The Nation Newspaper

Category: Special Report

  • Window of oppotunities beckons in Brampton

    Window of oppotunities beckons in Brampton

    At an interactive session with about 300 young entrepreneurs in Lagos, a window of opportunities was thrown open for young Nigerians and start-ups in food production, manufacturing cyber security, real estate and food and beverages, among others. It was thrown open by the Mayor of Brampton City, who led a Canadian delegation on a three day working visit to Nigeria. He was at the event, reports MUYIWA LUCAS.

    Are you a young entrepreneur or a start-up in manufacturing, technology, cybersecurity and real estate? Are you interested in business opportunities outside the shores of Nigeria? Look no further! A window of opportunities has been thrown open for you in Canada – Brampton City – by no other than its Mayor.

    The Mayor, Patrick Brown, who led a Canadian delegation on a three-day working visit to Nigeria, made the offer at an interactive session with about 300 young Nigerian entrepreneurs in Lagos.

    The event was organised by Pertinence Group, an indigenous firm interested in youth empowerment, business development, real estate, and several other portfolios. It was in partnership with Upsurgence Canada and supported by the Nigerian Canadian Investment and Trade Group. Venue was the Terra Kulture Hall on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Brown told the young entrepreneurs that there were vast opportunities in manufacturing, technology, cybersecurity and food and beverages, among others, waiting to be explored “in one of the fastest growing business communities in Canada – Brampton City.” He urged them to come and invest as  his city wanted to be part of Nigeria’s success story.

    His words: “Brampton wants to be part of the Nigeria’s success story. We hope to do business with Nigerians, as there are opportunities for Nigeria to be greater than imagined. This is my second coming to the country; first time was during the Commonwealth meeting; I was part of the Canadian delegation. I remember saying that Nigeria is a beautiful country. You can’t come to Nigeria once and not want to come back.”

    According to the Mayor, the large population of enterprising youths in Nigeria is similar to Brampton’s. The youth, he said, make Brampton the fastest growing city in Canada just as it is happening currently in Nigeria.

    “We see ourselves as the same. We respect each other, our neighbours. It doesn’t matter where you’re born, the colour of your skin, once you have the determination to succeed, Canada will give you the opportunity. Brampton provides everyone an equal opportunity to succeed; no discrimination of any form,” he said.

    He further charged young Nigerians in business to see Brampton as a city ever willing to accommodate them. “If you’re in Lagos looking for how to get opportunities to scale up your business, Brampton is the place to go. I believe in those who say the next frontier for entrepreneurial success is Africa,” Brown stated, acknowledging the determination of many young Nigerian entrepreneurs to remain in business, despite the harsh economic situation in the country.

    While the offer may seem like a blank cheque, preference will be given to start-ups in manufacturing, technology, especially in cybersecurity as well as food and beverages. This is because Brampton City’s focus is on jobs for tomorrow – windows for technology.

    Brown said the city recently welcomed 15 tech start-ups from India in recognition of the technological growth of start-ups in the country.

    “The Canadian prime minister just announced that Brampton will be the centre of cybersecurity. Our city is investing heavily in cybersecurity. This is a sector worth $600 billion. We focus on tech start-ups. These are businesses of tomorrow,” Brown said.

    He noted that the feats being recorded by Nigerians in the global space were not unnoticed, stressing that it was the dividend of such  feats that seem to be rubbing off on others in the country.

    Similarly, Brampton City Councillor Charmaine William urged women to strive to excel in whatever discipline they had chosen.

    William admonished the over 300 young Nigerian entrepreneurs that gathered inside the hall not to let anyone discourage them from actualising their dreams, adding that once they have a vision or dream, they should follow it with passion.

    A co-founder of Pertinence Group, the promoters of the visit and interactive session, Sunday Olorunsheyi, described Nigeria as a land of opportunities, noting that to maximise the opportunities, young entrepreneurs needed help.

    This, he explained, prompted his firm to invite the Mayor of Brampton and his team, whom he described as a youth advocate, to come and encourage Nigerian youths in business.

    “Mayor Brown understands you; he appreciates the challenges which the youth face. He understands what you go through, your frustrations, your aspirations, your yearnings and your dreams. This is why he is here today to enlighten you about opportunities you can access in the City of Brampton, Canada. We have explored the various opportunities which the City of Brampton can facilitate for Nigerian youths and entrepreneurs, and I can tell you, they are many,” Olorunsheyi said.

    Another co-founder and Executive Director of Pertinence Group, Wisdom Ezekiel, said the firm was an embodiment of entrepreneurship, and would continue to advocate that entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and those they inspire define the future of Nigeria’s transformation. He called on the government to prioritise the youth and entrepreneurs.

    “May I also use this opportunity to challenge Nigerian businesses to continue to invest in an enabling ecosystem that encourages youths and entrepreneurship development at whatever level. From scholarships to reality shows and contests. SMEs have always been the lifeblood of capitalist economies; Nigeria is not different,” Ezekiel said.

    Brown and his delegation visited Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu where they discussed ways to collaborate using technology. Sanwo-Olu informed the team that leveraging technology would facilitate the ease of doing business in the state.

    Sanwo-Olu, while commending the efforts made by the Mayor to accelerate development in Brampton, said the city shared a similar history with Lagos as both had grown over the decades to become the hubs of commerce and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He said Lagos would seek bilateral cooperation with the political leadership of the Canadian city in cybersecurity, food security and technology, among others.

    According to him, the state has embarked on intensive infrastructural programme to make Lagos more attractive to people in the Diaspora to invest in. “All these efforts will sustain the position of Lagos as the first destination for business and keep our economy growing at a steady pace. Lagos is the technology hub in sub-Saharan Africa and there are many collaborations we can seal with Brampton in the area of cybersecurity,” he said.

    Responding, Brown described Nigerians living in Brampton as “resilient people”, saying their influence on the city’s economy and culture contributed to its economic prosperity and social development. He said because of the resilience of Nigerians in Canada, the country decided to focus on Nigeria for possible areas of collaboration.

    He also met with the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II at his Palace in Ile-Ife. The visit was aimed at celebrating and refreshing Nigeria’s brand as the African business and cultural leader and the age-long relationship between Brampton and Diaspora Nigerians.

    It will be recalled that Brown and his Council last August 12 hosted Ooni Ogunwusi to a reception at the Brampton City Hall in Ontario, Canada. The monarch at the event proclaimed Brampton as the African city of Canada with Nigerian national flag hoisted in front of Brampton City beside the Canadian and Brampton flags in honour of the king.

  • COVID-19: How hand sanitiser dealers swindle customers

    COVID-19: How hand sanitiser dealers swindle customers

    As hand sanitisers are said to be antidotes to the Coronavirus outbreak, CHINAKA OKORO writes that some greedy businessmen have cashed in on the unfortunate situation to exploit Nigerians.

    Some acquisitive Nigerian businessmen, especially those who deal on hand sanitisers are making brisk business out of the outbreak of Coronavirus; an unfortunate situation for which they should be sympathetic for their fellow men.

    Since the outbreak of the virus in the twilight of last year and following Federal Government’s directive that people should resort to the use of hand sanitisers as antidotes to the virus, dealers on the product have hiked the prices of the product.

    In most cases, they hoard the item thereby creating artificial scarcity in order to increase their prices. Through this, they make much money while the poor groan.

    It is unfortunate that most Nigerians exploit their kith and kin when they are in a perturbing situation. Because of the health challenge that the country is facing in terms of the Coronavirus, sellers of hand sanitisers have increased the prices of the product, thereby making it impossible for the poor in Nigeria to purchase the product which will help them to remain safe.

    When countries the world over seemed to have become less apprehensive from deadly viruses such as HIV and Ebola that have been ravaging humanity, they become more disconcerted by a new and equally more noxious one.

    At the twilight of 2019, the world was petrified by a new virus called Coronavirus that broke out in Wuhan, one of the Chinese cities.

    Medical experts described it as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) while the disease associated with it is referred to as COVID-19. It is a type of common virus that infects humans, typically leading to an upper respiratory infection (URI.)

    Out of the seven different types of human coronaviruses that have been identified, Medics say most people will be infected with at least one type of it in their lifetime.

    They maintain that the viruses are spread through the air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, touching an object or surface contaminated with the virus and rarely, by faecal contamination. The illness caused by most coronaviruses usually lasts a short time and is characterised by runny nose, sore throat, feeling unwell, cough and fever.

    As it was during the Ebola outbreak on July 20, 2014 when people were advised to use hand sanitisers, so it is now when it is the turn of Coronavirus. People have been advised to maintain personal hygiene and to use hand sanitisers.

    Previous experience

    During the Ebola outbreak of 2014, traders who deal on hand sanitisers and face masks made brisk businesses and huge gains. Prices of these products, especially hand sanitisers skyrocketed.

    To make more gains, some of the traders hoarded the products and the prices rose by upwards of 200 per cent. Immediately it was announced that hand sanitisers are antidotes to the virus, owners of pharmaceutical stores, supermarkets and cosmetics stores began to exploit the situation, as they increase the prices of face masks and hand sanitisers between 140 per cent and 250 per cent.

    At present, some of them have run out of stock of the items as the demand for the products have been unparalleled.

    In the same manner, as the Federal Government announced that the country has recorded first case of the virus, sellers of face masks and sanitisers started making huge profits out of the unfortunate situation.

    Dealers speak

    The Managing Director of Victory Cosmetics Victor Igwe, who owns a large cosmetics store in Ikotun Market, told The Nation that the cost of face masks (a box of 50) in the open market has rose from N800 to N3, 400, while a small bottle of hand sanitiser that sold for N500 now costs N1,200.

    He said. “At present, it is difficult to see the stock in most major stores. Even when you see it, the price will be double compared to its former price. But people should be careful because unconfirmed report has it that some of the hand sanitisers being sold in some stores are fakes.”

    Igwe stated that in a situation such as this, traders make more money, even though it is not moral to so do.

    Manager, Ude Cosmetics also in Ikotun, who spoke to The Nation in confidence for fear of repression, explained that they had run out of stock of the product due to increased demand as residents of Ikotun and areas contiguous to it had embarked on panic buying of the product.

    “Most residents of this area have continued to search for hand sanitisers despite hike in their prices. Major shops and stores across Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area in Alimosho Local Government Area now make brisk business out of sanitisers as buyers were willing to get it at any price. Their safety is paramount to them, I presume,” he said.

    Continuing, he said: “I have also observed that in many stores, the prices have gone up because it is scarce now. The cost of a single infrared thermometer imported from Europe that was sold for N10, 000 per unit before now has risen to N25, 000 per unit and it is amazing how Nigerians and shop owners take advantage of any unsavoury situation to make more money.”

    Mrs Jennifer Ugomma Iheanacho, proprietor of Ugobest Cosmetics on Peter Agha Street, Oke-Afa Isolo area of Lagos said the situation in which every Nigerian is afraid of being in contact with one another is quite unnatural. The economy is in topsy-turvy and people are just managing to make ends meet, extra financial burden on them will break them.

    It is morally wrong that Nigerians are exploited at the slightest eventuality. The same thing happened during the outbreak of Ebola in the country in 2014 when sellers of hand sanitisers milked their fellow humankind dry.

    However, she said why some of them sell hand sanitisers at a high cost was because the product is costly in the market, especially since the outbreak of the virus.

    She said: “These days, hand sanitisers are very costly. A container of 100 grams that we used to sell for N700 now costs N1, 300 and those we used to sell for N1, 000 now go for N1, 500. If not because of the price at which we bought the product, I wouldn’t have that moral justification to sell at such cutthroat prices.”

    Global phenomenon

    It is not only in Nigeria that prices of sanitisers have soared. The Nation checks reveal that demand for hand sanitiser is surging around the globe as the new coronavirus spreads, prompting retailers to ration supplies and online vendors to hike prices.

    Sales of hand sanitisers and similar products have swelled across several international markets since the COVID-19 outbreak began in January. The virus, which originated in China, has now spread to more than 60 countries.

