The Nation Newspaper

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  • Your Health Miracles in your hands (2)

    Your Health Miracles in your hands (2)

    MANY Nigerians will make good disciples of Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, the Iranian doctor who taught the world to regard water as medicine. Dr. Batmanghelidj shifted many paradigms in medicine with two popular books… YOUR BODY’S MANY CRIES FOR WATER and YOU’RE NOT SICK, YOU’RE ONLY THIRSTY. The bottom line of his work is that water accounts for about 75 per cent of the body, water shortage in the body, known as dehydration, damages the cells and causes disease ; dehydration express itself first as pain; by rehdrating, the body is given an opportunity to heal itself. Dr. Batmanghelidj set up an organisation to campaign that doctors make medicine simpler than it is today. It would appear that Nigerians want the simple medicine; that they are afraid to visit a doctor who employs fearsome or longish words to describe their health conditions. That’s why they’d rather see a doctor who rocks them gently and simply as it were.

    I came to this conclusion from the reader response to the ongoing series of simple, self-treatments for common, simple ailments begun in this column last month. The series has featured two books by Professor of medicine Akibu Oyelami who prescribes herbs, Dr. Devendora Vora of India, who has treated more than two million patients with acupressure (gentle massage of the palms and body), Dr. Kenyon, an American doctor who learned acupressure outside Medical school and practices it, and Dr. H. K. Bakhru, also of India whose two books, FOODS THAT HEAL and VITAMINS THAT HEAL were featured last week. My library is still half unpacked since I moved house about six years ago, otherwise I may have fished out and featured another popular Bakhru book, HERBS THAT HEAL. There may be a compensation for that soon in the interesting 162-page book co-authored by Professor of Forest Resources Samuel Oluwalana, of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and his wife, FUNMI, Ph.D, an agricultural economist, and entitled REMEDIES FOR COMMON AILMENTS.

    His is one of the few people in agriculture who understands that the world has entered a NEW USE ERA. Many Nigerian journalists do not as yet understand the concept of NEW USES OF NEWS, for example. Dr. Batmanghelidj taught a new use for water…as medicine. Now, if agriculture is not all about growing cassava and corn and wheat for food, couldn’t medicine be a new stage for agriculture in this age? And who is better positioned for that new world than the agriculturist? In the future, I see large farms of LEMON GRASS springing up all over the country, with a processing industry to give us lemon grass tea and oil to prevent and combat malaria. I see large farms of MARIGOLD FLOWER to give us lutein and zezanthin to protect the eyes against cataract and other eye diseases. I once farmed pawpaw (carica payaya) and processed the leaves, young stems, roots and seeds for PAPAIN. Like a modern pastor behind the pulpit, I would say “can someone please look that up in the internet?” But before we come to Professor Oluwalana and his book, I’d like to put a finishing touch, for now, to the first volume of Dr. Devondera’s HEALTH IN YOUR HANDS. Many people loved the first publication. The health tips, if offered, cost next to nothing. And they work. The reader request for information on simplified medicine which followed the publication demolishes, in my view, derogatory descriptions of the average Nigerian as a mentally lazy hater of books and reading from whom your secret is safe if published in a book. With that, we return to Dr. Devendora Vora’s HEALTH IN YOUR HANDS.

     

    BRAIN POWER

     

    Dr. Vora says, as shown in Figure 1, that brain power is improved simply by “touching the thumb with the index finger”. He says there is no need to press hard. The exercise is to be performed “with both hands simultaneously”. The benefits include solutions to sleep disorders, memory loss, tension and attention deficit.

     

    ARTHRITIS GOUT E .t.c

     

    • Figure 2

     

    Can mere “pressure of the index finger on the base of the thumb” relieve or cure such conditions as “rheumatism gout, Parkinson’s disease, and blood circulation problems? Dr. Vora says it can, especially when practiced with the exercise for improved brain power.

     

    Earache

     

    • Figure 3

    In Figure 3 is a possible cure for earache. With the thumb, pressure is applied on the middle finger, as shown, Dr Vora suggests it be done for 40 to 60 minutes for the best results in earache, vertigo deafness, e.t.c .

