Category: Sunday magazine

RECENT reports point to the fact that the HIV situation in Nigeria is worsening. This was one of the damning outcomes of a meeting of experts at the recently concluded American Conference on the Treatment of HIV held in Denver, Colorado, USA. The conference based its conclusion on the fact that infection rate was on the rise because the country was no longer taking reasonable precautions to protect the vulnerable members of the society against the spread of the virus. Other emerging facts have also indicated that the country has witnessed 500,000 more new cases in the last three years, and that she shoulders the unenviable record of having the highest rate of infection through blood transfusion and mother-to-child transmission. Two easily preventable means. A United Nations report in 2013 also points to the fact that Nigeria, with 60,000 new infections in 2012, has the highest number of children living with HIV AIDS in the world.

The Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA), Prof. John Idoko, inadvertently corroborated this alarming revelations, when he told the Nigerian Senate at a public hearing on a bill prohibiting discriminations against persons living with HIV?AIDS earlier in the year, that 3.4 million Nigerians are living with the virus. That figure, he said, confirmed Nigeria as the second largest globally. He also disclosed that whilst the national prevalence has stabilised at about four per cent, 13 states still carry higher burden.

Dr. Yinka Falola Anoemuah, Assistant Director, Gender And Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme under the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), as if responding to the gaping question of how the government plans to stem and possibly eradicate the very unacceptable mother-to-child transmission, revealed at an interview in Lagos that President Goodluck Jonathan only three weeks ago launched the operation plan for the Elimination of Mother-to-child Transmission of HIV/AIDS. She said NACA has thus swung into action, and part of the plan is to move into all communities and moblise all pregnant women to access ante-natal care, so that government can at entry points avail them the opportunity to access prevention of mother-to-child transmission in cases where they test positive.

Beyond that, Dr. Anoemuah disclosed that everybody is encouraged to undergo screening  and know their status, so that they may have access to the right information, know what is expected of them if they are positive and how to remain negative, if they test negative.

Dr. Anoemuah, who was facilitator at a programme organised by NACA to strengthen the intervention on violence against women and girls and HIV/AIDS in Lagos last week, however, thinks that the HIV figure is on the decline. According to her, “we were at 5.8million at some point; and then it came down to 4.1million, 4.6million and now 3.4million.”

She, however, concedes that the current figure still means that a lot of work need to be done and therefore requires all hands to be on deck. “The 3.4 million figure is a projection and does not necessarily mean that they all are aware of their status; and if any fraction of that figure is not aware of their status, then there is danger because they are probably not protecting themselves to live longer with the virus. Of course, you can live long with the virus by taking advantage of the services available in the country. There are no cures yet, but the virus can be managed and we have people who have lived with it for up to 20 years and above. But that is because they got tested, know their HIV status and are living positively.”

She also says that the bigger danger for those who are not aware of their status is that they are not able to manage it and might eventually come down with full blown AIDS. Worst still, the virus continues to multiply in them, and they continue to spread it.

Joe Agbro Jr. writes on a private hospital that claims to have been first to perform  a successful open heart surgery in the country.

THE heart is an organ that ensures life continues. And should it get damaged, life just ebbs away. Hence, it is not surprising the panic that comes when a person has a heart challenge. Or the relief that comes when a heart challenge is no longer an issue. The latter was the case of the families of Rufai and Adeoke in Osun State when their children successfully underwent an open-heart surgery at Biket Medical Centre, a privately-owned hospital located at Ota Efun, Osogbo.

The children  two-year old Ibrahim Rufai and one-year old Emmanuel Adegoke  both boys, had been battling heart-related illness and needed surgery. And it was concerned neighbours who had heard that Biket Medical Centre carried out open heart surgeries that directed them to the hospital.

While it may be surprising to many Nigerians that open heart surgeries can be conducted in the country, speaking after the operation, Dr David Adenle, Biket’s Medical Director said Nigerian doctors have the expertise to provide medical service to some of the ailments being sought about abroad by Nigerians.

