had been kidnapped in the last two years.

    A retired staff of the Delta State University, Abraka believes that the government’s move to destroy any building used as a kidnappers’ base would serve as deterrence.

    He said: “I know kidnapping won’t stop like that. But as the government has started crushing their dens, anyone that allows his house to be used for kidnapping activities knows the house will be demolished.”

    As the war goes on, it is no doubt that the state government together with the security personnel are determined to flush out criminals. This move of demolishing kidnappers’ dens has recently been adopted by the Edo State government.

  • A governor’s craving for Saheed Osupa

    When you walk into the office of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Executive Governor of the State of Osun (as he loves to be addressed), chances are that you would meet him attending one meeting or the other with stakeholders in the state; or his head buried in a mountain of files that are jostling for his attention; or his bespectacled eyes fixed on his personal computer; or he is listening to the fuji music of Saheed Osupa after a hard-day’s job.

    While Ogbeni Aregbesola is known to admire a broad spectrum of music, the governor’s love for Saheed Osupa is said to be legendary; so much so that he sings along whenever he hears the music of the fuji artiste. If the information coming from the fuji music circle is anything to go by, the former Commissioner for Works in Lagos State during the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu tenure as governor, will have much more of the talented musician’s songs to sing in the coming days.

    A reliable source close to the award-winning musician says he is in the studio waxing an album in celebration of the Ogbeni’s exploits as governor of the Living Spring. Reminiscent of the album he did for Governor Babatunde Fashola in the run up to the 2011 governorship elections, in which he eulogised the governor’s achievements in his first term and also campaigned for his second term,

    Osupa is reportedly set to release a full album for Aregbesola’s re-election bid, while he will also be dropping a promotional tape on ‘Opon Imo’ (tablet of knowledge); Aregbesola’s recent initiative geared towards improving the educational standard of Osun State and promoting computer literacy among students and teachers in the state.

  • Omasan Buwa not in a hurry

    That Omasan Buwa, ex-beauty queen and former London-based BEN TV presenter, is doing well is like stating the obvious. Since she was appointed as a special adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, things have been going on well for her. The position has afforded the England-trained lawyer to access some perks of office.

    Yet, people who are really in the know say her happiness has nothing to do with the perks of her new office. It also does not have to do with being single again after divorcing her husband of 13 years. Rather, her cheery posture has got to do with the fulfillment she is deriving from putting smiles on the faces of the less-privileged who form the central focus of her official appointment and in whom she has found unusual companionship.

    The mother of three came into national consciousness after winning the second edition of the much coveted Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria crown in 1987. She later represented Nigeria at the Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Intercontinental competitions.

    Apart from starring in the short-lived soap opera, Memories, presenting a segment on the television show, Morning Ride, and becoming a tabloid favourite, Omasan briefly owned a restaurant named Jazz Bar in Lagos. She is single now and does not seem to see herself living under the same roof with any man at the moment.

  • When will Africa’s time come? (2)

    Sometimes, I wonder what kind of spirit drives some people who claim to be ‘leaders’ of their communities and societies to be so heartless to the same people they claim to lead. It must be an evil spirit indeed. We know every leader cannot be like Nelson Mandela, one of the most selfless and venerated leaders the world has ever seen. But a little bit of human feeling and empathy for the people should not come amiss.

    That is something the 21st century Africa expects, no, demands from those who are leading it or aspire to. Some of our forefathers of old who connived with the white slave traders centuries ago to sell off our people who were in their prime, could be excused for their ignorance and misplaced greed. The same cannot be said of the so-called ‘big men’ of today; especially those in political positions whose decisions impact on the lives of millions. The stakes are much higher now than before as the continent continues to lag behind the rest of the world, wearing its ‘basket case tag’ like a trophy.

    We need to ask ourselves why beautiful Africa, the most resource rich continent in the world is so helpless and deprived and relies on hand-outs from the West to survive. This question is more apt today as a new world order is emerging. This order is seeing economic power shifting from the Western world that had been enjoying economic boom and world dominance for centuries, to a different zone: the South particularly Asian countries.