     

    Weakness

     

    • Figure 4

    “Put the ring finger with the thumb together,” as shown, says Dr Vora, to heal weakness of mind and body, through increased “life force” and vigour in health and illness.

     

    Blood Cleansing

     

    • Figure 5

     

    The blood is the river of life. If it is dirty or too thick or too thin, it will harm the body. Cleansing foods, herbs, fruits and vegetables help to clean it up. When the tips of the little finger and the thumb are put together, Dr. Vora says, “It cures impurities of the blood, skin problems and makes the skin smooth”.

    He recommends the exercise for gastro-intestinal problems as well as for diseases which cause constipation.

     

    Nerves,

    Fatigue

     

    • Figure 6

     

    Dr. Bates, an ophthalmologist, wrote his BETTER SIGHT WITHOUT GLASSES when he observed, from his treatment of thousands of eyes, that it was stiffness of eye muscles which caused the need for eye glasses to focus light properly on the retina of the eye. Dr. Vora teaches that, when the little and ring fingers are bent, “so that their tips touch the tip (front edge) of the thumb” this exercise increases life force and cures “nervousness and fatigue….power of the eyes” and “reduces the number of glasses”

     

    The lungs

    This must excite asthmatics and people who suffer from upper respiratory troubles such as chronic cough or bronchiestasins. Dr. Vora says: “join both the palms and interlock the fingers keep the thumb of the left hand vertically straight and encircle it with the index finger and the thumb of right hand” this exercise is said to improve resistance to cold, bronchial infections, weather changes and fevers. Through it, the body generates more heat, he says, and “burns accumulated phlegm and even fat”. Dr. Vora advises that plenty of green and vegetables juices and about eight glasses of clean water should be consumed daily.

     

    Deep breathing

     

    •Figure 8

     

    Many health authorities say we could live longer if we could fully use the lungs during breathing, that is if we could get more fresh air into the lungs and blood and get out more state air. Dr. Vora says one way this may be done is to first inhale air and then “press the upper part of the thumb with the index finger.” He says “you will be able to retain air easily in the lungs for a longer time than without such locking”. The blood is enriched and the breathing cycles are deeper and infrequent. In Indian philosophy, it is believed that the lifespan is fixed with a fixed number of inhalation and exhalation. When the breath is deeper, inhalations and exhalations are fewer, giving the potential for a longer life. By this philosophy, people who hurry through life, whose breathing is shallow and rapid, or people who are troubled by hyperventilation must exhaust their fixed lifespan before people who are calmer and do not breathe rapidly.

    Thanks Dr. Devendora Vora. I cannot close this column without mentioning that Dr. Vora also has prescriptions on the number of times men of different ages should have sexual intercourse in a month. He has views, as well, on the use of biochemical cell salts which I take every day.

    And, of course, he talks about herbs. Someday, we will talk again about cell salts. Meanwhile, the impression on my mind as I take my leave of Dr. Vora is that we live in a world of which we still know little or nothing, despite our assumptions to the contrary. I imagine the human body as a huge, intricate computer in which many forces are at play. When I join the tip of my thumb and that of my index finger, what forces do I unleash from the body’s circuit, and upon which organ(s)? I ask myself. Dr. Vora has worked with these forces for more than 35 years and helped more than two million people. I hope that by reading his book which I recommend for your library, you would derive great benefits for your health, which is his aim in turning his knowledge over to humanity.

  • Indomie rewards children artists

    Twelve primary school pupils made their mothers proud with drawings they were challenged to produce in celebration of this year’s Mothers’ Day, by Dufil Prima Foods Limited, makers of Indomie Noodles.

    The company rewarded their efforts with scholarships worth N100,000 and above, at a ceremony hosted by BD Consult Ltd, a public relations firm penultimate week.

    Congratulating the winners, Managing Director Mr Deepak Singhal said the aim of the competition was to encourage the artistic talent of the target audience – children aged five to 12.

    “We started the competition last year in only Lagos. This year, we extended it to Abuja and we will still extend it to other states. This age group is very exciting. They are the future artists, so we need to nurture their talents,” he said.

    Head of Marketing, Dufil Prima Foods, Mr Manpreet Singh, said the Mother Like no other art competition attracted about 80,000 entries from 2,000 schools in Lagos and Abuja. He said the decision to theme the art competition around mothers was to celebrate the bond they share with their children.