Adenle said Nigerians no longer needed to travel abroad for open heart surgeries as many centres now offered such operations in the country. He, however, highlighted the only constraint to be the unavailability of needed fund to provide facility and equipment that can enhance the discharge of their professional service.

The medical equipment was supplied by Meditronic, a US-based firm and a leading Supplier of hospital equipment. And Akin Sawyer, Meditronic’s Group Head West Africa also observed the successful procedure carried out by a team of surgeons from Biket as well as Meditronic.

Sawyer said that apart from the company providing the equipment, it also provided technical expertise attached to the hospital.

“We are here to see the machine and how it is working,” said Sawyer.

According to Dr Adenle, an indigene of Osogbo who is in his 70s, the hospital has done three sets of open-heart surgeries earlier. The first one involved eight patients, the second one involved five patients and the third one involved seven patients, adding that they were all successful. He however said out of all the patients, only one died after operation.

Dr Adenle also said that though heart surgery is quite expensive, the cost charged by the Centre is moderate and affordable.

“Sometimes we do not want to talk about it in order not to scare people that have the open-heart problems away,” he said.

Dr Adenle believes that a lot of the open-heart diseases can be treated in Nigeria and urged good spirited Nigerians to assist poor people with heart related challenges with fund in order to reduce the problem they face.

The hospital too is contributing its own quota by setting up a foundation to assist poor patients suffering from heart-related diseases.

“When we started seeing people with these cases,” Dr Adenle said, “that was when we started a foundation called Biket Foundation in other to help people that have this open heart problem.”

“In the past one and half years that we started this mission, we do not have much support from the public or NGOs but the government of Osun State has paid for one or two patients. And if we have support of other state governments, certainly things will really move better and we will be able to get some money and buy more equipment.

The equipment used for the open heart surgery are very expensive and we have to get loans from the bank and at ridiculous interest rate to be able to get things going on.”

Facing these challenges, Dr Adenle called on the government, corporate world and wealthy individuals to support the Foundation in order to enable it procure more equipment for heart related cases, “because big things like this cannot be done alone.”

With 22 open heart surgeries performed by the hospital so far, Dr Adenle said he hopes to increase the tally to 35 in future.

Recalling his trip to India where private hospitals solicit funds from the banks, individuals, religious organisations, governments to attend to critical illnesses, Dr Adenle hopes the same can be replicated in the country.

“In India” he said, “if you are poor, the Indian government will give you a letter to a private hospital free of charge for surgery and they will pay for your heart surgery bill. And if we can see big organisations, banks, conglomerates, doing something like that here too, it will help many patients a lot and put smiles on faces of many families.”

Advising on tackling heart-related diseases, Dr Adenle said Nigerians should take note of hypertension which is currently common among adults and regularly check their blood pressure and also maintain a good exercise regimen. He also said that abstaining from smoking, alcohol and good management of diabetics and treating hypertension will reduce heart problem.

PeluAwofeso, award-winning travel journalist, tourism operator, author and publisher of Waka About, loves tourism. In this interview with Joe Agbro Jr., he talks about his passion, publishing, and why Nigerians are not embracing domestic tourism

Before you started publishing Waka About, you made fame as a travel journalist. How did you catch the travel bug or how did it catch you?

I caught the ‘travel bug’ as a corps member in Jos in 1998/99 service year. It was my first time in the city as adult and I was blown away by the sheer physical and natural beauty all around me. At the NYSC camp, I started the Tourism Community Development (CD) group and was elected the first president. Thereafter, I organised tours to the notable tourist attractions in the capital and its environs. Spurred by those initial steps, I returned to Jos two year later and travelled around Plateau State, the experiences of which formed the content of my first travel book,A Place Called peace: A Visitor’s Guide to Jos.

Your travel book, Tour of Duty, highlights major Nigerian festivals. How was your experience writing the book?

My Second book is titled Nigerian Festivals: The Famous and not so Famous, and it is a compilation of the many local festivals I have been privileged to cover as a travel journalist and culture reporter.Tour of Duty is my third travel book and it is based largely on my trip across the country in 2009/2010. The journey lasted 10 months and I covered 18 states in all. It was a bittersweet experience but I am glad I went through it, because it has added immensely to my knowledge of the people and cultures of Nigeria.