    According to data published by Market Research firm Kantar, U.K. hand sanitiser sales witnessed an increase of 255 per cent last month.

    Asian consumers have also been stockpiling personal hygiene goods in the wake of the outbreak, according to a report published by Nielsen.

    Reports from Italy indicate that sales of hand soap were up by 29 per cent. Hand sanitisers sales soared by 1,807 per cent in the week ending February 15, compared to the same week a year earlier according to a data on soaring prices of hand sanitisers.

    Earlier this week, data from Adobe Analytics reportedly showed that demand for hand sanitisers in the U.S. spiked by 1,400 per cent between December and January.

    According to Adobe Analytics, hand sanitiser purchases in the United States were up by 73 per cent during the four weeks until February 22, with analysts predicting sales “won’t peak for some time.”

    Health experts advise

    Health experts have repeatedly urged the public to practice good hand hygiene since the coronavirus outbreak began. The World Health Organisation (WHO) advises washing hands “regularly and thoroughly” with soap and water or alcohol-based hands rub if soap is not accessible.

    Also fear of the virus has led people to stock up the germ-killing gel, leaving store shelves empty and online retailers with sky-high prices set by those trying to profit on the rush.

    Although the alcohol-based grease is said to be convenient, the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that hand sanitiser isn’t the best way to clean hands, saying that soap and water still remain the finest.

    The Agency said: “If you’re not near a sink, hand sanitiser will do. But keep in mind that it doesn’t kill all germs. Read the label and make sure you’re using one that has at least 60 per cent alcohol.”

    Nigerians should be empathetic to one another in a situation that is distressing. It should not be a time to make extra gains out of an unfortunate circumstance through increase of prices of a commodity that is elixir to any condition that is fast becoming pandemic.

  • Sexual Violence: Danger is right in the house

    Sexual Violence: Danger is right in the house

    Project Alert recently held a two-day sensitisation workshop how to eliminate violence against women and girls. GBOYEGA ALAKA reports.

    It was a convention of sort for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), rights activists and stakeholders in the gender-based violence battle, including the police and government agencies in Lagos, recently, as they all gathered at the Best Western Starfire Hotel, in Ikeja, Lagos, to deliberate and chart ways forward in the fight against violence on women and girls.

    The 2-day workshop tagged: The Spotlight Initiative Project, is a programme of the European Union and the United Nations, focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls globally, and organised by Project Alert on Violence Against Women and Girls.

    According to Executive Director, Project Alert, Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, The Spotlight Initiative is designed to “focus attention,” as well as “support concrete measures to end violence in our communities, states and nation;” giving “prominence to prevention, protection and provision of services, alongside broader efforts to ensure women’s empowerment.”

    Although aimed at all forms of violence against women, the project focused particularly on domestic violence, sexual and gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices. It also aimed to “support a Nigeria, where all women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices.

    Expatiating further, Effah-Chukwuma listed the Spotlight Intervention Pillars to include: Laws and Policies (to prevent and address violence, discrimination and impunity); Institutions (to strengthen national and regional institutions); and Prevention (to promote social norms and attitudes that help prevent the scorge).

    Activities of the two-day event therefore focused on “Capacity Building for Girls and Women CSOs/Rights Groups on referral Services for Victims of SGBV.”

    Aside Effah-Chukwuma, who led Day-1 of the workshop, keynote speakers included Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Coordinator, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), who presented the paper, ‘A Coordinated Approach to Handling & Responding to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Lagos State; Itoro Eze-Anaba, Managing Partner, Partnership for Justice and Founder, Mirabel Centre, who spoke on ‘Sexual Violence in Nigeria: Prevalence and Challenges; and Ibegwam Nonso of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), who focused on ‘The Role of Boys’ in the menace and how and why it has festered.

    Vivour-Adeniyi said the DSVRT team was “set up to improve upon the level of cooperation and collaboration among the professionals and other stakeholders working to bring an end to Sexual and Gender-based Violence in the state.

    She said the team is to provide coordinated response to issues of sexual and gender-based violence crimes, eradicate the stigma associated with reporting sexual and gender-based violence, restore public confidence in the legal system by ensuring that justice is served; ensure that the public is fully aware of the consequences of SGBV and ultimately, prevent the occurrence of SGBV in the state as whole.

    Vivour-Adeniyi listed the services provided by the team to include, medical assistance, legal assistance, empowerment and emergency assistance.

    Stressing on how close to home the danger of domestic and sexual violence has become, Eze-Anaba said 93 per cent of sexual violence perpetrators are known to the victims under the age of 18.

    These perpetrators, she said, may be older siblings, playmates, family members, teachers, coaches, instructors, caretakers or parent of another child, taking advantage, usually of a child’s vulnerability, to manipulate, coerce and intimidate them into silence. Usually, these are people in position of trust, or authority.

    She also submitted that 70 per cent of abused boys are by pastors; and persons with disabilities are principally abused by their caregivers. She said the menace is so bad that keeping a child indoors may not be a solution; as the danger literally lies right in the house.

    Eze-Anaba gave an illustration of a father friend who regularly comes to visit a family, routinely goes upstairs to rape the daughter on the pretext of greeting his ‘daughter’ and comes down to play with the parents as if nothing had happened.

    In another instance, she described the scenario of a male friend of a son of the house, who serially raped the female siblings, all on the pretext of coming to visit – until the younger victim was driven to attempting suicide.

    She also cast a shadow on the culture of silence, which she said has helped these abuses to fester, when she narrated the story of a motherly figure, who, on seeing a girl walking suspiciously as she came out of some boys’ room in a tenement house, chose to keep quiet. “A few weeks later, it was her daughter’s turn, and she was now lamenting and regretting not speaking up that one time,” she said.

    A participant, Dr. Adebukola Adebayo, Chairman, Joint National Association of Persons Living With Disabilities, JONAPWD, expressed his delight at Project Alert and the sponsors of The Spotlight Initiative.

    He said people living with disabilities have their rights and it is the responsibility of the community to protect and preserve these rights.

    In the opinion of visually impaired Adebayo, “Men should lead the campaign against domestic and sexual violence, stressing that there is no man that lives that does not come of a woman.

    “Be the voice; lead in the fight; preach justice and equity from the home-front,” he admonished.

    He also said girls with disabilities are most vulnerable; stressing that “We want the able to begin to speak for the disable.”

  • Nigeria’s table tennis team’s tortuous journey to Tokyo

    Nigeria’s table tennis team’s tortuous journey to Tokyo

    Last week, three Nigerians booked their places in the table tennis event of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan. OLALEKAN OKUSAN, who was at the Africa Qualifying Tournament in Tunis, Tunisia, writes on how events transpired in the North African nation where Nigeria’s Olufunke Oshonaike set a record as the first African woman athlete to qualify for seven Olympic Games.

    Nigeria has been a regular participant in the table tennis event of Olympic Games since 1988 but the country’s profile rose exponentially at the 2008 edition in Beijing when Segun Toriola made it to the round of 16 in the men’s singles.  To achieve that feat, Toriola beat, among others, former world No. 1 Belgium’s Jean-Michel Saive and Canada’s David Zhuang before losing narrowly (4-3) to highly favoured Korea’s Oh Sang-Eun in the last 16. However, Toriola’s round of 32 match-up with Saive remains one of the highlights of the men’s singles in the history of the games.

    Since then, Nigeria has been making its presence felt at the Olympic Games. At the last edition in Rio, Brazil, record-breaking Aruna Quadri stunned the world with his quarterfinal finish in the men’s singles, which remains the best achievement by an African player.

    Having missed qualification at last year’s African Games in Morocco and at an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Portugal in January, the Nigerian knew the qualifier in Tunisia was a do or die for the Nigerian team. At the African Games, it was the Egyptians who stopped the Nigerian team from booking an early trip to Tokyo. Egypt beat Nigeria 3-2 in the final of the men’s and women’s team events to qualify for the Olympic Games leaving Nigeria with a mountain in subsequent qualifying events.

    True to prediction, the Nigerian team failed to qualify for the games again at the World Team Qualification in Portugal, which had a lot of top players in attendance. The Nigerian team, led by Quadri, met a brickwall as it was eliminated by Poland.

    At this stage, qualification for the global sporting showpiece looked dicey but the Nigerian players were hopeful as the window narrowed down to the continental meet, the Africa Qualifying Tournament in Tunis, Tunisia. In the North African country, some of the best players battled for the tickets over a three-day period, which witnessed tension-soaked games with the Nigerian trio of Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem and Olufunke Oshonaike securing their spots in Tokyo.

    The Tunis tussle was not without its casualty as Nigeria’s best-rated player on the global ranking, Quadri, had to abandon his final qualifying match, no thanks to a thigh injury, which crippled the Nigerian star. Despite this setback, Quadri is still in the race to catch the Tokyo train. He will accomplish this either at an upcoming qualifier in Qatar or by virtue of his ranking at the end of June.

    Olajide Omotayo: Star-boy debutant going to Tokyo

    The 25-year-old remains the only Nigerian player in recent times to have risen through the ranks having started as a cadet player to becoming a national junior champion. He is now an integral member of the men’s senior team.

    The Belgium-based Omotayo started his journey to stardom as a cadet champion at the annual Asoju Oba Cup and this earned him a place in Nigeria’s cadet team to the 2008 African Junior Championship in Alexandria, Egypt. Omotayo showed huge promise as a cadet player and this was evident in his rise to becoming the national junior champion when he led Team Nigeria to the 2013 World Junior Championships in Rabat, Morocco.

    Despite several unsuccessful attempts at breaking into the senior team, Omotayo was not deterred by the setbacks as he continued to work harder. His hard work paid off in 2017 when he made the team to the World Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany.

    As a debutant, Omotayo made his presence felt when he edged out Malta’s Daniel Bajada and rattled one of the world’s best junior star, Romania’s Cristian Pletea, to dazzle in his maiden outing. After his impressive debut performance, the rising star has cemented his place in the national team. His biggest feat to date was at the 2019 African Games in Morocco where he defeated some of the top players in Africa to become the men’s singles champion.

    For Omotayo, the journey to Tokyo started four years ago. It was completed in Tunis where the Lagos State-born star booked his debut appearance in the Tokyo Olympic Games.

    Offiong Edem: Four-time Olympian joins the Tokyo party

    Since making her debut at the Sydney Olympic Games in Australia in 2000, the urge to be part of the greatest sporting event in the world has always been strong for the 33-year-old Offiong Edem who is regarded as one of the most skilful female players in Africa.

    Her techniques stand her out as she continues to be a threat to top players on the continent. Even the best female player in the continent, Egypt’s Dina Meshref, described the Nigerian as a very dangerous player with a high level of tactical discipline.

    However, some pundits say that in the last four years, Offiong Edem has not attained her full potential as expected. This, they argue, always show in her game and has affected her performance in major tournaments. As one of the few female professionals plying their trade in Spain, Offiong Edem came to Tunis with a lot of determination and from the first competition – the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup – she showed her class when she edged out home girl Fadwa Garci before ending the dream of Egypt’s Yousra Helmy in the semifinal. Despite being down by 2-0, Offiong Edem recovered against the Egyptian to win the tie at 4-2, setting up a final clash against African champion, Dina Meshref.

    Despite losing in a keenly contested tie to Meshref in the Top 16 final, Edem shrug off the setback and approached the Olympic Qualifying Tournament with renewed vigour and commitment to make it Tokyo.

    Her opponents soon saw a different Edem in the race for the Olympic ticket. The Nigerian star went through the first stage of the qualifiers unbeaten. She maintained her undefeated records until she was confirmed as one of the players heading for Tokyo 2020.

    The matchup against Tunisia’s Garci was the toughest game for Offiong Edem but she played doggedly and wriggled her way out of the contest to secure her fourth Olympic Games appearance. Edem has featured in three previous Olympic Games at Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Rio 2016.

    Now, the Nigerian female star player is heading to Tokyo for her fourth outing.