    He said the entries were assessed by professional artists who sifted through the work to reward those that were originals.

    “There is no stronger bond than the mother and child bond. Indomie decided to celebrate that bond with an art competition. The judges considered the idea behind the concept – how the pupils expressed love for their mothers, use of shades, and colours,” he said.

    The pupils were rewarded in three categories, with the first winning N150,000. The second category won N125,000 went home with N100,000.

    The winners in the first category were: Ekene Onwubiko of Barbara Cox School, Festac Town; Yekini Jamiu of Barakat Islamic School, Ajegunle; Olatunji Awobona, NNPC Staff School, Mosimi; and Daniel Okechukwu, Baruch Day School, Aguda.

    In the second category were: Ebube Elodis, Unique County Schools; Ibrahim Hassan, Barakat Islamic Model School; Onyeka Nebe, Barbara Cox School; and Dan Obi, The Learning Field Schools, Satellite Town.

    The third category had: John Odunfa, Sweet Hope Children School; Lekan Adebayo, De-Crown Nursery and Primary School, Meiran; Ayomide Akinloye, Sweet Hope Children School; and Abubakar Sulaimon, New State Primary School.

  • African students honour YABATECH Rector

    As the All Africa Students Union (AASU) inducted the Rector of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr Margaret Kudirat Ladipo, into its hall of fame Friday last week, other heads of institutions were urged to learn from her leadership skills.

    The students also honoured YABATECH with the Outstanding Institution award and presented the Rector with a plaque and a framed tribute of herself.

    Presenting the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award at the Conference Room of the institution, the AASU General Secretary, Comrade Olufemi Lawson, said the likes of Dr Ladipo and other past recipients of the award were examples of the kind of leaders Africa needed to get to the Promised Land.

    He said underdevelopment in Africa was as a result of poor leadership and not resources, adding that the AASU awards are aimed at identifying leaders with qualities that lift the continent to a place of pride in world affairs.

    Among other attributes, Lawson said Dr Ladipo was found worthy of the award because of the cordial relationship she has with students, who fondly call her Aunty Kudi.

    He said: “YABATECH has entered the list of those institutions we find worthy in Africa. We are here not just to celebrate the milestones of YABATECH but to challenge others to use the institutions to learn that things can be done right. Since our mother took over, the student/management relationship has been peaceful. Nigeria has the highest record of student/management conflict in Africa.

    “When the nomination came, a lot of persons on the panel did not know much about Madam Rector. But when I googled her name, I found not less than 1,000 entries and I can tell that not one was negative,” he said.

    In her response, Dr Ladipo said she was humbled by the gesture, one that she treasures above other accolades.

    “My beloved students, I realise that this award is in recognition of the humble achievements that I have been able to record in the course of my stewardship as Rector of this great institution. It is indeed a reference point of recognition for my contributions to the educational development of our youths. This is quite remarkable, considering the fact that this honour is only bestowed on eminent Africans, who have distinguished themselves in their various endeavours,” she said.

  • FirstBank contest produces millionaire student

    Six undergraduates had the arduous task of convincing judges of the infallibility of their business plans in the final of the FirstBank Business Smart contest for undergraduates.

    It was organised by FirstBank Plc in conjunction with the Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Tuesday last week.

    But, of the lot, none impressed them like Ifeoluwa Olutayo, a 400-Level English Language student of the University of Ibadan (UI), with her solution to kitchen troubles for busy workers.

    Business Smart is an on-campus business development and management programme designed to provide hands-on experimental learning opportunity nurture entrepreneurial skills of students in higher institutions.

    The road to the final held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos was strewn with difficulties for Ifeoluwa, who was still recovering from a gas explosion accident when she entered for the competition two days to the deadline in July.

    The 23-year-old still finds it miraculous that her entry was one of the best 20 selected from the 400 received from students nationwide, which earned her a place in the four-day workshop organised for students to learn about business plans.

    The four days proved vital for the contestants as they were mentored by six business development experts from the Lagos Business School, PZ Cussons, Guaranty Trust Bank, Fetz Consulting and Collect Marketing Nigeria to develop viable business plans and avenues to enter competitive online business.