When did you make the transition from journalist to publisher and what informed the decision?

I won’t say I made a transition from journalism to publishing. I have always been involved with publishing even as a practicing journalist, and that’s because all my books are self-published. The only transition I would admit to is when I decided to publish waka-about, the tourism and arts focused magazine-newspaper, which took off in 2011.

Down the line, how was the transition been like?

Like most publishers will tell you, the transition has been tough and rough.

How do you think the average Nigerian regards tourism?

The average Nigerian appreciates tourism, but only when it is foreign. Nigerians still do not regard domestic tourism as anything worthy of their attention just yet, and the government is largely to blame.

You’ve started organising’Travel Next Door’ tours to Badagry and recently, it has been extended to sites in Ogun State. How has the experience been like? And what are the long-term plans?

@TravelNextDoor was established in January 2014 and the sole aim of that is to encourage Nigerians to travel more extensively within the countryfor leisure and for learning. The other objective is to promote low-budget and short-distance travel. So we kicked off with daylong excursions to places like Badagry, Lekki-Ajah and Abeokuta to explore the various natural, historical and cultural attractions these locations have to offer the tourist. Our long-term plan is to cause a major shift in way and manner Nigerians think of our national heritage.

What are some of the pitfalls to avoid for anyone going into publishing as a business?

Like almost every enterprise, publishing is a high-risk, no-guarantees and demanding venture. Anyone who plans to get into that field had better tightened their belts and prepare for the worst case scenarios, because publishers in Nigeria are not smiling at the moment. The economic impacts of the various policies are not encouraging at all.

Many Nigerians think some parts of the country are not safe. Have you ever experienced fears during your travels in any part of the country?

They are right. A large swathe of the North is not safe for travelling. Until recently, I travelled around Nigeria without any anxiety whatsoever; but the current situation in the North-Eastern part of the country has planted the seed of fear in almost everyone. I still have states I’d love to visit in the North but I can’t because of the threat of militancy. But I travel happily in the southern half of Nigeria without fear of apprehension.

With insurgency being an issue, especially in the northeast of the country, how do you think it has this affected tourism in the country?

The insurgence in the North-East has definitely affected tourism in those parts and in Nigeria generally, and it might take a long time before the prospects can be revived. No tourist will be eager to visit a country in crisis, even if the trouble is restricted to a tiny portion of that country. The watchword in global travel nowadays is ‘safety’; if travellers can be sure of that, then it’s a no-no.

You recently published a guide book of Lagos. Why was this necessary?

The Lagos Guide is a project of the State Government, initiated and executed by the Ministry of Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs. My services were engaged in the preliminary stages, which included field trips, fact gathering and content writing. I worked with some documentary and professional photographers on the project and it’s so fulfilling to see the result of our hard work in the glossy and classy guidebook.

You’re well-travelled around Nigeria, what are some important things you’ve learned on your travels?

I have learned that Nigerians are naturally hospitable people. I have lost count of how many times I have been assisted by strangers in the different states I have travelled in. I have also learned that our people cherish their cultures and are doing the best they can to preserve that heritagefrom AkwaIbom to Zamfara. More than anything else, I have seen that foreigners also love our indigenous festivals and traditional ceremonies.

Where in Nigeria would be your favourite holiday zone? And why?

My favourite holiday zone will always be Jos, Plateau Stateaside from the fact that it occupies a special place in my heart, it also has all the ingredients to make a holiday both magical and memorable. I continue to pray that the state gets back to a time when it will be again seen as the “Home of Peace and Tourism”.

Many people like to experience tourism but think it’s an expensive venture. How would you advise them to start?

Tourism can either be expensive or cheap, depending on who is involved. There are facilities to cater to all tastes and preferences. I have always been a budget traveller, so I can tell you that tourism can be as affordable as you want to make it. That is the reason we set up @TravelNextDoor in the first placeto champion the cheap travel agenda. My advice to potential travellers is that they travel near to where they are basedyou don’t have to travel long distances to enjoy the pleasures of tourism.