    Olufunke Oshonaike: Record-setting legend lands in Japan

    At 45, Olufunke Oshonaike stands high up as the first and only female African athlete to qualify for seven Olympic Games. After the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, Oshonaike had set her sight on Japan and she knew she had to work extra hard to achieve her dream. Four years down the line, the mother of two, has kept her promise.

    Expectedly, the road to Tokyo was very rough for the aging star. In the second round of the qualifiers in Tunis, the Nigerian legend was set up against one of her greatest rivals – Cameroun’s Sarah Hanffou. But came to fore as she defeated the Camerounian 4-0. She remained unbeaten throughout the qualifiers to seal a place at Tokyo 2020.

    With the feat, Oshonaike has equalled the record set by her male compatriot, Segun Toriola, who is the first African athlete to attend seven Olympic Games after his outing in Rio 2016. Unfortunately, Toriola’s effort to extend his record to eight was thwarted by the Egyptian duo of Omar Assar and Dina Meshref in the final of the mixed doubles at the Olympic Qualifiers in which Toriola paired Oshonaike.

    Oshonaike’s sojourn at the Olympic Games started at Atlanta 1996. Since then she had featured in all the games.

    Aruna Quadri: still hopeful of a place in Tokyo

    Quadri may have missed the chance of picking a ticket to Tokyo 2020 in Tunis following his withdrawal from the qualifiers due to a recurring thigh injury, but there is hope for Africa’s best player.

    In Tunis, the Nigerian was in a vantage position to pick one of the four slots in the men’s singles. However, the injury he sustained in the tie against Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw prevented him from showing up for the final match against Tunisia’s Adam Hmam, which handed the Tunisian the slot to Tokyo.

    However, from all indications, it is clear that the Nigerian may not miss the Olympic Games following the confirmation from African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF). Speaking through its President, Khaled El-Salhy, the ATTF said considering Quadri’s exploits globally, his presence in Tokyo is assured as it is expected to inspire other players from Africa in Japan.

    Against the backdrop of his Rio 2016 quarterfinal feat, the ATTF boss said Africa cannot afford to leave out players like Quadri from the Tokyo party.

    El-Salhy said: “For sure the participation of Aruna Quadri in the Olympic Games is very important to ATTF as the best-ranked player in Africa. A superlative performance is expected of him at such special event as he did in Rio 2016. Normally, he should have qualified in the African Qualification Tournament, unfortunately he could not continue due to a sudden injury during the third stage of group matches.

    “Now the situation is that we have fulfilled two qualification stages (Team Qualification and Continental Qualification). The ATTF will work with NTTF for the coming stages of qualification so that Quadri can sail through.”

    According to the ATTF chief, Quadri can secure qualification if he attends the final World Singles Qualifying Tournament in Qatar from May 28 to 31, with eight top players expected to qualify from the tournament. However, El-Salhy said the last option, which the Nigerian had met, is through the June 2020 ITTF World Ranking. The top 13 players in the world are expected to get automatic qualification through their world ratings.

    His words:  “I believe that a top player like Aruna Quadri has a very big chance to join the African team in Tokyo through one of the remaining two stages of qualification due to his ranking and performance when he recovers from his injury.

    “Quadri is a top player in Africa. His current ITTF ranking puts him among the top 20 in the world. His performance in all previous world championships, Olympic, continental and other sanctioned events in recent years has been superlative. I think he cannot afford to miss the Olympic Games this year,” El-Salhy said.

    Tikon thrilled by Tokyo tickets

    President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) Ishaku Tikon, who is thrilled with the performance of the team in Tunisia, says that table tennis has justified its status among all sports in Nigeria.

    Tikon said: “I am so happy with the performance of the players because they gave a good account of themselves in the tournaments which started with the ITTF Africa Top 16 Cup. With the outcome, Nigeria remains a top table tennis-playing nation in Africa. We are still there in terms of quality.”

    Tikon observed that the Nigerian players understood the importance of making the nation proud when it matters most. “I watched all the matches and I can confirm to you that none of them was easy. But the players showed their class and they were able to pick three of the eight tickets at stake in the men and women singles.

    “It was unfortunate that Quadri has to withdraw due to a recurrent thigh injury because he had the chance to qualify. But based on doctors’ advice, he was asked to rest in order not to aggravate the injury. But our consolation is that he can make it to Tokyo based on his ranking because he is rated 18th in the world and most of the players ahead of him have all booked their spots at Tokyo.

    “From the qualification system, 13 players will be selected based on their world ranking and Aruna Quadri is the No. 1 among the expected 13, so we are happy that he will get this qualification through his world ranking,” he added.

    However, with old war-horse Toriola announcing an end to his Olympic participation after playing at seven editions and failing to qualify for Tokyo, the onus is now on the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) to groom new players that will take over from the legend.

  • Tackling menace of sickle cell in Nigeria

    Tackling menace of sickle cell in Nigeria

    MOSES EMORINKEN writes on the avoidable lure of falling victim to Sickle Cell anemia through love and how to tackle the disease tagged: African burden.

    There is nothing as intoxicating and refreshing as falling in love, especially among the young ones. Love, they say, is blind because it can easily blur a person’s sense of discernment and logical reasoning because of the ‘high’ level the love hormone called oxytocin, usually takes lovers to.

    Oxytocin plays a major role in bonding when released in a person’s brain during certain types of human contact.

    However, the ‘necking’ and loving can quickly turn sour when reality bites and irreparable mistakes haunt a person’s conscience every day.

    Such is the case of Mr. and Mrs. Oyelade (not real names), who daily see their beautiful daughter suffering from excruciating pains. The pains usually draw hot tears from their permanently tear-bagged eyes. Kemi, their only child, is fifteen years old and a sickle cell anemia patient.

    It was after Kemi’s birth that they bothered to do a blood test that revealed that they both have AS genotypes. This unusual combination produces one in four chances (not one in four children) of having a child that has the sickle cell condition.

    “Every day, I run from pillar to post, to families, friends and even enemies, to borrow money for the never-ending treatment of my beloved daughter.

    She falls ill very often, and the expenses myself and her mother incur every now and then are more than we can bear. I cannot remember when last we had peace of mind,” Kemi’s father recounted with a heavy heart.

    Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorders, which occur when a child inherits a trait from each parent that causes most of their red blood cells to form into crescents, rather than discs.

    The condition makes the blood less able to carry oxygen and flow smoothly, which causes a myriad of health challenges and a shorter lifespan.

    It occurs when the red blood cells contain an abnormal form of the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin S, and some less prevalent, but related conditions such as sickle haemoglobin C disorder (Hb SC) and sickle beta thalassaemia (Hb SBthal).

    Children, who inherit sickle-cell genes from both parents (SS), will develop sickle-cell disease, while those who inherit the gene from only one parent will have the sickle-cell trait (AS). Those with the trait have no symptoms, but can pass the gene on to their offspring.

    The recurrent pain and complications caused by the disease can interfere with many aspects of the person’s life, including education, work and psychosocial developments and interactions.

    Although there are no definitive statistics on the burden of sickle cell, however, reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other credible sources revealed that Nigerian has the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) not only in Africa, but in the world.

    The prevalence is highest in tropical Africa and, indeed, the country with the highest burden is Nigeria where the trait occurs in 25 per cent to 30 per cent and sickle cell anaemia occurs in approximately 2 per cent of all births.

    With an intimidating population of 200 million people, Nigeria has a very high number of people carrying the sickle cell gene.

    At least 150,000 children are born with sickle cell disease in Nigeria every year, while about 40 million Nigerians (which could amount to five African countries) are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene.

    Forty million healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene in a population of 200 million people are like a time bomb waiting to explode.

    High cost of supportive and definitive treatment

    The vast majority of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are born in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those living in rural areas with little access to medical care. Majority is poor and cannot afford or have access to qualitative health care services.

    Recent research indicated that in high-income countries, the survival of individuals with SCD has been steadily increasing, often well into adulthood.

    In contrast, SCD-related childhood mortality in Africa, remains as high as 50 to 90 per cent, with fewer than half of affected children reaching the age of five. SCD contributes to 6.4 per cent of under-five mortality in Africa.

    The Consultant Haematologiost at National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Tamunomieibi Wakama, explained that in manifestation, there are people whose main problem is shortage of blood because the red cells are being destroyed on a regular basis. There are also cases of excruciating pains, which always need pain relieving medicines.

    “Supportive treatment is key and blood supply is not readily available because we don’t have a well-established blood system.

    Although we have one national blood transfusion system, but it is not operating at the level it should to meet the needs of everybody. Most sickle cell patients need blood every now and then, so blood supply can be a challenge.

    “However, most importantly, the other aspect of the prevalent cases of manifestation is pain; most of them are constantly in pain every now and then. Most require very strong pain relieving drugs such as codeine, morphine etc., which are restricted drugs, and are not readily available.

    Because these drugs are restricted, some of them do not have easy access to them except they go to hospitals that have access to these drugs. Because of the issue of drug dependence and abuse, these drugs are restricted in a way to help to avoid abuse.

    “There is also the problems of infection and other diseases like kidney, heart and eye problems. In fact, every part of the body can be affected, including stroke.

    “Cost is a very big problem. Regarding accessibility, first, the drugs may not be readily available, and second, the patient’s financial status may not enable them to access these drugs readily as they wish,” he said.

    He added: “Of course, they are within drugs which they have to take every day of their lives, and the drugs are not free. Most of them have to access these drugs out-of-pocket because many are not covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).”

    The Programme Coordinator, Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, Ebenezer Adeleye, said supportive treatment is not cheap in Nigeria because it is a lifelong condition and patients have to take drugs every day. “We need a lot of support for affected persons to get these drugs free,” he said.

    Apart from supportive treatment for the management of their condition, information gathered by The Nation revealed that the only cure that exists for now is the bone marrow transplant and gene therapy – which apart from being extremely expensive, only Celltek Healthcare Medical Center in Edo State, has done the feat of bone marrow transplantation, which is a rigorous procedure.

    Traveling out of the country for the bone marrow transplant costs a fortune and it ranges between $150,000 to $600,000. Also, finding a donor for the marrow transplant is usually a challenge.

    In Adeleye’s words: “At sickle cell foundation, we are promoting the establishment of dedicated sickle cell clinics that will be solely focused on addressing the needs of affected persons.

    We have established these clinics in Lagos, Delta, Edo and Kano state, and hope to go to the rest of the country. We found out that when there are dedicated sickle cell clinics, affected persons do better.

    “Bone marrow transplant in the United Kingdom is about 500,000 pounds sterling. Those that go to India pay about N34m, and in the United States it is between $250,000 to $300,000 even a rich man in Nigeria might not be able to afford it.”

     

    Prevention is better than treatment or cure

    If the Oyelades had taken the simple step of visiting a genetic counselor or walked into a health facility to do a genotype tests before courting or marriage, they probably would have been advised appropriately on the implications of their genotypes and in turn be able to make informed decision that would save them a life time of pain and agony.

    People who do not know whether they carry an abnormal haemoglobin gene can ask their doctor to have their blood tested.

    Read Also: ‘Cancer patients no longer need to travel abroad’

    Also, couples who are planning to have children and know that they are at risk of having a child with sickle cell disease may need to consult a genetics counselor. This way, they can get information about the risk and the choices that are available.

    According to Dr. Wakama, “If a person is AS and marries AS, there are one in four chances (not one in four children) that one of every pregnancy coming out will be a child with sickle cell.

    “Although counseling is important, however, it is not you forcing or coercing people to do what you want them to do. In genetics counseling, you give options in order to help them make informed decisions based on the information given.

    “Most times, counseling at the point of getting married is usually too late because you find people who have made commitments and plans to get married. It would have been better if such persons are educated even before they start courting, to know whether they are compatible.

    “We need to go down to the grassroots, motor parks, villages, schools (primary, secondary and tertiary institutions), to begin to enlighten people on the need to know what their genotype is and the implications.

    “Because the cost for transplantation is high and it is often difficult to get donors, therefore, it is important to emphasise prevention and management of the common complications that arise.”