    These countries and other emerging markets have acquired Western technology (either by buying, stealing or other means) and are now producers rather than consumers of Western products. The West, hitherto the world’s supplier of goods, hardly produces anything anymore. I remember as a child that most of the gadgets and personal items like electronics, clothes even imported tinned foods we used at home, were either made in England, Germany or the U.S. But go to the U.K today and visit any of their shops. Nearly all the products there are either made in China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia or other Asian countries.

    Any surprise then that many Western, so-called developed countries are stone broke? The U.S is indebted to the tune of about 16 trillion dollars and the U.K over a trillion pounds. Many E.U countries such as Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus have had to be bailed out to avoid economic collapse. In Greece, families there are having to put their children into orphanages because they can’t afford to feed them. It’s that bad.

    The Asians have wised up and are beating the West at their own game. So where is Africa in this new world order, that is seeing a power shift from the West to other parts of the world? No where to be found except when it comes to corruption, wars and disease!

    While the Asians especially the Chinese, who have become the ‘factory of the world’, are using their new technological prowess to advance their economies, develop their infrastructure and improve the quality of life of their people, many African leaders and others in decision-making positions (who have replaced the white slave masters of old and their black collaborators) behave as if there’s nothing at stake. They continue to loot their people’s resources which they cart abroad, leaving the people in poverty.

    Here’s a word for these treasury looters: stealing your people’s money and siphoning same abroad is so ‘old school and 19th century mentality’, you are beginning to look like buffoons before the rest of the world. It’s time to wake up and join the rest of the world in this century. Remember, the same thing happened to the people of Europe and America in the past, where their wealthy and ruling class woke up one day and realized that they could not sleep well at night or enjoy their wealth in peace when the teeming poor around them were kept awake at night by hunger and deprivation. It was then they conceived policies that would turn around their societies to become the ‘advanced’, developed places they are today.

    The Asians, having realised that change within their societies can only come about through their own efforts, have woken up and ‘smelt the coffee.’

    It’s Africa’s time to do the same. Our ‘basket case’ days have lasted too long.

    •Concluded

  • Ebube’s Top 10

    Sexy Nollywood actress, Ebube Nwagbo, reveals her favourite things to Kehinde Oluleye .

     

    Favourite bag designer

    Prada

     

    Favourite shoes designer

    Giuseppe Zanotti

     

    Favourite watch designer

    Patek Phillipe

     

    Favourite Nigerian designer

    Tiffany Amber

     

    Favourite book read lately

    Become a better you, by Joel Osteen

     

    Favourite perfume

    Boadecia the Victorious. It’s a London-based luxury brand of perfume. It’s exquisite!

     

    Favourite skirt

    Short skirt.

     

    Favourite TVprogramme

    Fashion Police with Joan Rivers. It’s hilarious

     

    Favourite quote

    …‘Work Hard, Ball Hard’.

     

    Favourite car

    The G Guard. It’s the latest

    G.wagon jeep by Mercedes.

  • Get corset sexy

    Get corset sexy

    CORSET has been under the radar for a while, but the corset top has made a big comeback.

    This time, the look is slightly less formal and the fabric choices more unusual than in the past.

    Very versatile, corset dresses add curves to a thin figure and structure to fuller figures whether as top or gowns {dress}, it can be worn to any kind of special occasion. This stunning curving dress with revealing upper part also creates a feminine and romantic feel.

    There are two basic types of corset dresses, the dress with a built-in corset {gowns}or a separate corset top pair with a skirt or pants. They also flatten the tummy. Some come with tiny adjustable strap while the majority are armless.

    Most corsets give the torso a slim look and lift the bust line. They are designed for full-figured women who are well endowed. Corset is normally lined, and moderately padded for added shape.

    Corsets are also used as bridal dresses. Corsets make lovely bridal dresses when worn appropriately and moderately. They are now so popular that today’s bride can’t do without them. It is the official bridal design. Not only are they a fabulous bridal dress but are extremely popular for both day and evening events.

    Are you in need of a special garment for that special occasion? Then the romantic and sexy tube dress is just right for you!