    The students were tasked by their mentors to develop practical business proposals that could survive in a competitive environment. That process produced the six finalists who were adjudged the best for a final that brought them in contact with top managers from FirstBank branches nationwide.

    The five others that joined Ifeoluwa in the final were Obinna Onyekwere, 300-Level Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; Olusegun Anjorin, 300-Level Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU); Ibikunle Afolabi, 300-Level Economics, OAU; Kehinde Ayoade, 100-Level Philosophy, OAU and Olumide Ogunlana, 500-Level Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Lagos (UNILAG).

    Representing Innovative Foods Limited, Ibikunle’s idea was to provide innovation into African cuisine through processing of garri. He said the questionnaires answered by OAU students showed that if garri could be nutritionally repackaged, the demand for the cassava grain would go beyond local market. He calculated his start up cost to be N928,200 and profit to be N177,904 at end of the first month. The judges averred that the business would run out of cash in practice.

    After his presentation on inverter technology as alternative to the epileptic power supply in the country, judges concluded that Olusegun of Dreams Technology was an intelligent but impatient entrepreneur without business savvy. “He is an IT-crazy young man but lacks viable business idea,” one of the judges noted.

    But when it came to Ifeoluwa, who represented Soupah Kitchen, the judges marvelled, not only because they were surprised she entered for the competition, despite being treated for second-degree burns she suffered in a gas explosion in her kitchen in June, but because her concept and presentation were brilliant.

    Ifeoluwa, through her idea, seeks to reduce the time people spend in their kitchens.

    During her presentation, she analysed how she would achieve prosperity through the sale of parboiled chickens, tomatoes and vegetables. She factored a loss of N436,000 during the first year but projected a gain of over N8 million in the second year if she invested N1 million in the business.

    Ifeoluwa’s presentation was described as super by the judges, who also gave a verdict that her profit projection “may be hypothetical but her passion and drive were intense and convincing.”

    She won N1 million for her effort. Second and third placed Kehinde and Obinna were rewarded with N500,000 each.

    Speaking on behalf of FirstBank, Mr Leo Ezeokana, Head of Retail Banking (Southsouth) and one of the judges, congratulated the participants for showcasing their entrepreneurial skills. He said the management of the bank was delighted partnering SIFE to drive its youth empowerment programme.

    “The FirstBank believes in development of Nigeria, which informed our resolve to empower students in higher institutions to build viable and elephant enterprises,” Ezeokana said. In an interview, Ifeoluwa, who was moved to tears by the feat, said the doctor’s advice won her the money.

    “Before I was discharged from the hospital after the fire, the doctor told me not to move towards heat, so I had the opportunity to surf the internet extensively. It was then I discovered the competition and I sent in my entry two days before its deadline.

    FirstBank officials among the judges included Oyinade Kuku, Team Lead, Manpower Planning; Yinka Ijabiyi, Brand Strategy, Special Projects and Consumer Insight; Yewande Adesina, Strategy and Corporate Development Manager; Funmilayo Akadiri, Corporate Transformation Manager and Mr Shehu Aliyu, Retail Banking (North).

     

  • School treats pupils to community service at independence

    As part of activities to mark Nigeria’s 52nd independence anniversary, Carol School, Ikeja, Lagos, last Friday dedicated the entire day not only to showcasing Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, but also inculcating community service in its pupils.

    The nearly three decade-old nursery and primary school did not only inundate the kids about the country’s rich history, and her heroes and heroines, the event also featured a demonstration of cultural values and historical artefacts the nation is blessed with.

    The children were taken around some neighbourhoods in Ikeja area where they participated in cleaning exercise.

    The initiative, said the school’s headmistress, Mrs Bola Adeaga, is to change the negative impressions about Nigeria’s image which she said is replete with stories such as bombings, armed robberies, kidnappings, arsons among others, which the kids are daily fed with.

    The pupils, aside educating them with the positives about the country, also watched documentaries about past leaders and great institutions including landmarks once recorded in the country particularly by the defunct Western Region such as the Liberty Stadium, in Ibadan, the NWTV, Africa’s first television station and the nations’s first 24-storey skyscraper, Cocoa House.