    In a phone interview, a Haematologist, Dr. Ekaette David, said: “On what people can do, the first step is prevention, so the ‘know your genotype campaign’ is very important.

    As much as possible, we must make sure that people with genotype of AS do not get married to another with the same genotype, because once they have children and they have the sickle cell anaemia, they have to continue treatment which is usually expensive.

    “So it is important to avoid children being born with sickle cell. Those with sickle cell disease need to take time out to see a haematologist doctor, so that they can beat it and not just wait until they are sick,” he said.

    To Adeleye: “We have found out that when it comes to the issue of marriage, it is the couple that decides; you can’t decide for people who to marry.

    A normal person can decide to marry a person who is physically challenged. What we advise is for people to seek genetics counseling. At the end of the day, the decision will be theirs, once they have been counseled and all the information is put on the table”.

    Stigmatisation and other psychosocial implications

    Stigmatisation is still a big issue because as social beings, we have the need to interactive with our environment and have the sense that we are contributing meaningfully to our physical, social, and economical space.

    However, because of the sundry challenges and manifestation the disease, SCD patient find it difficult to stay in school, keep their jobs and maintain stable romantic relationships.

    Adeleye added: “The issue of stigmatisation is there because a lot of people do not want to come out that they have the condition.

    The condition has many manifestations. There are also a lot of myths and misinformation about the condition because a lot of people believe people with the condition will not live long.

    “However, with appropriate care and management, they can live as long and normal like every other person, such that people won’t know they have the condition unless they tell them.

    “The oldest person in Nigeria with sickle cell is a 94-year-old woman. Sickle cell is just like any other genetic condition in the body that people are managing.

    For example, hypertension, diabetes, etc., and they are living very well with it. People with sickle cell can live very well with the condition.”

    Concerning the level of government funding and interventions for the management and treatment of sickle cell patients, Dr. Wakama, said: “It is not just for sickle cell, but the government is not doing enough for any other segment of health. Health care in Nigeria is very poor.

  • COVID-19: Buhari commends Dangote Foundation for N200m donation

    COVID-19: Buhari commends Dangote Foundation for N200m donation

    President Muhammadu Buhari and states across the country continue to bolster efforts to contain the rampaging Coronavirus write Bolaji Ogundele, Victor Oluwasegun, Kelvin Osa-Okunbor, Augustine Okezie, Sunny Nwankwo, Nwanosike Onu, Augustine Okezie.

     

     

    FROM President Muhammadu Buhari came warm words of commendation to the Aliko Dangote Foundation for its cash donation of N200 million to the efforts to contain the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria.

    The President noted that the ADF and its founder, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had been consistent in supporting humanitarian causes in the country, recalling its similar donation of N1 billion to the fight against the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in 2014.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the President called on other well-to-do individuals and groups to learn from the example being constantly sustained by Dangote and his Foundation.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari commends Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) for donating the sum of N200 million to assist in combating the influx of Covid-19 in the country.

    “The President recalls that the organisation had in the past donated N1 billion to tackle Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Africa, commending such public spiritedness to other well-to-do individuals and groups”, he said.

    According to President Buhari, “hand in hand, standing shoulder to shoulder, we can confront our challenges as a country. This is a path for us all to follow as a people.”

    He used the opportunity to reiterate his earlier charge that Nigerians should take the necessary hygiene precautions, rather than panic about the Covid-19, after discovery of the index case in the country last week.

    The President’s remarks came just as government at various levels continued to galvanise action plans towards nipping in the bud, any potential spread of the virus which is spreading rapidly across the world.

     

    Reps rue reportage

    The House of Representatives have expressed regret that it was misrepresented and misreported on its desire to elicit sensitivity and be proactive on the corona virus epidemic.

    The House enjoined reporters to be circumspect in reporting the issues from the House as it may cause confusion or panic in the polity.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion on privilege by the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu on the floor.

    Elumelu noted that on Tuesday 3rd of March he made an amendment to the resolution of a motion on the Corona virus epidemic during the deliberation.

    “I raised a motion for a  possible two-week suspension of legislative activities so we can go to educate our constituents on the virus, and to give the management the time to put in place measures in place in the complex.”

    Elemelu said this was more so as a member had said the Italian man that was diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease was in his constituency.

    He said he was however surprised that some newspapers reported that the House reported that the House is seeking a two weeks break over the Corona virus disease, which made people to raise dust.

     

    Bi-Courtney warns

    In Lagos, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), operators of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), on Wednesday,  advised  travellers and airport users on being safety conscious, particularly in the area of personal and respiratory hygiene.

    In a statement issued in Lagos, the firm maintained that its officials have been strategically positioned to carry out necessary checks and other safety tips to assist other public health officials to track and report suspicious incidents. This is being carried out in line with laid down instructions by regulatory agencies.

    Mr. Ayotunde Osowe of the Corporate Communications department, of the firm, charged airport users to cooperate with terminal officials in the onerous task of ridding the nation of any likelihood of unwanted disease, stressing the need for concerted efforts by all and sundry geared towards making the society habitable for all.

    BASL Safety Manager, Mr. Charles Aroguma, while speaking, noted that his team is in regular touch with officials of the Port Health Division of the Federal Ministry of Health and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to give necessary support and other intervention to ward-off the dreaded disease.

    This, the operators said, remains the most effective strategy to fight off the scourge which has rendered several businesses around the world incapacitated.

     

    Beware of fake news -NCDC

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says misinformation during epidemics could make disease outbreaks such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) worse.

    NCDC’s Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said: “We are battling with fake news and misinformation alongside with managing COVID-19 in Nigeria.

    “As a nation, we should share information only from verified sources. Visit the NCDC website on ncdc.gov.ng for more information,” he advised.

    The NCDC chief noted that fear naturally begets exaggeration, which begets more fear and more exaggeration in an endless spiral.

     

    Sanitiser Hunters flood Abuja

    Meanwhile, many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have continued to hunt for hand sanitizers, in spite of its price hike as the commodity has become a ‘hot cake’ amidst the Corona Virus (COVID-19) scare.

    Major shops across the FCT now make brisk business of sanitizers as buyers were willing to get it at “any price”.

    Many departmental stores and supermarkets have ran out of stock of the product as retail shops and street vendors now buy it in bulk and sell at exorbitant prices to buyers.

     

    Katsina remain unperturbed

    In Katsina State, residents remained unperturbed to the outbreak of Corona Virus disease in Nigeria as they were seen going about their normal activities and businesses.

    Malam Muhammed Abdul, 45, and trader in the busy Central Market in Katsina, sounded more religious when he told the Nation, in Hausa, that the state enjoys divine protection from God adding that the state will never experience the COVID-19 or any other disease attacks

    Meanwhile the Katsina State Government have announced plans to engage the Red Cross Society of Nigeria and other Non- governmental organizations in the state to checkmate the spread of the deadly Corona virus through sensitization campaigns, door-door awareness talks  on personal hygiene and clean environments in traditional worship centers and every social engagements including marriage ceremonies and other gatherings, to ensure people are adequately informed about the health challenges associated with the virus.

    The State’s Commissioner for Health, Engineer Yakubu Danja told newsmen that the state government is already aware of the outbreak of the disease and is poised to sensitize the people and adequately check its spread.

     

    Anambra lawmakers  breathes hard on govt

    In Anambra State, the House of Assembly has summoned Commissioners for Health, Mr Vincent Okpala and his  Information and Public Enlightenment, counterpart, Mr C Don Adinuba to appear before it to brief it on government’s preparations to prevent the outbreak of CoronaVirus in the state.

    The commissioners invitation, followed a motion moved under matters of urgent public importance, raised by majority leader of the house, Mr Nnamdi Okafor during plenary

    The lawmakers resolved that the two Commissioners would appear before them on Thursday,  March 5, 2020.

     

    Abia sets up  management committee

    Abia State Government says it has inaugurated a committee to handle issues around the reported outbreak of Coronavirus in Nigeria.

    The committee which terms of reference include launching preventive media campaigns, putting machinery in place to protect vulnerable groups such as school children, identification and preparation of isolation centers in case of any outbreak in the state, procurement of test kits and drugs as well as coordination with state and federal agencies, was inaugurated by the Secretary to State Government (SSG), Barr Chris Ezem, at the Government House, Umuahia.

    The committee which is chaired by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Joe Osuji, has the commissioner for information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu,  his counterparts in Homeland Security, Prince Dan Okoli and Science and Technology, Chief Chijioke Madumere, who is the Secretary, as members.

  • Scramble for gold threatens cocoa farming in Osun community

    Scramble for gold threatens cocoa farming in Osun community

    The scramble for gold is threatening agriculture. Increased illegal gold mining in recent years has created heavy environmental calamities. These include soil erosion and contamination, air and water pollution from acid mine drainage, to leakage of chemicals and sedimentation. The cocoa sector is one of the biggest casualties. Cocoa farmers are bearing the brunt of demand for the water-hungry precious metal, writes DANIEL ESSIET

     

    AGRICULTURE is Nigeria’s largest sector, accounting for 24.4 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). This is according to PwC Nigeria, an international multidisciplinary consultancy firm.

    The sector benefits from a favourable political backdrop, booming import demand and abundant supply of arable land.

    A significant number of Nigerians rely on agriculture for their livelihood. It provides job opportunities for the people.  One of the top cash crops is cocoa. Given the important role of cocoa in chocolate manufacturing, exports and consumption, demand for cocoa beans is high.

    West Africa is contributing huge supply to the global cocoa market, even as Nigeria is a major player in terms of cocoa export. Cocoa is cultivated in 14 states, making Nigeria a major factor in global cocoa production. Its output is estimated at 250,000 tonnes a year. Other top cocoa producing countries in the world include Cameroon, Indonesia, Ghana and Côte D’ Ivoire.

     

    Osun’s cocoa

     

    Chocolate, a by-product of cocoa, is enjoyed by so many and there is a global supply chain that cuts across countries and states.

    Osun State is the third largest cocoa producer Southwest of Nigeria after Ondo and Oyo states.

    Osu in Atakumosa West Local Government of Osun State is one of the nation’s cocoa production bases.

    The Nation was part of a study survey in Osu organised by postgraduate students of Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Ibadan, under the auspices of Agricultural Policy Research in Africa (APRA).

    The cocoa sector is a large one with entrepreneurs handling landholdings of more than 10 acres. Majority of cocoa farms are managed by the private sector.

    Olaitan Muyiwa is one of the cocoa farmers in the area. He said there is much profit in cocoa farming, adding that crop plays an important role in employment generation and improvement of livelihood of farmers and exporters.

    Mrs Olaitan Olabanke is another cocoa farmer, with her farm at Ibodi area. She said cocoa farming has enabled her to build a home and educate her children.

    Chairman of All Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) in Atakumosa West Local Government, Chief Otemuyiwa Olusoji, is a major cocoa famer in Osu. He has been in the business for more than 25 years and has over 20 hectares of cocoa farm.

    Olusoji said cocoa farming constituted the main stay of the area, adding that there are opportunities farmers could take advantage of in cocoa farming. He noted that quality of the beans and the workers who produce them are crucial to the success of cocoa in domestic and international markets.

    For them, the value and volume of cocoa per unit of cultivation are higher than other arable crops. Its value chain encompasses many activities that can benefit Nigerians and drive socio-economic growth.

     

    The scramble for land

     

    Although Osu is famous for cocoa and other cash crops production, its gold mining sector has the potential for foreign exchange. The presence of gold deposits in Osu community has attracted big and small-scale miners, and illegal miners to the area.

    The mineral wealth in the area is a magnet for mining investors. The impact of the influx is felt across Itagun, another town in Atakumosa West; Iperindo in South East of Ilesa and other neighbouring settlements.

    Experts believe the area boasts a large gold deposit worth approximately $5 billion.

    At present, mining activity is competing with agriculture.  In recent years, the competition has become fierce. This has left bleak future for food production in the area.  There are tensions over land control.  There is conflicts in farming communities where mining companies operate.

    Farmers in the area view the environmental consequences of mining projects with great concern in terms of access to potable water and farming.

     

    Impact of illegal gold mining

     

    In Osu, the impact of illegal gold mining and its spillover effects on agriculture is a huge concern for residents.

    The pressing challenges include pollution and environmental degradation.  There are concerns about loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions and social conflict due to failure to recognise local land rights.

    Olusoji told The Nation that illegal miners are displacing cocoa farmers on farmlands on which they have long subsisted. This has led to the degradation of farm lands, especially cocoa farms that brought wealth to the area.  As a consequence, farmers are abandoning their farms as miners  excavate and pump contaminated water and chemicals into the soil.

    For them, the entire ecosystem is under threat, all because of the insatiable demand for gold.

    The effects extend from the agricultural sector to livelihood, food security, and health of residents.

    A cocoa farmer, Mr Isaac Olaitan, said Illegal miners go into cocoa farms with or without the permission of farm owners to mine gold, using excavators to dig the ground, thereby causing loss of cocoa trees.

    Another farmer, who didn’t want his name mentioned for fear of repression, said his farm was destroyed by illegal miners. Though he said he reported the incident to the police, there was no tangible outcome.

    For this reason, farmers are worried illegal gold mining is affecting their cocoa farming as well as their livelihood.

    Dr Kehinde Adesina Thomas, of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, said the scramble for land indicates a dangerous trend in the move to plunder the agriculture sector.

    His words: “The case of illegal gold mining in Osun State leaves so much to be desired, considering its effects on agriculture and the environment. It appears we have not learnt our lessons from the discovery of petroleum that was responsible for the neglect of the agricultural sector that used to be the mainstay of the country’s economy during the pre and post-independence era.  The discovery of gold is not the problem but the uncoordinated nature the people are going about the exercise.  The heart of the issue is that mining activity has come into direct competition with agricultural development, particularly among small-scale holders in the rural areas.”

    Thomas said stakeholders need to give meaning to economic development efforts and work together towards an equitable share of benefits, from large corporations to small-and-medium enterprises right down to the people. Gold mining has continued to encroach on  farmlands, pitting miners against farmers.

    Many areas in Atakumosa West Local Government are mineral-rich and in danger of being targeted by miners. Communities have to deal with environmental issues and violence that trail illegal mining.

    Olusoji described the area as an iconic agricultural region because of its outstanding natural resources.

    •The picture shows free flow of gold water effluent from a Chinese Company in Atakunmasa LGA

    Although he is aware of the vital role mining industry plays in the economy of the country, he believes agricultural land should be preserved for its vital role in producing food for future generations.

    He decried a situation where farmers who had worked on the same land for generations being forced out of their lands.

    At a stakeholders engagement forum at the local government secretariat, Head of Department of Agriculture, Atakumosa West Local Government , Ajayi Ademola, said illegal gold mining had exposed Osu community to exploitation, pollution and encroachment on farms.

    According to him, herders and illegal miners are making farming unhealthy as the area becomes impoverished.

    Chairman of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Atakumosa West Local Government, Mr Elijah Ogunmleye, said battling the illegal practice was important. Due to the complicated land ownership issues, stakeholders believe cocoa farmers do not have the ability to stop illegal miners and their activities.

    Although there is a lot of profits from illegal mining, Thomas said the activities should be stopped. According to him, if the cocoa farms are not left alone, it may have severe consequences on the foreign exchange earning capacity and further reduce the contribution of agriculture to the gross domestic product (GDP). Olusoji said the local government was famous for cocoa production, as such the government must protect farm lands from herders and illegal mining operators who leave massive pits where cocoa trees formerly stood.

    Such activities pollute water bodies which the communities rely on as source of drinking water. He regards cocoa as the wellspring of life in the area which he said must be guarded jealously.

    In Osu, mining contribution to the local economy and social setting has been mixed, with the Federal Government being the real beneficiary. Stakeholders urge the government to re-examine the role of miners in promoting long-term socio-economic development of the area.

     

    Environmental concerns

     

    Despite that mining activities bring quick money, Thomas argued that it renders the land worthless for hundreds of years to come. Mining communities have to deal with heavy impact on water quality and quantity, air pollution, infrastructure, soil pollution, visual impact and noise pollution.

    Osu and its environs have experienced many of these problems since illegal miners began operation in the areas. In most cases, mining waste is washed into water courses along farms. It also causes the development of erosion gullies, which can lead to further damage.

    It was further learnt that there are some miners with government permits who destroy land within cocoa plantations in a bid to create paths or roads leading in or out of the apportioned mining areas.

    Thomas said reconciling mining and agriculture has become a critical governance issue, since both are important development drivers which lift people out of poverty.

    He acknowledged that mining has its advantage through tax revenue, but this should be weighed against the consequent environmental, health, security and economic crises it engenders.

     

    Mercury poisoning

     

    While small-scale gold mining is a vital source of income, the use of toxic mercury to separate the gold from the ore is a major source of fear for the people.

    According to experts, small-scale gold miners use mercury to separate gold from other materials, and the mercury finds its way into the environment and poses significant health risks for processors as well as those living and farming near mining sites.

    According to experts, excessive use of mercury in the amalgamation process releases large amounts equivalent to many times the amount of gold produced into the environment. Excessive exposure to mercury, which is a neurological toxin, is believed to cause deformities and nervous system disorders.

    Dealing  with the issue, Thomas said, requires the collaboration of various agencies of government to harness the sector’s development potential.

    He said there must be good legislation and regulation to protect the environment, agriculture and the community.

    One of these is that mining companies must conduct environmental impact assessments and illustrate how they are planning to rehabilitate the land. The environmental impact assessment, according to him, should include an environmental management plan, which outlines steps to protect and rehabilitate the environment.

    According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2018 Global Mercury Assessment, artisanal and small-scale mining emitted some 800 tons of mercury into the air, roughly 38 per cent of the global total, and released some 1,200 tons of mercury into lands and water. Mercury poisoning also represents a serious and direct health threat to the 12 to 15 million people who work in the sector around the world.

    Gold mining has expanded in Osu, but the environmental impact for the local communities is still an apprehension.

     

    Why the boom in illegal gold mining

     

    As a commodity, gold is especially vulnerable to illegal mining. It is a common resource, seemingly abundant and expensive to regulate, which exposes it to illegal extraction.

    Since some individuals who are not indigenous to the state discovered that the lands predominantly used for cocoa farming are endowed with mineral resources, especially gold, they have decided to settle there for mining business. The police had arrested some illegal miners, but this doesn’t always discourage them from returning.

    The Osun State government has declared war on the culprits, warning them to desist from the act or be ready to face the wrath of the law. It warned that those with valid licences should not entertain any fear.

    But despite these warnings, the culprits have not given up. They sneak to the farms early in the morning to carry out their illegal activities. They also go to the farms in the dead of the night in search of the product. They invade the farmlands digging for gold with impunity.

    The communities are fighting for their lands in the face of threats from mining and environmental destruction. In some cases, the people’s source of survival is at stake. Farmers are concerned that there is not enough security forces to protect the areas, and that has had deadly consequences.

    They have found evidence of illegal mining on their land, including contamination of water from residue produced by gold extraction.  They have been forced to defend themselves against violent threats from illegal miners. There is a gold rush and many illegal mines have been opened there since gold was discovered.

     

    Why cocoa farming matters for rural development

     

    Cocoa is Osun’s most valuable agricultural crop. The industry remains private sector-driven and heavily skewed towards upstream activities associated with small plantations.

    Cocoa production has significantly impacted on Osu’s small economy. It provides livelihood for over 70 per cent of the residents. Vast majority of cocoa still originates on family-run small farms and other farms.

    As a key production base, the Principal Investigator/Country Lead, APRA, Dr Adeola Olajide called for support to translate the efforts of Osu farmers into better livelihood at the farm level.

    To achieve this requires economies of scale in production and a new approach to support smaller farms to be managed professionally, efficiently and thus generating higher income for farmers.

    She advocated a safer, more secure environment for farmers that supply the bulk of cocoa products for global consumers.

    For her, the agriculture sector is going to be important in launching the economy to the next level.

    She noted that there are significant opportunities for the development of commercial cocoa operations in the area.

    Her worry, however, is that the cocoa hub confronts crucial challenges that will determine whether it continues on a sustainable path to prosperity or fall victim to economic stagnation.

    Among these challenges are a range of potential threats to future growth and development that becomes daunting.

    Adverse weather conditions combined with rising costs have threatened to weaken Osu’s position in the global cocoa industry.

     

    Government’s response

     

    Osun State government has registered 9,000 artisanal miners and their biometric data collected as part of moves to curb illegal mining and boost the economy of the state.

    Governor Adegboyega Oyetola said this in Osogbo, the state capital, while opening a three -day Economic and Investment Summit.

    Oyetola explained the Osun Revenue Diversification and Maximisation Scheme (ORDMS) will register all miners, mines and mining equipment and report on all mining activities in partnership with private sector technology partners.

    The governor also said the state government has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a renowned mining company as part of preparation for the commencement of mining operations.

    He said: “We are happy to report that 9,000 artisanal miners have registered their biometric data on RFID-enabled tags with our technology partners.”

    The governor hinted that the state has received N100 million from Badger Mines, a Canada-based mining company, as sign-on fee for exploration and development of one of the state’s mining titles.

    Oyetola hoped that the summit would achieve the results going by the positive responses obtained from key players in the private sector.

    He said the state government is fully prepared to support investment to thrive, particularly in mining, tourism and culture and agriculture.

    “Our mining sector, like agriculture, is an old industry yet to be fully harnessed.

    “The state has ample reserves of a variety of minerals, notably gold, lead/zinc, quartz, feldspar and several precious metals.”

    He added: “We occupy a unique place in the mining sector in Nigeria. We are a mining state that hosts solid minerals. We are also a state that has invested in acquiring the licences for solid minerals under our land from the Federal Government.

    “No other state in Nigeria can offer the unique combination of both regulatory and commercial fusion. We are a risk-ready state with an appetite for enterprise and reward for winnings.”

    In its bid to support small-scale and artisanal miners, the Federal Government has commenced the first phase of biometric registration of illegal miners in the country.

    This was done with the inauguration of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) in Yauri Local Government of Kebbi State.

    The initiative was kicked off with support from the Kebbi State government and Central Bank of Nigeria as part of a process to formalise and integrate artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities into the nation’s legal, economic and institutional framework.

    Minister of Mines and Steel Development Olamilekan Adegbite, who was represented at the event by the Director of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Mr. Patrick Ojeka, stressed that the initiative, besides  empowering artisanal and small-scale miners, would encourage and promote Nigerian processing and value addition industries.

    Adegbite said the Federal Government would establish buying centres with the CBN as off-taker and integrate middlemen into the system, which he believed would lead to higher profitability for artisanal miners.

    He said the Federal Government is on the process of building centralised processing centres with capabilities to produce minerals and enhance profit within the country, leading to reduction in taxes as incentives.

    Adegbite , however, said: “The success of this initiative will only be possible through continuous co-operation, cohesion, commitment and the will of stakeholders and people involved.

    “The sustainability of this project is what we plan to achieve and all measures have been put in place to ensure smooth implementation.”

     

  • Cleaning the Augean stables at NECO

    Cleaning the Augean stables at NECO

    Cases of certificate forgery abound in the country. From notable politicians to the lowly placed in the society, the list of those  caught  is endless. Little wonder National Examination Council (NECO), an examination body has sacked 89 members of staff for the same offence, writes FRANK IKPEFAN.

     

    Like a house built on faulty foundation, the careers of some workers of the National Examination Council (NECO) have come crashing. What they have left  to deal with may be the rubbles.

    About 89 of them have been disengaged by the examination body within the space of three months in the ongoing nation-wide verification exercise by the examination body.

    Majority of them, who were alleged to have falsified their results/certificates, belong to the lower cadre. Most of them are in the categories of Executive Officers one and Executive Officer, General Duties. They are on the Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) levels 06 to 08.

    Out of the 89 members of staff, only five are Chief Examination Officers on CONRAISS – 12; four Principal Examination Officers and six Senior Examination Officers.