    “The essence of all these is to plant in these pupils the reasons Nigeria cannot be abandoned and why they should show their interests in nation building. We can tell you that as little as they are, many of their age grades in this country can only tell you about President Obama, J.F Kennedy, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela and several other non-Nigerians. But how do we make them to seek to know about the good men and women this nation has produced without teaching them about their histories? If you see their reactions, you would really be glad about it,” the school’s head of Public Relations, Mrs Emily Udoh explained.

  • Scholars chart path to national progress

    Provost, Micheal Otedola College of Primary Education, Noforija-Epe, Prof Olu Akeusola, has said priority should be laid on moral education in schools’ curricula. This, to Akeusola, would save the country from moral decadence,

    Said Akeusola: “Education has been seen as a medium through which enlightenment is achieved, therefore the curriculum of our schools should emphasise moral education in the different subjects taught in the schools, these include Religious Studies, Civic Education, Social Studies, Moral Instruction and also extra-curricular activities should advocate moral discipline through songs, drama, poetry and arts.leaders in different spheres of the society should lead by example and display high level of moral integrity.”

    Akeusola, who spoke in Lagos, alongside other academics, made the recommendation at a public seminar tagged Character and Values In National Peace and Progress, organised by the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, Lagos Zone.

    Akeusola identified stealing, greed, dishonesty, unhealthy rivalry and competition and covetousness as character traits hindering peace and progress.

    He listed trustworthiness, respect for others, sense of responsibility, fairness, care, performing civic duties as some of traits needed to foster peace and progress in Nigeria.

    In his speech, Alagba Oladipo Yemitan, who chaired the event, said the loss of Omoluwabi (good character) in us accounted for the “bereftness of dignity and pride in ourselves and our country”

    “The concept, virtues and values of an Omoluwabi need to be recharged and embraced by us in this country so we can be peaceful, lawful and progressive the way we should. We certainly need to revisit and re-invent it,” he stated.

    Other scholars at the event included: professors Femi Otubanjo, and Issac Alaba, consultants in politics and culture and language and Head, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, Prof Friday Ndubuisi.

    Addressing journalists earlier, the Grand Administrator and Director, Supreme Board of Amorc, Dr Kenneth Idiodi, stressed that there was a grave disconnect between Nigerians and their conscience.

    “There must be an established link between the inner and outside selves for personal consciousness to bring about transformation agenda,” Idiodi further posited.

  • 25 graduate from mentorship training

    They were full of joy and excitement as they took turns to receive their certificates of participation after graduating from an entrepreneurship and internship mentoring programme in Abuja.

    The programme, undertaken by the Afrigrowth Foundation, aims at enhancing self-sufficiency among graduates and youths, and also to develop a learning centre committed to conducting trainings that would strengthen the internal coordination of civil society groups.

    The President of Afrigrowth Foundation, Mrs Dayo Keshi, who spoke yesterday at the graduation of the third batch of the mentorship training, said the graduating students really made the foundation very proud through their commitment and resilience.

    She added that another batch of 25 was expected to be trained to complete 100 mentees.

    “They have been trained in entrepreneurial skills, leadership abilities, the social media so that they can turn out to be employers of labour in the future and not depend on white collar jobs,” she added

    The guest of honour, Mr Innocent Enejo, implored the graduands to be desperate in order to succeed as an entrepreneur.

    “You must be resilient, desperate and passionate to succeed, have a prepared mind as it is not function of what you have learnt in school but the zeal and commitment in you to make it in life”

    “Don’t outspend your money before they come, dream big and don’t give up as there are many opportunities for you outside there that you can tap from the organisation,” he said.

    The Executive Director of TY Danjuma Foundation, Lady Amedormey, who praised the training ability of Afrigrowth Foundation, said TY Foundation would be sponsoring the 100 mentees with N6 million.

    Highlights of the ceremony included the presentation of prizes and certificates to participants as well as the presentation of business plans by the graduands.

  • UNIJOS lecturers, students appeal for funds

    Lecturers and students of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) have appealed to the National Assembly to appropriate adequate funds to the university in next year’s budget.

    The appeal was made through a member of House of Representative from Buruku federal constituency, Benue state, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Yisa Orker-Jev when he came to deliver alumni lecture in the school.