    For many years, the dismissed workers might have thought they were building careers. Many of them would have envisioned sitting at the helms at some point in future, or retire quietly into a life of comfort after 35 years of service.

    Or at some point in their aborted careers, they might have felt jolted when they remember their crimes, knowing that the credentials they paraded were fakes. But whatever may be playing out in their heads as their envisioned future is gone. What is left may be the struggle not to go to jail.

    In Nigeria, cases of certificate forgery are very rampant. From notable politicians to the lowly placed in the society, the list of those caught is endless.

    Cleaning the Augean stables at NECO - The Nation Nigeria
    Chair of the verification committee, Abdul

    Some individuals engage in the act of forgery for one reason or the other with the intent to deceive. The act is gaining popularity by the day.

    Although there are laws in place to deal with forgery, however cases of prosecution arising from certificate forgery have  remained low in the country.

     

    How it all began

    For the 89 NECO members of staff, the road has come to an end for their careers.

    NECO is an examination body that conducts the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the General Certificate in Education (GCE) in June/July and November/December respectively.

    It also conducts examination for pupils seeking admission into the 104 unity schools (unity colleges) in the country.

    The examination body was created by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar in April 1999 as an indigenous examination body in Nigeria. It was the first federal organisation to offer subsidised registration to candidates in their academic careers in Nigeria.

    The council, since Abubakar Gana took over in 2018 as the Acting Registrar/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has been undergoing reforms. One of such major reforms is the verification of certificate of its workers.

    Last year, the management of the council set up a Staff Certificate Verification Committee headed by Mustapha Abdul, a director in the agency, to check certificates used by its workers to gain employment into the agency.

    The verification exercise has been sending jitters down the spines of some of the workers  with skeletons in their cupboards since it began.

    It may appear to be a normal routine exercise, but it has opened a can of worms.

    The council wrote to the institutions the disengaged workers claimed to have attended and some of them were found to have questionable certificates. They were invited to appear before the committee where they allegedly confessed to the forgery.

    NECO’s Head of Information and Public Relations Division, Mr Azeez Sani, said the examination body felt there was a need to put its house in order first.

    “The committee was mandated to carry out the screening by inviting some workers with questionable credentials to appear before it, during which the affected members of staff attested that their certificates were forged,” Sani said.

     

    89 dismissed so far, more may go

    Since the verification exercise began last year, a total of 89 workers have been found to have forged their certificates. The workers have summarily been dismissed as recommended by the committee.

    “The NECO Governing Board approved the dismissal of the workers at the 52nd regular meeting of the council,” Sani said.

    Read Also: NECO dismisses 19 workers over certificate forgery

     

    He said the dismissal cut across all cadres of workers. “No director has been fingered so far in the ongoing verification exercise,” he said.

    He added:”There is so far no Assistant Director, Deputy Director or Director found to have falsified results/certificates.”

    Between November, last year and February this year, the examination body has dismissed 89 of its workers after they were found guilty by the verification committee.

    The council had earlier dismissed 70 workers over certificate forgery in November, last year.

    The latest figure of 19 workers brings it to a total of 89 workers disengaged from NECO within three months.

     

    The statement announcing their dismissal last week reads: “The Governing Board of the National Examinations Council has approved the dismissal of 19 members of staff from her service for certificate forgery.

    “A Staff Certificate Verification Committee constituted by the management carried out its assignment diligently by inviting some members of staff with questionable credentials to appear before it, during which the affected members of staff attested to the fact that their certificates were forged.

    “The committee also contacted the schools and institutions which the affected workers claimed to have attended and the schools and institutions denied having certificated them,” the statement said.

     

    Certificates of 1, 000 workers screened

    Over 1,000 workers of the agency have been screened so far by their institutions in the ongoing nation-wide verification exercise.

    The screening exercise covers workers in state, zonal and headquarters of the examination body in Minna, Niger State.

    According to Abdul, about 157 members of staff of NECO that had cases to answer from the responses of their institutions have been invited for further screening by the committee.

    More workers are likely to be disengaged from the service of the examination body going by the evidence before the committee, it was learnt. Some of the workers with questionable certificates are already jittery of the ongoing verification exercise, it was further gathered.

    The Chairman, verification committee said: “Over 1,000 members of staff have been screened by their institutions, but only those with cases to answer are invited for further screening by the Verification Committee. So far, 157 members of staff of NECO that had cases to answer from the responses of their institutions were invited for further screening by the Verification Committee.

    “Other cases that require further investigation are inconclusive. More cases are, therefore, being expected as the institutions respond accordingly. However, the screening is not limited to results/certificate.”

    Dismissed workers face prosecution

    Abdul, who is also the Director Human Resource Management of NECO, said the disengaged workers risk prosecution.

    He noted that the names of those found to have forged their certificates have been forwarded to the Nigeria Police Force and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for prosecution.

    “The details of those found with issues of falsification of results/certificates have been given to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for prosecution,” he said.

     

    What the law says

    Under the Criminal Code Act (which is applicable in the Southern part of the country), forgery is an offense. The Act provides, in Chapter 44, two to three years jail term, with an option of a fine, as punishment for forgery.

    The Penal Code Act (which is applicable in the Northern part) also has similar provisions (with  maximum of 14 years), where the guilt of the alleged offender is proved.

    On the offence of forgery, the Criminal Code Act reads: “Any person, who forges any document, writing, or seal, is guilty of an offense which, unless otherwise stated, is a felony, and he is liable, if no other punishment is provided, to imprisonment for three years.”

     

    Verification exercise may last for a while

    Abdul said the council was not sure when the exercise will end.

    “It is difficult to predict the duration of the exercise, since the responses from institutions are gradual and the members of staff affected are only invited for screening if there are issues raised on them by their institutions,” he said.

  • Cheers, cries over school feeding programme

    Cheers, cries over school feeding programme

    Over N118billion has been disbursed so far on the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSF), but there are still some hitches in some states, such as delayed payment to suppliers and cooks, and inaccessibility of some schools. There is also the threat of a hijack by politicians and allegations of corruption. BISI OLADELE, Ibadan; FAITH YAHAYA, Abuja, ERNEST NWOKOLO, Abeokuta; ADAMU SULEIMAN, Sokoto; CHRIS OJI, Enugu; KOLADE ADEYEMI, Kano; OZIEGBE OKOEKI; ELO EDREMODA, Warri; ROSEMARY NWISI, Port Harcourt; NSA GILL, Calabar; ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, Kaduna; ADESOJI ADENIYI, Osogbo; SUNNY NWANKWO, Umuahia; BASSEY ANTHONY, Uyo; YUSUFU IDEGU, Jos; OSAGIE OTABOR, Benin, and RASAQ IBRAHIM, Ado-Ekiti report

    Groups of excited school kids queuing to be served a delicious meal for the day have become common occurrences in most public primary schools across the country, thanks to the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSF).

    There is a boost for those who supply agricultural products (known as aggregators); jobs have been created for thousands of women who work as cooks.

    The Federal Government has disbursed over N118billion on the programme since inception.

    But, despite the huge financial commitment, the programme has not been without hitches in some states, according to findings by our correspondents.

    There are complaints about poor food quality, delayed payments to suppliers and cooks, and hijack of the programme by politicians.

    The Federal Government established the National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP) in 2016 to tackle poverty and hunger.

    The suite of programmes under the NSIP, among which is the HGSF), focuses on ensuring a more equitable distribution of resources to vulnerable populations, including children, youth and women.

    The HGSF aims to deliver school feeding to young children in a bid to increase school enrollment.

    It aims to reduce the incidence of malnutrition, especially among the poor and those ordinarily unable to eat a meal-a-day.

    The programme is designed to empower community women as cooks and to support small farmers, all in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

    The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development said the HGSF programme is ongoing in 35 states plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), except Bayelsa and Kwara states.

    Over 8.6 million pupils in over 56,000 public primary schools are being fed.

    The FCT is the latest to join the programme, with about 73,000 pupils in 402 schools.

    In the FCT alone, meals are prepared by 796 cooks for pupils between primaries one to three.

    Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Farouq said: “The National Home Grown School feeding programme is focused on ensuring one nutritious, balanced meal each school day to pupils in classes 1 to 3 in public Primary Schools across the country.

    “The programme is designed to increase enrolment rates by mopping up the huge numbers of out-of-school children in Nigeria while tackling school-age malnutrition.

    “As part of the value chain, the programme also empowers the cooks and provides a sustainable income for smallholder farmers, thereby stimulating growth and productivity around the communities in the States.”

    Farouq said over N118billion has been disbursed to the programme since inception.

    “The programme is currently benefiting over 8.6 million pupils in over 56,000 public primary schools in 35 states.

    “At least 107,670 cooks have been empowered and over 200,000 smallholder farmers linked to the programme by supplying locally-sourced ingredients to improve the nutrition and quality of meals for our children.

    “In the FCT alone, 73,060 pupils are being fed in 402 schools by 796 women.

    “With over 8.4 million eggs and 94 metric tons of fish consumed weekly, the schools within the programme provide local farmers with a predictable market for their products, leading to a stable income, more investments, and higher productivity.

    “The children enjoy healthy, diversified food; which makes it more likely that they will stay in school, perform better and improve their adult job prospects”, she said.

    On why the programme was yet to begin in Bayelsa and Kwara states, she said: “Bayelsa wanted to feed secondary school students, which is outside the purview of the programme and Kwara was not quite ready.

    “However, both states have provided dates for training which is the first step in commencing Home Grown School Feeding at the state level.”

    Uncertainty in Ogun

    There is little evidence to show that the programme is being sustained in Ogun.

    The programme was launched by the Ibikunle Amosun administration on January 30, 2017, simultaneously in 874 schools in Ogun after eight months of preparation.

    A total of 2,968 women were enrolled and trained as food vendors, with 1,381 of them in the first phase. They were expected to cater to 1,564 primary schools.

    Several items were distributed to them, including white aprons, white caps, Adire gowns, industrial coal pot, medium warmer (55cl), small warmer (30cl), big cooking spoons, long turning sticks, 100 litres drums, iron pails, iron pots, aluminium water basins, water bowls, aluminium sieves, kitchen knives, amongst others.

    It was projected that as more pupils and schools get enrolled into the scheme, additional vendors would be engaged.

    At St. Paul’s Demonstration School, Onikolobo area of Abeokuta where Governor Ibikunle Amosun, represented by his Deputy, Yetunde Onanuga, kick-started it, the pupils were served with portage, vegetables and fish with table water.

    When The Nation visited a few of the schools in Abeokuta, the state capital, where the programme was being implemented, it was observed that the protein value and vendor morale gradually ebbed.

    When our reporter visited Idi-Aba Primary School, which had two wings, only three of four vendors assigned to a wing came regularly to feed the pupils.

    The fourth, it was learnt, stopped about six months earlier because she was not paid.

    It was pitiable to see the pupils, who the absent vendor was supposed to feed, watch their mates eat.

    Our reporter also observed that the quantity of a meal of rice and beans served the pupils was small.

    Teachers in the school said they had complained about the food quality but only two vendors improved the protein content.

    Two of the vendors served rice with stew but one of them served soup (Omi Obe), which our reporter learnt was not supposed to be part of the menu.

    The vendors, however, said they were helpless regarding the meals and protein content due to the amount paid them.

    According to them, if the government wanted the situation to change, there should be an upward review of their pay.

    They added that the meat was supplied by agents of the state government.

    A vendor, Mrs Omole Imoleayo, had lamented the meagre size of the protein served the pupils, who named the meat “sim card” due to its size.

    Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Femi Ogunbanwo, said the programme would soon resume under the new administration.

    Progress in Sokoto

    There has been a steady implementation of the programme in Sokoto since it began on October 2, 2018.

    The State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) coordinates the programme through a technical committee.

    A technical officer, Mustapha Umar Abdullahi, said no fewer than 1,881 schools and 348,000 pupils have benefitted, with food vendors numbering 2,092.

    He said about 500 schools were yet to be accommodated in the programme.

    “We have a daily feeding roster from Monday to Friday,” he said.

    It is as follows: Monday, bean cake and Pap; Tuesday, boiled sweet potato/egg sauce; Wednesday, jollof rice/leaf/beef; Thursday, rice, beans and stew and Friday, yoghurt biscuit/bread.

    Abdullahi noted that the programme has significantly encouraged enrolment and school attendance.

    “Our survey and record show that there has been over 40 per cent remarkable increase in enrolment. The programme has enhanced performance and makes the learning process easier,” he said.

    Abdullahi expressed concern about some pupils who return home after eating rather than continuing with their studies.

    “I will use this opportunity to call on parents of such pupils not to allow their children to return home. They must send them back to school,” he said.

    Enugu

    The programme has been successful in Enugu State where no fewer than 194,707 pupils are fed.

    Programme Manager, Mr Ifeanyi Onah, said the programme had employed 2,230 persons as cooks.

    According to him, the programme has been running hitch-free in the state.

    Onah praised Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for ensuring that Enugu was among the states to benefit in the first batch of the scheme.

    “The programme is currently running smoothly and without any hitch in the state,’’ he said.

    Two million pupils fed in Kano

    Over two million pupils in Kano State primary schools across the 44 Local Government Areas are benefitting from the programme.

    The Community Re-orientation Council (CRC) is involved in the school feeding programme.

    Its chairman, Mallam Ya’u Abdullahi Yanshana, said 13,000 vendors, mostly women across the 44 LGAs, were engaged as cooks, egg suppliers, and other commodity providers.

    He said the council also designed a menu to conform with the programme, which requires a balanced diet.

    On challenges, he said no more than 9,000 cooks were being paid regularly.

    He added that with the free and compulsory education introduced by the state, the number of pupils may rise to three million.

    Pupils in 774 schools fed in Lagos

    The programme is ongoing in about 774 primary schools in Lagos out of 1016 primary schools in the state, with 242 schools yet to be covered.

    Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board LASUBEB) Chairman Wahab Alawiye-King said among the 242 schools yet to be reached are those in the riverine areas.

    “We are having some hitches when it comes to getting to riverine areas, so we are making every effort to ensure they get all the necessary materials at the same time. This has to do with food, so we must be perfect with whatever we want to do,” he said.

    According to him, vendors are always paid.

    “We have about four major aggregators that would supply protein. We also have over 1,000 food vendors who provide the food in the classrooms.

    “There is an inter-agency collaboration. We partner with the Ministry of Health to ensure that food is served in a hygienic environment.

    “The Ministry of Agriculture assists us in choosing the aggregators and ensures that the food vendors are carefully selected,” Alawiye-King said.

    He said since the programme was introduced, pupils come to school earlier while enrolment has increased.

    The state government, the chairman, said has also provided water bottles for primaries one to three pupils in the state, numbering over 160,000.

    He said 20 education secretaries ensure strict compliance with the programme’s rules, and gives daily reports on health and hygiene.

    “While the Federal Government targets primaries one to three pupils, the state government’s complementary program is targeted at the Kindergarten and primaries 4-5,” Alawiye-King said.

    Not very successful in Delta

    The programme appears to be failing in Delta state.

    At the Emadadja Primary School in Udu, the food brought by a caterer was not sufficient for a class.

    It was learnt that two caterers were assigned to feed the designated classes, but one of them has not been turning up.

    A young lady who was seen serving food said: “I came to supply on behalf of my madam. They (vendors) are supposed to be two. But it is only my madam that has been bringing food.

    “The food I brought is only for one class. We rotate the feeding. That is how we have been doing it since the other woman does not come.”

    A school head in one of the riverine communities in Warri South-West said the programme had been irregular since it was launched in 2017.

    According to him, while the caterers are willing to do the job, they do not get paid regularly.

    He revealed pupils were only fed for two weeks after resumption since the beginning of the second term.

    “The last time they fed them was two weeks into resumption. Since then, they have not fed again.

    “The school cannot complain when they (cooks) say money has not come. It applies to the whole local government, if not the state,” he said.

    Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, said officials of the Federal Government were in the best position to speak on the matter.

    “It is the Federal Government you should talk to. It is their programme. Reach out to their officials to tell you what they are doing with it. I speak for the Delta State government, not the Federal Government,” Aniagwu said.

    916 benefit in Rivers

    The programme began in Rivers State last October in almost all the 916 public primary schools.

    An HGSF Desk Officer in the state, Allwell Ihunda, said: “We started the feeding of primaries one to three pupils in public schools in Rivers on October 7, 2019, and has continued with the programme to date.

    “Initially, we began with 85 per cent of schools in the state and later increased it. As at the last time we fed the children, about 96 per cent of the schools were captured.”

    He said some of the food vendors had issues with their banks, which affected their payment, but that the hiccups would be cleared.

    On the cost of a meal per child, he said N70 was not enough, especially in Rivers where the cost of living is high. He called for an upward review to at least N150.

    “The Federal Government directed that no vendor should be allowed to feed more than 150 pupils, so, in some schools where the population is high, we assign two vendors,” he said.

    Ihunda said the Federal Government was solely responsible for the programme in Rivers.

    362,000 fed in Calabar

    About 362, 000 children in 1,359 public schools in Cross River State, according to the programme coordinator Mr Gabriel Okulaja.

    He said 3, 706 cooks are participating, with about 81 per cent of public schools covered.

    On the benefits, he said: “It has increase enrolment because when we started in 2017, we started with about 117,000, then it increased to about 158,000 pupils.

    “Some schools recorded 20 per cent increment while some recorded 30 per cent. For instance, in some schools in Ogoja, they recorded almost 100 per cent enrollment increment.”

    Okulaja said headteachers are part of a monitoring unit that ensures that the meal is enough for each class.

    “They are supposed to check the quality of the food and the types. We also have the school-based management committee , which is independent of us.

    “The members ensure that in their different schools whatever the government is supposed to do is being done to ensure that the feeding goes on.

    “The Federal government has independent monitors. Where vendors are found wanting, they are penalised. As I speak, we have a few reports on my table that we are going to deal with,” Okulaja said.

    Our reporter found that state managers of the programme supply food items and condiments as vendors are not at liberty to source for them, which might have been cheaper.

    Kaduna’s pioneering effort

    The school feeding programme started in January 2016, ahead of the kick-off at the federal level.

    Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i, who launched the programme at Aliyu Makama Primary School, said it would encourage enrolment and help eradicate illiteracy.

    He explained that the Federal Government, through the Office of the Vice President, would reimburse the state.

    Within the first eight months of the project, the state said about 1.8 million primary one to six pupils were fed.

    Food vendors were recruited to cook for the pupils across about 4,000 primary schools.

    The pupils were served moi-moi on Monday, rice and beans on Tuesdays, beans pottage on Wednesdays, jollof rice and egg on Thursdays, and juice and biscuits on Fridays.

    However, the programme stopped after eight months due to delayed reimbursement by the Federal Government.

    The Federal Government’s part of the programme has since taken off in the state under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme (NHSFP).

    No fewer than 1,069,140 primaries one to three pupils in 3,922 schools are being fed. As of May 2019, 12,376 cooks were engaged.

    The programme’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr Olugbenga Oyeneyin, had in July 2019 supervised the distribution of aluminium bowls and spoons to 523,000 pupils in Kaduna.

    Oyeneyin said over 2.4 million bowls and spoons were distributed across 32 states of the federation in the first phase, as part of efforts to ensure that the pupils were fed under hygienic conditions.

    “The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme Office, Abuja, observed that the vendors were feeding the pupils in plates that were unhygienic.

    “So, the Federal Government decided to step in to ensure that every child is fed in a hygienic condition through the procurement and distribution of the aluminium bowls and spoons,” he said.

    Oyeneyin said that the items would be in the vendors’ custody.

    Osun’s appraisal mechanism

    Osun was among the 13 pilot states for the Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme when it started in 2006 by the Federal Government through the Universal Basic Education.

    Formerly known as Home Grown School Feeding and Health Programme (HGSFP), it was rebranded to O’MEAL by the state in 2012.

    Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said the feeding programme initially designed for pupils of primaries one to three was extended to four.

    According to her, what stands Osun out is its appraisal mechanism to ensure the standard.

    She said: “The vendors are regularly trained to ensure high standard hygiene among them and to make sure they conform with recommended diet in preparing the meals. The vendors are subjected to test twice a year.

    “So, the state does not only ensure that the food is healthily prepared, but that the vendors are healthy, free of communicable diseases.”

    She added that the state always made funds available even when the Federal Government had not paid the state.

    “Funds are supposed to be made available in advance for the cooks,” she said.

    Egbemode said Osun provides uniforms, including apron, gowns and caps for the vendors free of charge.

    The government facilitated interest-free loans from a commercial bank for the vendors to enable them to procure cooking utensils.

    She said the state would pay the interest accrued on the loans, which are expected to be repaid by the vendors in 36 instalments.

    Feeding ongoing in Abia schools

    Abia was one of the states to introduce school feeding before the Federal Government officially launched it.

    Pupils have been fed since 2016 in all the public primary schools across the 17 Local Government Areas.

    Although initially for primaries one to three, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu directed that it be extended to other classes.

    He said: “I cannot as a first son or elder brother take my younger one to school daily and you feed only him but expect me to remain calm, happy and keep coming to school enthusiastically.

    “It will be demotivating, and the humane response from us was to take up the funding of the feeding of primaries four to six pupils to ensure family peace, equity and fairness.”

    It was learnt that primary school enrolment increased from 150,000 in 2015 to over 600,000 last year, with additional 304 classroom blocks reportedly built. However, this claim was not verified.

    It was learnt that Abia has engaged 5,300 cooks for the programme, but there are reports that the vendors did not cook for over a week recently due to lack of funds.

    A source said: “This is not the first time it is happening. It has happened once or twice and the reason they gave when they eventually resumed was that they were being owed.”

    Our reporter found that quality food was given to pupils in the cities compared to those in rural areas.

    While those in the city got a whole egg each, it was learnt that one egg was divided among three or four children in the rural areas.

    Mixed tales in Akwa Ibom

    In Akwa Ibom, the programme is coordinated by the Dr. Godwin Akpan, who said that about 154,000 pupils are captured, which is a drop from 334,353 recorded last year.

    He said: “Akwa Ibom has a total of 1,150 schools out of which we are currently feeding 1,105. Fifty-five schools are currently not feeding.

    “Before now, we were feeding over 300,000 people but some time last year, the National Bureau of Statistics came here to do a headcount and that reduced the number drastically from 334,353 to 154,000.

    “This also affected the number of schools that were under the programme because most schools that the headcount was conducted did not have cooks and such schools were not captured.

    “As a state, we have protested and appealed to the Federal Government to send back the NBS to come and conduct a revalidation exercise but up till now, they have not done so.

    “This is not going down well with our children and our cooks and the value chain we are supposed to achieve is not being achieved because we need to have over 2,000 cooks. After the headcount, we have 1,436 and that has affected the value chain”.

    Findings also indicate that the programme has been hijacked by politicians who impose suppliers and coordinators.

    One of the teachers of Lutheran Primary School, Urua Ikpa, Itu Local government Area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the programme as a failure.

    He said: “The school feeding programme is a failure because I learnt that under normal circumstances the children are supposed to be fed from Monday to Friday, but unfortunately here there is nothing like that.

    “Some days you see them twice in a week, and some weeks you don’t even see them at all.”

    Over 500 food vendors in Akwa Ibom have protested alleged hijack of the scheme by politicians. They also accused government officials of diverting some funds meant for the programme.

    Plateau feeds over 220,159

    The SIP focal person, Dr Sumaiya Hamza, said 220,159 pupils in all the 17 LGAs were being fed.

    Her words: “We ensure what we serve the pupils contain a balanced diet. On Monday we serve them yam porridge and watermelon. On Tuesday, it is Macaroni and banana. Wednesday, we give them food called Tom Brown made from Millet, Acha, sorghum etc, with orange.