    During the university’s distinguished alumni lecture with the theme: “The Role of Lawyers in a Fast Changing World” Students of the Law Faculty demanded improved funding of the institution from the federal government to prevent the production of half-baked graduates.

    One of the students, who called himself Damilola said the university lacks requisite facilities to deliver quality education.

    “We want the national assembly members to realise that we students are facing serious challenge in our studies because the university lack basic facilities to enhance our studies. Studying law in modern world require basic Internet facilities and it is only improve funding that can give them such advantage”

    Another Law student, Michael Josiah said, “Our hostel is not conducive, we lack modern law books in the library and access to Internet facilities which is central to our studies is lacking.”

    Lecturers of the Law Faculty told the lawmaker that UNIJOS has stagnated for 20 years and requires emergency funding intervention before it collapses. In his lecture, Rt. Hon. Orker- Jev, an alumnus, agreed that the university had stagnated and promised to present the problem to the National Assembly.

    He said, “It is obvious the school has stagnated because it is the same facilities in use when I studied here 20 years ago that I am seeing today as guest lecturer. It means the school facilities has not improve in the last 20 years.

    “Now that I have seen things myself, I will go back to the National Assembly and work with the committees on education so as to ensure something is done urgently in next year’s budget.”

  • Elite prodded on participatory governance

    Former Lagos State Attorney-General Prof Yemi Osinbajo has held the elite culpable for the pitiable state of Nigeria. Osinbajo accused them of sitting on the fence instead of being change agents.

    Speaking on the topic Nigeria at 52: Embracing peace and unity, during the Cosmopolitan Women’s Club (CWC) 52nd Independence Lecture held at the NIIA, VI Lagos, Osinbajo said change would not come until the elite show more interest in how Nigeria’s future is decided.

    The CWC, which started 16 years ago, is an almagam of women elite with the purpose of championing the cause of the nation’s development.

    His words: “The elite of this country have disagreed to carryout change. In the United Kingdom, a group of people once sat to decide a constitution that says “all men are equal.” One thing that is clear is that education has collapsed; that is why many of us send our children abroad to study. The elite have not decided to effect a change. Their consensus is against the country.”

    Osinbajo, who observed that stakeholders’ input in education was very low, canvassed improvement.

    Former Governor, Cross River State, Donald Duke, challenged governments to contribute more to education at the home front.

  • Lions Club offers free literacy classes, books

    No fewer than 400 primary and secondary school pupils benefited from the literacy initiative of the Ikoyi Lion Club, Lagos aimed at encouraging healthy reading habits.

    Volunteers from the club visited Olanike Dairo Children School and Jufradol High School, Lagos Island, to implement the programme which also focused on helping the young ones imbibe good morals.

    Speaking on the objective of the workshop, First Vice-President of the club Abiola Gamba, who took the learners on two themes: Youth, drug and crime; the way out and Bringing back the old reading culture habit in schools, said the initiative was to complement efforts of parents and teachers in the training of pupils academically and morally.

    Her words: “This project is geared toward not only bringing back the old good reading culture into schools but also reinstating the fast fading ethical values of the society. The various literatures read with the pupils are those with good morals. We all know that children are often the product of their environment especially as teenagers; but if given the right orientation in a platform, these children can still be agents of change in the fight against social vices.

    “One of the books we read with the pupils focuses on a high school freshman whose family is desperate for money and who becomes ensnared in drugs. Imagine some female pupils who are still in the age bracket of 15/16 saying it is fun to have a boyfriend; that it is always boring staying at home with their parents and as such, look for every opportunity of mixing up with their friends. Parents have a lot to do; there are too many cases of rape and child abuse in the society.”

    Bimpe Adeshina, 14, one of the participants, said she enjoyed the programme.

    “I’ve got to know there is more fun in reading, especially educative and informative books. I now know what to do when I’m reading for pleasure, scanning and when studying. Most of the time, we do assignments. But with seminars like this I know what to do to be outspoken, fluent and eloquent,” she said.

    The learners also went home with free guide manuscripts tagged: Train your school child well, which the club’s President, Ms Labo Simplice, said would help parents in playing their roles more effectively.