    “On Thursday we serve them boiled yam or boiled potatoes with tomato sauce with fruit. On a Friday we serve them biscuit a specially made for pupils and you can’t find its kind in the market. That biscuit contains all classes of food and is very filling.

    “The school feeding has been of tremendous advantage because it has improved enrollment into public schools and has increased pupils concentration,” Hamza said.

    15,679 fed in Edo

    Over 15,679 pupils in 126 public primary schools in Edo State are being fed by the Federal government in the programme.

    The state government implemented the programme in two LGAs: Orhionmwon and Uhunmwode.

    To ensure its smooth operation, 170 caterers were engaged to cook for pupils in primaries one to six as against that of the Federal Government which caters for primaries one to three.

    Following the launch in January 2019 by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo at Eyaen Primary School in Uhunmwode LGA, start-up kits were distributed to caterers two months later.

    Edo State Focal Person for the scheme, Ms Osayuwamen Aladeshelu, told our reporter that the programme will be extended to other LGAs.

    “The caterers have undergone training and a test. They have been taught food hygiene, food handling, and food portioning and product management.

    “We have monitoring teams that evaluate them and ensure they comply with our standards,” she explained.

    Hitches in Ekiti

    The Ekiti State government said the movement of the SIP from the Office of the Vice President to the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development hampered the programme.

    Commissioner for Information, Aare Muyiwa Olumilua, said the programme was suspended since the beginning of the second term of the 2019/2020 academic session due to the funding gap arising from the lacuna created in the programme supervision.

    Olumilua said the programme was not cancelled, adding that before it was stopped, 75,020 pupils in all the public primary schools across the state were fed once daily with a balanced diet.

    About 2,000 people were employed as vendors and equipped with the necessary tools to meet the feeding requirements of over 905 public primary schools in the state, he said.

    “Ekiti had keyed into the feeding programme powered by the Federal Government since May last year. The state is very pragmatic and diligent in prosecuting the project the way it was set up to operate.

    “But the truth of the matter is that we had a small lacuna. And that was due to the movement of the programme to a new ministry. That’s why there is a little funding gap which had resulted in some delay in the programme.

    “Now that everything has been sorted out we are hopeful the programme will resume fully in no distant time, as soon as all necessary administrative works are completed,” he said.

    Delayed vendor payment in Oyo

    The programme is stalled in Oyo State as aggregators and food vendors are unable to render their services due to delay in receiving payment.

    Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, said the aggregators and vendors were usually paid ahead. The aggregators supply bread, eggs and meat; the vendors cook and serve the food.

    He said the delay would soon be addressed as such issues do not last beyond 10 days.

    According to Olaleye, 202,000 pupils in 2,203 schools are being fed across the state.

    He said the state government, through heads of schools, monitors the quality of the food being served and the hygienic conditions.

    Olaleye said apart from the slight payment delay, there had been no negative reports about the programme in the state.

  • States step up watch on COVID-19

    States step up watch on COVID-19

    States across the country are taking more steps to stop the touring COVID -19 virus from entering their domain write ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE, JAMES ANAZIA, OZIEGBE OKOEKI and TONY AKOWE

    Several states across the federation on Tuesday unveiled plans to prevent and contain the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in their respective states.

    The states, which include Lagos, Niger, Kogi, Bauchi among others, and other stakeholders took the campaigns for personal hygiene especially regular washing of hands under running water, use of sanitisers, and healthy eating as some of the surest ways to prevent exposure to the dreaded virus presently touring the globe.

    Prayers to the rescue

    The moves come just as the Catholic Bishop of Minna Diocese Bishop Martins Uzuokwu, has urged Nigerians irrespective of tribe, religion and political differences to pray against the spread of the virus in the country. He said only divine intervention can prevent the spread of the virus.

    Looming economic meltdown

    From Abuja, the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed fear that the dreaded virus will disrupt global supply chain.

    President of the ACCI Adetokunbo Kayode who made the observation when Chamber played host to the European Union led by Gianioca Russo of Q and T in Abuja, stating that the ongoing disruptions which is already affecting the big economies may soon start affecting small and medium scales (SMEs).

    He said; “presently COVID-19 is creating a challenge that may affect economic growth in many African countries. That China is slowing down implies commodity and oil exporting nations are going to be hard hit.”

    Kayode noted that several reports from ACCI members within and outside the country confirm that the peak of the impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains will occur by mid-March, forcing thousands of companies to throttle down or temporarily shut assembly and manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe.

    Eat more fruits, vegs

    In Lagos, a dietician says eating of fruits, vegetables remain one surest way to reduce risks of contacting the dreaded disease, boost immunity and guarantee wellness.

    The nutritionist Mrs Bushra Adefalu, Head, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, advised Nigerians to shun unhealthy eating habits that could complicate their health status and embrace eating vitamin-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables to boost their immune system.

    “Eating fruits energizes the body, promotes weight loss and makes the skin to shine,” she said.

    Lagos sensitises religious leaders

    Religious leaders in Lagos under the auspices of Nigeria Inter Religious Council (NIREC) were also educated and sensitized on the outbreak of coronavirus in the state and measures to check its spread.

    The programme which was organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs took place at the Chapel of Christ the Light Hall, Alausa, Ikeja.

    In attendance were, President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Lagos, Prof. Alexander Bamgbola; representative of the Chief Imam, Imam Gafar Mofesaye, representative of state NIREC, Bishop Adegbite, Alhaja Sobajo, CAN Lagos secretary, Akin Aduwo, representative of Islamic Institute, Alhaji Suenu, resident chaplain, Christ the Light, Olu Oyadokun.

    Others are Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on religion, Rev. Bukola Adeleke, permanent secretary, ministry of home affairs and environment, Adewunmi Adekanye and Belinda Oteneye, GM, LASEMA, Akinsola Olatunde, Director, Directorate of Epidermology, Abdulsalaam, Director of Disease Control, GM Biobank, Dr. Akinwale Bankole.

    School’s Advocacy

    As part of efforts aimed at getting the messages of personal hygiene to the grassroots, some schools in Lagos have started implementing preventive measures to protect their pupils and students against contracting the infectious diseases.

    Checks in some public and private schools in Surulere, Ebute Meta, Apapa, Ikorodu and other areas of Lagos State, revealed that most of the schools had started adhering hand wash and other preventive measures against the infectious disease.

    A parent, Mrs Bidemi Adesanya, said she resorted to ensuring that her children always have hand sanitisers in their school bags, with instruction that they must use it often.

    Adesanya urged school proprietors to invest in hand sanitisers for each classroom, saying that the sanitiser should be placed in the custody of class teachers and used appropriately for the pupils.

    Council spread awareness

    The Chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye Council Area of Lagos State, Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, has called on residents, parents and guardians in the area, to educate their children and wards on the virus, and the need to strictly adhere to all prescribed preventive measures to stipulated by the World Health Organisation(WHO).

    He said this becomes necessary as the task of creating awareness and preventing the spread of the menace cannot be left to the can alone.

    According to Oke, while measures are being taken to contain the disease in the local government area, all public and private health institutions are to be cautious about anyone who presents with fever, cough, cold, difficulty in breathing, diarrhoea and body pains and report such incidents to the appropriate authorities.

    Kogi gears up

    The Kogi State government said it has put in place measures to protect the people of the state against the dreaded virus.

    The government said the health ministry in collaboration with the information and communication, education and transport ministries, will map out strategies to protect residents in the state and Nigerians in general against the raging Coronavirus.

    The statement signed by Dorothy Onoja, the Public Relations Officer, PRO, in the ministry of health, quoted the commissioner, Dr. Saka Haruna, as giving the assurance at a stakeholders’ meeting, in Lokoja, the capital.

    Katsina partners Red Cross

    In Katsina State, the government said it is partnering the Red Cross Society of Nigeria and other Non- governmental organisations in the state to checkmate the spread of the deadly corona virus through sensitisation workshops, awareness campaigns and other forms of mobilisations in the state.

    The State’s Commissioner for Health, Engineer Yakubu Danja who disclosed this in his office in Katsina said the state government is already aware of the outbreak of the disease globally and also the recent confirmed case in Lagos and is poised to sensitise the people and adequately check its spread.

    He said ”the ministry of health and all the relevant stakeholders are well positioned to ensure people are adequately sensitised about the COVID-19 and to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to prevent the spread of the disease in the state”

    Anambra lawmakers express worry

    But in Anambra State, the state’s Assembly have expressed worries over state’s preparedness, summoning the Commissioners for Health, and Information and Public Enlightenment, to appear before it on the state’s level of preparedness to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

    The Commissioners are: Dr Vincent Okpala (Health) and Mr C-Don Adinuba, (Information and Public Enlightenment).

    The resolution followed a motion moved under Matters of Urgent Public Importance, by Dr Nnamdi Okafor, the House Majority Leader.

    Okafor, representing Awka South l, said there was need to ensure adequate preparation and robust response in the state, should a case be detected. “Another question is, are there any emergency phone lines if someone presents with symptoms of the disease?”

    Bauchi intensifies surveillance

    The Bauchi State Government said it has intensified surveillance at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport in Bauchi, motorparks and the Yankari Games Reserves as well as the mininig areas in the state following the outbreak of the novel virus in Nigeria.

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr Aliyu Maigoro, who disclosed this on Tuesday, said the government engaged in the proactive step to combat the spread after the confirmation of the virus in Lagos.

    The Commissioner explained that the measures also include urgent improvement of the standard of the state Isolation Centers at  Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospiral (ATBUTH) IDHE and creating additional hold rooms at the Specialist Hospital Bauchi in case of any eventuality.

    Chinese abandons work in Imo

    Chinese contractors hired by former Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State to execute road projects were nowhere to be seen yesterday at the sites, our investigation revealed.

    They have been off the road since the index case of the virus broke out in Lagos.

    The Chinese national working for the Chec Engineering were not seen when the Nation visited some of the sites in the state.

    Some of the workers interviewed said that they have not seen the Chinese workers at the sites for the past five days.

    Our investigation revealed that the Chinese who were supervising the Ihiagwa- Nekede Polytechnic Road, Owerri-Aba and Akachi roads deserted the sites when the case of the virus went viral.

    Meanwhile, Imo indigenes have expressed worry about the presence of the Chinese workers in the state since the virus started in China.

    However, the state government assured the people that they are monitoring the situation closely.

    Speaking, the Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Dr. Austin Ukaechi said that the duty of the government was to monitor the point of entry of other nationals into the state.

    Preventive measures on in Kwara

    Kwara State Government said it has activated all relevant preventive measures to guide against outbreak of Corona Virus and Lassa Fever in the state.

    It urged residents to increase their personal hygiene and report any illness in the nearest health centre.

    Health Commissioner Dr Raji Razaq told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, adding that the state has beefed up preparedness and capabilities since the first confirmation of the case in China and will use all the resources available to the state to ensure that COVID-19 is prevented in Kwara State.

    Razaq said the state has adopted a multi-sectoral approach to prevent any outbreak of the disease comprising various ministries and agencies of the State and Federal Government, especially the Port Health Services and the Nigerian Immigration Services to ensure effective surveillance at all points of entry at the borders.

    Razaq also debunked claims on social media that the state has recorded some cases of Lassa fever, clarifying that the cases so reported were in a neighbouring community in Benin Republic which shares borders with Kwara’s Baruten Local Government.

    Stop spreading fake news – LUTH official

    Meanwhile a medical expert from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, has Nigerians warned against the spreas of fake news on the rampaging virus.

    Adeyemo, Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), of the teaching hospital said there was no need to “press the panic button” as efforts were ongoing by responsible and designated government agencies to prevent the spread of the disease in Nigeria.

    He said that LUTH was able to curtail the spread of Lassa fever because it was prepared for it and its frontline staff had high level of suspicion when the index case was presented at the hospital.

    “The best lesson we have learnt in LUTH is to always have a high index of suspicion all the time, especially during outbreaks like this.

    “We will also organise Hospital Grand Round this week to give information about what LUTH’s staff members need to know about COVID-19,” he said.